Essential HR
1.25 dollars per employee billed annually.
R25/mo
per employee, per month
- Employee database
- Leave management
- Self service portal
- Mobile app
Zoho People vs Breathe
Verified ratings, feature-by-feature comparison and rand pricing — everything a South African business needs to pick between these two.
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Ratings
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension — Zoho People against Breathe, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
3 – 0
Zoho People vs Breathe, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,2
Zoho People leads on functionality
Verified reviews
366
174 for Zoho People, 192 for Breathe
Zoho People
4,0
174 verified reviews
Breathe
3,9
192 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Zoho People
- Breathe
Overall
4,0
3,9
Ease of use
4,0
3,9
Value for money
3,9
3,9
Customer service
3,9
3,9
Functionality
4,1
3,9
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- Zoho People (174)
- Breathe (192)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
Zoho People
R25/mo
Breathe
R565/mo
Zoho People is the cheaper way in. Lower isn't automatically better — weigh it against the ratings above.
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| Zoho People | Breathe | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,0 | 3,9 |
| Reviews | 174 | 192 |
| Ease of use | 4,0 | 3,9 |
| Value for money | 3,9 | 3,9 |
| Customer service | 3,9 | 3,9 |
| Functionality | 4,1 | 3,9 |
| Starting price | R25/employee/month | R565/mo |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Zoho People | Breathe |
|---|---|---|
| Employee database and self service | ||
| Leave management with custom rules | ||
| Attendance and geo tracking | ||
| Shift scheduling | ||
| Timesheets | ||
| Onboarding workflows | ||
| Performance appraisals | ||
| HR case management | ||
| HR analytics | ||
| Mobile app | ||
| Employee database | ||
| Leave requests and approvals | ||
| Sickness and absence tracking | ||
| Document storage with acknowledgement | ||
| Performance check ins | ||
| Company calendar | ||
| Org chart | ||
| Reporting | ||
| Employee self service | ||
| Mobile friendly |
Pricing
Both price lists, in rand
Every plan from both vendors, priced as South African teams actually pay.
Zoho People plans
Try it free
Professional
About 2 dollars per employee.
R38/mo
per employee, per month
- Everything in Essential
- Attendance with geo tracking
- Shift scheduling
- Timesheets
Premium
About 3 dollars per employee.
R57/mo
per employee, per month
- Everything in Professional
- Performance appraisals
- Onboarding flows
- HR analytics
Enterprise
About 4.5 dollars per employee.
R85/mo
per employee, per month
- Everything in Premium
- HR case desk
- Custom modules
- Advanced workflows
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Zoho Corporation for the figure you'll actually pay.
Breathe plans
Micro
24 pounds a month for up to 10 employees. Flat, not per person.
R565/mo
per month
- Employee records
- Leave and approvals
- Document storage
- Company calendar
Starter
44 pounds a month for up to 20 employees.
R1 035/mo
per month
- Everything in Micro
- Two HR users
- Performance check ins
Regular
99 pounds a month for up to 50 employees.
R2 330/mo
per month
- Everything in Starter
- More HR users
- Reporting
Pro
175 pounds a month for up to 100 employees.
R4 120/mo
per month
- Everything in Regular
- Expanded reporting
- Priority support
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Breathe (ELMO Software) for the figure you'll actually pay.
Verdict
Our verdict
Zoho People edges this comparison on verified user ratings (4,0 vs 3,9), but the right choice depends on your workflows: Breathe remains a strong pick where its strengths — Flat per company pricing, not per seat and Leave and absence handled cleanly — match your priorities. Shortlist both, take the free trials where offered, and test against a real month of your own data.