Choosing NDIS Software Is Hard
If you are an NDIS disability service provider looking for care management software, you have probably come across ShiftCare, SupportAbility and VelCare. All three platforms serve the Australian NDIS market, but they take different approaches to features, pricing and user experience. This comparison is designed to help you make an informed decision based on what actually matters for your organisation.
We should note upfront that VelCare is built by Veleria, which is our company. We will be transparent about where we believe VelCare excels and where the other platforms may be a better fit for certain use cases.
Feature Comparison
Rostering and Scheduling
ShiftCare offers a calendar-based rostering system with drag-and-drop functionality, recurring shifts and availability management. It is well-established and reliable for basic rostering needs.
SupportAbility provides rostering capabilities focused on the relationship between participants and support workers, with strong emphasis on matching worker skills to participant needs.
VelCare includes drag-and-drop rostering with automatic conflict detection, recurring shift templates, qualification-based worker matching, availability management and swap request workflows. The rostering module is designed to minimise the time coordinators spend on scheduling while ensuring compliance requirements are met.
NDIS Billing
ShiftCare supports NDIS claiming with price guide integration and invoice generation. It handles the major claiming scenarios and integrates with payment systems.
SupportAbility has comprehensive NDIS financial management including budget tracking, utilisation reporting and claiming across all funding management types.
VelCare includes built-in NDIS price guide rates that update automatically, support for agency-managed, plan-managed and self-managed claiming, automated invoice generation with professional PDF output, per-participant budget utilisation tracking with at-risk alerts, and bulk claiming capabilities.
Compliance and Reporting
ShiftCare provides basic compliance tracking including document expiry alerts and some reporting capabilities.
SupportAbility offers strong compliance features with extensive reporting options and audit trail capabilities built over many years in the market.
VelCare features a compliance dashboard with a visual score out of 100, expired document tracking, training gap identification, one-click audit report generation, incident and hazard reporting with digital signatures and automated compliance monitoring. This is an area where we have invested heavily.
Mobile Experience
ShiftCare has a well-regarded mobile app that support workers use for clocking in and out, viewing shifts and entering shift notes.
SupportAbility provides mobile access through a responsive web interface rather than a dedicated native app.
VelCare includes a dedicated staff portal with GPS clock in and out using 200-metre geofence verification, structured five-section shift notes, digital form completion, medication management and voice note attachment.
Family Access
ShiftCare offers a client portal that families can access for basic information sharing.
SupportAbility provides participant and family access to certain information through its web platform.
VelCare includes a dedicated family portal with secure read-only access to shift notes, goal progress, medication records, activity photos and upcoming schedules. The family portal is designed to reduce phone calls to the office while building trust through transparency.
Pricing
Pricing structures vary significantly across the three platforms. ShiftCare uses a per-active-client pricing model that scales with your participant numbers. SupportAbility uses a subscription model based on organisation size and modules required. VelCare offers unlimited user pricing starting from $149 per month with no per-seat or per-participant charges, which can be significantly more cost-effective for growing providers.
The right pricing model depends on your organisation's size and growth plans. Per-participant pricing works well for small providers but can become expensive as you scale. Unlimited pricing provides predictable costs regardless of growth.
Who Should Choose What
Choose ShiftCare if you are an established provider who needs a proven, reliable platform with strong market adoption and a large existing user community.
Choose SupportAbility if your priority is comprehensive NDIS financial management and you need deep reporting capabilities with extensive customisation options.
Choose VelCare if you want a modern, purpose-built platform with strong compliance features, GPS-verified timesheets, a dedicated family portal and predictable unlimited pricing that does not penalise growth.
Making Your Decision
We recommend requesting demos from all three platforms and evaluating them against your specific workflows. Pay attention to how each platform handles your most time-consuming administrative tasks, how intuitive the mobile experience is for your support workers and what ongoing support and training is included. The best platform is the one your team will actually use effectively every day.