Comparison · Last verified: October 2026
Soteriaa vs Breathe (BreatheHR): the sponsor layer to add
Soteriaa is not a replacement for Breathe. It is a sponsor-licence layer you can add beside it. Breathe is a low-cost HR system for small teams, and its own sponsorship article describes storing right-to-work documents, tracking their expiry dates and renewals, and keeping contracts, qualifications and attendance records. What it does not describe is sponsor-duty management: Certificates of Sponsorship, reportable changes and an audit pack for a Home Office visit. Keep Breathe; add Soteriaa for that job, from £25/month for up to 5 sponsored workers. Breathe facts checked 8 October 2026.
Last updated . Reviewed by Soteriaa team.
Two jobs, side by side
Where each product does its work.
Breathe owns HR admin. Soteriaa owns the sponsor-licence records around your sponsored workers.
On smaller screens, scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| What you need | Breathe | Soteriaa |
|---|---|---|
| HR admin (records, absence, documents, onboarding) | Its core job — HR for small teams, from £24/month for 1–10 employees (ex VAT). | Not an HR system — keep Breathe for this. |
| Right-to-work documents and expiry dates | Stores right-to-work documents and tracks expiry dates and renewals. | Right-to-work check records, evidence and follow-up dates per sponsored worker, with a daily email digest. |
| Sponsored-worker records & CoS | General employee records; CoS not described. | One record per sponsored worker, with Certificate of Sponsorship details. |
| Reportable changes and audit pack | Not described on its public pages. | Change log with old and new values, and worker or company packs from your records. |
| Document import | Document management. | Fields extracted from uploaded evidence; you review them and nothing is saved until you confirm. |
Breathe facts checked on 8 October 2026 against its sponsorship article, what's included and pricing pages. “Not described” is not proof a feature is absent.
What Soteriaa adds
The sponsor-licence layer, and only that.
No legal advice, no compliance determinations: records and deadlines you keep yourself.
Sponsored worker & CoS records
One record per sponsored worker, with Certificate of Sponsorship references.
Visa & right-to-work dates
Due soon at 90 days, urgent at 30, with a daily email digest.
Reportable changes
A log of changes and the actions you took, with old and new values kept.
Document import
Upload evidence, review the extracted fields, and save only when you confirm.
Worker and company packs
Assembled from your stored records on demand.
AI records assistant
Ask “who is missing a right-to-work check” and get an answer from your records. It reads your records only and never changes them.
Verdict
Keep Breathe alone, or add Soteriaa?
A scope-based verdict, not a ranking.
Neither product replaces the Home Office Sponsor Management System or immigration advice. See BreatheHR alternatives for sponsor compliance and Breathe pricing explained.
- Keep Breathe on its own if right-to-work documents, expiry dates and attendance records cover what your sponsor process needs.
- Add Soteriaa if you need CoS records, a reportable-change log, evidence filed per sponsored worker and packs for a Home Office visit, alongside Breathe.
What Soteriaa does not do
Soteriaa is not an HR system and not a law firm. It gives no legal advice, makes no compliance determinations, never tells you that you are compliant, never files to the Home Office Sponsor Management System, and does not perform right-to-work checks. It has no readiness score. Related: is the SMS enough? and Soteriaa vs a solicitor.
Next step
See how Soteriaa holds each worker's CoS, visa, right-to-work and change records in sponsored worker tracking software, then compare plans on the sponsor pricing page.
FAQ
Soteriaa and Breathe questions
Where Breathe's records end and sponsor-licence software begins.
Is Soteriaa an alternative to Breathe?
No. Soteriaa is a sponsor-licence compliance layer, not an HR system. Keep Breathe for HR admin; add Soteriaa for sponsor-duty records. No migration.
Does Breathe handle sponsor licence compliance?
In part. Breathe's sponsorship article describes storing right-to-work documents and tracking their expiry dates and renewals, plus contracts, qualifications, attendance and DBS records. It does not mention Certificates of Sponsorship, reportable changes or an audit pack (checked 8 October 2026).
Breathe is £44/month for my whole team — why is Soteriaa Team £79 for 20?
Breathe's £44 (excluding VAT) covers general HR for 11–20 employees. Soteriaa Team covers the sponsor-specific records for up to 20 sponsored workers: CoS details, evidence, dates, change events and packs. Whether that is worth adding depends on how much sponsor-specific record keeping your process needs beyond Breathe's documents and expiry dates.
Do I have to replace Breathe to use Soteriaa?
No. Soteriaa sits alongside Breathe. You keep Breathe for records, absence and documents; you use Soteriaa for the sponsor records, deadlines and packs.
Can Soteriaa tell me I'm compliant or report to the Home Office?
No. Soteriaa gives visibility of what is recorded and outstanding. It makes no compliance determinations, gives no legal advice, and never files to the Home Office Sponsor Management System.
Keep Breathe. Add the sponsor layer beside it.
Sponsor-licence records, deadlines and packs, as software you run, from £25/month. Start with a 14-day free trial.