Breathe vs Access PeopleHR
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Breathe
HR Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Access PeopleHR
HR Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Australia
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.0 against 4.0. Price and fit will decide this one, not the score.
The short version
What each one costs and how each one rates, side by side. Only the rows where leading means something are marked; vendor and availability are in the overview above.
| Detail | Breathe | Access PeopleHR |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £24/mo | £3/user/month |
| Free version | NoNo | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 235 reviews | 236 reviews |
Highlighted where one clearly leads. Rows without a highlight are not a contest.
How reviewers score them
Across the four dimensions we ask every reviewer about — and, below, the star split each average is built from.
- Breathe
- Access PeopleHR
| Dimension | Breathe | Access PeopleHR | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.1 to Breathe |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 3.9 | Level |
| Customer support | 3.9 | 3.9 | Level |
| Functionality | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.1 to Breathe |
What each average is made of
Two products can share an average and not share a reputation. These bars show the star split behind each score.
| Product | 5 star | 4 star | 3 star | 2 star | 1 star |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breathe | 40% (93 reviews) | 34% (79 reviews) | 17% (41 reviews) | 8% (18 reviews) | 2% (4 reviews) |
| Access PeopleHR | 42% (99 reviews) | 32% (76 reviews) | 14% (32 reviews) | 9% (22 reviews) | 3% (7 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 318%
- Only Breathe
- 741%
- Only Access PeopleHR
- 741%
17 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Breathe
7- Company announcements
- Document storage
- Health and safety add on
- Reporting
+ 3 more in the table below
Access PeopleHR
7- Access ecosystem integration
- Applicant tracking
- Document management
- Onboarding
+ 3 more in the table below
Showing 17 of 17 features
| Detail | Breathe | Access PeopleHR |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 14 | ||
| Company announcements | YesYes | NoNo |
| Document storage | YesYes | NoNo |
| Health and safety add on | YesYes | NoNo |
| Reporting | YesYes | NoNo |
| Rota, time and attendance add on | YesYes | NoNo |
| Simple performance tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| UK statutory leave handling | YesYes | NoNo |
| Access ecosystem integration | NoNo | YesYes |
| Applicant tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Document management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Onboarding | NoNo | YesYes |
| Org chart | NoNo | YesYes |
| Performance management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Reporting and analytics | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 3 | ||
| Employee database | YesYes | YesYes |
| Employee self serve | YesYes | YesYes |
| Leave and absence management | YesYes | YesYes |
A dash means the vendor has not published a feature list — which is not the same as the feature being unavailable.
How they handle UK obligations
Checked against the vendor's own documentation or HMRC's published list. A dash means we have not verified it — never that it is missing.
| Detail | Breathe | Access PeopleHR |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| Data residency | United Kingdom | United Kingdom |
| UK-based support | UK support team | UK support team |
What each tier costs
Both line-ups on one ladder, so the middle tier on one side sits next to the middle tier on the other.
Breathe
Access PeopleHR
Micro
£24/mo
- Up to 10 employees
- Leave management
- Employee records
Starter
£3/user/monthLower
- Core HR records
- Leave management
- Employee self serve
Starter
£44/mo
- Up to 20 employees
- Everything in Micro
- Performance tracking
Core
£5.50/user/monthLower
- Performance management
- More reporting
- Everything in Starter
Regular
£99/mo
- Up to 50 employees
- Everything in Starter
- More storage
Pro
£8/user/monthLower
- Applicant tracking
- Advanced reporting
- Everything in Core
Rungs are matched by position in each vendor’s own line-up, not by what the tiers include — an entry plan on one side may cover more than the other. Prices exclude VAT unless stated, and per-seat plans are quoted per seat. Always confirm on the vendor’s own site.
Which should you choose?
Two answers, because there are two right ones depending on what you need.
Choose Breathe if
- It lists 7 features Access PeopleHR does not, including company announcements.
Choose Access PeopleHR if
- It costs less to get started — £3/user/month against £24/mo.
- It lists 7 features Breathe does not, including access ecosystem integration.
On verified Assaylist reviews, Breathe currently rates 4.0 against 4.0 for Access PeopleHR. That gap is not the whole story: Breathe starts at £24/mo and Access PeopleHR at £3/user/month, so the right answer depends on the tier you actually need and on which one handles your UK obligations. Read both profiles before you commit, and confirm current pricing on the vendor's own site.
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