For a small paid team, Breathe is a sensible starting point when comparing HR software for charities. It covers staff records and leave. Compare Sage HR if its charity discount covers the modules you need. For volunteer records, more complex working patterns or a wider HR and payroll project, add Access PeopleHR, Cezanne and Ciphr to your shortlist.
Start with the work you need to remove. A charity with a handful of paid staff and many volunteers has a different problem from an employer running several services. Count those groups separately before comparing prices. The cheapest employee rate can become expensive if every volunteer needs a paid account.
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- Breathe starts at £24 a month - its Micro plan covers up to 10 people; confirm add-ons and VAT before budgeting.
- Sage HR advertises a 50% charity discount - get eligibility, covered modules, duration and the final subscription price confirmed in writing.
- Separate staff and volunteers - ask which records count towards the bill, and test whether the system handles your volunteer process.
- Price the complete job - include payroll, rotas, migration and ongoing HR advice where needed; a software subscription may not cover them.
Which HR software for charities should you compare?
Choose a shortlist around your hardest recurring task. Breathe and Sage HR are worth comparing for everyday staff administration. Access PeopleHR explicitly addresses employee and volunteer records. Cezanne and Ciphr deserve a closer look when contracts, reporting or connected systems make the buying decision more involved.
| Software | Why shortlist it | Pricing basis | Check before buying |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breathe | Small-team records and leave | From £24 a month for the Micro plan, excluding VAT | Add-ons and charity donation terms |
| Sage HR | Modular HR with an advertised charity offer | 50% charity discount advertised; obtain your configured price | Eligibility, covered modules and duration |
| Access PeopleHR | Employee and volunteer administration | Starter from £3 per employee per month | Onboarding needs Core; confirm volunteer charges |
| Cezanne | Multiple contracts and working patterns | Quote required; minimum monthly fee applies | Minimum charge and chosen modules |
| Ciphr | A connected HR, payroll and learning project | From £5 per user per month; minimum numbers apply | Minimum bill, implementation and suite scope |
These are different packages, not five prices for the same service. The charity offer is part of the comparison, but the practical question is whether the quoted package handles your work. Our broader HR software cost guide explains the main charging models.
Breathe
Breathe suits a charity that needs to replace leave spreadsheets and scattered staff documents. Its core package includes absence management, reporting, policies and performance records. The per-business charging model makes the bill easier to understand, provided you confirm which people count towards your plan and which add-ons you need.
Its Micro plan starts at £24 a month for up to 10 people, excluding VAT. Recruitment and rota tools cost extra. The current charity offer is a discretionary quarterly donation of around 25% of eligible subscription payments, excluding VAT. You must supply the required charity details and remain an active customer when it is paid. Budget for the full invoice.
Our Breathe review covers the wider product. In your trial, check your actual leave patterns and the report your trustees need. A product can be easy for employees while still requiring work from the administrator.
Sage HR
Sage HR is worth a quote when your charity wants core staff records and leave management, with the option to add other modules. Its published non-profit offer makes it a serious comparison for a small organisation. The deciding figure is your complete subscription after eligibility checks, rather than the headline percentage.
Sage advertises a 50% discount on Sage HR subscriptions. Confirm which modules qualify, how long it lasts and what happens at renewal. Its pricing tool builds a package around employee numbers and selected modules, including timesheets, shifts and recruitment. We have not assumed an unverified discounted pound price.
If you already pay for Sage Payroll, ask what HR functionality your existing subscription includes before ordering a separate package. Use the Sage HR and PeopleHR comparison to explore the differences, then request a quote for the same scope.
Access PeopleHR
Access PeopleHR deserves a demo if you want paid staff and volunteers represented in the same system. Its charity page describes volunteer records, changes of status and orientation workflows. That is relevant evidence, but it does not establish how many paid licences your charity needs or which plan includes each workflow.
On the current pricing page, Starter begins at £3 per employee per month. Core starts at £5.50 and adds onboarding and e-signatures. More advanced workflows sit in higher tiers. Ask for volunteer billing, VAT, minimum charges and contract terms in writing.
The charity product page should be your demo checklist, not proof that everything is in Starter. Have the supplier show a volunteer joining, changing roles and leaving. Our Access PeopleHR review covers the wider platform.
Cezanne
Cezanne is a useful candidate when your difficulty is how people work, rather than simply where their records are stored. Its charity material addresses multiple contracts, different working patterns, leave and time off in lieu. Ask it to demonstrate your most awkward arrangement before judging the system from a standard full-time employee demo.
Its charity features also include skills records and qualification-renewal reminders. The pricing page says billing reflects selected modules and average headcount in the previous month. Standard setup, data upload and ongoing support are included, but a minimum monthly fee applies. Request that minimum early.
Ciphr
Ciphr is worth considering when your charity wants HR, payroll, recruitment and learning to work together. Its charity page describes employee and volunteer records, check details and expiry dates. That makes it a relevant shortlist option for an organisation coordinating several services, rather than a default purchase for a tiny team.
Ciphr advertises pricing from £5 per user per month, with minimum user numbers. Its public pricing example requires a form for further detail, so we have not turned the headline into a small-charity monthly total. Get the minimum bill and implementation scope confirmed before comparing it with a lightweight HR subscription.
What will HR software for charities actually cost?
Build your budget from the number of billable people and the functions you will use. Ask suppliers to quote employees and volunteers separately. Then add any setup, migration, payroll and support charges. Treat discretionary donations as possible income later, rather than money you can subtract from the invoice today.
| Illustrative subscription for 10 paid staff | Monthly arithmetic | Twelve monthly payments |
|---|---|---|
| Breathe Micro, core HR only | One organisation at £24 | £288 excluding VAT |
| Access PeopleHR Starter | 10 employees × £3 = £30 | £360 before any VAT or separate charges |
| Access PeopleHR Core | 10 employees × £5.50 = £55 | £660 before any VAT or separate charges |
These are calculations from published starting rates, not quotes or equivalent feature bundles. The examples exclude volunteers, extras, annual-billing discounts and donations. Access PeopleHR Core includes onboarding that Starter does not. Confirm minimum charges and billing terms before using the arithmetic as your approved budget.
For a larger charity, ask for a current-year quote and another based on expected staffing after your next funding decision. Request the price of exporting your records and leaving as well as joining. A manageable first invoice says little about the cost of switching later.
Do you need HR software, volunteer software or a CRM?
HR software manages the employer side of your charity. Volunteer software may need to handle availability, opportunities and volunteer communications. A donor CRM handles supporter relationships and fundraising. One product might cover more than one area, but a shared contact record does not prove that it supports every workflow you need.
Keep donor work in the charity CRM comparison. For volunteers, demonstrate recruitment, permissions, expenses and role changes separately. GOV.UK distinguishes volunteers from employees. Creating an employee-style account does not settle someone’s legal status, and software should not be used to make that decision.
If shift coverage is the problem, test scheduling before buying a larger HR suite. If you need help with a difficult employment matter, compare advice or outsourced HR support as well as software. Be clear whether you want ongoing support or a one-off piece of work.
What should you test in a charity HR demo?
Give each supplier the same short demonstration task using fictional people. Include a part-time employee, a volunteer, a line manager and an administrator. Ask the supplier to show the work being done, including an export. This reveals limits that a polished tour of the dashboard can hide.
- Request leave for a part-time employee and show how the balance changes.
- Add a volunteer and explain whether that record changes the bill.
- Show which records a line manager can see, and which remain restricted.
- Record a qualification renewal and show who receives its reminder.
- Export the report you need for a trustee meeting without exposing individual health details.
- Close a fictional record and demonstrate the agreed retention and export process.
The ICO’s employment-record guidance is a useful reference for access, security and retention questions. A supplier saying its product supports data protection does not mean your chosen settings and working practices are automatically appropriate. Our HR records and access-request guide explains the export questions to bring to the demo.
Choose Breathe if straightforward core administration is the job. Price Sage HR if the charity offer and selected modules fit. Demo Access PeopleHR for employee and volunteer records, Cezanne for working-pattern complexity, and Ciphr for a connected suite. Keep only the options that complete your test at a price you can fund.
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How we researched this guide
We checked the providers’ UK pricing and charity pages on 12 September 2026, compared package boundaries and calculated the examples above. The recommendations are editorial shortlists based on published scope. We have not tested these products inside charities, obtained bespoke quotes or treated supplier testimonials as independent proof of performance.
Last checked: 12 September 2026. Confirm prices, eligibility, VAT, contract terms and volunteer licence treatment in your own quote.
