CharlieHR vs Sage People
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
Sage People
HR Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- France
- Germany
- Spain
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.1 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 | CharlieHR | Sage People |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £20/mo | On request |
| Free version | NoNo | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | NoNo |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 229 reviews | 298 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
- Sage People
| Dimension | CharlieHR | Sage People | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Value for money | 4.0 | 4.1 | 0.1 to Sage People |
| Customer support | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CharlieHR | 41% (95 reviews) | 35% (81 reviews) | 15% (34 reviews) | 6% (13 reviews) | 3% (6 reviews) |
| Sage People | 46% (138 reviews) | 32% (96 reviews) | 12% (36 reviews) | 7% (21 reviews) | 2% (7 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Only CharlieHR
- 1050%
- Only Sage People
- 1050%
20 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
CharlieHR
10- Company announcements
- Employee database
- Employee self serve
- HR advice add on
+ 6 more in the table below
Sage People
10- Built on the Salesforce platform
- Compensation planning
- Configurable workflows
- Employee lifecycle management
+ 6 more in the table below
| Detail | CharlieHR | Sage People |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 20 | ||
| Company announcements | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee database | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee self serve | YesYes | NoNo |
| HR advice add on | YesYes | NoNo |
| Leave and absence management | YesYes | NoNo |
| Onboarding workflows | YesYes | NoNo |
| Recruitment add on | YesYes | NoNo |
| Reporting | YesYes | NoNo |
| Simple performance reviews | YesYes | NoNo |
| UK statutory leave handling | YesYes | NoNo |
| Built on the Salesforce platform | NoNo | YesYes |
| Compensation planning | NoNo | YesYes |
| Configurable workflows | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee lifecycle management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee self service | NoNo | YesYes |
| Global reporting | NoNo | YesYes |
| Multi country HR management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Recruitment and onboarding | NoNo | YesYes |
| Talent and performance management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Workforce analytics | NoNo | 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 | Sage People |
|---|---|---|
| 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
Sage People
Core (1 to 4)
£20/mo
- Leave and records
- Onboarding
- Simple reviews
Sage People
Contact vendor
- Quoted per organisation
- Multi country HR
- Workforce analytics
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
- You can trial it before paying — Sage People lists no free trial.
- It lists 10 features Sage People does not, including company announcements.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 2 of them against 0.
Choose Sage People if
- It lists 10 features CharlieHR does not, including built on the salesforce platform.
On verified Assaylist reviews, CharlieHR currently rates 4.1 against 4.1 for Sage People. That gap is not the whole story: CharlieHR starts at £20/mo and Sage People 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.
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