A BrightHR alternative when you only need holidays and rotas
BrightHR is a broad HR system sold on fixed-term contracts. If holidays, absence and rotas are what you need, Rotaleave does them month to month, free for 10 or fewer, and reads your BrightHR exports.
What it costs
Monthly prices before VAT. BrightHR’s Core HR package is its cheapest plan that includes the holiday planner and rotas.
| Feature | Rotaleave | BrightHR |
|---|---|---|
| 10 people | £0 | £107.00/month (Core HR, £10.70 per employee) |
| 15 people | £10/month | £156.00/month (Core HR, £10.40 per employee) |
| 25 people | £20/month | £225.00/month (Core HR, £9.00 per employee) |
BrightHR prices are per month, excluding tax, on a 24, 36 or 60-month fixed-term contract, from the calculator on brighthr.com/pricing, checked October 2026. Rotaleave: free for 10 or fewer, then £5/month + £1 per person over 10, plus VAT where applicable, no contract.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Rotaleave | BrightHR |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, up to 10 people, with every feature including leave | BrightHR Lite is free for rotas only; annual leave needs an upgrade to Core |
| Contract | Monthly, cancel any time | 24, 36 or 60 months fixed term (36 months can be bought online) |
| Trying it first | 30-day free trial, no card | A free demo with their team |
| What it covers | Leave, absence, rota, clock-in and timesheets | A broad HR system: holiday booking, rotas, absence, performance, overtime, expenses, documents |
| HR advice line | No. Rotaleave is software, not legal advice | 24/7 HR and employment law advice on the Enhanced package (from £21.20 per employee) |
| Holiday and absence | Included: days or hours in 15-minute steps, a limit on how many are off per department, Bradford factor report | Holiday planner and absence management in Core HR |
| Bringing your history | BrightHR importer: their employee details export plus an optional absence report | — |
| Mobile apps | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android |
BrightHR details from their pricing and free rota pages, checked October 2026. Check their site for changes.
Where BrightHR is better
BrightHR does far more than Rotaleave. Its packages cover performance, overtime, expenses and document storage, and its Enhanced package adds a 24/7 HR and employment law advice line, document templates and optional insurance against employee claims. If you want someone to ring about a disciplinary, Rotaleave is not that. BrightHR has also been around much longer, and if all you need is a rota, its Lite plan is free.
Rotaleave is the better fit when you need holidays, absence and rotas without an HR contract: no fixed term, free for 10 or fewer, and £20 a month for 25 people.
Moving from BrightHR
Rotaleave reads BrightHR’s report downloads, CSV or Excel. Upload the employee details export and, if you want your history, an absence report. BrightHR Teams become departments, and entitlements and absences come across. Preview first: nothing is saved until you click Import.
The step-by-step BrightHR import guide lists every column it reads and what to check afterwards.
Switching questions
What does the BrightHR import bring across?
From BrightHR’s employee details export: names, emails, Teams (which become departments), start dates, annual leave entitlements and leavers. From the optional absence report: holiday and sickness bookings with their status. Lateness rows are skipped because they are not leave. You see a preview first, and nothing is saved until you click Import.
Can I leave BrightHR before my contract ends?
That depends on your BrightHR agreement, so check it first. BrightHR sells 24, 36 and 60-month fixed-term contracts. You can start Rotaleave’s 30-day free trial shortly before your renewal date, import your BrightHR data and check it, then decide.
Is BrightHR Lite enough for a small team?
Only if you just need rotas. BrightHR Lite is free rota software, and BrightHR says annual leave planning and sickness tracking come with an upgrade to Core HR. Rotaleave’s free plan for 10 or fewer covers leave, absence, rota and clock-in together.
Does BrightHR charge per employee?
Yes, on a sliding scale. On their pricing page today, Core HR works out at £10.70 per employee a month for 10 people and £9.00 for 25, before tax. Rotaleave is £0 for 10 people and £20 a month for 25, plus VAT where applicable.
Compare Rotaleave with
Timetastic alternative
Leave and rota in one price. Import straight from Timetastic.
Breathe HR alternative
Leave and rota without a full HR suite. Import your Breathe HR reports.
RotaCloud alternative
Rota, leave and clock-in in one price.
Deputy alternative
No £20 monthly minimum. Free for 10 or fewer.
Leave Dates alternative
A free plan, plus rota and clock-in. Import your Leave Dates reports.
WhosOff alternative
Rota built in. A team of 10 pays £0, not £17.50 a month.
Switching to Rotaleave
Every importer, and the staff CSV for everything else.
Bring your BrightHR history with you
Import their employee and absence exports. 30 days free. Free forever for 10 or fewer.
Start free