Overview

HollyHR brings together people records, working patterns, leave, employee documents, starter processes and standard reports. That makes it a practical base for everyday HR administration, particularly where the alternative is managing files and leave in separate tools. Its boundaries are material: native payroll, rota and time tracking, expenses, recruitment, performance and learning modules are not shipped features, nor is there a native mobile app.

Its integrations extend the core product rather than turning it into a full suite. Connections include Zapier, Make, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Claude, Google Calendar, Outlook and Xero Payroll UK; Staffology Payroll is in private preview. Capabilities and availability vary. Xero can receive approved leave after employee and leave-type matching, but does not sync salary, tax, bank, pay-run or employee-creation data.

Key features

Leave and employee records

Employees can request leave and managers can approve it, with balances, sickness records, working patterns and UK public holidays alongside a shared Who’s Away calendar. This is a useful set of routine absence controls for small teams, but not a substitute for shift scheduling or time capture.

Onboarding and documents

Reusable onboarding packs become individual journeys with due dates and owners, helping managers keep joining tasks accountable. Private files, right-to-work evidence and policy acknowledgements are attached to the employee record, which keeps common employment paperwork close to the underlying people data.

Reports, exports and integrations

Headcount, turnover and time-off reports can be exported as CSV or PDF. Organisation export includes CSV data, available uploaded files and a manifest, giving teams a route to take records with them. API reads and signed webhooks are available on every plan; creating records through Zapier, Make or the API requires Standard and System Admin permission. Automation and portability are meaningful strengths for a low-cost core HR system, though write access is not included in Free.

Security and assurance

HollyHR says data operations check active organisation membership, permission and organisation scope, with additional encryption for selected sensitive values. Primary HR records are in the EU, while uploaded documents and database backup copies are in the UK; supporting providers have their own locations and transfer terms. HollyHR is not currently certified to ISO 27001, SOC 2 or Cyber Essentials and does not publish an external penetration-test claim. Teams with formal assurance requirements should weigh that gap before adoption.

Pricing

The pricing model is freemium, with a 30-day trial. The free plan costs £0.00 per free and supports up to 10 active employees, everyday HR, API/MCP reads and signed webhooks. That cap makes it a sensible way for a very small team to start, but growing teams will need a paid plan.

Standard costs £2.00 per month, billed monthly, or £20 per active employee per year. It supports any team size and adds Ask Holly, priority support, a custom domain and approved API/MCP writes. This is the practical fit for teams outgrowing Free or needing integrations to create records. Paid Standard support cases have a one UK business day first-response target.

Plus is priced at £4.00 per month but is coming soon and not currently available to buy. Its planned scope includes rotas, attendance, timesheets, expenses, hiring, training management, goals, reviews, safety, surveys, employee cases and benefit administration. A planned annual price of £40 per active employee per year is also given, but the plan is not available today, so it is not a current option for teams choosing software.

Enterprise has custom pricing for procurement or multi-organisation needs. The published plan terms do not give a price to compare with Standard, so teams should treat it as a sales-led option rather than a priced upgrade.

Platforms

HollyHR is available on web and through an API. API reads and signed webhooks across plans make it relevant to teams connecting HR data to existing systems; approved write operations require Standard and System Admin permission. No native mobile app is shipped.

Who it's for

HollyHR is aimed at small UK teams, with workflows relevant to founders, HR and office managers, finance managers, managers and employees. It is strongest where the priority is central employee records, leave, onboarding documents and basic reports at a controlled cost. It is a weaker fit for organisations that need payroll processing, rota or time tracking, recruitment or broader employee development in the same product, or require formal security certifications.

Pros and cons

Pros: Free entry covers up to 10 active employees and includes API/MCP reads and signed webhooks, giving small teams a capable starting point.
Pros: Standard remains £2.00 per month billed monthly or £20 per active employee per year, and adds approved writes and priority support.
Pros: CSV/PDF reports and organisation export, including available uploaded files and a manifest, support reporting and data portability.
Cons: Payroll, rotas, time tracking, expenses, recruitment, performance and learning are not shipped features, limiting its reach as teams seek a single workforce suite.
Cons: Xero Payroll UK only receives approved leave after matching; it does not exchange pay-run or core payroll data.
Cons: HollyHR lacks the named security certifications and an external penetration-test claim, a potential blocker for assurance-led procurement.
Cons: Plus is not yet purchasable, and the native mobile app is absent, so those capabilities cannot resolve current workflow gaps.

Alternatives

For a broader starting point, browse HR Software; for products focused on joining workflows, see Employee Onboarding Software.

Choose 50skills Offboarding if offboarding is the specific job to solve; its Starter plan offers a two-week free trial with access to essential features, and Business is $291.00 USD per month.

Boardon is another freemium web and API option, delivered by Swedish EdTech company Boardon AB.

Choose ChiefOnboarding when self-hosting is important; it offers a free plan and a Support plan at €249.00 EUR per month billed annually.

Whale is a freemium option spanning web, mobile apps, API and browser extension, with a free tier for 10 members.

CheckFlow is a paid checklist option with a free trial and a Business annual plan at $9.00 USD per user per month.

EMPTrust is a paid alternative for mid-market and fast-growing organizations, with pricing by sales contact.

Eli may suit teams comparing paid onboarding software; Eli Go is £15.00 GBP per month per user, with a 20-user minimum.

Newployee offers a freemium web option with one active onboarding journey per month on its free plan.

Verdict

Choose HollyHR if a small UK team needs affordable core HR for employee records, leave and onboarding, with useful exports and API reads. Its strongest case is the combination of a free tier and low-cost Standard plan. Look elsewhere if payroll, workforce operations or certified security assurance are requirements rather than future possibilities.

	Ciphr HR	HollyHR
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	No	Yes
Paid from	£5/mo	£2/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Web	api, Web
Free plan	No	Yes
Employee records	Yes	—
Time-off management	Yes	—
Employee onboarding	Yes	—
Performance management	Yes	—
Time tracking	Yes	—

Ciphr HR vs HollyHR

Ciphr HR

HollyHR