Top HR Providers in the UK (2026): A Detailed Comparison of the Leading HR Outsourcing Companies
The best HR outsourcing company for your business depends on one thing more than price: how you get advice when something goes wrong. Some providers run a large advice line, where you speak to whoever is free. Others give you a dedicated consultant who knows your business.
This guide compares 12 HR outsourcing companies in the UK, from national advice lines and HR software to independent consultancies. For each one you get the service model, who it suits, any published price and any published contract terms.
A note on who wrote this. We're Neathouse Partners, an outsourced HR and employment law provider, so we've included ourselves in this list. We've still aimed to keep the comparison objective and useful for your situation. It's based on thousands of online reviews, each provider's own published information, and our clients' experiences.
TL;DR
We looked at six things buyers tell us matter most:
Facts were checked on each provider's website in October 2026. No provider paid to be included.
|
Provider |
Service model |
Best for |
Published price |
Published contract terms |
Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Neathouse Partners |
Personal HR adviser, backed by employment lawyers |
SMEs who want the same adviser every time |
From £95 a month + VAT |
12-month minimum; 90 days' notice; renews for 1 year only if notice is missed |
Independent |
|
Peninsula |
National advice line, 24/7 |
Round-the-clock advice and tribunal support |
Not published |
Not published |
Peninsula Group |
|
Croner |
National advice line, 24/7 |
Compliance-led support |
Not published; quotes based on a 5-year term |
5-year term used for pricing |
Peninsula Group |
|
Citation |
HR, health and safety and ISO in one |
HR and health and safety from one provider |
Not published |
Priced on a 7-year term; 3 to 5 years available; renews unless 6 months' notice |
Citation (includes ELAS) |
|
Avensure |
Lead consultant, insurance-backed advice |
Tribunal insurance with HR |
From £200 a month |
Not published |
Independent |
|
WorkNest |
HR, employment law and health and safety |
Employment law with health and safety |
Not published |
Not published |
WorkNest (includes Wirehouse) |
|
The HR Dept |
Local franchise consultancies |
Face-to-face local support |
Not published |
Not published |
Franchise network |
|
Clover HR |
Retained HR consultancy |
Flexible, hands-on HR projects |
Not published |
Not published |
Independent |
|
Moorepay |
Payroll with HR support |
Payroll-led businesses |
Not published |
Not published |
Zellis |
|
BrightHR |
HR software, advice as an add-on |
Software for holidays, absence and records |
From £16.67 per employee a month, excluding VAT |
24, 36 or 60-month fixed terms |
Peninsula Group |
|
Breathe HR |
HR software |
Simple software for small teams |
From £24 a month per business for 1–10 people, excluding VAT |
Monthly or yearly billing |
ELMO Group |
|
Access PeopleHR |
HR software |
Growing teams wanting detailed reporting |
Not published |
Not published |
Access Group |
Sources: Croner pricing · Citation pricing · Citation guide · Citation and ELAS · Avensure · BrightHR pricing · Breathe pricing · CMA: Peninsula and Croner · WorkNest and Wirehouse
Neathouse Partners is an outsourced HR and employment law firm that gives each client a personal HR adviser, backed by employment lawyers, for a fixed monthly fee based on headcount. It works with employers of all sizes across England, Wales and Scotland.
How advice works: you deal with the same adviser every time, and they keep the history of your cases, so you never explain the background twice. Larger clients get two advisers or a small team, always the same people, and the wider team covers when your adviser is on leave.
What's included:
Pricing and contract: a fixed monthly fee based on how many people you employ, from £95 a month + VAT. Agreements have a 12-month minimum term and 90 days' notice; if notice is missed, they renew for one more year only. One-off projects are also available.
Rating and proof: 4.8 on Trustpilot from 157 reviews. Sage Care Homes, with 400+ care workers across six homes, has been a client for more than 8 years.
Best for: SMEs and growing businesses that want the same adviser every time, and commercial advice rather than generic advice that could apply to any company.
What to check: we're a service, not software. If you only want a system for holidays and records, an HR software tool will cost less.
Peninsula is one of the UK's largest HR outsourcing companies. It says it supports over 44,000 UK employers, and the same group owns Croner and BrightHR.
How advice works: a 24/7 advice line staffed by a large team of HR and employment law advisers. For disciplinaries, grievances and mediation, its Face2Face service sends a consultant to meet you in person.
What's included:
Pricing and contract: prices aren't published. Peninsula's own fees guide puts the average for 10 employees at about £157 a month. A Peninsula proposal published by Oakham Town Council in May 2026 offered 24, 36 or 60-month terms.
Rating: 4.9 on Trustpilot from 23,825 reviews (checked October 2026).
Best for: businesses that want round-the-clock advice, tribunal cover and software in one package.
What to check: whether you'll have a named adviser or speak to whoever is available, and the term, renewal date and notice period, in writing.
Croner has more than 80 years in HR and employment law and says it is trusted by over 14,000 businesses. It has been part of the Peninsula group since 2016.
How advice works: a 24/7 advice line, open 365 days a year, run by consultants Croner says average 15 years' experience.
What's included:
Pricing and contract: priced per employee per month. Croner's pricing page says example quotes are "based on our entry level product over a 5 year term".
Rating: 4.9 on Trustpilot from 7,038 reviews (checked October 2026).
Best for: compliance-led support, including regulated industries.
What to check: the contract length behind your quote, and whether you'll have a named adviser.
Citation provides HR, employment law, health and safety and ISO support, and says it works with over 30,000 businesses. ELAS Business Support is now part of Citation, and the group is backed by the investment firm KKR.
How advice works: a 24/7 advice line, backed by HR and health and safety consultants, with annual HR check-ins on the HR package.
What's included:
Pricing and contract: priced per employee per month, but figures aren't published. Citation's pricing page says prices are based on a 7-year term, with 3 to 5-year terms available, and its own guide says contracts renew unless you give six months' notice.
Rating: 4.7 on Trustpilot from 8,286 reviews (checked October 2026).
Best for: employers who want HR and health and safety from one provider.
What to check: the term your quote is based on, your renewal date and the notice deadline.
Avensure was founded in 2011 and is based in Manchester, with an office in London. It says it works with over 7,000 UK employers.
How advice works: a designated adviser, backed by 24/7 HR and employment law advice lines.
What's included:
Pricing and contract: a fixed fee from £200 a month. The contract term isn't published.
Rating: 4.8 on Trustpilot from 1,989 reviews (checked October 2026).
Best for: SMEs that want tribunal insurance bundled with HR support.
What to check: the conditions on the insurance cover, and the contract term before you sign.
WorkNest provides employment law, HR and health and safety support and says it works with 50,000 organisations. It is part of The GRC Group, backed by the investment firm Inflexion, and bought Wirehouse Employer Services, a Warrington firm founded in 2010, in October 2024.
How advice works: employment law advice and HR consultants, with HR outsourcing and payroll for businesses that want WorkNest to run day-to-day HR.
What's included:
Pricing and contract: not published; quoted on request.
Best for: employers who want employment law, HR and health and safety under one roof.
What to check: ask for the price, term and notice period in writing, and who will handle your account.
The HR Dept is a franchise network of local HR consultancies, founded in 2002, with 50+ offices across the UK. It says it supports over 6,000 SMEs (about).
How advice works: a local HR expert from your nearest office, by phone, by email or on site.
What's included:
Pricing and contract: not published; each local office quotes.
Rating: 4.8 on Trustpilot from 479 reviews (checked October 2026).
Best for: businesses that want a local consultant they can meet, or help without a long contract.
What to check: service varies by office, so ask who your consultant will be and what the fee includes.
Clover HR is an independent HR consultancy founded in 2017, with 30+ HR business partners across 17 UK locations (about).
How advice works: retained clients get a dedicated local HR consultant.
What's included:
Pricing and contract: quoted after a discovery call; prices and terms aren't published.
Best for: businesses that want a hands-on local HR partner and project work.
What to check: compare a written proposal, including the term and anything billed on top of the retainer.
Moorepay is a payroll and HR provider for UK businesses with up to 1,000 employees. Established in 1966, it is part of Zellis and bought Natural HR in 2023.
How advice works: a 24/7 HR advice line with employment law solicitors, alongside its payroll service.
What's included:
Pricing and contract: fixed fees, not published (HR services).
Rating: 4.3 on Trustpilot from 1,955 reviews (checked October 2026).
Best for: businesses where payroll is the main need and HR advice is the add-on.
What to check: how complex employee relations cases are handled, and what the fixed fee includes.
BrightHR is HR software for holidays, absence, rotas and documents, and says it is used by 100,000+ businesses. It is part of the Peninsula group.
How advice works: software first. The Enhanced plan adds BrightAdvice, a 24/7 HR and employment law advice line.
Plans (pricing):
Pricing and contract: minimum £83.35 a month, excluding insurance. The pricing page lists 24, 36 and 60-month fixed terms, and only the 36-month term can be bought online.
Rating: 4.7 on Trustpilot from 6,629 reviews (checked October 2026).
Best for: small teams that want a simple HR app, with advice as an add-on.
What to check: the term and notice period. Software won't run a disciplinary or a dismissal for you.
Breathe is HR software for small businesses, founded in 2012 in Horsham and used by 17,000+ UK SMEs. It has been part of the ELMO Group since 2020 (about).
How advice works: Breathe is software rather than an advice service.
What's included:
Pricing and contract: from £24 a month for up to 10 people (pricing).
Rating: 3.9 on Trustpilot from 158 reviews (checked October 2026).
Best for: small teams that want straightforward HR software.
What to check: you'll still need employment law advice when a dispute comes up.
Access PeopleHR is HR software from The Access Group, which bought People HR in 2019.
How advice works: software rather than an advice service.
What's included:
Pricing and contract: per employee per month. Access's public-sector price list shows £3.20 to £9.80 per employee a month, excluding VAT, billed annually.
Rating: 4.3 on Software Advice from 661 reviews (checked October 2026).
Best for: growing businesses with someone in-house to run the system.
What to check: set-up and training time, and the minimum spend for your headcount.
The biggest difference between HR outsourcing companies in the UK isn't price or the list of services. It's how you get advice when a problem lands on your desk. Most work in one of four ways:
With an advice line, your call goes to whoever is free. On a disciplinary, a long-term absence or a redundancy, that can mean explaining the background each time you call.
With a dedicated consultant, the same person stays with you. Over time they learn your business, your appetite for risk and the people involved, so the advice gets more practical and more consistent.
Another difference is the type of support available. Larger providers often focus on helping businesses remain legally compliant, providing guidance on procedures and documentation. Dedicated HR consultants can often take a broader role, supporting managers with coaching difficult conversations, improving performance, planning restructures and helping resolve workplace issues before they escalate into formal disputes.
Neither model is inherently better. Businesses that need occasional advice or have relatively straightforward HR requirements may value the accessibility and extended availability of a larger advisory service. Employers that deal with regular employee relations matters, or simply prefer building a relationship with someone who knows their business, often find greater value in having a dedicated HR consultant.
The answers to those questions often tell you more about the quality of the service than the headline monthly fee.
The right HR outsourcing company is the one whose service model matches how your business works. Start with three questions: how often you need advice, whether you want the same person each time, and how long a contract you're willing to sign.
If you employ fewer than 50 people and have no HR person, three things matter most: someone who knows your business, a price you can predict, and a contract you can leave. For most small businesses that rules out long fixed terms and points to either software with an advice add-on or a consultant who stays with you.
Whichever you choose, compare more than the monthly fee. Ask who you'll speak to, what the fee includes, and the term, renewal date and notice period, in writing. Our small business HR support page explains how ours works.
The best-known national providers are Peninsula, Citation, Croner, WorkNest and Avensure. Peninsula, Croner and BrightHR belong to the same group, and ELAS is part of Citation.
Most providers charge a fixed monthly fee based on how many people you employ. Few publish prices: Avensure says from £200 a month, BrightHR software starts at £16.67 per employee a month, and Neathouse starts from £95 a month + VAT. Always ask what the fee includes.
It varies. Citation prices on a 7-year term with 3 to 5-year terms available, Croner prices on a 5-year term, and BrightHR offers 24, 36 or 60-month terms. Neathouse agreements have a 12-month minimum and 90 days' notice. Check the renewal date and notice period before you sign.
They are separate brands in the same group. The Competition and Markets Authority cleared Peninsula's purchase of Croner in 2016.
An HR outsourcing company takes on your HR on an ongoing basis, often through an advice line. An HR consultant usually works with you one to one, on retainer or by project. Some providers, Neathouse included, combine a personal consultant with a wider team.