An honest side-by-side, checked against their own website — including where they may be the better choice.
CharlieHR is HR software for small UK companies. Both products cover time off, reviews and a people directory well. The differences are payroll, hiring and everything around HR: Staffvelo runs payroll itself for the UK, Ireland and Kosovo, includes hiring in the Growth plan, and adds team chat, project boards and a full edition for schools.
| What it does | Staffvelo | CharlieHR |
|---|---|---|
| Time off | ||
| Leave requests and manager approval | ✓ | ✓ |
| Balances calculated automatically | ✓ | ✓ |
| Who's-out calendar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Kosovo, UK and Ireland public holidays built in | ✓ | ◐ UK built in |
| Payroll | ||
| Runs payroll in the UK | ✓ | — via Xero / PayCaptain |
| Runs payroll in Ireland | ✓ | — integrations |
| Runs payroll in Kosovo, with the ATK EDI file | ✓ | — integrations |
| Payslips created and sent to employees | ✓ | ◐ uploaded, not created |
| Hiring | ||
| Careers page and application forms | ✓ | ◐ paid Recruit add-on |
| Interview scheduling with video links | ✓ | ◐ add-on |
| Offer letters | ✓ | ◐ add-on |
| Hired candidate becomes an employee | ✓ | ◐ add-on |
| Reviews & goals | ||
| Review cycles: self, manager and peer | ✓ | ✓ |
| Goals with progress | ✓ | ✓ |
| 1:1 meetings with shared agendas | ✓ | ✓ |
| Also in Staffvelo | ||
| Team chat and group messages | ✓ | · |
| Project boards with time logging | ✓ | · |
| School edition: cards, timetable, grades and the MASHT dëftesa, parent app | ✓ | · |
Checked against CharlieHR's own website, October 2026. ✓ yes · ◐ partly · — no · ? not confirmed on their site. Sources: bamboohr.com, help.charliehr.com, personio.com, bamboohr.com, charliehr.com, personio.com, bamboohr.com, charliehr.com, support.personio.de, bamboohr.com, charliehr.com, personio.com. Something out of date? Tell us and we'll correct it.
CharlieHR may suit you better if your whole team is in the UK, you already run payroll in Xero or with an accountant, and you only need the HR features where the table shows both products level.
Teams in the UK, Ireland or Kosovo — or across them — that want payroll, time off, hiring and reviews on one record per person, a messenger the whole team uses, and a price per person that doesn't change with add-ons: £4, £7 or £12. Private schools get the whole school edition on every plan.
Other comparisons: Staffvelo vs BambooHR · Staffvelo vs Personio
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