WagePerks vs Breathe HR
Breathe is a well-established HR platform used by 17,000+ UK businesses. But it's HR-only — no employee benefits, no GP, no EAP — and since the ELMO acquisition in 2022, customers have reported renewal price increases of up to 57%.
Breathe was acquired by ELMO Software in 2022. Customers have reported renewal price increases of up to 57% in the years since. WagePerks is rolling monthly at one published price, with no private-equity owner and no auto-renewal upsell.
Sources: ELMO Software acquisition announcement; customer-reported renewal increases via Capterra and Trustpilot reviews, verified 2026-06-08.
What you'll actually pay
Benefits, HR tools, payslips, documents, and white-labelling included. Optional add-on: 24/7 GP + EAP — quote on call.
- No setup fees
- Month-to-month — cancel any time
- 200+ brand discounts with cashback
- HR tools included at every tier
- Health add-on: (optional GP+EAP add-on)
- Full platform from £6/employee/month
HR-only platform with flat pricing per business (not per head). 17,000+ customers. Zero employee benefits.
- Flat pricing per business
- HR management and holiday tracking
- Rota available as an add-on
- Zero employee benefits or discounts
- Zero GP access
- Zero Employee Assistance Programme
Important context: Breathe uses flat pricing per business, so the per-employee cost drops as your team grows. For very small teams, Breathe can be cheaper per head for HR-only. But if you also need benefits, GP, or an EAP, you'll be buying additional products — and the total cost adds up fast.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Where WagePerks wins
Benefits, GP, and EAP included
Breathe offers zero employee benefits, zero GP access, and zero EAP. These are some of the most impactful things you can offer your team — and with WagePerks, they're built in from day one. 200+ brand discounts, 24/7 GP with 210+ doctors, and a full counselling programme.
One platform instead of three
If you use Breathe, you'll need to buy a separate benefits platform and a separate healthcare provider. That's three subscriptions, three logins for your team, and three vendor relationships to manage. WagePerks does it all in one place.
GPS clock in/out built in
WagePerks includes GPS-enabled time tracking with geofencing. Breathe doesn't offer clock in/out at all — and their rota feature is an add-on that costs extra on top of the base price.
White-label branding as standard
Every WagePerks employer gets white-label branding — your logo, your colours, your app name. Breathe doesn't offer white-labelling. Your employees will always see the Breathe brand, not yours.
Where Breathe HR is strong
Breathe has been doing HR for a long time, and they do it well. Here's where they genuinely excel:
- Mature HR platform: 17,000+ businesses trust Breathe for core HR. Their employee management, holiday tracking, and document storage are polished and reliable
- Performance management: Breathe includes performance reviews, goals, and 1:1 tracking — features WagePerks doesn't currently offer
- Cost-effective for pure HR: With flat business pricing, Breathe can be cheaper per head if all you need is basic HR management, especially for larger teams
- Integrations: Breathe has a marketplace of integrations including popular payroll and accounting tools
Breathe at a glance
17,000+
businesses use Breathe HR
Which platform is right for you?
Choose Breathe HR if you need...
A dedicated HR platform and nothing else. If you already have separate benefits and healthcare providers you're happy with, and you just need solid employee records, holiday tracking, and performance management — Breathe does that well at a reasonable price.
Choose WagePerks if you want...
HR tools plus employee benefits, 24/7 GP access, an EAP, rota management, and time tracking — all in one platform. If you want to give your employees tangible perks alongside the admin tools, WagePerks does both. One subscription. One login. One platform your team will use weekly.