Compare Breathe vs. Sympa

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

HR that simply works. Built to support organisations of all sizes, Sympa enables HR teams to streamline processes, connect systems and drive growth. From daily HR operations to managing workforces across multiple countries, Sympa combines employee data, workflows, reporting, payroll integrations and AI-powered capabilities in one platform. Designed for organisations with multiple business units, Sympa manages complexity behind the scenes. Its open API and extensive partner ecosystem make it easy to support country-specific requirements while maintaining a single source of truth across the organisation. As business needs evolve, Sympa provides the flexibility to adapt. Whether restructuring organisations, adopting AI securely or preparing for new legislation, Sympa helps organisations navigate change with confidence. With more than 20 years of HR expertise in the Nordics, backed by local implementation and customer success teams, Sympa supports organisations in building better HR together.