Sage HR vs Personio
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Sage HR
HR Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- United States
- Australia
- South Africa
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Personio
HR Software
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- Ireland
- Spain
- Netherlands
- 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 | Sage HR | Personio |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £5/user/month | On request |
| Free version | NoNo | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| 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 | 296 reviews | 215 reviews |
How reviewers score them
Across the four dimensions we ask every reviewer about — and, below, the star split each average is built from.
- Sage HR
- Personio
| Dimension | Sage HR | Personio | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Value for money | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage HR | 44% (131 reviews) | 34% (101 reviews) | 13% (39 reviews) | 5% (16 reviews) | 3% (9 reviews) |
| Personio | 44% (95 reviews) | 35% (75 reviews) | 14% (30 reviews) | 4% (8 reviews) | 3% (7 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 316%
- Only Sage HR
- 947%
- Only Personio
- 737%
19 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Sage HR
9- Applicant tracking
- Connects to Sage Payroll
- Employee self service
- Expense claims
+ 5 more in the table below
Personio
7- Approval workflows
- Document management
- Employee self serve
- Multi country HR
+ 3 more in the table below
Showing 19 of 19 features
| Detail | Sage HR | Personio |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 16 | ||
| Applicant tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Connects to Sage Payroll | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee self service | YesYes | NoNo |
| Expense claims | YesYes | NoNo |
| Leave and absence management | YesYes | NoNo |
| Mobile app for managers and staff | YesYes | NoNo |
| Org chart | YesYes | NoNo |
| Shift scheduling | YesYes | NoNo |
| Timesheets | YesYes | NoNo |
| Approval workflows | NoNo | YesYes |
| Document management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee self serve | NoNo | YesYes |
| Multi country HR | NoNo | YesYes |
| Onboarding and offboarding | NoNo | YesYes |
| Recruitment and applicant tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Time off management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 3 | ||
| Employee database | YesYes | YesYes |
| Performance management | YesYes | YesYes |
| Reporting and analytics | 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 | Sage HR | Personio |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| Pension auto-enrolment | NoNo | Not listedNot listed |
| UK-based support | Telephone support from Sage UK | 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.
Sage HR
Personio
Core Sage HR and Leave Management
£5/user/month
- Leave management
- Employee database
- Mobile app
Personio
Contact vendor
- Quoted per employee
- Full employee lifecycle
- Multi country support
Performance management
£2.50/user/month
- Add on module
- Goals and reviews
- 1:1 feedback
No comparable tier listed
Timesheets
£2.50/user/month
- Add on module
- Time tracking
- Approvals
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 Sage HR if
- It lists 9 features Personio does not, including applicant tracking.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 1 of them against 0.
Choose Personio if
- It lists 7 features Sage HR does not, including approval workflows.
On verified Assaylist reviews, Sage HR currently rates 4.1 against 4.1 for Personio. That gap is not the whole story: Sage HR starts at £5/user/month and Personio 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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