HollyHR

HollyHR is a core HR service for small UK teams that need a shared place for employee records, absence and onboarding. It is a good fit for everyday HR administration, not a replacement for payroll or a broader workforce suite. Its free tier and £2 Standard plan are attractive if that narrower scope matches your needs.

Overview

HollyHR brings people records, working patterns, leave, documents, starter workflows and standard reports into one service. That focus can help small teams keep routine HR work together without taking on a large suite, but teams needing operational modules such as rota planning or recruitment will have to look elsewhere or use other software.

Key features

Leave and working patterns

Employees can request leave, managers can approve it, and the service tracks balances, sickness records, working patterns and UK public holidays. A shared Who’s Away calendar gives colleagues a common view of absences, useful for coordinating time off. It is not a shift planner or time clock: native rota and time-tracking features are not shipped.

Onboarding and records

Reusable onboarding packs create individual journeys with assigned owners and due dates. Private files, right-to-work evidence and policy acknowledgements sit alongside the employee record, which gives small teams a practical way to manage joining paperwork without separating it from core HR administration.

Reporting, integrations and control

Headcount, turnover and time-off reports export as CSV or PDF. Organisation export includes CSV data, available uploaded files and a manifest, a useful safeguard for teams that want to retain a portable copy of their records.

Connections include Zapier, Make, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Claude, Google Calendar, Outlook and Xero Payroll UK; Staffology Payroll is in private preview. Capabilities and availability differ. Xero can receive approved leave after employees and leave types are matched, but it does not transfer salary, tax, bank, pay-run or employee-creation data. Treat it as a limited leave connection, not payroll integration in the broad sense.

API reads and signed webhooks are available on every plan. Creating records through Zapier, Make or the API requires Standard and System Admin permission, so Free is more suitable for teams that need to read or receive updates than automate record creation.

HollyHR says it checks organisation membership, permissions and scope for data operations, and encrypts 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. The company is not currently certified to ISO 27001, SOC 2 or Cyber Essentials and does not publish an external penetration-test claim, a consideration for buyers with formal assurance requirements.

Pricing

HollyHR has a freemium model, with a 30-day trial and paid plans from £2/user/mo. The published plan terms give a clearer per-employee basis:

• Free: free, for up to 10 active employees. It includes everyday HR, API/MCP reads and signed webhooks. This suits a small team establishing basic records and leave processes, but the 10-employee cap and lack of approved API writes constrain growth and automation.
• Standard: £2 a month, billed monthly; also £20 per active employee per year. Any team size gets Ask Holly, priority support, a custom domain and approved API/MCP writes. This is the practical choice once a team exceeds Free’s cap or needs to create records through integrations. Paid Standard support cases have a one UK business day first-response target.
• Plus: £4 a month, marked Coming soon and not currently available to buy. Its proposed scope includes rotas, attendance, timesheets, expenses, hiring, training management, goals, reviews, safety, surveys, employee cases and benefit administration.
• Plus (coming soon): planned annual price £40 per active employee per year; not available to buy today. It describes the same proposed expanded set of modules, so buyers should not treat it as a current option.
• Enterprise: custom pricing for procurement or multi-organisation needs.

The Free tier makes it possible to start without a subscription, while Standard’s monthly price and annual per-active-employee price provide two stated terms. The broader Plus proposition remains prospective, so teams that need those capabilities now should choose another product rather than plan around it.

Platforms

HollyHR supports web and API access. It has no native mobile app, so buyers who require a dedicated mobile application should account for that gap.

Who it's for

HollyHR is aimed at small UK teams and can serve founders, HR and office managers, finance managers, managers and employees. It is most compelling where a team wants shared people records, leave administration, onboarding paperwork and standard reporting at a low entry cost. It is less suitable for organisations that need payroll processing, shift scheduling, time capture, expenses, recruitment, performance or learning in the same product today.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Free covers up to 10 active employees, giving very small teams room to establish everyday HR processes before paying.
• Pros: Onboarding tasks, right-to-work evidence and policy acknowledgements sit with employee records, keeping common starter administration together.
• Pros: CSV/PDF reports and an organisation export with files and a manifest support reporting and data portability.
• Cons: Native payroll, rotas, time tracking, expenses, recruitment, performance and learning are not shipped, limiting its usefulness as a single workforce system.
• Cons: Xero Payroll UK only receives approved leave after matching; it does not sync core payroll or create employee data.
• Cons: There is no native mobile app, and HollyHR lacks the named certifications and external penetration-test claim some procurement teams may require.

Alternatives

For a broader browse, see HR Software or Employee Onboarding Software.

Whale is worth considering if you want Android, iOS and extension access alongside its free tier, which includes 10 members, one creator, 20 Playbook items and 20 AI credits; its listed Scale plan is $249 a month, billed yearly.

Boardon is another web-and-API option with a free plan; choose it for an onboarding-focused alternative from a Swedish EdTech company.

50skills Offboarding is a relevant alternative when offboarding is the priority; it offers a two-week free trial and a listed Business plan at $291 a month, with monthly or unspecified billing terms.

ChiefOnboarding may suit teams that want a self-hosted option; its listed Support plan is €249 a month, billed annually.

Newployee is a web-based alternative with a free plan limited to one active onboarding journey per month, basic journey templates, surveys and task management; consider it for that narrower onboarding workflow.

NEOGOV Insight is a paid alternative with Android, iOS, macOS, web and Windows support, and customized pricing based on products selected and agency size.

Niyuk HR is an alternative with Android, iOS, web and extension support, including paid plans priced in INR.

WeekOne is another option with Android, iOS and web support.

Verdict

Choose HollyHR if you run a small UK team and want employee records, leave, onboarding and reporting together without paying for a larger suite. Its free tier and affordable Standard plan are the strongest reasons to start here. Look elsewhere if payroll processing, mobile app access or operational HR modules are essential today.