Affordable NDIS Software for Small Providers: A Pricing Comparison for 2026
Most NDIS software vendors hide their pricing. This article publishes what is known about ShiftCare, Lumary, Brevity, CareMaster, and Teiro costs in 2026 -- and identifies where a free option exists for small providers.
What You Are Actually Buying
NDIS software broadly covers two categories, and it helps to know which one you need before comparing prices.
Workforce management and rostering: scheduling and assigning support workers, tracking qualifications and credentials, managing client records, capturing shift notes, handling incident reports, and managing communications between coordinators and workers. This is operational software -- it runs your day-to-day.
Billing and claims management: generating NDIS claims, managing service agreements, tracking plan budgets, and submitting to NDIA. This is financial software -- it manages the money side of NDIS service delivery.
Some platforms cover both. Some cover one well and the other poorly. Knowing which problem you are trying to solve first shapes which platform makes sense.
Platform Pricing Comparison
Teiro
Model: Free for organisations with 5 or fewer active users. Per-user pricing on paid plans.
What you get free: Full platform access -- rostering, qualification tracking, client records, carer mobile app, communications hub, incident reporting, and NDIS billing including service agreements, SCHADS Award rate support, and claim management. No feature restrictions. No time limit.
Paid plans: See teiro.com.au/pricing for current per-user rates. Paid plans add multi-branch management, payroll integrations, and advanced reporting.
Verdict: The only NDIS-specific platform with a genuinely free tier that includes billing. Purpose-built for small providers. The free plan is not a stripped-down trial -- it is the full product for teams of 5 or fewer.
ShiftCare
Model: Per-user monthly subscription. Pricing starts at approximately $9 per user per month on the base plan, scaling to higher tiers for additional features.
What you get at base tier: Scheduling, client profiles, carer app, shift notes, and basic compliance tracking. NDIS billing is available on higher tiers.
For a team of 5: Approximately $45 per month at entry pricing before any billing features.
Verdict: Solid mid-market option. Well-established in the NDIS space. Pricing is accessible for teams of 10 or more; for smaller teams, the per-user cost adds up quickly. No free tier.
Lumary
Model: Enterprise pricing, typically quoted per organisation rather than per user. Built on Salesforce.
What you get: Comprehensive NDIS billing, care planning, participant management, reporting, and a client portal. A full suite product designed for mid-to-large providers.
For a team of 5: Not a realistic option. Lumary's minimum engagement starts at a price point that is difficult to justify for a team under 20 people.
Verdict: The right tool for a provider at a certain scale. See our separate article on Lumary alternatives for small NDIS providers.
Brevity
Model: Per-user monthly subscription. Pricing not publicly listed; requires a quote. Broadly comparable to ShiftCare based on market information.
What you get: NDIS compliance, rostering, participant management, and billing. Good NDIS billing functionality with a long history in the disability sector.
Verdict: Worth evaluating for providers at 10 to 30 users who want a well-established NDIS billing platform. Less compelling for teams of 5 or fewer where a free option exists.
CareMaster
Model: Per-user subscription, pricing on request. Positioned at the mid-to-enterprise end of the market.
What you get: Rostering, participant management, NDIS billing, compliance, and reporting. Strong on compliance and billing depth.
Verdict: A capable platform for providers at scale. Not the right starting point for a small provider keeping costs low.
A Simple Decision Framework
| Your situation | Recommended starting point |
|---|---|
| 5 or fewer active users | Teiro (free tier) |
| 6 to 20 users, tight budget | ShiftCare base plan |
| 20+ users, complex billing | ShiftCare mid-tier or Brevity |
| 50+ users, enterprise requirements | Lumary or CareMaster |
The key insight is that for small providers, the per-user model used by most platforms creates a pricing floor that is disproportionate to the value delivered. A provider with 4 support workers and a coordinator does not need a platform priced for a 50-worker operation.
What "Affordable" Means at Different Stages
Starting out (1 to 5 workers). At this scale, software cost is a real constraint. Free software that does the job is genuinely the right answer here, not a compromise.
Growing (6 to 15 workers). At this scale, the cost of paid software per worker becomes manageable relative to the time saved on coordination. $10 to $15 per user per month across a team of 10 is $100 to $150 per month -- roughly one hour of a coordinator's time.
Established (15 or more workers). Platform choice is about fit and capability rather than raw cost. The administrative time savings from good rostering and billing software dwarf the subscription cost.
Total Cost of Ownership
Subscription cost is not the only cost. When comparing platforms, factor in:
Implementation time. Some platforms require significant setup time before they are operational. Lumary typically requires formal implementation engagement. Teiro and ShiftCare are designed to be self-service.
Training. Complex platforms require more training time. A platform that a new coordinator can learn in a day is worth more than one that requires a formal training program for a small team.
Data migration. If you are moving from another platform, check whether the vendor provides data export and whether the new platform can import it.
Integration costs. If you need payroll integration with Xero or MYOB, check whether this is included in the subscription or costs extra.
The Honest Answer on Free Software
For a provider at or under the 5-user threshold, "affordable NDIS software" is actually "free NDIS software." The decision is not which paid plan to choose. It is whether to start on a platform that is free now and paid later, or to pay now for a platform with more headroom.
For most small providers, the answer is start free, validate that the platform works for your operations, and upgrade when the team grows to the point where the cost is justified by the time saved.
Book a demo at teiro.com.au/demo to see the full platform in practice. Or sign up at teiro.com.au/signup to get started free today.
Related reading: free NDIS software for small providers and Lumary alternatives for small NDIS providers.