Helpful Summary
When choosing HR software, two names often come up for UK businesses: Evalu-8 HR and BreatheHR. Both help organisations move away from spreadsheets and manual admin, but they’re built for very different audiences.
BreatheHR is popular with small businesses thanks to its affordability and simplicity, while Evalu-8 HR is designed to scale, offering compliance tools, workforce management, and modular pricing that grows with your business.
In this blog, we’ll compare Evalu-8 HR and BreatheHR side by side, looking at their core features, advanced functionality, compliance support, pricing, and scalability so you can decide which HR platform is the best fit for your organisation in 2026.
Overview: This guide compares Evalu-8 HR and BreatheHR in detail. Both are affordable HR systems, but they take different approaches: BreatheHR focuses on small-business simplicity, while Evalu-8 HR combines simplicity with scalability and compliance depth.
Why Trust Us: Evalu-8 HR is a UK-built platform designed to remove complexity. Unlike lightweight systems, it doesn’t stop at holiday tracking and document storage. It adds rota scheduling, T&A, fatigue management, and compliance tools that SMEs and mid-sized companies actually need.
Why It Matters: HR software should fit where your business is now and where it’s heading. BreatheHR is a good starting point for very small teams, but many companies outgrow it. Evalu-8 HR is built to grow with you, ensuring you don’t face the hassle of switching systems later.
Evalu-8 HR: The best all-in-one HR software
Why Evalu-8 HR stands out
Evalu-8 HR is a UK-built, HR-first platform created for SMEs and mid-sized organisations that want more than the basics. It covers all the essentials you’d expect from employee records, absence management, and performance tools, but goes further by including compliance and workforce management as standard.
Where BreatheHR focuses on simplicity for very small businesses, Evalu-8 HR focuses on scalability and compliance. From right-to-work checks and GDPR logging to rota scheduling and fatigue monitoring, it provides the tools businesses need not just to run HR but to meet UK regulatory requirements and manage growing workforces effectively.
Core features
Employee database: A comprehensive hub for storing contracts, absence records, training certifications, performance history, and compliance documents, all linked to employee profiles. HR teams can filter, search, and export records quickly for audits or payroll.
Absence & holiday management: Automates leave requests and approvals, calculates entitlements, manages carry-over, and highlights absence trends. Integrated team calendars ensure managers always see staffing availability at a glance.
Document management: Secure cloud storage for contracts, policies, and staff handbooks with e-signatures, version control, and acknowledgement tracking for compliance.
Performance management: Goal setting, appraisals, competency tracking, and structured review cycles give managers a clear framework for performance development.
Employee self-service: Employees can request holidays, clock in and out, access payslips and documents, and update their own details, reducing admin for HR.
Payroll-ready exports: Clean data outputs formatted for UK payroll providers (Sage, BrightPay, Xero, and others) to reduce errors and speed up processing.
Mobile access: Managers and staff can use the mobile app to approve leave, review rotas, and log attendance anywhere.
Compliance tools: Built-in GDPR logs, right-to-work checks, expiry alerts for visas/licences, and audit trails mean HR teams don’t have to manage compliance separately.
Advanced features
Rota management: Drag-and-drop scheduling tool that allows managers to build weekly/monthly rotas with conflict alerts, shift swapping, and employee availability tracking. Staff receive instant notifications of assigned shifts.
Time & attendance: GPS/IP-enabled clock-ins via mobile, real-time tracking of lateness, breaks, and overtime, with automatic timesheet generation that links directly to payroll exports.
Fatigue management: Automatically flags unsafe working patterns like too many consecutive shifts or overtime, and provides alerts to reduce risks around compliance and employee wellbeing.
Contractor & volunteer profiles: Extend HR management to non-permanent staff with restricted access and compliance checks for right-to-work or certification expiry.
Corrective action tracking: Converts audit findings or HR issues into tasks with owners, deadlines, and escalation paths, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.
Analytics dashboards: Configurable dashboards that provide real-time visibility into HR, absence, overtime, and compliance trends. Executives see high-level KPIs while HR teams can drill down into detail.
Audit logs: Automatic capture of every approval, acknowledgement, and compliance event, providing robust evidence for regulators or board reporting.
Scalable modules: Businesses start with core HR, then add rotas, T&A, or fatigue tools as needed, without being forced into bundles they don’t use.
Explore Evalu-8 HR
What Customers Say About Evalu-8 HR
It is really intuitive and easy to use. They seem to have thought of everything with this software as everything is in one package, with one place to log in. I can easily keep my details up to date, book holiday, see my shifts, receive and sign documents and view my training record.
Training is very thorough, with recordings sent on request for reference Service is excellent, they get back to you promptly. Great platform, that's customisable for the business needs. Competitively priced.
Pricing
Evalu-8 HR starts at £2.50 per licence/month for core HR. Add rota management (£1.45 per licence/month) or time & attendance (£2.50 per licence/month) as needed. Setup fees vary depending on company size. The modular pricing model makes costs transparent and ensures businesses only pay for what they use, without tiered restrictions.
Pros & cons of Evalu-8 HR
Pros:
- UK-built and compliance-first
- Transparent modular pricing model
- Combines HR with rota, T&A, and fatigue management
- Real-time dashboards and compliance audit trails
- Scales from SMEs to mid-sized organisations without disruption
Cons:
- Less brand recognition than BreatheHR
- Practical interface, not heavily design-led
- Limited global coverage outside the UK
BreatheHR
BreatheHR is a UK-based HR system designed for small businesses, typically with fewer than 100 employees. Its biggest strengths are its simplicity, affordability, and ease of setup. For small teams that just need to centralise records, manage absence, and move away from spreadsheets, it provides a straightforward solution.
However, BreatheHR is deliberately lightweight. While this makes it easy for very small businesses to adopt, it also means the system has limitations in compliance, workforce management, and scalability. Many SMEs find that as soon as their workforce or compliance needs grow, they begin to outgrow BreatheHR.
Core features
Employee database: Stores staff details, contracts, and absence records.
Absence & holiday tracking: Employees request and managers approve leave, with shared calendars.
Document management: Upload and share policies, contracts, and staff handbooks.
Performance management: Tools for simple appraisals and feedback.
Employee self-service: Staff can access documents, request leave, and update information.
Manager dashboards: Provide quick visibility of absences, tasks, and performance notes.
Advanced features
Recruitment basics: Post vacancies and track candidates through simple pipelines.
Expenses management: Employees can submit expenses for manager approval.
Training records: Record and monitor employee training and certifications.
Reporting: Generate standard HR reports for headcount, absence, and performance.
Integrations: Links with some UK payroll providers and third-party tools.
Mobile-friendly access: Employees and managers can use the system via browser or app.
Constraints and functionality gaps
Not scalable: Best suited for small businesses. Larger SMEs (100+ employees) often find it restrictive.
No rota or advanced T&A: BreatheHR doesn’t include rota scheduling, GPS/IP-enabled clock-ins, or overtime tracking, making it unsuitable for shift-heavy organisations.
Compliance is basic: Provides document storage and reminders but lacks right-to-work checks, GDPR audit logging, or detailed audit trails.
Reporting is limited: Reports are functional but not highly customisable or detailed.
Often a starter system: Works well for micro and small businesses, but many companies migrate as they scale.
Pricing
BreatheHR uses tiered pricing based on employee headcount. This makes it very affordable for microbusinesses and small companies, but as organisations grow, the pricing increases while the feature set remains relatively static.
Pros & cons of BreatheHR
Pros:
- Affordable and transparent pricing
- Simple to set up and adopt
- Designed with small UK businesses in mind
- Covers the HR essentials (absence, documents, performance)
Cons:
- Not built for scaling SMEs or mid-sized firms
- Compliance features are surface-level
- Reporting is functional but limited
- Businesses often outgrow it as requirements increase
Overview: Evalu-8 HR vs BreatheHR
Evalu-8 HR and BreatheHR are two of the most popular HR platforms for UK businesses, but they serve very different needs. Both help organisations move away from spreadsheets by centralising employee data, absence tracking, and performance management, yet their strengths and limitations make them better suited to different types of businesses.
Evalu-8 HR is designed for SMEs and mid-sized companies that need more than the basics. It combines core HR with rota scheduling, time & attendance, fatigue monitoring, and UK compliance tools like GDPR logging and right-to-work checks. Its modular pricing model keeps costs transparent and scalable, making it a long-term solution.
BreatheHR is aimed at micro and small businesses looking for simplicity and affordability. It covers essentials like holiday management, document storage, and simple appraisals, but it doesn’t include rota scheduling, advanced T&A, or detailed compliance features. Many companies find they outgrow it once their workforce or compliance requirements increase.
Key takeaway: BreatheHR can serve as a simple starting point for very small teams, but Evalu-8 HR is the stronger long-term choice, offering scalability, compliance, and full workforce management in one seamless platform
Final Thoughts
Both Evalu-8 HR and BreatheHR help businesses move away from spreadsheets and manual HR processes, but they’re designed for different stages of growth.
BreatheHR works well for very small businesses that want an affordable, lightweight system to manage holidays, documents, and simple appraisals. It’s a good starter tool, but most companies eventually outgrow it once compliance or workforce management needs become more complex.
Evalu-8 HR, on the other hand, is built for SMEs and mid-sized organisations. It combines core HR with rota scheduling, time & attendance, fatigue management, and UK compliance tools like GDPR logging and right-to-work checks. Its modular pricing ensures businesses only pay for what they need, while still having the ability to scale as they grow.
FAQs
BreatheHR is designed for micro and small businesses that need simple HR software. Evalu-8 HR is built for SMEs and mid-sized organisations, offering compliance tools, workforce management, and scalability that BreatheHR doesn’t include.
Yes, BreatheHR works well for very small companies that only need the basics, such as holiday management, performance tracking, and document storage. However, many businesses outgrow it as they scale.
Evalu-8 HR includes rota scheduling, time & attendance, fatigue monitoring, and UK compliance features like GDPR logs and right-to-work checks. It’s better suited to businesses that need more than basic HR functionality and want a long-term system.
Evalu-8 HR starts at £2.50 per user/month with optional add-on modules. BreatheHR uses tiered pricing based on employee numbers. Both are affordable, but Evalu-8 HR delivers more scalability and compliance features for the price.
Evalu-8 HR is stronger for UK compliance. It includes GDPR audit logs, right-to-work checks, expiry alerts, and audit trails. BreatheHR provides only basic compliance support through document storage and reminders.
