Which one is cheaper?

Zoho People is the cheaper option, starting at $1/mo vs $20/mo for CharlieHR.

Can I use either one for free?

Zoho People has a free plan. CharlieHR doesn't — though they do offer a free trial.

Both use a per-seat model, so the comparison is straightforward — it comes down to features and limits at each price point.

Which one is a better deal?

Depends on what you need. CharlieHR: The headline £5/month rate is a loss-leader hook for very small teams, but that's a 75%-off promo for the first six months only — real pricing (£20 and up) puts them mid-market among UK HR platforms, not a budget play once the discount expires. Zoho People: This is aggressive low-cost positioning — Zoho is undercutting BambooHR, Rippling, and Gusto by a wide margin, betting that price-sensitive SMBs and Zoho-ecosystem users will trade some polish for a fraction of the cost.

CharlieHR vs Zoho People Pricing (2026)

How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.

	CharlieHR	Zoho People
Starts at	$20/mo	$1/mo
Number of plans	1	5
Free plan	—
Free trial
Pricing model	per-seat	per-seat

CharlieHR

Official page

charlie

Popular

$20/mo

Onboarding
Time off
Performance reviews
Employee engagement
Perks & benefits
Docs & employee data

Zoho People

Official page

FREE

$0/mo

Employee database management
Time-off management (Leave)
Time off and vacation planning
Document management

ESSENTIAL HR

$1/mo

Onboarding and offboarding
Employee database management
Document management
Time-off management (Leave)
HR reports
Zia AI bot

PROFESSIONAL

Popular

$2/mo

Attendance management
Timesheets
Roster management

PREMIUM

$3/mo

Performance management
Compensation management
Employee engagement
Advanced HR analytics

ENTERPRISE

$4/mo

HR help desk
Learning management system
Sandbox

CharlieHR vs Zoho People FAQ

Which one is cheaper?: Zoho People is the cheaper option, starting at $1/mo vs $20/mo for CharlieHR.
Can I use either one for free?: Zoho People has a free plan. CharlieHR doesn't — though they do offer a free trial.
How do they charge?: Both use a per-seat model, so the comparison is straightforward — it comes down to features and limits at each price point.
Which one is a better deal?: Depends on what you need. CharlieHR: The headline £5/month rate is a loss-leader hook for very small teams, but that's a 75%-off promo for the first six months only — real pricing (£20 and up) puts them mid-market among UK HR platforms, not a budget play once the discount expires. Zoho People: This is aggressive low-cost positioning — Zoho is undercutting BambooHR, Rippling, and Gusto by a wide margin, betting that price-sensitive SMBs and Zoho-ecosystem users will trade some polish for a fraction of the cost.

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