CharlieHR vs BambooHR
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
CharlieHR
HR Software
- United Kingdom
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
BambooHR
HR Software
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.1 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 | CharlieHR | BambooHR |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £20/mo | On request |
| Free version | NoNo | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.1 | 4.0 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 229 reviews | 244 reviews |
How reviewers score them
Across the four dimensions we ask every reviewer about — and, below, the star split each average is built from.
- CharlieHR
- BambooHR
| Dimension | CharlieHR | BambooHR | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Value for money | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.1 to CharlieHR |
| Customer support | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Functionality | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.1 to CharlieHR |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CharlieHR | 41% (95 reviews) | 35% (81 reviews) | 15% (34 reviews) | 6% (13 reviews) | 3% (6 reviews) |
| BambooHR | 41% (100 reviews) | 35% (86 reviews) | 14% (33 reviews) | 8% (19 reviews) | 2% (6 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 318%
- Only CharlieHR
- 741%
- Only BambooHR
- 741%
17 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
CharlieHR
7- Company announcements
- HR advice add on
- Leave and absence management
- Recruitment add on
+ 3 more in the table below
BambooHR
7- Applicant tracking
- Document management
- Large integration marketplace
- Mobile app
+ 3 more in the table below
Showing 17 of 17 features
| Detail | CharlieHR | BambooHR |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 14 | ||
| Company announcements | YesYes | NoNo |
| HR advice add on | YesYes | NoNo |
| Leave and absence management | YesYes | NoNo |
| Recruitment add on | YesYes | NoNo |
| Reporting | YesYes | NoNo |
| Simple performance reviews | YesYes | NoNo |
| UK statutory leave handling | YesYes | NoNo |
| Applicant tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Document management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Large integration marketplace | NoNo | YesYes |
| Mobile app | NoNo | YesYes |
| Performance management add on | NoNo | YesYes |
| Reporting and analytics | NoNo | YesYes |
| Time off management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 3 | ||
| Employee database | YesYes | YesYes |
| Employee self serve | YesYes | YesYes |
| Onboarding workflows | 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 | CharlieHR | BambooHR |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| Data residency | United Kingdom | Not stated |
| UK-based support | UK support team | Not stated |
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.
CharlieHR
BambooHR
Core (1 to 4)
£20/mo
- Leave and records
- Onboarding
- Simple reviews
BambooHR
Contact vendor
- Quoted per employee
- Core HR and onboarding
- Performance add on
Core (5 to 14)
£45/mo
- Headcount band pricing
- Everything in the smaller band
No comparable tier listed
HR Advice add on
£179/mo
- Unlimited HR advice by phone and email
- Handbook and policy creation
- Compliance checks
No comparable tier listed
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 CharlieHR if
- It lists 7 features BambooHR does not, including company announcements.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 2 of them against 0.
Choose BambooHR if
- It lists 7 features CharlieHR does not, including applicant tracking.
On verified Assaylist reviews, CharlieHR currently rates 4.1 against 4.0 for BambooHR. That gap is not the whole story: CharlieHR starts at £20/mo and BambooHR at a quoted price, 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.
We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never affects our ratings or what we recommend. How this works.