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atlasHRvsBrightHR

The BrightHR alternative without the 3-year contract.

BrightHR's published prices come with a 24 to 60-month contract. atlasHR, and WfMHub when you add rotas and clocking, run on a rolling monthly plan from £2.50 per user that you can leave with 30 days' notice.

Start free trial See the full comparison

14-day free trialNo card neededRolling monthly, no lock-in

36 monthsBrightHR's term when you buy online

30 daysnotice to leave atlasHR, any month

£83.35BrightHR Core for 5 staff, per month

£25WfMHub with rotas for 5 users, per month

The short version

Same everyday HR. Very different commitment.

Choose atlasHR if…

You want to pay monthly and stay because it works, not because you're locked in
You run shifts and want rotas, offline clocking and Working Time Directives in one place
You want one staff app for clocking in, holiday, shift swaps, documents and policies
You want a full document drive (atlasDrive) and stock control (atlasStock) on the same platform

BrightHR may suit you if…

You want a 24/7 employment-law advice line bundled in (BrightHR's Enhanced package)
You want health & safety advice and an employee assistance programme from one supplier

What switching looks like

Check your BrightHR renewal date: its agreement renews unless you give 6 months' notice
Start a free 14-day trial; no card, every module on
Import your staff from a CSV export in minutes
Your trial converts in place: same data, logins and web address

Price

What you'd pay: WfMHub vs BrightHR

Move the slider to your headcount. Published list prices only: no "contact sales" guesswork.

How many employees?

5 employees

150100150200250

Per month Per year

Published list prices, excluding VAT, for the plan that covers the same features. Where a vendor needs several plans or add-ons for that, they are added up. Sources and assumptions are below.

BrightHR publishes £16.67 per employee per month for its Core HR software package (which includes rotas and its Blip clock-in app), shown for 5 employees on a 36-month contract. It says per-person prices fall for larger teams, but only quotes them on request, so the calculator shows BrightHR up to 5 employees only. The employment-law advice line costs more (£21.20 per employee). Contracts run 24, 36 or 60 months and renew unless you give 6 months' notice.

Feature by feature

atlasHR vs BrightHR: the full comparison

47 features across rotas, time and attendance, leave, HR, payroll and the platform itself.

Show differences only

atlasHR and WfMHub compared with BrightHR
Feature	atlasHR · WfMHubby SA12	BrightHRHR software + advice
Trial & terms
Free trial	14 days, no card	No free trial (free Rota Lite)
Contract	Rolling monthly, 30 days' notice	24–60 months, 6 months' notice
Rotas & scheduling
Drag-and-drop rota builder	Included	Included
Rota templates & repeat patterns	Included	Included
Open shifts staff can claim	Included	Included
Shift swaps	Included	Not published
Staff availability	Included	Partly / limited
Labour cost on the rotaSee wage cost as you build the rota	Included	Included
Auto-fill / AI scheduling	Paid add-on or higher plan	Not published
Multiple sites	Included	Partly / limited
Time & attendance
Clock in/out on a phone	Included	Included
GPS / geofenced clocking	Included	Included
Shared kiosk / tablet clock	Not offered	Not published
Photo at clock-in	Included	Not published
Timesheets & approvals	Included	Included
Break tracking	Included	Included
Overtime	Included	Included
Working Time DirectivesRest breaks, 11-hour rest, 48-hour week	Included	Not published
Holiday & absence
Holiday requests & approvals	Included	Included
UK bank holidays built in	Included	Included
Pro-rata entitlements	Included	Included
Time off in lieu (TOIL)	Included	Included
Sickness recording	Included	Included
Bradford Factor	Included	Included
Return-to-work forms	Included	Not published
Core HR
Employee records	Included	Included
Employee self-service	Included	Included
Onboarding	Included	Included
Document storage	Included	Included
E-signatures	Paid add-on or higher plan	Not published
Contract & letter templates	Included	Partly / limited
Performance reviews	Included	Included
Training & certificate tracking	Included	Partly / limited
Expenses	Included	Included
Recruitment / careers page	Included	Included
Disciplinary & grievance cases	Included	Partly / limited
Right-to-work checks	Included	Partly / limited
Announcements & team chat	Included	Partly / limited
Reports & analytics	Included	Included
Payroll
Built-in UK payroll (PAYE/RTI)	Not offered	Paid add-on or higher plan
Payroll software integrationsXero, Sage, QuickBooks and similar	Included	Partly / limited
Platform & support
iPhone app	Included	Included
Android app	Included	Included
UK/EU data hosting	Included	Included
Two-factor sign-in	Included	Included
Single sign-on	Included	Partly / limited
Open API	Included	Partly / limited
Multiple companies / agencies	Included	Not published
White-label branding	Included	Not published

IncludedIncludedPartly / limitedPartly / limitedPaid add-on or higher planPaid add-on or higher planNot offeredNot offeredNot publishedNot published

Competitor information comes from each vendor's own website, help centre and price pages, checked on 19/10/2026. Prices are in pounds sterling, excluding VAT; where a vendor only publishes US dollars we converted at the rate shown on its page. "Not published" means we couldn't confirm it either way. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll correct it. Full sources are listed on each comparison page.

Fair's fair

Where BrightHR is strong

Reviewers consistently describe it as easy to use and quick to set up for small teams (G2 ease of use 8.6/10; Capterra UK ease of use 4.6/5; frequent 'easy to use' Trustpilot reviews). [source]
Onboarding managers, advisers and support staff are frequently praised by name in reviews; G2 quality of support 8.8/10; Capterra UK customer support 4.7/5. [source]
Makes holiday and absence management simpler, with core HR functions in one place (G2 review summary). [source]
Bundles 24/7 UK employment-law advice line, HR templates and H&S advice with the software (on Enhanced/Full packages) - a one-supplier HR + advice offer. [source]
Health & safety software (risk assessments, accident reporting, COSHH) included even in the Core package. [source]

Why teams look elsewhere

Common themes in BrightHR reviews

Long fixed-term contracts (24-60 months) with auto-renewal and an early-exit charge of 80% of remaining liability; reviewers complain about cancellation difficulty and being auto-renewed. [source]
Price rises at renewal reported as 'a shock' by reviewers; the service agreement allows up to 7% increase per renewal period. [source]
Mobile app functionality criticised by G2 reviewers as needing improvement. [source]
Expense app (PoP) described by a Trustpilot reviewer as 'a significant disappointment', with staff needing to reinstall it repeatedly; another says updates/improvements are not frequent enough. [source]
Reporting considered shallow; reviewers want more real-time and customisable reports, and say it struggles with complex workflows. [source]

Why atlasHR

HR, rotas and clocking on terms you control

BrightHR is a strong product, and its advice line is the reason many businesses buy it. But its published prices are tied to 24, 36 or 60-month contracts, and its service agreement charges 80% of the remaining value if you leave early.

atlasHR is different by design: you trial it free for 14 days, then pay monthly per user and give 30 days' notice if it ever stops earning its keep. Add WfMHub and the rota, offline clocking, holiday, absence with the Bradford Factor and a full document drive all sit in one platform.

Try it free Book a demo

oakfield.wfmhub.co.uk/rota

The WfMHub rota calendar for Oakfield Kitchens: a week of colour-coded kitchen, front-of-house and bar shifts across two sites, two unassigned open shifts, 29 published shifts, 215 hours and £2,888.04 total labour cost

14:52

The WfMHub staff app home screen: clocked in at Market Street Café with GPS accuracy of 9 metres, a running shift timer, Clock out and Start break buttons, and today's shift

FAQ

atlasHR vs BrightHR: your questions

How does the price compare with BrightHR?

At BrightHR's published example of 5 employees, its Core HR software costs £83.35 a month on a 36-month contract. WfMHub, with rotas and clocking, is £25 a month for 5 users on a rolling monthly contract, and atlasHR on its own starts at £2.50 per user (both excluding VAT; there's also a one-off set-up fee per user).

Does atlasHR include an employment-law advice line?

No. SA12 includes WfM consultancy hours with your subscription and UK support, but not a 24/7 legal advice line. If that matters most to you, BrightHR's Enhanced package includes one.

Can I leave BrightHR early?

BrightHR's published service agreement says contracts renew for the same term unless you give 6 months' written notice, and early termination costs 80% of the remaining contract value. Check your own agreement for the exact terms.

How do I move my staff data across?

Export your employee list from BrightHR as a spreadsheet and import it into atlasHR as a CSV. Our team can help with the rest during set-up.

Get started today

Try the BrightHR alternative free for 14 days.

Start a free trial and have your team set up in minutes, or book a 20-minute demo and we'll show you on your own shift patterns.

Start your free trial Book a 20-minute demo