Compare Breathe vs. Shapes

Breathe (also written Breathe HR or BreatheHR) has helped UK small and medium-sized businesses manage their people since 2012. Instead of juggling spreadsheets and separate tools, you get one place for records, leave, documents, performance, reporting and compliance. What you get as standard Core HR covers secure employee records and documents, holiday and leave, sickness and absence, self-service, e-signatures, performance (goals, feedback, one-to-ones and reviews), and reporting and analytics. Add more when you need it Recruitment: job ads, hiring workflows and candidate tracking e-Learning: UK-specific courses and completion tracking Health and Safety: risk assessments, incidents and certifications Expenses: claims, receipts and manager approvals Rota, Time and Attendance: shifts, availability and hours Coming soon: an AI Assistant that answers HR and policy questions from your company information, and payroll in late 2026. The difference it makes One accurate record means no more typing details twice. Self-service and shared workflows cut the chasing. And you can start with Core HR and add modules later, so it works even when HR is one person's part-time job. Is Breathe right for you? It works best for UK businesses with up to 200 employees moving HR off spreadsheets, especially with lean or shared HR roles. With 200+ staff or needs like multinational payroll or complex global compliance, look carefully first. Breathe isn't a global enterprise HCM (human capital management) suite. Why businesses choose Breathe Used by 17,000+ businesses and 1,000+ UK HR consultancies From £24 a month per organisation, with no long-term contracts or hidden fees Free 14-day trial, no obligation UK-based support from setup onwards ISO 27001 and ISO 42

Shapes serves as a comprehensive HR platform where all aspects of employee management are consolidated, enabling AI agents to handle administrative tasks efficiently while allowing teams to easily create customized tools through simple descriptions. By centralizing all personnel data, Shapes empowers users to construct dashboards, visualizations, trackers, simulators, and workflows using everyday language, which can then be disseminated throughout the organization. The AI agents not only provide assistance but also manage complete processes such as onboarding, reporting, employee support, offboarding, and leave management, leveraging contextual company information to highlight areas requiring attention. In addition to these features, it offers a people directory, time-off management, attendance tracking, surveys, document handling with e-signatures, performance evaluation, growth tracking, workflows, and people analytics. Teams are equipped to formulate policies, automate payroll calculations based on working hours, store handbooks and procedures, gather signatures, monitor goals, evaluate performance, and transform employee data into actionable insights powered by AI. Furthermore, with Shapes, organizations can streamline their HR functions, enhancing collaboration and efficiency across all teams.