Absenca vs Breathe HR
Absenca vs Breathe HR
Breathe HR is an HR suite for small UK businesses; Absenca is dedicated leave management. Breathe charges each business a flat monthly fee by headcount: £24 for 1–10 people, £44 for 11–20 and £99 for 21–50, excluding VAT.1 Breathe's core plan includes performance management, e-signatures and document tracking.2 Absenca is free for up to 10 people. Pro is $37.50 a month for up to 50 people, or $33.75 a month billed annually ($405 a year).
In short
Choose Breathe HR for a small-business HR suite. Choose Absenca when leave is the job and you want it in Slack.
Which is the better fit?
Choose Absenca
Teams that want leave management on its own, with a native Slack bot on Pro and a leave year per office.
Choose Breathe HR
Small UK businesses that want HR records, performance and documents in one suite. Breathe's core plan includes performance management, e-signatures and document tracking.2
Absenca vs Breathe HR at a glance
| Absenca | Breathe HR | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free for up to 10 people | None; a 14-day trial1 |
| Price | Pro: $37.50 a month for up to 50 people | £24 to £99 a month per business, up to 50 people1 |
| Add-ons | None; one plan | Paid add-ons, on by default1 |
| Accruals, carry-over & seniority | Yes, on every plan | Yes3 |
| TOIL (time off in lieu) | A TOIL balance, on every plan | Added by hand4 |
| Bradford Factor analytics | Yes, on Pro | Yes, with alerts5 |
| Chat bots | A native Slack bot, on Pro | No native apps; through a third party6 |
| Calendar sync | Google and Outlook sync, on every plan | A one-way feed, up to 48 hours behind7 |
| Leave attachments | On any leave request | On sickness records8 |
| Several offices | A leave year, work week and holidays per office | One holiday year per account9 |
| Public holidays | 190+ countries, per office | National, per employee10 |
| Blackout periods | Yes | Yes11 |
| Records, documents & performance | No; Absenca tracks leave only | Yes2 |
Breathe HR bills each business by headcount band in pounds and Absenca in US dollars, so this page compares no team totals.
Switching from Breathe HR? The step-by-step move is on the Breathe HR alternative page →
Start freeFrequently asked questions
Is Absenca a Breathe HR alternative?
For leave, yes. It isn't an HR suite, so it won't replace Breathe's records, performance or documents. Breathe's core plan includes performance management, e-signatures and document tracking.2
Is Absenca cheaper than Breathe HR?
Breathe charges each business a flat monthly fee by headcount: £24 for 1–10 people, £44 for 11–20 and £99 for 21–50, excluding VAT.1 Absenca is free for up to 10 people. Pro is $37.50 a month for up to 50 people, or $33.75 a month billed annually ($405 a year). The two bill in different currencies and shapes, so compare the monthly totals for your team size.
Other comparisons
Every Breathe HR fact on this page links to its source and the date we checked it. Features and prices change, so check Breathe HR's own pages before you decide.
Sources
- breathehr.com/en-gb/hr-software/hr-software-prices, checked
- breathehr.com/en-gb/hr-software/hr-whats-included, checked
- intercom.help/breathehr/en/articles/2096560-length-in-service, checked
- intercom.help/breathehr/en/articles/3558065-how-to-manage-toil, checked
- breathehr.com/en-gb/hr-software/absence-management, checked
- intercom.help/breathehr/en/articles/10550672-harriet-integration, checked
- intercom.help/breathehr/en/articles/2089478-setting-up-the-calendar-sync, checked
- intercom.help/breathehr/en/articles/2096447-sickness, checked
- intercom.help/breathehr/en/articles/3934203-how-to-change-your-holiday-year, checked
- intercom.help/breathehr/en/articles/2089495-statutory-holiday, checked
- breathehr.com/en-gb/hr-software/holiday-tracking, checked