What is private duty home care?

Private duty home care is non-medical, private-pay, hourly care delivered in a client's home. Services include personal care (bathing, dressing, toileting), companion care, meal prep, light housekeeping, and transportation. It is distinct from Medicare-certified home health (which is skilled nursing or therapy and is paid by Medicare or Medicare Advantage) and from Medicaid HCBS personal care (which is paid by state Medicaid plans). Private duty is most often paid by the client out of pocket or through long-term care insurance.

What software features do private duty agencies actually need?

Core features for private duty: scheduling that handles long shifts and recurring weekly visits, caregiver mobile clock-in (with GPS verification), care plan documentation, EVV export support if you also bill Medicaid, hourly billing with rounding rules, payroll-ready time exports, family portal for adult children, and HIPAA-compliant messaging. Anything beyond that (eMAR, OASIS, PDGM) is a sign you are buying skilled-care software you do not need.

Do private duty agencies need EVV?

Pure private-pay private duty agencies are not federally required to use EVV. The 21st Century Cures Act EVV mandate applies to Medicaid personal care services and home health care services. If your agency takes any Medicaid clients, including HCBS waivers, you do need EVV for those visits. Most private duty agencies build dual capability over time as they add Medicaid clients to grow, so picking software that already exports cleanly to your state aggregator (Sandata, HHAeXchange, Tellus, AuthentiCare, CareBridge) saves a re-platform later.

How much does private duty home care software cost?

Private duty software ranges roughly $5 to $20 per active client per month, plus $0 to $5,000 in implementation fees. AveeCare publishes pricing at $6 per active client per month, month-to-month, with EVV export support included. Larger vendors like AxisCare, AlayaCare, and WellSky Personal Care are mostly per-user or per-client with sales-led quoting; expect $1,000-$5,000 per month all-in for a 30-50 client agency.

Should I pick a private duty platform or a hybrid platform that does Medicare HH too?

Pick the simpler private-duty-only platform if you have no plans to become Medicare-certified in the next 18 months. Adding Medicare home health requires CHAP/ACHC accreditation, OASIS-E expertise, PDGM billing, and a different operational model than private duty. Most private duty agencies grow by expanding their service area, not by becoming Medicare-certified, and a private-duty platform is meaningfully cheaper.

Buyer's Guide

Private duty home care software: honest 2026 buyer's guide

The honest 2026 private duty home care software buyer's guide. Private-pay hourly non-medical care has different software needs than Medicare home health; 18 vendors compared on what actually matters.

By Calvin Nesvig, Founding Partner·Updated May 3, 2026·12 min read

Quick answer

Private duty needs five things: scheduling that handles long shifts, GPS clock-in, hourly billing with rounding, payroll exports, family portal. Anything beyond that is overspending.
Do not buy Medicare HH software (Kinnser, KanTime, HCHB) unless you actually plan to be Medicare-certified. You will pay 5-10x more for OASIS / PDGM features you do not need.
EVV export support matters even on private-pay-only day 1, because most private duty agencies add Medicaid clients within 18-36 months of opening.
Cheapest competent platforms: AveeCare ($6 / client / mo), ShiftCare ($70+ / mo), Caretime ($75+ / mo). Most others gate price behind a sales call.
Avoid 2-3 year contracts on first purchase. The risk of picking wrong is high; insist on month-to-month or 1-year max.

Quick answer 18 vendors compared Private duty vs Medicare HH Must-have features Pricing patterns Where AveeCare fits FAQ 4-week shortlist Glossary

18 private duty home care software vendors compared

Click any row to expand details. The numbers are estimates from public sources, partner decks, and buyer-reported quotes (Q1 2026); confirm in writing.

Vendor	Focus	EVV	Billing	Starting	Term
AveeCare(us)	Private duty + Medicaid	Export only	Hourly + Medicaid	$6 / client / mo	Month-to-month
AxisCare	Private duty + Medicaid	Included	Hourly + Medicaid	$200+ / mo	1 year typical
WellSky Personal Care (formerly ClearCare)	Private duty + Medicaid	Included	Hourly + Medicaid	$300+ / mo	1–2 year
AlayaCare	Hybrid HH + PD	Included	Hourly + Medicaid	$250+ / mo	1 year typical
CareSmartz360	Private duty + Medicaid	Included	Hourly + Medicaid	$150+ / mo	1 year
Generations Homecare	Private duty	Included	Hourly only	$150+ / mo	1 year
Aaniie (formerly Smartcare)	Private duty + Medicaid	Included	Hourly + Medicaid	$200+ / mo	1 year
ShiftCare	Private duty	Add-on	Hourly only	$70+ / mo	Month-to-month
Carecenta	Private duty + Medicaid	Included	Hourly + Medicaid	$200+ / mo	1 year
Caretime	Private duty	Add-on	Hourly only	$75+ / mo	Month-to-month
Ankota	Private duty + Medicaid	Included	Hourly + Medicaid	$150+ / mo	1 year
Rosemark System	Private duty	Add-on	Hourly only	$100+ / mo	1 year
KanTime Private Duty	Hybrid HH + PD	Included	Hourly + Medicaid	$300+ / mo	1–2 year
Alora Home Health Private Duty	Hybrid HH + PD	Included	Hourly + Medicaid	$250+ / mo	1 year
Axxess Home Care	Hybrid HH + PD	Included	Hourly + Medicaid	$300+ / mo	1 year typical
HHAeXchange (vendor system)	Aggregator-side	Included	Hourly + Medicaid	$150+ / mo	1 year
Tellus / Netsmart	Aggregator-side	Included	Hourly + Medicaid	$200+ / mo	1 year
Sandata Provider System	Aggregator-side	Included	Hourly + Medicaid	$200+ / mo	1 year

Showing 18 of 18 vendors. Pricing is estimated from public sources, partner decks, and buyer-reported quotes (Q1 2026).

Private duty vs Medicare home health: same word, different software

The phrase "home care" covers two distinct industries. Private duty home care is non-medical, hourly, and private-pay (or sometimes Medicaid HCBS). Medicare-certified home health is skilled nursing or therapy delivered in 60-day episodes and paid by Medicare under PDGM.

The software is different because the workflow is different. Medicare HH needs OASIS-E assessments, PDGM grouper logic, 837I institutional claims, and HHVBP performance tracking. Private duty needs hourly clock-in, recurring weekly schedule templates, hourly billing with rounding rules, and (if Medicaid) EVV export.

Buying Medicare HH software for a private-duty-only agency is like buying a CT scanner for a chiropractor. You will pay 5-10x more for tools your team will never touch.

8 must-haves for private duty software

If a vendor cannot demo all 8 in a single hour, drop them.

Long-shift scheduling

8, 12, 24-hour shifts with overnight pay rules and break tracking.

Caregiver mobile clock-in with GPS

Verifiable, optionally with photo or signature; works offline.

Recurring weekly visit templates

"Mrs. Smith every Tue/Thu 10a-2p" should take 30 seconds to set up.

EVV export for Medicaid clients

Even private-duty-first agencies grow into Medicaid; export support saves a re-platform.

Hourly billing with rounding rules

Bill in 15-min, 30-min, or 60-min increments; round-up vs round-nearest configurable.

Payroll-ready time exports

CSV or direct integration with Gusto, ADP, Paychex, QuickBooks Payroll.

Family portal

Read-only access for adult children; messages, schedule, invoices.

HIPAA-compliant messaging

No SMS for PHI. In-app messaging covered by your BAA.

Pricing patterns for private duty software

Agency size	Typical monthly all-in	Common pricing model
1-10 active clients	$60 - $300 / mo	Per client or flat
10-50 active clients	$300 - $1,200 / mo	Per client or per user
50-200 active clients	$1,200 - $5,000 / mo	Per user, sometimes bundled
200+ clients / multi-branch	$5,000+ / mo	Per user + add-ons

Where AveeCare fits

AveeCare is built specifically for private duty + Medicaid HCBS personal care across all 50 states. $6 per active client per month, month-to-month, EVV export support included. Free self-serve demo, no card, no sales call.

If you are evaluating ClearCare / WellSky Personal Care, AxisCare, or AlayaCare for private duty, AveeCare typically lands at 30-70% of their cost for an agency in your size range, and our pricing is publicly posted.

Try free self-serve demo See pricing

Frequently asked questions

4-week shortlist plan

Week 1

Map your care types: companion, personal care, live-in, hourly, overnight. Anything specialized (dementia, post-op, hospice).

Week 2

Cut anything missing GPS clock-in, family portal, or hourly billing with rounding rules.

Week 3

Demo top 3 on the same scenario: 1 new client intake + 1 recurring weekly visit + 1 month-end invoice batch.

Week 4

Negotiate to month-to-month or 1-year contract with clean export. Avoid 2-3 year terms on first purchase.

Private duty glossary

Private duty: Non-medical, private-pay, hourly care in a client's home.
HCBS: Home and Community Based Services. Medicaid waivers covering personal care for eligible individuals.
CDPAP: Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (NY). Lets clients hire family/friends as paid caregivers.
EVV: Electronic Visit Verification. Federally required under 21st Century Cures Act for Medicaid PCS and HHCS.
Aggregator: State-contracted EVV vendor (Sandata, HHAeXchange, Tellus, AuthentiCare, CareBridge) that consolidates EVV data for the Medicaid agency.
Live-in: A caregiver who resides with the client; specific labor / overtime rules apply (FLSA + state).
PRN: Pro re nata. Care provided as needed rather than on a fixed schedule.
BAA: Business Associate Agreement. HIPAA-required contract with any vendor that touches PHI.
PDGM: Patient-Driven Groupings Model. Medicare home health payment model; not relevant for private duty.
OASIS-E: Outcome and Assessment Information Set. Required for Medicare home health, not for private duty.

Sources

Accessed May 3, 2026.

Calvin Nesvig

Founding Partner, AveeCare

Builds home care software full-time and works with private duty agencies on workflow and software fit every week.

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Looking for honest, hourly-friendly private duty software?

$6 / active client / month. Public pricing. Free demo, no card.

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