Charlie
Charlie (Charlie OS Limited) is a UK-based SaaS company providing an all-in-one HR software platform, plus advisory and ATS add-ons, for UK small businesses and startups that lack dedicated HR staff.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Charlie does
Charlie (legal entity Charlie OS Limited) is a UK-based Software-as-a-Service company that provides an all-in-one HR platform designed specifically for small businesses and startups that lack dedicated HR personnel. The platform consolidates eight core modules on a single cloud-based system: automated onboarding with Right to Work compliance, time-off management with public-holiday syncing, performance reviews with 360-degree feedback, employee engagement surveys and shout-outs, a perks and benefits library of more than 30,000 UK-brand discounts, centralised employee data and document storage on ISO 27001-certified infrastructure, and a curated marketplace of vetted partners. Two paid add-ons extend the core: Charlie Recruit (an applicant tracking system with eSignature, blind hiring and weighted scorecards, from £55-£150/month) and Charlie Advice (CIPD-qualified on-demand HR advisory, from £179-£299/month). The product is sold primarily through a self-serve product-led growth motion (free 7-day trial, no credit card required) with an inside-sales overlay of live demos hosted by the sales team.
The go-to-market is dual-motion: a self-serve PLG funnel captures micro-businesses (1-4 employees) at £5/month for the first six months under a limited-time 75% discount, then standard pricing; and a sales-assisted demo motion converts larger accounts in the 15-250+ employee tiers, where core pricing scales from £45 to £735/month by team size. Charlie monetises four revenue streams: core SaaS subscriptions by headcount, two recurring add-on subscriptions, affiliate referral commissions from marketplace partners (pensions, insurance, legal, finance, employee benefits), and HR advisory services bundled through LegalEdge for complex employment law questions. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-customer via charliehr.com and sales demos, with no reseller channel; reach is extended through content marketing (HR foundations, HR challenges, comparison pages), the ArrowUp newsletter, and a customer referral programme.
Charlie is registered in England and Wales (company number 9940754), headquartered in London (Second Home Spitalfields), and operates a fully remote UK team of approximately 30-40 people (sources cite both figures). The company has raised disclosed funding of approximately $1.42M in a 2016 seed round led by Connect Ventures with 7percent Ventures, Pareto Holdings and Seedcamp, followed by three additional rounds through 2017 with undisclosed amounts; there is no evidence of priced Series A or later institutional capital in the public record. The company is privately held, has no parent company, and is led by co-founder and CEO Ben Gateley alongside co-founder and chairman Rob O'Donovan.
Charlie firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Charlie
- Legal name
- Charlie OS Limited
- Website
- https://charliehr.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Charlie (Charlie OS Limited) is a UK-based SaaS company providing an all-in-one HR software platform, plus advisory and ATS add-ons, for UK small businesses and startups that lack dedicated HR staff.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Charlie is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Charlie business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Core Charlie Subscription: Subscription-based pricing tiers based on team size, starting at £5/month for 1-4 team members (75% discount for first 6 months), then £20/month. Scales from £45 to £735/month as team grows from 5 to 250+ members. All core HR features included.
- Charlie Recruit (Add-on): Optional recruitment/ATS add-on priced from £55-£150/month based on team size (1-14: £55, 15-49: £85, 50-99: £100, 200+: £150). Requires base Charlie subscription. Minimum 12-month contract with monthly billing.
- Charlie Advice (Add-on): Optional HR advisory add-on providing one-to-one support from CIPD-qualified advisors via phone, email, or live chat. Priced at £179/month for teams under 10, £299/month for larger teams. Cancel anytime with 60 days notice.
- Charlie Marketplace (Partner commissions): Marketplace providing vetted business services to customers with pre-negotiated discounts up to 20% off. Partners include pensions, insurance, legal, finance, and HR services. Charlie earns commission from partner referrals.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | 1-4 team members - Micro business |
| Subscription | Monthly | 5-9 team members |
| Subscription | Monthly | 10-14 team members |
| Subscription | Monthly | 15-29 team members |
| Subscription | Monthly | 30-49 team members |
| Subscription | Monthly | 50-99 team members |
| Subscription | Monthly | 100-149 team members |
| Subscription | Monthly | 150-199 team members |
| Subscription | Monthly | 200-249 team members |
| Subscription | Monthly | 250+ team members |
| Subscription | Monthly | Charlie Recruit (Add-on) - ATS features |
| Subscription | Monthly | Charlie Advice (Add-on) - HR advisory |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels11 records
Charlie product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Charlie is an all-in-one cloud HR software platform for UK-based small businesses and startups, consolidating employee onboarding, time off management, performance reviews, employee engagement tools, perks and benefits, and centralized document storage into a single subscription. The core platform is complemented by two paid add-ons (Charlie Recruit for applicant tracking and Charlie Advice for CIPD-qualified HR advisory) and a marketplace of pre-negotiated partner services.
Product overview
Charlie is a unified HR software platform designed specifically for UK-based small businesses and startups, offering a core platform that consolidates eight integrated modules: Onboarding (automated new hire onboarding with self-service and compliance features), Time Off (automated holiday management with calendar sync and smart calculations), Performance Reviews (review builder with templates and 360-degree feedback), Employee Engagement (surveys, polls, and peer-to-peer recognition tools), Perks and Benefits (built-in rewards platform with 30,000+ discounts), Docs & Employee Data (centralised document storage with role-based access), Marketplace (curated partner discounts up to 20% off), and Integrations (connected to 40+ third-party tools). Two optional paid add-ons extend the platform: Charlie Recruit (an ATS for automated hiring with blind hiring and scorecard features, from £55/month) and Charlie Advice (on-demand HR advisory from CIPD-qualified advisors, from £179/month). The platform is priced by team size, starting at £5/month for 1-4 members with a 75% limited-time discount, and emphasises ease of use for businesses without dedicated HR staff.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Charlie Recruit: Recruitment and applicant tracking system add-on for automated hiring tasks, e-signature contracts, and interview scheduling
- Charlie Advice
- Charlie Marketplace
Products and services
- Charlie HR Platform All-in-one cloud HR software platform for UK-based small businesses and startups that consolidates onboarding, time off management, performance reviews, employee engagement, perks and benefits, and centralised document storage into a single subscription priced by team size (from £5/month for 1-4 members).
- Charlie Recruit Applicant tracking system add-on that consolidates hiring and HR into one platform, featuring automated recruitment tasks, eSignature for contracts, smart interview scheduling, custom branded careers sites, blind hiring features, weighted scorecards, and best-fit analysis. Priced from £55/month for 1-14 team members. Requires active Charlie subscription with a minimum 12-month contract.
- Charlie Advice On-demand HR advisory service providing unlimited one-to-one support from CIPD-qualified HR advisors via phone, email, or live chat, including company handbook creation, annual compliance reviews, policy and contract upgrades, DE&I strategy support, and progression frameworks. Priced at £179/month for teams under 10 and £299/month for larger teams. Requires an active Charlie subscription.
- Charlie Marketplace Curated directory of vetted business service partners offering Charlie customers pre-negotiated discounts up to 20% off standard pricing, covering pensions, insurance, payroll, legal, finance, employee benefits, and HR services. Charlie earns commission from partner referrals.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduces HR admin time to near-zero after initial setup
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Charlie
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Charlie technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration42 records
Feature7 records
Charlie partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- XerocoreXero payroll integration allowing Charlie customers to connect HR data with payroll processing, eliminating manual data entry between systems.
- WorkablecoreIntegration with Workable ATS to create seamless hiring pipeline from candidate tracking through onboarding into Charlie's HR system.
- TeamtailorcoreIntegration with Teamtailor ATS enabling seamless transfer of hiring data into Charlie's HR platform for smooth onboarding transitions.
- Smart PensioncoreWorkplace pension provider serving 90,000 UK employers and 1.5 million workers. Offers discounts worth up to £600 per year and tools to consolidate pensions in one place. Charlie customers get preferential rates.
- Legal EdgecoreFractional in-house legal service providing fast-growth companies with flexible access to experienced lawyers for day-to-day legal support, strategic operations, fractional general counsel, and employment counsel.
- VestdminorFCA-regulated share scheme and equity management platform fully integrated with Companies House. Charlie customers access share schemes and equity management through the marketplace.
- SpillminorWorkplace wellbeing tool providing access to high-quality counselling to protect businesses from mental health impact. Offered as employee assistance programme through Charlie marketplace.
- Ace & TateminorEyewear brand offering 15% off for Charlie team members on their first order. Part of employee experience offerings in marketplace.
- SuperscriptminorDigital business insurance provider rated Excellent on Trustpilot, offering insurance designed for modern businesses from beauticians to biotechs, tradespeople to tech firms.
- Yu LifeminorGroup insurance and wellbeing platform combining employee benefits, engagement, and global rewards. Offers group health and life insurance through Charlie marketplace.
- BoundlessminorEmployer of Record (EOR) streamlining international employment, payroll management, and cross-border benefits allocation for Charlie customers expanding globally.
- AscendantminorFinance function service replacing accountants and in-house finance teams to build and run finance operations. Offers fractional CFO, budgeting, forecasting, and bookkeeping.
- JBMminorValues-driven executive search firm placing full-time and fractional leaders into General Management, COO, GTM, and People roles for high-growth startups and VCs.
- MossminorAll-in-one spend management solution providing corporate cards and expense management with real-time oversight of spending. Available through Charlie marketplace with integration.
- PayCaptaincoreAward-winning cloud payroll software transforming manual payroll into automated workflows. Available as integration and marketplace partner offering managed payroll services.
- PeopleCheckminorBackground checking sector leader with ISO 27001 and Cyber Essential Plus certification. Provides employee background checks for Charlie customers.
- UnleashedminorLeadership development experts offering programs for leaders who want to create healthy, happy, and high-performing teams. Available through Charlie marketplace.
- Trust KeithminorData compliance specialist helping small businesses become and stay compliant with global data regulations including GDPR audits and outsourced DPO services.
- LegalEdgecorePartnership with law firm LegalEdge to provide specialist employment law advice when Charlie's HR advisors need to step in for legal expertise. Available to Charlie Advice customers requiring legal counsel beyond HR advice.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Charlie competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BreatheHR: UK-based cloud HR software targeted at small businesses, offering employee records, absence management, and document storage. Charlie explicitly names BreatheHR in its own competitor comparison content, making it the most directly comparable peer in the UK SMB HRIS niche.
- Personio: European HRIS/HR + payroll platform serving SMBs through mid-market across multiple European countries, with deep HR, payroll and recruiting workflows. Charlie names Personio in its competitor comparison content; Personio competes for overlapping UK SMB HRIS deals.
- Hibob: Mid-market HRIS ('bob') with strong employee engagement, surveys and people analytics features. Charlie includes Hibob in its competitor comparison content; Hibob competes above Charlie's core ICP at slightly larger SMB/mid-market accounts.
- BambooHR: Long-established SMB-focused HRIS in the US with growing UK/Europe presence, offering onboarding, PTO, performance and reporting. Named by Charlie in comparison content; product scope and ICP closely overlap with Charlie's.
- Employment Hero: SMB HR + payroll + benefits platform expanding in the UK and Australia, bundling people management with employment services. Strongly comparable on size of customer (SMB/emerging mid-market) and the bundling model Charlie is pursuing.
- PeopleHR: UK-based HR software for small-to-mid-sized businesses, covering onboarding, absence, performance and reporting. Directly comparable on UK geography and SMB target segment.
- BrightHR: UK HR and employment-law-led software for small businesses, combining HR software with built-in HR/employment-law advice. Very comparable value proposition to Charlie's 'HR software + Charlie Advice' bundle targeting UK SMBs.
- Factorial: European HRIS focused on SMBs (10–250 employees), offering HR, time tracking, document management, and integrations. Comparable on ICP and platform breadth, expanding in the UK market as a Charlie competitor.
Emerging players
- Workable: UK-headquartered ATS and hiring platform that integrates directly with Charlie. Adjacent rather than directly head-to-head on core HRIS, but competes on Charlie Recruit's ATS wedge and shares the same UK SMB customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Rippling: Global HR, payroll, IT and spend platform serving SMB through enterprise. While broader than Charlie, it competes for UK SMB HRIS deals with a larger product surface and significantly higher funding, putting pricing and feature pressure on Charlie.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Charlie social profiles
Digital presenceCharlie compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Charlie financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Charlie leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Charlie funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Charlie M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Charlie
What does Charlie do?
Charlie is an all-in-one cloud HR software platform for UK-based small businesses and startups, consolidating employee onboarding, time off management, performance reviews, employee engagement tools, perks and benefits, and centralized document storage into a single subscription. The core platform is complemented by two paid add-ons (Charlie Recruit for applicant tracking and Charlie Advice for CIPD-qualified HR advisory) and a marketplace of pre-negotiated partner services.
Is Charlie a public or private company?
Charlie is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Charlie founded?
Charlie was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Charlie based?
Charlie is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Charlie make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Core Charlie Subscription is the primary driver. The others are charlie Recruit (Add-on), charlie Advice (Add-on) and charlie Marketplace (Partner commissions).
Who are Charlie's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BreatheHR, Personio, Hibob, BambooHR, Employment Hero, PeopleHR, BrightHR and Factorial. Workable is listed as an emerging player. Rippling is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Charlie have an API?
No public API is recorded for Charlie.