{
  "id": "breathe-hr-vs-bamboohr",
  "checkedAt": "2026-10-14",
  "title": "Breathe HR vs BambooHR UK: prices, payroll and headcount",
  "description": "Compare Breathe HR and BambooHR for UK teams. Check employee-band costs, small-team flat fees, optional modules and UK payroll handover with a headcount calculator.",
  "datasetDescription": "Verified Breathe monthly GBP employee bands, optional rota fees and six calculated team budgets, alongside BambooHR UK starting-price boundaries and payroll integration scope.",
  "currency": "GBP",
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Breathe rendered monthly prices and employee selector",
      "url": "https://www.breathehr.com/en-gb/hr-software/hr-software-prices"
    },
    {
      "title": "Breathe included features and role limits",
      "url": "https://www.breathehr.com/en-gb/hr-software/hr-whats-included"
    },
    {
      "title": "BambooHR UK packaging and starting fees",
      "url": "https://www.bamboohr.com/uk/pricing/"
    },
    {
      "title": "BambooHR payroll scope",
      "url": "https://www.bamboohr.com/platform/payroll/"
    },
    {
      "title": "BambooHR local payroll connections",
      "url": "https://www.bamboohr.com/platform/global-employment/local-payroll"
    }
  ],
  "breathe": {
    "billing": "Monthly-billed core fees per business; 12-month illustrations do not apply an annual-payment discount",
    "taxBasis": "Excluding VAT",
    "bands": [
      {
        "id": "micro",
        "name": "Micro",
        "min": 1,
        "max": 10,
        "monthlyCoreGbp": 24,
        "monthlyRotaGbp": 11
      },
      {
        "id": "starter",
        "name": "Starter",
        "min": 11,
        "max": 20,
        "monthlyCoreGbp": 44,
        "monthlyRotaGbp": 17
      },
      {
        "id": "regular",
        "name": "Regular",
        "min": 21,
        "max": 50,
        "monthlyCoreGbp": 99,
        "monthlyRotaGbp": 34
      },
      {
        "id": "pro",
        "name": "Pro",
        "min": 51,
        "max": 100,
        "monthlyCoreGbp": 175,
        "monthlyRotaGbp": 57
      },
      {
        "id": "premium",
        "name": "Premium",
        "min": 101,
        "max": 150,
        "monthlyCoreGbp": null,
        "monthlyRotaGbp": 114
      },
      {
        "id": "plus",
        "name": "Plus",
        "min": 151,
        "max": 200,
        "monthlyCoreGbp": null,
        "monthlyRotaGbp": 142
      }
    ],
    "largeBandPricing": "The rendered Premium and Plus core selectors show Talk to sales; no older hidden numeric core fee is used",
    "trialDays": 14
  },
  "bamboohr": {
    "plans": [
      "Core",
      "Pro",
      "Elite"
    ],
    "smallTeamMaximumEmployees": 25,
    "smallTeamStartingMonthlyGbp": 200,
    "largerTeamStartingPerEmployeeMonthlyGbp": 8.1,
    "completeTierFeesVerified": false,
    "taxBasis": "Confirm in the UK quote",
    "billing": "Starting fees are not final tier-specific quotes; volume discounts and add-ons can change the total",
    "ukPayroll": "Local payroll connections, including Xero UK; BambooHR's own Payroll product pays US-based employees"
  },
  "comparisonRows": [
    [
      "How the base bill changes",
      "Core HR follows employee bands and is priced per business",
      "Up to 25 employees uses a flat monthly starting fee; larger teams use per-employee pricing"
    ],
    [
      "Day-to-day HR",
      "Employee records, holiday and absence, documents and performance management are in the core scope",
      "Core covers foundational records, reporting, hiring, onboarding and time-off work"
    ],
    [
      "Performance and compensation",
      "Core includes performance management; test the actual review and approval process",
      "Pro adds performance and employee-experience tools; Elite adds compensation and advanced insights"
    ],
    [
      "Recruitment and operational modules",
      "Recruitment, rota/time/attendance, learning, expenses and health-and-safety modules are optional purchases",
      "Time & Attendance and Employer of Record are add-on choices; establish the full package in the quote"
    ],
    [
      "UK payroll handover",
      "Confirm the Xero integration and the receiving payroll process; an HR subscription is not a payroll licence",
      "Xero UK is a local payroll connection; BambooHR's native Payroll product is US-specific"
    ],
    [
      "Access and roles",
      "Micro includes one HR user; finance permissions start at Regular, and time logs at Starter",
      "Test the required HR, manager and employee access with the quoted package"
    ]
  ],
  "teamScenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Ten employees using core HR",
      "employees": 10,
      "rota": false,
      "band": "Micro",
      "requiresQuote": false,
      "monthlyGbp": 24,
      "twelveMonthGbp": 288,
      "bambooSmallTeamStartingAnnualIllustration": 2400
    },
    {
      "name": "Eleven employees using core HR",
      "employees": 11,
      "rota": false,
      "band": "Starter",
      "requiresQuote": false,
      "monthlyGbp": 44,
      "twelveMonthGbp": 528,
      "bambooSmallTeamStartingAnnualIllustration": 2400
    },
    {
      "name": "Twenty employees with rota and attendance",
      "employees": 20,
      "rota": true,
      "band": "Starter",
      "requiresQuote": false,
      "monthlyGbp": 61,
      "twelveMonthGbp": 732,
      "bambooSmallTeamStartingAnnualIllustration": 2400
    },
    {
      "name": "Twenty-one employees using core HR",
      "employees": 21,
      "rota": false,
      "band": "Regular",
      "requiresQuote": false,
      "monthlyGbp": 99,
      "twelveMonthGbp": 1188,
      "bambooSmallTeamStartingAnnualIllustration": 2400
    },
    {
      "name": "Fifty employees using core HR",
      "employees": 50,
      "rota": false,
      "band": "Regular",
      "requiresQuote": false,
      "monthlyGbp": 99,
      "twelveMonthGbp": 1188,
      "bambooSmallTeamStartingAnnualIllustration": null
    },
    {
      "name": "Fifty-one employees using core HR",
      "employees": 51,
      "rota": false,
      "band": "Pro",
      "requiresQuote": false,
      "monthlyGbp": 175,
      "twelveMonthGbp": 2100,
      "bambooSmallTeamStartingAnnualIllustration": null
    }
  ],
  "assumptions": [
    "Breathe monthly illustrations use the selected employee band and optionally its Rota, Time & Attendance add-on. They exclude VAT and every other add-on.",
    "Twelve-month Breathe examples assume the same headcount and monthly rate for twelve months. They are not prepaid annual-contract prices or promotional savings.",
    "Premium and Plus core costs require a quote. Unknown core fees are not zero and are not inferred from older page content.",
    "BambooHR's £200 small-team fee and £8.10 larger-team headline are starting rates, not verified prices for every tier, implementation or add-on.",
    "A twelve-month £2,400 BambooHR starting-fee illustration is not a final quote; confirm plan, taxes, implementation and extras.",
    "Both products need the receiving UK payroll workflow checked separately. No filing, legal compliance or payroll implementation is promised.",
    "These are buying calculations and workflow checks to run; no Breathe–BambooHR product trial is claimed."
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "question": "Is Breathe priced per HR administrator or per employee?",
      "answer": "Its core fee is per business within an employee band. Moving from ten employees to eleven changes the band even if the number of HR administrators stays the same. HR-user permissions still depend on the band."
    },
    {
      "question": "Can ten employees use BambooHR for ten times £8.10?",
      "answer": "That is not its published small-team model. For up to 25 employees, the UK starting fee is flat, from £200 per month. The per-employee headline applies to larger organisations, and the final tier and add-on quote can differ."
    },
    {
      "question": "Does either HR subscription include UK payroll automatically?",
      "answer": "Do not assume it. Confirm the UK payroll provider, its licence, the connection and the data handover. BambooHR's own Payroll product is for US-based employees; its UK route can use a local provider such as Xero UK."
    },
    {
      "question": "Is a twelve-month Breathe calculation its annual-payment offer?",
      "answer": "No. This page multiplies the monthly-billed rate by twelve at a fixed headcount. Obtain the separately offered annual-payment terms if you want a prepaid annual commitment."
    },
    {
      "question": "What happens above 100 Breathe employees?",
      "answer": "The current Premium and Plus core selectors direct buyers to sales. The calculator therefore requests a quote rather than using an unverified core fee."
    }
  ]
}