CareIQ vs ShiftCare 2026 — An Honest Comparison for NDIS Providers
📅 Updated May 2026⏱ 8 min read👤 CareIQ Team
ShiftCare is the most widely used rostering platform for NDIS providers in Australia. CareIQ is a newer all-in-one alternative. This article compares both on pricing, features, and suitability — using only publicly available information.
The Core Difference
ShiftCare started as a rostering tool and has added care management features over time. CareIQ was built from scratch as a complete care management platform — clinical notes, behaviour tracking, SCHADS payroll, NDIS invoicing, custom digital forms, and SIL daily compliance are all native, not add-ons locked to higher tiers.
Pricing: The Biggest Practical Difference
ShiftCare charges per user, per month — and the price climbs as you move up tiers to unlock features. CareIQ also charges per staff member, but at one simple rate with every feature included on every plan.
| Plan | ShiftCare | CareIQ |
|---|
| Entry level | Basic: $9/user/month (min 5 users) | $6/user/month — every feature |
| Mid tier | Professional: $15/user/month | $6/user/month — same full feature set |
| Top tier | Premium: $25/user/month | $6/user/month — volume pricing for 50+ staff |
| Custom forms access | ⚠ Premium plan only ($25/user) | ✓ Every plan |
| Setup / onboarding fee | ⚠ One-time fees apply | ✓ None — free migration |
| Free trial | 7 days | 2 months |
💡 What per-user pricing actually costs as you grow
A provider with 20 staff who needs custom forms must be on ShiftCare Premium: 20 × $25 = $500/month minimum, plus setup fees, plus SMS and family access add-ons.
The same provider on CareIQ pays 20 × $6 = $120/month — custom forms included, no setup fee, free migration. That's $380/month less — $4560 saved per year. And because every feature is included, you never pay more to unlock one.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ShiftCare | CareIQ |
|---|
| Rostering & scheduling | ✓ All plans | ✓ All plans |
| GPS clock-in / clock-out | ✓ | ✓ With timesheet snap to scheduled time |
| NDIS invoicing & PRODA | ✓ Professional+ | ✓ All plans |
| SCHADS payroll | ⚠ Compliance checking & flags | ✓ Full calculation — penalty rates, overtime, allowances |
| Custom digital forms | ✕ Premium only ($25/user) | ✓ All plans — AI builder, upload PDF, or build manually |
| SIL daily compliance forms | ✕ Not available | ✓ Shift checklists — meals, observations, bowel, fluid, personal care |
| Digital service agreements | ✕ Not available | ✓ Pre-filled from client data, family signs digitally |
| E-signatures | ⚠ Limited | ✓ On notes, incidents, forms, service agreements |
| Clinical notes & handover | ✓ Progress notes | ✓ Structured templates, 18-hr handover window |
| Medication (MAR) | ✓ Premium (eMAR) | ✓ All plans — administer, refuse, high-risk double-check |
| Behaviour support (PBS) | ✕ Not available | ✓ Full ABC data collection, AI pattern analysis, NDIS reporting |
| Incident reporting | ✓ Premium | ✓ All plans — severity, antecedents, strategies, follow-up |
| Care plans & goals | ✓ Premium | ✓ All plans — NDIS goal tracking with progress ratings |
| Family portal | ⚠ Add-on cost | ✓ All plans — two-way messaging, no extra charge |
| Qualifications tracking | ✓ | ✓ Expiry alerts, credential matrix, rostering blocks |
| AI-powered features | ✕ Basic | ✓ Note QA, behaviour analysis, smart rostering, form builder |
| Mobile app (staff) | ✓ iOS & Android | ✓ iOS & Android — clock in/out, notes, meds, incidents |
| Xero integration | ✓ | ✓ |
Where ShiftCare Is Genuinely Stronger
This is an honest comparison so this matters:
- Rostering maturity: ShiftCare's drag-and-drop roster is polished and well-tested at scale across many provider types.
- Market presence: Larger installed base means more peer support, tutorials, and community knowledge.
- Third-party integrations: More integrations built up over years.
- Brand recognition: More providers know the name, which can ease staff adoption.
Where CareIQ Is Stronger
- Custom forms on every plan: Build with AI, upload an existing PDF form, or create manually. Included at $6/user/month — not locked to a $25/user premium tier.
- SIL / daily living compliance: CareIQ's shift checklists replace the paper forms and spreadsheets that group home and SIL providers use for daily observations, meal records, bowel charts, fluid intake, and personal care logs. ShiftCare has no equivalent.
- SCHADS payroll in dollars: CareIQ calculates the exact dollar value per shift — ordinary, afternoon (+12.5%), night (+15%), Saturday (150%), Sunday (200%), public holiday (250%+), weekly overtime — and generates timesheet lines with penalty breakdowns. ShiftCare provides compliance checking; CareIQ does the payroll maths.
- Behaviour support: CareIQ has a full Positive Behaviour Support data collection module. 15 behaviour categories, ABC structure, setting events, strategy effectiveness tracking, AI pattern analysis, and NDIS-ready reports. ShiftCare has no equivalent.
- Digital service agreements: Generate an NDIS service agreement pre-filled from the client record, send it to the family by email, they sign digitally on their phone — no printer, no scanner, no wet signature. ShiftCare has no equivalent.
- Flat rate pricing: Your bill doesn't increase with every hire. Predictable monthly cost regardless of team size within your tier.
- No setup fee, free migration: No charge to get started. CareIQ migrates your data at no cost.
- 2-month free trial: Long enough to run real fortnightly payroll cycles, generate real NDIS invoices, and evaluate properly. ShiftCare gives 7 days.
Who Should Stay on ShiftCare
- Providers who primarily need rostering and basic invoicing and are comfortable on Basic or Professional plan
- Teams fully set up on ShiftCare where switching cost currently outweighs the benefit
- Providers who want the comfort of a larger, established platform
Who Should Consider Switching to CareIQ
- SIL / group home providers currently using spreadsheets or paper forms for daily compliance documentation
- Providers on ShiftCare Premium paying $25/user who are looking for better value
- Providers running payroll in a separate tool because ShiftCare doesn't calculate the dollar amounts
- Providers with NDIS behaviour support requirements — there is no equivalent to CareIQ's behaviour module in ShiftCare
- Growing teams where per-user pricing is becoming a budget concern
- New NDIS providers setting up and wanting everything in one place from day one
- Providers tired of paying for custom forms that should be a standard feature
✅ Verdict
ShiftCare is a capable rostering platform with strong market presence. If you need scheduling and basic invoicing and your team is small, it works.
CareIQ is built for providers who need more: full SCHADS payroll in dollar amounts, custom digital forms on every plan, SIL daily compliance checklists, behaviour data collection, and digital signing — all at one simple $6/user rate with every feature included.
If you're currently on ShiftCare Premium, running payroll in a separate tool, and building compliance forms in spreadsheets — the maths and the features both favour switching. Start with the 2-month free trial and run both in parallel.
Try CareIQ free for 2 months
No setup fee. Free migration from ShiftCare. No credit card required.
Long enough to run real payroll cycles and evaluate every feature.
Start Your 2-Month Free Trial
Disclaimer: Competitor information in this article is based on publicly available pricing and feature documentation as of May 2026. ShiftCare's pricing and features may change — verify current details at shiftcare.com. CareIQ is a competitor to ShiftCare and this article should be read in that context. All pricing figures sourced from ShiftCare's published pricing page.