WagePerks vs Breathe HR
Breathe HR is a UK HR-only platform; the company's homepage reports 17,000+ UK SME customers. Breathe was acquired by ASX-listed ELMO Software in October 2020; ELMO agreed in October 2022 to be acquired by K1 Investment Management. WagePerks is an employee management portal that brings HR, benefits and payslips together, with rotas and GPS clock-in as an optional bolt-on. Every claim below is sourced.
What you'll actually pay
Employee Benefits plan, exc. VAT. HR Starter comes with every account for teams of up to 25 staff. The Shift Management bolt-on is £49 / month for the first team + £39 for each extra team. The optional Health & Wellbeing add-on (virtual GP + EAP) is +£2 per employee per month.
- Published pricing on wageperks.com
- Rolling monthly — 30 days' notice; 15% off with annual billing
- No setup fees
- Employee Benefits includes the gift-card marketplace, recognition, performance reviews, surveys, e-signatures, onboarding, payslips & P60s
- Your logo and colours on the web portal with Employee Benefits, set up by us
- Rotas, clock-in, GPS and geofencing: Shift Management bolt-on
Banded per-business pricing (not per-employee). Core HR product; benefits, GP and EAP not included.
- Micro £24 (1–10 employees)
- Starter £44 (11–20); Regular £99 (21–50)
- Pro £175 (51–100); Premium £419 (101–150); Plus £579 (151–200)
- Rolling monthly per Breathe FAQ
- Rota, time & attendance: paid add-on
The two price differently. Breathe charges per business in headcount bands; WagePerks Employee Benefits is charged per employee, and HR Starter comes with every account for teams of up to 25 staff. The products don't cover the same things — Breathe is HR software with performance management in its core plan; Employee Benefits adds a benefits marketplace, recognition and payslips — so we haven't put a single total side by side. Price the plans you'd actually use on each vendor's pricing page. Breathe source: breathehr.com pricing, verified 2026-09-21.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Every Breathe row below is sourced from breathehr.com — what's included, verified 2026-09-21. WagePerks ticks show what the Employee Benefits plan includes; bolt-ons and add-ons are marked.
Where WagePerks is different
Benefits, GP, and EAP available
Breathe is HR-only — no employee benefits marketplace, no GP, no EAP. The WagePerks Employee Benefits plan adds discounted gift cards at 200+ UK brands, with the saving applied at purchase. The optional Health & Wellbeing add-on (virtual GP + EAP) is +£2 per employee per month.
Your logo and colours
Breathe lets you upload a company logo. On WagePerks Employee Benefits, your web portal shows your logo and your brand colours, which we add when we set up your account.
Independent ownership
Breathe has been owned by ELMO Software since October 2020; ELMO agreed in October 2022 to be acquired by K1 Investment Management. WagePerks is an independent UK company (Wageperks Ltd, Companies House SC824820).
Where Breathe HR has depth WagePerks doesn't
A fair comparison: here's what Breathe includes that WagePerks does not, all sourced from Breathe's own product pages on 2026-09-21:
- Native iOS & Android apps shipped: Breathe's mobile app is on the App Store and Google Play. WagePerks runs in any browser today with feature parity; App Store and Google Play apps coming soon (breathehr.com — mobile app).
- Performance management module: Performance reviews, appraisals, objective setting and company goals are included in Breathe's Core HR feature set.
- Established customer base: Breathe reports 17,000+ UK SME customers since launch in 2012.
Breathe HR ownership
ELMO Software (Oct 2020) → K1 Investment Management (agreed Oct 2022)
Launched 2012. Acquisition by ASX-listed ELMO Software announced 7 October 2020. ELMO agreed in October 2022 to be acquired by K1 Investment Management.
Which platform fits your business?
Breathe HR may fit if you need…
A standalone HR system with performance management in its core plan and native iOS and Android apps — and you don't need a benefits marketplace, GP or EAP alongside HR.
WagePerks fits if you want…
HR, benefits, recognition and payslips in one platform, with your logo and colours, on the Employee Benefits plan at £4.50 per employee per month, rolling monthly. If you run shifts, add Shift Management for rotas and GPS clock-in (£49 / month for the first team, £39 for each extra team).
Sources & verification
All claims about Breathe HR on this page are sourced from their public website or a named press release, verified 2026-09-21. Email us if anything's gone stale. Vendors change pricing and packaging without notice: figures are the published list prices on that date, exclude VAT unless stated, and won't reflect promotional or individually negotiated rates — check the vendor's own page before you decide.
- Breathe HR pricing tiers (£24–£579 per business per month) — breathehr.com — pricing
- Breathe HR customer count (17,000+ UK SMEs, self-reported) — breathehr.com homepage
- Breathe HR founding year (2012) — breathehr.com/en-gb/about-us
- Breathe HR feature set / what's included — breathehr.com — what's included
- Breathe HR contract terms (rolling monthly) — breathehr.com — FAQ
- Breathe HR mobile app — breathehr.com — mobile
- ELMO Software acquisition of Breathe (announced 7 October 2020) — elmosoftware.com.au newsroom