Guide · NDIS and allied health software
NDIS provider software or a custom system? A practical guide for providers
By Mavat AI · Sydney
Most NDIS and allied health providers reach a point where rosters, progress notes, claims and reporting outgrow spreadsheets and email. Purpose-built platforms such as ShiftCare, Brevity, CareMaster, Lumary, Splose and Cliniko exist for exactly that, and for most providers one of them should be the starting point.
This guide explains what those platforms are designed for, how their pricing models differ, what software can and cannot do for your regulatory and privacy obligations, and the narrower situations where a custom system makes sense. In care settings that is usually an operational layer beside your existing platform, not a replacement for it. Product details were checked against each vendor’s own website in September 2026. Features and pricing change, so confirm anything important with the vendor before you decide.
The short answer
If you are a small or growing provider, choose an established NDIS or practice-management platform. These products already handle rostering or appointments, notes, invoicing and claiming, and they are built for the way NDIS services are funded and delivered. Building those core functions from scratch is rarely a good use of a provider’s money.
Custom work earns its place later and more narrowly: when a multi-site or multi-disciplinary provider runs several systems that each do their own job well, but managers still spend hours pulling information together, or when parts of the operation, such as recruitment, enquiries or reporting, sit outside what any platform covers.
What the main platforms are built for
These products overlap, but they come from different starting points. Some are built around rostered support work, others around appointment-based therapy practices.
- ShiftCare is rostering and care management for NDIS providers, aged care organisations and home care agencies. It covers rostering, GPS-verified clock-in and clock-out, a mobile app that works offline, and progress notes, with direct NDIA claiming through PRODA on its higher tier and integrations with Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks Online.
- Brevity serves NDIS providers, support coordinators, plan managers, allied health practitioners, supported independent living (SIL) organisations and aged care providers. It covers client management, scheduling, invoicing and NDIS claims, payroll and documents, with a Xero integration.
- CareMaster is NDIS and aged care software covering scheduling and rostering, case notes and goal tracking, incident reporting, NDIS claims and budget tracking, with support worker and participant apps and integrations with Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks.
- Lumary is built natively on Salesforce for disability, aged care, allied health and community care providers, including SIL, specialist disability accommodation (SDA) and support coordination. It covers rostering with SCHADS award interpretation, billing and claims, and compliance and incident tracking.
- Splose is practice management for allied health professionals and NDIS providers, with scheduling, progress notes, forms, telehealth, online bookings, invoicing, NDIS bulk upload for claims and a two-way Xero integration.
- Cliniko is practice management for clinics and allied health practitioners. If you deliver rostered in-home or community supports rather than appointments, check carefully how any clinic-focused product handles that work before shortlisting it.
How the pricing models differ
Headline prices change often, so rather than quote them, it is more useful to understand how each platform charges. For providers with a large or casual workforce, the model can matter more than the headline rate.
- Per user, including support workers. ShiftCare charges per user per month, where a user is anyone with a login, including support workers, with a minimum of five. CareMaster also charges per user per month, with a five-user minimum.
- Per client. Brevity charges per client per month, with access for all staff and management.
- Per practitioner. Splose charges per practitioner, with non-practitioner roles included. Cliniko prices by the number of practitioners, with unlimited admin users.
- On request. Lumary does not publish prices; you book a demo to discuss your organisation.
Working out the real cost
Model your own numbers over three years. Count everyone who will need a login, the number of participants or clients you expect, the plan tier that includes the features you rely on (claiming, for example, is not always in the entry tier), add-ons, SMS and payment fees, and the time needed for setup, data migration and training. Then add the hours managers spend consolidating reports or chasing information that the platform does not show them.
What software can and cannot do for compliance
No software makes a provider compliant. The obligations sit with the provider. Good software makes it easier to follow agreed processes, keep records and show evidence, but it does not replace policies, training, supervision or judgement.
The NDIS Practice Standards set the quality and safety standards that registered NDIS providers must meet when delivering supports, and the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission regulates providers. The NDIS Code of Conduct applies more widely, to registered and unregistered providers, their key personnel and workers, and it includes respecting the privacy of people with disability.
The rules are also changing. Supported independent living providers must be registered from 1 July 2026 and follow new Practice Standards for SIL, and the NDIS Commission is reviewing the Practice Standards more broadly. Whatever system you choose should be able to adapt as requirements change, and it is worth asking vendors how they have handled past changes.
Privacy and sensitive information
Under the Privacy Act, health information is sensitive information and attracts extra protection. The Act generally applies to every organisation that provides a health service, including small businesses, and the definition of a health service includes activities intended to assess, record, maintain or improve a person’s health, or to diagnose or treat an illness or disability. How the Australian Privacy Principles apply to your organisation is a question to confirm with your own adviser.
When comparing platforms or scoping a custom system, ask where data is stored, who can see what, whether access is logged, how data can be exported, and what security certifications the vendor holds. Some vendors publish these; Brevity, for example, states that it holds ISO/IEC 27001 certification. For any custom work, the safest data is often the data a system never touches.
When off-the-shelf is the better choice
An established platform is usually the right answer when:
- Your services follow common NDIS or allied health delivery patterns.
- You need rostering, notes, invoicing and claiming working soon, without a build.
- One platform covers most of what the organisation does day to day.
- You want the vendor, not your own team, responsible for hosting, security and updates.
- You are still growing into your processes and are not yet sure what you need.
When a custom system makes sense
Custom work tends to earn its cost in a narrower set of situations:
- Managers rebuild the same reports each week by exporting from several systems.
- Referrals, enquiries or recruitment run through inboxes and spreadsheets because no platform covers them well.
- A multi-site or multi-disciplinary provider needs one operational view across services that use different systems.
- Staff keep side spreadsheets because the platform does not show what they need to act on.
An operational layer, not a replacement
In most of these cases, the answer is not to replace the rostering or practice-management platform. It is to build an operational layer beside it that brings together the signals managers actually use, while the core platform keeps doing its job. Feasibility depends on each platform’s API, export options and permissions, so check those early.
Mavat’s work with Cross Care follows this pattern: a secure operations command centre is being built in modules around the organisation’s real systems, covering areas such as performance reporting, recruitment, franchise enquiries and marketing visibility. Patient data is deliberately excluded, and human review is retained for incoming applications.
How to shortlist fairly
Test each option against a real week of your operation rather than a demo script:
- Run a real roster or appointment week, including cancellations and changes, through each shortlisted platform.
- Involve support workers, coordinators and finance staff, not just managers.
- Test the claiming or invoicing process end to end with realistic examples.
- Confirm you can export participant, staff and financial records in a usable format.
- Ask what is included in your tier and how pricing changes as you grow.
How Mavat approaches this
Mavat is not an NDIS software platform, and it does not set out to replace the platform your team uses for rostering, notes or claims. It designs and builds operational systems and integrations around them, with data access, permissions and human review agreed from the start. Any privacy or regulatory requirements are identified and documented for the specific engagement rather than assumed.
The first conversation is a free fit call. Where the operation needs proper investigation, a paid Workflow Blueprint maps the process, risks and controls and makes a build-versus-buy recommendation. If an existing platform is the better answer, the Blueprint will say so. Learn more about systems for allied health and NDIS providers and custom business systems, or get in touch.
Straight answers
Frequently asked questions.
What is a good ShiftCare alternative?+
It depends on your services and how you want to pay. Brevity and CareMaster also cover rostering, notes and NDIS claims; Lumary suits organisations that want a Salesforce-based platform; Splose and Cliniko suit appointment-based allied health practices. Compare them against a real week of your own operation.
What is the best NDIS software for providers?+
There is no single best option. The right platform depends on whether you deliver rostered supports or appointments, which services you offer, how many staff and participants you have, and whether per-user, per-client or per-practitioner pricing suits your workforce.
Should we build our own NDIS claiming system?+
For almost every provider, no. Established platforms handle rostering, notes and claiming as their core job. Custom work is usually better spent on the operational gaps around them, such as reporting, enquiries or recruitment.
Will NDIS software make us compliant with the Practice Standards?+
No software can do that on its own. Compliance depends on the provider’s policies, practices, training and records. Good software can make processes easier to follow and evidence easier to find.
Does a custom operational system need access to participant records?+
Not necessarily. Many operational views can be built without clinical or participant data. In Mavat’s Cross Care engagement, patient data is deliberately excluded.
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