ShiftCare vs. Carelink
Carelink is a popular choice for home care software. Here’s how it compares with ShiftCare for NDIS providers.
Where ShiftCare differs
- Published pricing and a 7-day free trial
- Sign up and onboard your team yourself
- A family portal and AI notes included
8,000 care providers deliver $5B of care a year with ShiftCare.
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4.6Where each platform fits.
ShiftCare and Carelink, feature by feature: what you get with both, where they differ and where Carelink is the better fit.
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| What matters | ShiftCare | Carelink |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing and support | ||
| Countries | Australia, USA, Canada, UK | Australia, although customers advise that Civica had pulled away from the Australian industry |
| Price | From $8 user / month, billed annually | Custom Pricing |
| Free trial | 7 days on Premium. No credit card required. | No Free Trial |
| Free demo | Included | Included |
| Self-onboarding | Included | Not listed |
| Suggested capacity | 5-1000 | 11-1000+ |
| Support rating | 94%+ | Not published |
| Rostering and apps | ||
| Rostering | Drag-and-drop, live validation | Advanced with shift templates |
| SIL rostering | Included | Included |
| Group shifts | Included | Included |
| Care and compliance | ||
| Client document management | Included | Included |
| Auto-generated reports | Real-time dashboards | 500+ filtered reports |
| Custom forms | Included | Included |
| Friends and family portal | Included | Not listed |
| Advanced incident management | Included | Included |
| AI features | Voice-to-text, AI Notes, alerts, smart matching (in progress) | Not available or advertised |
| NDIS, billing and integrations | ||
| NDIS and PRODA integrations | Included | Included |
| Accounting integrations | Xero, QuickBooks, Employment Hero | CarelinkConnect (Custom) |
| HR integrations | Employment Hero, PayCat, Xero | CarelinkConnect (Custom) |
| Payroll integrations | Employment Hero, PayCat, Xero | CarelinkConnect (Custom) |
Based on each company’s published product and pricing. A tick means the feature is listed, not that it works the same way in both. Carelink facts from publicly available information and customer feedback, as of May 2025. ShiftCare isn’t affiliated with Carelink. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
Switch from Carelink. We’ll make it worth your while.
Book a switching call
Show us how you run Carelink today. We’ll show you the same rosters, notes and claims in ShiftCare.
Get an offer for your team
Tell us your team size and when your Carelink plan renews. We’ll put together an offer that makes the move easy.
We’ll take care of the move
We help you export your records, check a sample in ShiftCare and bring your team across.
“Since making the switch, we’ve saved tens of hours every single week, freeing up our team to focus on other important areas of the business and, most importantly, our participants.”
Questions about switching from Carelink.
Is Civica Carelink the same as CarelinkPlus?
Carelink is the name commonly used for Civica’s wider community care software suite. CarelinkPlus is the main client management system within that suite. Other products include CarelinkGo for mobile workers, CarelinkAir for browser-based field access, CarelinkConnect for integrations and CarelinkCloud for managed cloud hosting.
Does Carelink have a mobile app for care workers?
Yes, CarelinkGo is Civica’s mobile app for care workers. It connects with CarelinkPlus and lets workers view rosters and client information, record attendance, monitor goals, access maps and capture signatures while working in the community. CarelinkAir also provides field access through a web browser.
Is Carelink cloud-based?
Carelink can be used in the cloud through CarelinkCloud, Civica’s managed hosting service. CarelinkPlus can also be deployed on-premise, depending on the organisation’s needs. Providers comparing it with ShiftCare should ask what hosting, maintenance, upgrades, backups and technical support are included in their Carelink proposal.
Is Carelink suitable for small NDIS providers?
Carelink can support NDIS providers, but its large range of modules and customised implementation may be more than a small team needs. Smaller providers should compare the setup time, internal administration and total cost with a self-service platform such as ShiftCare before deciding which approach feels manageable.
How much does Carelink cost?
Civica does not publish standard Carelink pricing, so providers need to request a quote. The final cost may depend on the products, modules, hosting and professional services selected. Ask for implementation, migration, training, integration, maintenance and support costs in writing before comparing the quote with ShiftCare’s published plans.
How long does Carelink take to set up?
Carelink does not have one fixed setup time because implementation is planned around each organisation’s data, workflows and chosen modules. Civica offers consulting, migration and training services as part of the process. Ask for a realistic schedule covering data cleanup, configuration, testing, staff training and the final launch.
Can Carelink data be moved to ShiftCare?
Carelink data may be moved to ShiftCare, but what can be transferred will depend on the records and export formats available. Start with active clients, staff, rosters, notes, documents and billing information. Test a small export first, check the results carefully and keep the original records securely backed up.
Switch to ShiftCare. We’ll make it worth your while.
Book a switching call. We’ll show you your rosters, notes and claims in ShiftCare and put together an offer that makes the move easy.