CoDash vs Sage HR
Sage HR is the HR product from the UK's best-known accounting software company, sold as a core module with paid add-ons. Here is what the modules cost when you add them up, and where Sage is the better fit.
Sage HR is modular: core HR and leave management is £5 per employee per month, and performance, timesheets, shift scheduling, expenses and recruitment are each priced on top. CoDash includes all of them in one plan from £99 a month for 20 people. At 50 people, Sage HR with those five modules is £871.95 a month at list price against £174 for CoDash. Sage's advantage is the rest of Sage: its HR product connects to Sage Payroll and Sage 50 Payroll, and CoDash does not run payroll.
Where is Sage HR strong?
- It belongs to the Sage family. Sage HR integrates with Sage Payroll and Sage 50 Payroll, and a reduced version, Sage HR Essentials, comes free with Sage Payroll. If your accounts and payroll are already in Sage, that is a real convenience.
- Buy only what you use. A company that needs leave management and nothing else pays £5 per employee and stops there.
- A capable core. Core HR includes documents with e-signature, onboarding and offboarding, asset management, working patterns and training records, with iOS and Android apps.
- Short commitment. Sage's page says "No long-term contracts, commitments, or hidden fees", with a 30-day free trial and no credit card.
- A public API and ISO 27001. Sage states that Sage HR is compliant to ISO 27001, with data hosted in AWS facilities in Ireland.
Where is CoDash different?
- One price for the whole product. Performance, timesheets, rotas, expenses and hiring are in CoDash Core. On Sage each is a separate line.
- Hiring without a flat fee. Sage's recruitment module is £184.45 a month whatever your size. For a 25-person company that is more than CoDash's entire monthly price.
- Learning included. CoDash has a learning module. Sage HR lists training records and events, and does not claim a learning system.
- Built for 20 to 1,000. Sage describes Sage HR as "built for companies with up to 250 employees".
- Anonymous voice by design. Sage says its pulse surveys are anonymous. CoDash goes further in one respect: suggestions are stored with no author column, and manager-facing figures are withheld below a k-anonymity threshold.
How do the prices compare?
| Sage HR module | Sage price | In CoDash |
|---|---|---|
| Core HR + Leave Management | £5.00 per employee per month | Included |
| Performance | £2.50 per employee per month | Included |
| Timesheets | £2.50 per employee per month | Included |
| Shift scheduling | £2.50 per employee per month | Included |
| Expenses | £1.25 per employee per month | Included |
| Recruitment | £184.45 per month, flat | Included |
| What you run | CoDash Core | Sage HR |
|---|---|---|
| Core HR and leave only | £174 | £250 |
| + performance | £174 | £375 |
| + timesheets and shift scheduling | £174 | £625 |
| + expenses | £174 | £687.50 |
| + recruitment | £174 | £871.95 |
Below 20 people the first row reverses: ten people on Sage's core module is £50 a month, against CoDash's £99 minimum. And if you are under 25 people and use Sage Payroll, Sage points you to the HR features bundled with it.
How do the features compare?
| CoDash | Sage HR | |
|---|---|---|
| Leave, documents, e-signature, onboarding | Every plan | Core module |
| Reviews, 360 feedback, goals, 1:1s | Every plan | Performance module |
| Engagement surveys and eNPS | Every plan | Performance module |
| Timesheets and clock-in | Every plan | Timesheets module |
| Rotas | Every plan | Shift scheduling module |
| Expenses | Every plan | Expenses module |
| Recruitment | Every plan | Recruitment module |
| Learning | Every plan | Training records only |
| Payroll | No | Via Sage Payroll, a separate Sage product |
| Mobile | Installable web app (PWA) | iOS and Android apps |
| API | Pro | Public REST API |
| Data location | EU (France), one database per customer | EU (Ireland) |
What do the contract terms say?
Both are short. Sage's page says you are "free to cancel or upgrade at any time"; its cloud terms, where no fixed term has been agreed, allow either party to end the agreement on thirty days' written notice, say fees are non-refundable and allow fee changes on at least thirty days' notice. CoDash monthly plans can be cancelled at any time and end at the close of the billing period. Both contracts are under the law of England and Wales.
Who should pick which?
Choose Sage HR if you already run Sage Payroll or Sage accounts and want HR that connects to them, or you need only leave management for a small team.
Choose CoDash if you would be adding two or more of Sage's modules, are hiring, or have more than 20 people and want the whole product at one published price. The guide to HR software costs shows how modular pricing adds up across the market.
Frequently asked questions
Is CoDash a good Sage HR alternative?
Yes if you would be buying several Sage HR modules: CoDash includes performance, timesheets, rotas, expenses, hiring and learning in one plan. Sage HR is the better fit if you want HR connected to Sage Payroll, because CoDash does not run payroll.
How much does Sage HR cost in the UK?
Sage's site lists Core HR and Leave Management at 5 pounds per employee per month, with Performance, Timesheets and Shift scheduling at 2.50 pounds each, Expenses at 1.25 pounds and Recruitment at a flat 184.45 pounds per month. Checked 5 October 2026.
What does Sage HR cost for 50 employees?
At list price, core HR and leave is 250 pounds a month. Adding performance, timesheets, shift scheduling, expenses and recruitment brings it to 871.95 pounds a month. CoDash Core for 50 people is 174 pounds a month with those included.
Does Sage HR include payroll?
No. Payroll is a separate product, Sage Payroll, which Sage HR integrates with. A reduced version of Sage HR, called Sage HR Essentials, is included free with Sage Payroll.
Sources
Every figure about the other product was read from its own website on 5 October 2026.
- Sage: Sage HR - module prices, trial, target size and contract wording
- Sage HR help: Essentials vs Core HR - what the core module includes
- Sage HR help: security policy - hosting location and ISO 27001
- Sage: product and service terms - notice, refunds, fee changes and governing law
Prices and features move. Everything here was checked on the date shown against each vendor's own published pricing, and we link to it so you can confirm rather than take our word for it. If we have a detail wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
Check it yourself: Sage publishes its own terms - see their pricing page. Checked 5 October 2026. Prices and packaging move, and theirs are theirs to state, so confirm before you decide.
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