Home Care Software Price Guide: real costs, hidden fees, and the trade-offs nobody tells you
The home care software market hides its prices on purpose. Here's a plain-English read on what you should actually pay in 2026.
Quick answer
Most home care software runs $99–$1,500 / month, plus $1,000–$10,000 in year-one setup fees. Try the live calculator ↓
Pricing in this market is rarely on a sticker. Time to do the math yourself.
20 home care software vendors compared
Pricing model, contract term, EVV inclusion, demo policy, and implementation fees for each major US vendor in 2026. Click a row for details.
| Vendor | Model | Starting price | Contract | EVV | Demo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AveeCare(us) | Per client | $6 / client / mo | Month-to-month | Included | Self-serve | |
| WellSky Personal Care (formerly ClearCare) | Quote-only | Quote-only | 1 year | Included | Sales call | |
| AlayaCare | Quote-only | Quote-only ($500+ / mo typical) | 1–2 year | Included | Sales call | |
| AxisCare | Per client | ~$300+ / mo (no public price) | 1 year typical | Included | Sales call | |
| Axxess | Per user | ~$100+ / user / mo | 1 year typical | Included | Sales call | |
| KanTime | Quote-only | Quote-only | 1 year | Included | Sales call | |
| CareSmartz360 | Per client | ~$5–$10 / client / mo | Month-to-month | Included | Sales call | |
| Aaniie (formerly Smartcare) | Per client | ~$200+ / mo | 1 year typical | Included | Sales call | |
| Generations Homecare System | Per user | ~$30 / user / mo | Month-to-month | Add-on | Sales call | |
| MatrixCare Home Care | Quote-only | Quote-only ($800+ / mo typical) | 1–2 year | Included | Sales call | |
| Homecare Homebase (HCHB) | Quote-only | Quote-only | 2–3 year | Included | Sales call | |
| HHAeXchange (vendor system) | Per visit | ~$0.30–$1.50 / visit | Custom | N/A | Sales call | |
| Sandata Provider System | Per visit | ~$0.50–$2.00 / visit | Custom | N/A | Sales call | |
| CareCenta | Per client | ~$8–$15 / client / mo | Month-to-month | Included | Sales call | |
| ShiftCare | Per user | ~$10–$20 / user / mo | Month-to-month | Add-on | Self-serve | |
| Caretime | Per user | ~$25–$40 / user / mo | Month-to-month | Included | Sales call | |
| Ankota | Per client | ~$8–$12 / client / mo | Month-to-month | Included | Sales call | |
| Rosemark System | Per user | ~$50+ / user / mo | Month-to-month | Add-on | Sales call | |
| Alora Home Health | Quote-only | Quote-only ($300+ / mo typical) | 1 year typical | Included | Sales call | |
| Kinnser (now WellSky) | Quote-only | Quote-only | Custom | Included | Sales call |
Vendors that publish pricing
- · AveeCare
- · ShiftCare
Vendors that gate pricing behind a sales call
18 of 20 vendors require a demo call before showing pricing. That ratio has not improved much in 2026.
How this table was built: data points are a market survey from public vendor pages, third-party review sites (Capterra, Software Advice, G2), and contracts agencies have shared during platform evaluations. "Quote-only" means the vendor does not publish pricing publicly. Always confirm pricing in writing with the vendor before signing.
Live price calculator
Pick the pricing model and adjust for your size. The output is a realistic market range, not a quote, actual prices vary by vendor.
Year-1 includes typical implementation/setup fees. Year-2+ is generally subscription only.
Pricing models compared
Most home care software in 2026 prices on one of four models. Each one rewards a different agency shape.
| Model | Sweet spot | Typical price | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat rate | 5–25 clients | $99 – $300 | Cap surprises you when you grow |
| Per active client | 25–150 clients | $5 – $15 per client / mo | Watch for "minimum client" floors |
| Per caregiver / user | 150+ clients | $10 – $30 per caregiver / mo | Inactive caregivers still on the bill |
| Per visit | Specialty, low-volume | $0.30 – $1.50 per visit | Can spike fast in busy weeks |
After all that, here's what working with AveeCare looks like instead
If the rest of this page felt exhausting, that's the point. The home care software market built itself on tier juggling, surprise renewals, and 45-minute demo calls. We chose not to play that game.
What you don't deal with
- Starting on one billing tier and ending up on another
- Calling to renegotiate rates each renewal
- Thousands of dollars in migration or onboarding fees
- Complex per-feature billing nobody can read
- Having to re-contact sales every time you have a question
- Putting in a credit card just to look at the product
What you actually get
- $6 per active client per month, flat. The price hasn't changed since launch.
- Mark a client inactive, stop being billed for them. Same week.
- Founders reach out directly. No sales reps, no quota chasers.
- Feature requests and bug reports go to the people who build the platform.
- One-click open demo. No card. No call. Use it for as long as you want.
A small piece of math. A 40-client agency on AveeCare pays $240 / month. The closest legacy competitor on this page typically lands between $700 and $1,400 / month after add-ons, with $3,000 to $10,000 in year-one setup. Year one with us is roughly $2,880 total. Year one with most of them is $11,000+.
No sales call. No credit card. No catch. The page you're reading right now is the most aggressive part of how we sell.
Year-1 vs year-2 cost
A common shock: year-1 looks affordable, year-2 doesn't. Or vice versa. Always model both.
Year 1 = subscription + setup + training + data migration
Typical mid-size agency: $4,800 subscription + $3,000 setup + $1,500 training + $1,200 data migration = $10,500 year-1 outlay.
Year 2+ = subscription + EVV add-ons + per-state fees
Same agency: $4,800 subscription + $1,200 EVV + $400 misc = $6,400 / year ongoing.
The trap: vendors who waive year-1 setup but lock you into a 3-year contract
The math always favors the vendor here. Year-1 looks cheap, year-3 you're paying full freight on a tool you've outgrown.
For our published rates, see the AveeCare pricing page. For a deeper feature comparison, see our home care software comparison guide.
Sticker price is half the story
The published per-month rate is the part vendors are happy to show. Year-one setup, EVV add-ons, training, and per-state fees usually live behind a sales call. Always ask for a written total cost of ownership before signing.
Why most home care software vendors hide their pricing
If you've looked at four or five vendors and three of them said "Schedule a demo to see pricing," you're not imagining things. Three reasons it's the industry default:
- Variable pricing. Real prices range from $99 to $5,000+ per month depending on agency size and add-ons, and vendors don't want to scare off a 10-client agency by showing the 200-client price.
- Discount room. Sales reps want to negotiate. A published rate card removes the carrot.
- Implementation reality. If a vendor charges $8,000 to set up, that fee can be a deal-breaker on the website. Behind a sales call, it gets framed as "migration support" and feels mandatory.
AveeCare publishes pricing because we built the platform for small agencies, and small agency owners don't have time to sit through 45-minute demos to learn whether they can afford something. Visit our pricing page, click around the free interactive demo, and decide on your own.
Home care software pricing FAQ
Anatomy of a real vendor quote
A typical proposal for a 50-client agency from a legacy enterprise vendor. Each line is tagged with what to do about it.
| Line item | Qty | Unit price | Year-1 total | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Base subscription (50 clients) Reasonable per-client market price for the size. | 12 mo | $650 / mo | $7,800 | Table-stakes |
Implementation / data migration Ask to waive in exchange for a 12-month minimum. Reps have authority for this. | 1 | $4,500 | $4,500 | Negotiable |
Training (per user) Most vendors include training. Ask why this is broken out. | 8 users | $150 / user | $1,200 | Negotiable |
EVV add-on EVV is mandatory under federal law. Should be included in the base subscription. | 12 mo | $200 / mo | $2,400 | Wasteful |
Clearinghouse integration Ask whether export-only is free. Many agencies don't need real-time integration. | Setup + 12 mo | $800 setup + $50 / mo | $1,400 | Negotiable |
Premium support A premium tier for phone support is a paywall on basic vendor obligation. | 12 mo | $300 / mo | $3,600 | Wasteful |
Custom report fee allowance A modern platform should include a self-serve report builder. This line item shouldn't exist. | 4 reports | $500 / report | $2,000 | Wasteful |
Annual price escalator Strike entirely or cap at CPI (~3%). Never accept open-ended. | Year 2 onward | 5% / yr | $0 | Negotiable |
| Quoted year-1 total | $22,900 | |||
Software cost benchmarks by agency size
Healthy home care agencies spend 1–3% of gross revenue on operations software. Above 4% and you're overpaying. Below 1% and you're probably running on a tool that will fail an audit.
| Agency size | Target software spend / mo | As % of revenue | What you should expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5–15 active clients | $99–$300 | 1.0–2.5% | Flat-rate plan. EVV, scheduling, billing, mobile app all included. No setup fee. |
| 15–50 active clients | $300–$900 | 1.0–2.0% | Per-client plan starts to win. Negotiable setup fee. Multi-payer billing required. |
| 50–150 active clients | $900–$2,500 | 0.8–1.8% | Per-client or per-user. Custom report builder. Region-aware scheduling. Real account manager. |
| 150+ active clients | $2,500–$10,000+ | 0.6–1.5% | Enterprise tier. SLAs, single sign-on, role-based access, multi-region routing. Dedicated CSM. |
8 negotiation tactics that actually work
Most agency owners take the first vendor quote at face value. Here's what reps will quietly concede if you ask in writing.
Ask for the implementation fee waived
Trade a 6 or 12 month minimum for a $0 setup. Reps have authority for this on most deals.
Lock in the per-client rate for year 2 and 3
Most contracts have an unspecified annual escalator clause. Strike it or cap it at CPI.
Demand inactive-caregiver auto-archive
On per-user pricing, get a 30-day-no-login auto-archive in writing. Saves 15–25% on per-user fees over a year.
Pull EVV out of any add-on bucket
EVV is mandatory under the 21st Century Cures Act. Vendors charging extra for it are charging twice.
Ask for the trial period in writing
30 days, no credit card, full feature access, data export at exit. The good vendors will say yes.
Get a written data-export commitment
Including format (CSV / SQL / API), turnaround time, and cost. Without this, you're hostage.
Negotiate the BAA upfront, not later
A vendor without a published Business Associate Agreement is not a real partner for HIPAA-relevant work.
Walk on the demo call if pricing isn't shown
A 45-minute demo before pricing is a sales tactic, not a buying process. End the call early; reps come back with pricing.
For more on what to actually look for in a vendor, see our how to choose home care software guide and our home care software comparison guide.
When migrating saves money (and when it doesn't)
Migrating platforms costs $3,000–$15,000 in time and dollars for a typical mid-size agency. Whether it pays off depends on the gap between what you're spending and what you should be spending.
Migrating usually pays off when
- ·Current vendor charges over 3% of revenue
- ·EVV is a paid add-on at over $200 / mo
- ·Custom-report invoices have hit $1,000 in a quarter
- ·Caregiver mobile-app complaints are weekly
- ·You're past renewal and locked into another 1+ year
Wait if
- ·Renewal is more than 6 months out (negotiate first)
- ·You're mid-Medicaid-survey or recent CAP
- ·Less than 18 months data history (migration risk)
- ·Your billing team is fully occupied with denials cleanup
- ·You haven't mapped your real workflow needs yet
If you do switch, ask the new vendor for a parallel run period (60–90 days, both systems, no extra fee) so the old data stays accessible while the new platform takes over.
Pricing glossary, in plain English
Vendors weaponize jargon. Here's what the words on a typical home care software contract actually mean.
TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)
Subscription + setup + training + integrations + add-ons + per-state fees, summed over the contract length. Always ask for year-1 and year-2 separately.
BAA (Business Associate Agreement)
A HIPAA contract between you and a vendor that handles PHI. Required before importing real client data. A vendor without a published BAA is not a real partner.
Per active client
Pricing model where you pay only for clients who received at least one billable visit in the period. Most predictable model for mid-size agencies.
Per active user
Pricing per logged-in user (caregiver or office). Watch for inactive-user charges; ask about auto-archive.
Implementation fee
One-time setup charge. Often $1,000–$10,000. Negotiable, especially if you commit to month 6+ in writing.
EVV add-on
A separate per-state or per-month charge for Electronic Visit Verification. Mandatory under federal law; charging extra for it is bad-faith.
Clearinghouse fee
Charge to connect to claims clearinghouses (Optum, Availity, Change Healthcare, Waystar). Ask whether export-only is included for free.
Auto-renewal clause
Contract language that renews you for another term if you don't cancel before a deadline. Strike or shorten this clause.
Annual escalator
Built-in price increase per year. Cap at CPI (~3%) or strike entirely.
SLA (Service Level Agreement)
Vendor's contractual promise on uptime, support response, and bug fixes. Free of an SLA, "24/7 support" means nothing.
PHI
Protected Health Information. Anything that identifies a client and includes a clinical detail. Cannot be sent to a vendor without a BAA.
CSM (Customer Success Manager)
Named person at the vendor whose job is to keep you happy enough to renew. Worth asking who yours is by name on day one.
Sources
- [1]PHI: Direct Care Workforce 2025 Annual Facts
- [2]Capterra: Home Care Software Category
- [3]Software Advice: Home Health Software Pricing
- [4]CMS: Home Health Final Rule 2026
Sources accessed May 3, 2026.
Cal works with small home care agencies on pricing, switching, and migration every week. The pricing patterns and hidden fees in this guide come from contracts agencies have shared with him during platform evaluations.
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