Charlie
About 4 pounds per team member per month, scaling with headcount.
R95/mo
per employee, per month
- Self serve onboarding
- Time off management
- Policies with acknowledgement
- Review cycles
- Team directory
CharlieHR vs Sage HR
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 — CharlieHR against Sage HR, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
0 – 5
CharlieHR vs Sage HR, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,2
Sage HR leads on ease of use
Verified reviews
383
157 for CharlieHR, 226 for Sage HR
CharlieHR
4,0
157 verified reviews
Sage HR
4,1
226 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- CharlieHR
- Sage HR
Overall
4,0
4,1
Ease of use
3,9
4,1
Value for money
3,9
4,1
Customer service
3,9
4,1
Functionality
3,9
4,1
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- CharlieHR (157)
- Sage HR (226)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
CharlieHR
R95/mo
Sage HR
R28/mo
Sage HR 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.
| CharlieHR | Sage HR | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,0 | 4,1 |
| Reviews | 157 | 226 |
| Ease of use | 3,9 | 4,1 |
| Value for money | 3,9 | 4,1 |
| Customer service | 3,9 | 4,1 |
| Functionality | 3,9 | 4,1 |
| Starting price | R95/employee/month | R28/employee/month |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | CharlieHR | Sage HR |
|---|---|---|
| Employee onboarding checklists | ||
| Time off requests and approvals | ||
| Policy publishing and acknowledgement | ||
| Performance review cycles | ||
| Team directory and profiles | ||
| Document storage | ||
| Engagement polls | ||
| Perks platform | ||
| Slack integration | ||
| Employee records and documents | ||
| Leave management | ||
| Performance reviews and one on ones | ||
| Shift scheduling | ||
| Timesheets | ||
| Expense claims | ||
| Recruitment pipeline | ||
| Onboarding checklists | ||
| Org chart | ||
| Reports and analytics |
Pricing
Both price lists, in rand
Every plan from both vendors, priced as South African teams actually pay.
CharlieHR plans
Try it free
Charlie + Advice
Adds unlimited HR advice from UK qualified advisors.
Custom
no card needed
- Everything in Charlie
- HR advice line
- Policy templates
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with CharlieHR for the figure you'll actually pay.
Sage HR plans
Core HR + Leave Management
The base module every plan starts with. Prices exclude VAT.
R28/mo
per employee, per month
- Employee database
- Leave management
- Approval workflows
- Mobile app
Timesheets
Added to the core module.
R14/mo
per employee, per month
- Overtime tracking
- Fast timesheet capture
Performance
Added to the core module.
R14/mo
per employee, per month
- Goals and OKRs
- 360 degree feedback
- Scheduled one on ones
- Surveys
Recruitment
Flat monthly price for the module, any headcount. Shift scheduling R14 and expenses R10 per employee also available.
R1 850/mo
per month
- Job ads
- Applicant pipeline
- Interview scheduling
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Sage for the figure you'll actually pay.
Verdict
Our verdict
Sage HR edges this comparison on verified user ratings (4,1 vs 4,0), but the right choice depends on your workflows: CharlieHR remains a strong pick where its strengths — Self serve onboarding checklists and Time off routed to the right approver — match your priorities. Shortlist both, take the free trials where offered, and test against a real month of your own data.