CharlieHR vs Zenefits
A detailed comparison of CharlieHR and Zenefits. See how they stack up on features, pricing, and user ratings.
At a Glance
| CharlieHR | Zenefits | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.7/5 | 4.0/5 |
| Starting Price | $5/mo | $8/mo |
| Free Trial | Yes | No |
| Free Plan | Yes | No |
| Features | 9 | 9 |
| Best For | SMB | SMB |
CharlieHR
Simple, affordable HR software designed for small UK and European businesses with 2-200 employees, covering time off, onboarding, and people management.
Rating
4.7/5
Best for
SMB
Free trial
Yes
Free plan
Yes
Zenefits
HR platform for small and mid-sized businesses covering onboarding, benefits administration, payroll, time-and-attendance, and compliance. Now part of TriNet.
Rating
4.0/5
Best for
SMB
Free trial
No
Free plan
No
Feature Comparison
| Feature | CharlieHR | Zenefits |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow Automation | ||
| Reporting Dashboard | ||
| EEO/OFCCP Compliance | ||
| GDPR Compliance | ||
| API Access | ||
| HRIS Integration | ||
| Slack Integration | ||
| Zapier Integration | ||
| Mobile App |
Pricing Comparison
CharlieHR
Free
Free
Team
$5/mo
Zenefits
Essentials
$8/mo
Growth
$16/mo
Zen
$27/mo
Integrations
Both tools integrate with
Gmail
Google Workspace
Slack
Zapier
Only CharlieHR
Xero
Only Zenefits
ADP
Azure AD
Google Calendar
Gusto
Microsoft 365
Microsoft Teams
Okta
OneLogin
Outlook
Outlook Calendar
Pros & Cons
CharlieHR
Pros
- +Extremely simple setup — most teams are running within a day
- +Free plan available for very small teams (up to 2 users)
- +Clean, modern interface designed for non-HR people
- +Affordable per-employee pricing for UK and European SMBs
Cons
- -No payroll module — you need a separate payroll provider
- -Limited API and integrations compared to larger platforms
- -Feature depth is shallow — not suitable for 200+ employee companies
- -Performance reviews are basic compared to Lattice or HiBob
Zenefits
Pros
- +Affordable all-in-one HR platform
- +Good benefits administration
- +Clean, intuitive interface
- +Strong for companies with 10-500 employees
Cons
- -Past compliance issues affected reputation
- -Payroll is a paid add-on, not included
- -Limited recruiting and ATS functionality
- -Customer support has mixed reviews
Which Should You Choose?
Choose CharlieHR if:
- • Your company is SMB size
- • You want to start with a free plan
- • You want to try before committing (free trial available)
- • Higher user ratings matter to you (4.7 vs 4.0)
- • Budget is a priority (starts from $5/mo vs $8/mo)
- • Extremely simple setup — most teams are running within a day
How we evaluate tools
Our ratings combine verified user reviews from G2 and Capterra with hands-on feature analysis. Pricing is checked against official sources. We may earn a commission through affiliate links, but this never influences our rankings or recommendations. Read our full methodology.