Breathe vs Sage HR
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
Sage HR
HR Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- United States
- Australia
- South Africa
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.0 against 4.1. 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 | Sage HR |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £24/mo | £5/user/month |
| Free version | NoNo | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.0 | 4.1 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 235 reviews | 296 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
- Sage HR
| Dimension | Breathe | Sage HR | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Sage HR |
| Customer support | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Sage HR |
| Functionality | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
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) |
| Sage HR | 44% (131 reviews) | 34% (101 reviews) | 13% (39 reviews) | 5% (16 reviews) | 3% (9 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 210%
- Only Breathe
- 840%
- Only Sage HR
- 1050%
20 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Breathe
8- Company announcements
- Document storage
- Employee self serve
- Health and safety add on
+ 4 more in the table below
Sage HR
10- Applicant tracking
- Connects to Sage Payroll
- Employee self service
- Expense claims
+ 6 more in the table below
Showing 20 of 20 features
| Detail | Breathe | Sage HR |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 18 | ||
| Company announcements | YesYes | NoNo |
| Document storage | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee self serve | 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 |
| Applicant tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Connects to Sage Payroll | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee self service | NoNo | YesYes |
| Expense claims | NoNo | YesYes |
| Mobile app for managers and staff | NoNo | YesYes |
| Org chart | NoNo | YesYes |
| Performance management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Reporting and analytics | NoNo | YesYes |
| Shift scheduling | NoNo | YesYes |
| Timesheets | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 2 | ||
| Employee database | 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 | Sage HR |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| Pension auto-enrolment | Not listedNot listed | NoNo |
| Data residency | United Kingdom | Not stated |
| UK-based support | UK support team | Telephone support from Sage UK |
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
Sage HR
Micro
£24/mo
- Up to 10 employees
- Leave management
- Employee records
Core Sage HR and Leave Management
£5/user/monthLower
- Leave management
- Employee database
- Mobile app
Starter
£44/mo
- Up to 20 employees
- Everything in Micro
- Performance tracking
Performance management
£2.50/user/monthLower
- Add on module
- Goals and reviews
- 1:1 feedback
Regular
£99/mo
- Up to 50 employees
- Everything in Starter
- More storage
Timesheets
£2.50/user/monthLower
- Add on module
- Time tracking
- Approvals
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 8 features Sage HR does not, including company announcements.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 2 of them against 1.
Choose Sage HR if
- It costs less to get started — £5/user/month against £24/mo.
- It lists 10 features Breathe does not, including applicant tracking.
Both target UK small businesses. Sage HR is modular, letting you add performance or scheduling to core leave management, while Breathe wins on flat per company pricing that does not climb as you hire. Choose Breathe for predictable cost and simplicity, Sage HR if you want to add modules and connect to Sage Payroll.
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