What is the best home care scheduling software in 2026?
Start with one question: do you bill Medicaid, or only private pay?
Every home care agency needs schedules. Only some need state-compliant EVV and Medicaid claims, and that single difference splits the market in two. We compared five tools on their official pages, their published prices and what agency owners report.
The short answer: AxisCare for a non-medical agency that wants one platform its office learns fast. AlayaCare for a multi-branch or partly clinical group. ShiftCare if you want published prices, from $8 per user per month. CareSmartz360 if you want a quote tied to active clients. Connecteam to start free with up to 10 users while you are private pay.
Looking for a general rota tool instead? Our ranking of employee scheduling software covers the generalists.
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always flagged on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The best home care software for your agency
5 home care scheduling tools compared on what matters
Rank follows fit for a typical US non-medical agency, not only the score. Connecteam scores close to the others but ranks last because it is not a home care platform.
| Best for | What it does best | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AxisCare | Best for non-medical agencies | Built for private-duty home care | 4.4/5 | Quote only | — | Small to mid-size agencies | Visit → |
| 2 | AlayaCare | Best for larger groups | Home care and home health together | 4.1/5 | Custom quote | — | Multi-branch agencies | Visit → |
| 3 | ShiftCare | Best published pricing | Price visible upfront | 4.2/5 | Basic: $8 per user per month, yearly | — | Small agencies, 5 users and up | Visit → |
| 4 | CareSmartz360 | Best activity-based quote | Price tied to active clients | 3.9/5 | Quote based on active clients per month | — | Small to mid-size agencies | Visit → |
| 5 | Connecteam | Best free start | Free up to 10 users | 4.0/5 | Free; Basic $29 per month for 30 users | ✓ | Private-pay start-ups | Visit → |
Prices in US dollars read on each vendor's official pricing page in 2026. AxisCare, AlayaCare and CareSmartz360 do not publish prices.
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
How we compared and scored
A home care platform is judged on one thing first: can a visit go from the schedule to the caregiver's phone to a paid claim without anyone retyping it? So we looked at EVV and billing before price.
We read each vendor's official pages and pricing, and the reviews agency owners leave on buyer directories, especially the negative ones. None of these tools has a review page in our Labs yet, so the scores come from this comparison.
Not ranked, and why: WellSky Personal Care and MatrixCare, because we could not read an official price or a recent product page for this round. Clinical-only home health suites are outside this page.
- Home care featuresScheduling, EVV, billing, payroll export, family portal.30 %
- Value for moneyPublic price or quote, minimums, per-user cost.25 %
- Ease of useCaregiver app, coordinator workload.20 %
- SupportOnboarding, response, EVV setup help.15 %
- IntegrationsState aggregators, payroll, accounting.10 %
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always flagged on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
AxisCare
AxisCare is built for non-medical home care agencies, the companion, personal care and respite businesses that send caregivers into clients' homes. It is a web-based scheduling and management platform with a caregiver mobile app, and it shows up at the top of most buyer directories for this category.
What it covers: caregiver scheduling, electronic visit verification (EVV) from the caregiver's phone, and billing for the office. On buyer directories, reviewers score it ahead of AlayaCare on day-to-day agency management, and comparison sites recommend it to agencies that want staff to adopt a tool quickly. That matters when your coordinator is also answering the phone.
Its limit: there is no public price. You book a demo and get a quote, so comparing it against ShiftCare's published plans takes an extra step.
Tip: before the demo, list which state EVV aggregator you report to and which payers you bill (Medicaid waiver, VA, long-term care insurance, private pay). Ask the rep to show one visit flowing from clock-in to claim for your state, not a generic demo.
- Built for non-medical home care
- Caregiver app with EVV
- Quick to learn for schedulers
- ✓Focused on your exact business model
- ✓Scheduling, EVV and billing together
- ✓Strong reviewer reputation in the category
- ✗No public pricing
- ✗Less suited to clinical home health
- ✗Quote process slows comparison
The safest pick for a private-duty agency that wants one tool its office learns in days. Get the quote in writing, per active client or caregiver.
AlayaCare
AlayaCare goes wider than AxisCare. It covers home care and home health, with clinical documentation, care plans, scheduling, EVV and billing, and it sells to agencies in several countries. The vendor says it has more than 700 customers.
Pricing is custom. AlayaCare's own guide says the price depends on your organization's size, care models, regions and the modules you choose, and that you only pay for what you use. That is flexible, and it also means no number until you talk to sales.
Its limit: depth comes with setup work. On review sites, small agencies rate it lower than AxisCare on day-to-day agency management, while mid-size groups value the clinical side.
Tip: if you only run non-medical care today, ask for a quote without the clinical modules, then a second one with them. You will see what growth into skilled care would cost.
- Home care and home health in one
- Modular pricing
- Multi-region operations
- ✓Clinical depth for mixed agencies
- ✓Modules added as you grow
- ✓Built for several branches
- ✗No public price
- ✗Heavier setup than simpler tools
- ✗Small agencies rate it lower
The right tool when your agency is already big or clinical. For a single-office private-duty agency, it is more than you need.
ShiftCare
ShiftCare is the only home care platform in this ranking that publishes its US prices. Basic costs $8 per user per month billed yearly ($9 monthly), Professional $13 ($15) and Premium $20 ($25). There is a 5-user minimum, and every login counts, office staff and caregivers alike. Enterprise, for 250+ staff, is quoted.
Every plan includes unlimited clients, the offline caregiver app, GPS clock in and out for EVV, Medicaid billing rates, QuickBooks Online and Xero integrations, and ADP, Paychex and Viventium payroll links. Bulk invoicing and Medicaid claim file uploads start at Professional. Direct Medicaid claims with EVV integration, the family portal, care plans and eMAR need Premium.
Its limit: per-user pricing grows fast with a big caregiver roster. Fifty users on Premium is $1,000 a month billed yearly. Some reviewers also report stability and support issues.
Tip: run the 7-day free trial with your real EVV aggregator in mind. ShiftCare says exports follow your state and funder, but aggregators vary by state, so confirm yours before you commit to a year.
- Public US pricing
- EVV on every plan
- 7-day free trial
- ✓Price visible before the demo
- ✓Unlimited clients
- ✓Payroll and accounting links included
- ✗Every login is billed
- ✗Direct Medicaid claims only in Premium
- ✗Mixed reviews on support
The easiest tool to budget for a small agency. Do the math on your caregiver count before you sign annual billing.
CareSmartz360
CareSmartz360 targets the same agencies as AxisCare: non-medical home care businesses that need scheduling, a caregiver app with EVV, billing and payroll exports. Its pricing model is the difference. It is quoted, but its pricing page ties the price to the number of active clients per month, in Growing (up to 100), Large (101 to 249) and Enterprise (250+) tiers, rather than per-user licenses, so a seasonal dip in clients should show up in your bill.
Its limit: no public grid, and fewer reviews than the two leaders. You will rely on the demo and on reference calls more than on public feedback.
Tip: ask how "active" is defined. A client with one visit a month and a client with daily visits may cost the same, and that changes the math for agencies with many light-touch clients.
- Priced on active clients, not per user
- All-in-one for non-medical care
- Mid-range positioning
- ✓Bill can follow your activity
- ✓Covers the core agency workflow
- ✓Fits small to mid-size agencies
- ✗No public pricing
- ✗Fewer public reviews
- ✗Definition of active client to check
A solid alternative to AxisCare when you want the bill to move with your census. Get the definition of an active client in the contract.
Connecteam
Connecteam is not a home care platform. It is a general app for deskless teams, with scheduling, a GPS time clock, checklists and chat. For a very small team, that covers most of what you do in week one.
The Small Business plan is free for life for up to 10 users and includes every feature. Above that, the Operations Hub costs $29 a month for the first 30 users on Basic billed yearly, $49 on Advanced and $99 on Expert, plus a small fee per extra user. GPS clock-in is on every plan.
Its limit: no Medicaid billing, no state EVV aggregator link, no care plans. GPS punches are not the same as EVV compliance.
Tip: use it only while you are private pay. The day you sign a Medicaid waiver contract, move to a home care platform with certified EVV.
- Free for up to 10 users
- GPS time clock on every plan
- Flat price for 30 users
- ✓Cheapest way to start
- ✓Simple caregiver app
- ✓Checklists and team chat
- ✗Not built for home care billing
- ✗No state EVV integration
- ✗No care plans
A great free starter for a private-pay agency with a few caregivers. Not a substitute for EVV once Medicaid enters the picture.
What most rankings leave out
Directory pages list features. They rarely tell you that your state, your payers and your caregivers decide whether a tool works.
Your state decides how EVV works
The 21st Century Cures Act made EVV mandatory for Medicaid personal care and home health visits, but each state picks its model and aggregator. Some let you use any certified vendor that sends data to the state system, others push their own app. Before any demo, find your state's EVV page and write down the aggregator name. Then ask each vendor to show that exact connection.
Per-user pricing grows with your roster
ShiftCare's $8 entry price is real, but every login counts. Twenty caregivers and three office staff on Professional is $299 a month billed yearly. Fifty users on Premium is $1,000. Quote-based tools may end up cheaper or pricier at your size: ask everyone for a price at your current headcount and at double it.
Caregivers make or break the rollout
EVV only works if caregivers clock in. Agencies that struggle usually picked a tool for the office and forgot the phone in the caregiver's pocket. Test the app on an older Android phone, with weak signal, and check that offline clock-in syncs later.
- Write down your state EVV aggregator before any demo.
- List every payer: Medicaid waiver, VA, long-term care insurance, private pay.
- Get a written price at your headcount and at double it.
- Test the caregiver app offline on an older phone.
- Ask how authorizations and units are tracked against visits.
- Export all client and billing history before you switch.
Pick and roll out your platform without losing a billing cycle
Most pain comes during the switch: double scheduling, rejected claims, caregivers who never installed the app. These six steps avoid it.
Map your payers first
PriorityPrivate pay only: a simple tool, even a free one, can work. Medicaid, VA or long-term care insurance: you need EVV and claims that match each payer's rules.
- Switch point
- Your first Medicaid contract
Read your state's EVV rules
ComplianceFind the aggregator and whether third-party vendors are allowed. A tool that cannot send data there means unpaid visits.
- To find
- The state EVV aggregator
Price it at your real size
BudgetCount every login, office included, for per-user tools. For quoted tools, ask for the price per active client and per caregiver.
- ShiftCare minimum
- 5 users
Bring a real week to the demo
ChoiceA real schedule with a call-out to fill, one Medicaid client, one private-pay client. Count the clicks from visit to invoice.
- To bring
- One real week and two payer types
Onboard caregivers before go-live
RolloutInstall the app on every caregiver's phone a week early and run test clock-ins. Missed punches in week one become unpaid claims.
- Lead time
- One week before go-live
Switch at the start of a pay period
MigrationDo not split a pay period between two systems. Keep read access to the old one for audits.
- To keep
- Old records for audits
Go further
These pages complete this one without repeating it.
Shift planning for any team.
You track hours in the fieldTime and attendance softwareClock-in apps compared.
You run routes and visitsField service management softwareDispatch and routes.
You run caregiver payrollSmall business payroll softwarePay runs and taxes.
You invoice private-pay clientsInvoicing software for small businessQuotes and invoices.
You want all the LabsThe LabsEvery ranking and review.
Home care scheduling software · FAQ
What is EVV and does my agency need it?
EVV, electronic visit verification, records who delivered which service, to whom, where and when. The 21st Century Cures Act requires it for Medicaid-funded personal care and home health visits. Private-pay-only agencies are not covered by that rule, but many still use it to prove visits to families.How much does home care scheduling software cost?
Most platforms quote. ShiftCare is the exception: $8 to $20 per user per month billed yearly, with a 5-user minimum. Connecteam is free for up to 10 users but is not a home care platform. Ask every vendor for a written price per active client or per caregiver.Is GPS clock-in the same as EVV compliance?
No. A GPS punch is one piece. State Medicaid programs require specific data sent to the state aggregator, such as Sandata in many states. A general time clock app does not send it, so check the vendor's support for your state.Can a small agency start with free software?
Yes, while you are private pay. Connecteam's free plan covers scheduling and GPS clock-in for up to 10 users. Move to a home care platform before your first Medicaid or VA contract, because billing and EVV rules change everything.What is the difference between home care and home health software?
Home care software serves non-medical agencies: companionship, personal care, respite. Home health software adds clinical documentation and Medicare billing for skilled nursing and therapy. AxisCare is centered on the first, AlayaCare covers both.How long does it take to switch home care software?
Plan for at least a full billing cycle running both. Export clients, caregivers, authorizations and past invoices first, switch at the start of a pay period, and keep read access to the old system for audits.What should I ask in a home care software demo?
Ask to see one real visit go from schedule to clock-in to invoice to payroll, for your state and your payers. Bring a week with a call-out to cover. A demo that only shows dashboards hides the work your coordinator does every day.
