BrightHR alternatives

BrightHR quotes Core HR from £16.67 per employee a month on its 5-employee example, on fixed terms of 24, 36 or 60 months, verified 24 September 2026. Teams leaving it usually compare Breathe HR, Timetastic, Personio, Deel HR and Factorial. PeopleMuster charges $3 per person a month with every module included, billed monthly with no long-term contract.

Why people leave

The contract term. BrightHR sells on fixed terms of 24, 36 or 60 months. If your headcount or your needs change inside that window, you're still on the plan you signed.
The per-employee rate. Core HR starts at £16.67 per employee a month on BrightHR's 5-employee example, and Enhanced and Full start at £21.20 and £31.30. Each tier step raises the rate for every person on your team.
Leave that should move the project plan. When your people bill hours to clients, an approved day off changes who's free next week. You want that change on the capacity plan the moment the manager approves it.

The real options

Six products were compared on 24 September 2026 on the published entry price, how the price scales with headcount, the contract term, and whether leave and client project work share one record. Evaluated from BrightHR's own documentation and pricing, September 2026. Every other figure was read from that vendor's own pricing page, in the currency the vendor quotes. A vendor that publishes only an entry figure is listed by that figure.

PeopleMuster

$3 per person a month, or $30 a year. Every module included, billed monthly, cancel any time, 14 days free with no card.

Who it suits: Disclosure: PeopleMuster is our product. It suits software houses, agencies and consultancies that run staff and client projects together.
Where it wins: Attendance by fingerprint terminal or browser check-in, quota-based leave, shifts, timesheets by project and a capacity plan, all at one rate. There's no tier to climb and no term to sit out, and your data lives in your own database, in the region you choose.

Breathe HR

Priced per business by headcount band: Micro (1 to 10 employees) £24 a month, rising to Plus (151 to 200) at £579 a month. 14-day trial; annual billing about 15% off. Verified 24 September 2026.

Who it suits: Small companies that want a flat monthly fee for their headcount band.
Where it wins: One published fee per band, so a team inside a band pays the same each month.
Where it falls short: Crossing into the next headcount band moves the whole fee up a step.

Timetastic

Business $1.50, Pro $2.50, Rota & Time Clock $5.50 per user a month (£1.20, £2.00 and £4.00). 30-day trial, month to month. Verified 24 September 2026.

Who it suits: Teams whose main need is a shared leave planner.
Where it wins: A low published price in both dollars and pounds, with no contract.
Where it falls short: Rotas and the time clock sit on the Rota & Time Clock tier, at $5.50 per user.

Personio

Core starts from €7.60 per employee a month. Higher tiers are priced on a demo. Verified September 2026.

Who it suits: Mid-sized European companies that want a broad HR suite and will take a sales call.
Where it wins: A published entry figure for its Core plan.
Where it falls short: Only the entry figure is published; every tier above it needs a demo to price.

Deel HR

Core from $5 per employee a month. Contractor and EOR products are priced separately. Verified September 2026.

Who it suits: Companies that hire across borders and want HR beside contractor and EOR services.
Where it wins: One vendor for HR records, contractors and employer-of-record hiring.
Where it falls short: Each Deel product carries its own price, so the bill grows with the services you add.

Factorial

From $8 per user a month, with modular add-ons. Verified September 2026.

Who it suits: Small and mid-sized companies that want to build an HR suite module by module.
Where it wins: A modular suite where you buy only the parts you pick.
Where it falls short: The $8 is a starting point, and add-on modules raise it.

Questions people ask

How much does BrightHR cost in 2026?

BrightHR's own pricing page quotes a 5-employee example: Core HR from £16.67 per employee a month, Enhanced from £21.20 and Full from £31.30. Plans run on fixed terms of 24, 36 or 60 months. Read from brighthr.com/pricing on 24 September 2026.

Which BrightHR alternative has no long-term contract?

PeopleMuster is billed monthly at $3 per person with no long-term contract, and you can cancel any time. Timetastic also runs month to month, from $1.50 per user, verified 24 September 2026.

How do I switch from BrightHR to PeopleMuster?

We load your people, leave types and projects with you during setup, from your BrightHR export. The CSV importer takes the same lists if you'd rather do it yourself. Your team checks in and requests leave from day one of the 14-day free period.