The short version
If a solo support worker asked me where to keep their client records, my answer is Sparks Scribe, and yes, I make it, so weigh that. The one reason I would point them there for records specifically: the Clients list is unlimited from the $15 Essentials plan (including GST), and the $20 Vault plan wraps a Document Vault and a Receipt Vault around each client, with the data held in Australia. So the signed agreement and the receipts live with the person, not in an inbox and a glovebox. ShiftCare and Visualcare hold records too, but they are built and priced for agencies. Astalty is a coordinator's tool. Bugal is a lean solo web app. EasyAs is really invoicing, not a records system.
I run a disability support business, and part of that job is bringing on support workers and standing behind the records they keep. So when I think about record-keeping apps, I am not thinking as a vendor first. I am thinking about the afternoon a plan manager queries an invoice from eight months ago, or the Commission asks a question about a participant, and the answer has to already exist and be findable in under a minute.
The failure I have watched more than once is not a missing record. It is a scattered one. The service agreement was signed, but it is in a Gmail thread. The receipt exists, but it is a photo in someone's camera roll. The note was written, but in a different app to the client's details. Nothing was lost exactly, and yet it takes a good worker half a day to reassemble, which is half a day not spent with participants. Keeping the client, their documents and their receipts in one place is the whole point.
One thing up front so you can read the rest fairly: I make one of the apps here. Sparks Scribe is mine, so treat my verdict on it as an interested one, and check every competitor claim against that vendor's current pages. Everything I say about the others is limited to what their own public pages stated when I read them in July 2026. Where I could not confirm something, I have written "could not verify" rather than filled the gap with a guess.
Why does it matter where a support worker keeps records?
Under the NDIS Code of Conduct and your own service agreements, you are the person accountable for what was delivered and what was agreed. The record is your evidence. If it is complete and in one place, a query is a two-minute job. If it is spread across an inbox, a notes app, a spreadsheet and a shoebox, the same query becomes a stressful afternoon, and the gaps are exactly where disputes start.
There is a second reason, and it is the one workers tend to raise with me: where the data physically sits. A lot of participants and families feel strongly about client information staying in Australia rather than being copied to servers overseas. You do not have to take a position on that to want a straight answer to the question, and some apps give one while others do not.
What would I look at before trusting an app with client records?
I would ignore the feature count on the marketing page. It rewards apps for having the most boxes, which is not the same as keeping your records well. Here is what I would actually check, in this order:
- Is there a real Clients module? One organised list that holds each person's details, not a spreadsheet you keep by hand and forget to update.
- Can their documents live in it? A document vault where the service agreement, the plan and the consent forms attach to the client, so you are not hunting through email at the worst possible moment.
- Can their receipts live in it too? A place to file receipts and expenses against the work, ready for tax time or a query, rather than a separate photo roll.
- Where is the data stored? I would want the vendor to state, in writing, whether client information is held in Australia. If they do not say, I treat that as a question to ask, not an assumption to make.
- Who was it built for? A tool made for one person keeps the record simple. A tool made for agencies pulls its roadmap, and its price, toward rostering and payroll you will never touch.
Those five are the lens for everything below. Prices and features move, so confirm on the vendor's own page before you commit.
Sparks Scribe, the one I make
Disclosure again, because it matters: this is my product, built in Australia by Sparks Support Pty Ltd for independent support workers rather than agencies. For the records job, three parts do the work. The Clients module carries an unlimited list from the $15 Essentials plan. The $20 Vault plan adds the Document Vault for storing files and the Receipt Vault for receipts, and it also creates service agreements automatically, keeps a kilometre log, and includes tax tools and Xero sync. So one client can hold their details, their signed agreement and their receipts without you leaving the app.
If a worker needs more compliance depth, the $39 Safeguards plan adds per-client risk profiles and consent forms you sign in the app, which stretches the record from "who they are" to "what has been agreed and signed." Data is stored in Australia, and it runs on iPhone, Android and the web. For what it is worth, it holds a 5.0 rating on the Australian App Store, and more than 90,000 shifts have been booked through it.
My take: for one person who wants the client, their documents and their receipts in a single Australian-hosted app, this is the tightest fit here, which is a large part of why I built it this way. It deliberately leaves out team rostering and payroll. If you run an agency, the two platforms below carry those, at agency prices.
ShiftCare, records at an agency price
ShiftCare is a care-management platform aimed at agencies. Its pages describe uploading client documents with expiry dates and access controls, storing care plans, agreements and progress notes, and a Document Hub that organises compliance records and reminds you before something lapses. It also states that customer data is hosted in Australia on AWS.
The problem for a solo worker is the floor, not the features. Every ShiftCare plan carries a minimum of five licences, even when you are the only person on the account, and invoicing sits on the Professional plan, which works out at $65 to $75 a month excluding GST for one person depending on billing. You end up paying for a team of five to keep records for a team of one.
My take: the document and client-record features are stated on their pages, and the Australian hosting is stated too, but the five-licence minimum makes it an expensive way to be one person.
Astalty, built for coordinators
Astalty is built for NDIS support coordinators and providers, and its Participant Records feature is squarely about record keeping: store service agreements, consent forms, risk assessments, NDIS plans and custom record types, attach documents to each one, set expiry rules and alerts, and send documents for signing through a DocuSign integration.
For a lone worker, the maths is the sticking point. The restricted support-worker profile is $30 per user per month and the standard seat is $64, with e-signatures at $1 each on top. Its pages show an ISO 27001 badge, which is a security-management certification, but I did not find an explicit statement of where the data is hosted on the pages I read in July 2026, so I would ask.
My take: a records tool aimed at coordinators. For a worker whose week is shifts, notes and invoices, it carries coordination depth you are unlikely to use, and per-seat signing costs add up.
Visualcare, an Australian platform with quote-only pricing
Visualcare is an Australian care-management platform for aged-care and NDIS providers. Its pages describe holding service agreements, approved hours, planned dates and agreed services in the participant's profile, a full note history added from the worker app, and document-compliance alerts across the participant lifecycle. It describes itself as an Australian company headquartered in Adelaide, and says its software is designed, developed and maintained in Australia, though I did not find an explicit hosting-location line on the participant pages I read in July 2026. It is fully web-based.
Visualcare does not publish pricing, so a solo worker would have to request a quote, and the feature set is shaped around organisations that roster teams rather than one person keeping their own records.
My take: an Australian-built provider platform with participant-record features, but aimed at organisations, and with pricing you have to ask for.
Bugal, a lean solo web app
Bugal is a practice-management tool for Australian independents, so unlike the two above it is at least built for one person. Its pages list client management, a service agreement creator, shift management, invoicing and expense tracking, and it runs in the browser on any connected device. For records that means you can hold a client list, generate agreements and track expenses. What I did not see on its public pages was a general document vault for storing other files against a client.
Pricing is a free plan capped at two invoices a month, or the Solo plan at $35 a month, with a 30-day trial. I could not verify from its pages whether prices include GST, or where the data is hosted.
My take: a solo tool with client management, service agreements and expense tracking. Its $35 Solo price is more than the $20 that adds the Document and Receipt Vaults in my app, and I could not confirm where it stores data.
EasyAs, invoicing more than records
EasyAs, from EasyAs Provider Invoicing Pty Ltd, does one job: NDIS invoicing, with item numbers pre-loaded. You can create and edit participant details, mark favourites, and store, track, email and print invoices. As a records system it is thin by design. Across its website and app-store listings I found no general document store for agreements, plans or consent forms, and it keeps invoices rather than receipts filed against a client.
Its privacy policy states that personal information may be transferred to countries outside Australia, including the United States and European Union, while the product collects participant names and NDIS numbers. The Small plan is $19.95 a month on the website ($19.99 via in-app purchase), and the pages do not state whether prices include GST.
My take: it handles invoicing, but it is not where I would keep a client record. For agreements, plans, consent forms and receipts you would run a second tool, and its own policy allows client information to leave Australia.
How the apps compare
Collected from public pages in July 2026. "Data stored in Australia" reflects only what each vendor states on the pages I read; where a vendor does not say, I mark it as not verified rather than guess.
| App | Clients module | Document storage | Receipt / expense storage | Data stored in Australia | Price for 1 person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparks Scribe | Clients, unlimited (from $15) | Document Vault + automatic service agreements ($20 Vault plan) | Receipt Vault ($20 Vault plan) | Yes, stored in Australia | $15/month incl GST ($20 Vault adds both vaults) |
| ShiftCare | Client records + Document Hub | Yes, care plans, agreements, expiry reminders, access controls | Not verified | Yes, hosted in Australia (AWS) | $65 to $75/month ex GST (min 5 licences; invoicing on Professional) |
| Astalty | Participant Records | Yes, agreements, consent forms, risk assessments, NDIS plans; DocuSign | Not verified | Not verified (ISO 27001 badge; location not stated on pages I checked) | $30/month support-worker profile ($64 standard seat) |
| Visualcare | Participant profiles | Yes, agreements, compliance docs, note history | Not detailed | Australian company; hosting location not stated on pages I checked | Pricing on application (not published) |
| Bugal | Client management | Service agreement creator (general vault not detailed) | Expense tracking | Not verified | Free (2 invoices/month) or Solo $35/month |
| EasyAs | Basic participant details | No general document vault (invoicing only) | Stores invoices, not client receipts | No, privacy policy allows transfer outside Australia (US, EU) | $19.95/month on their website ($19.99 via in-app purchase) |
All details collected from each vendor's public website in July 2026 and simplified for comparison; prices and plans change, so check the vendor's own page before deciding. "Not verified" means I could not confirm the detail from official public pages and chose not to guess.
Questions I get asked
Where is the best place for a support worker to keep NDIS client records?
Honestly, wherever you will keep them current. My pick for a solo worker is Sparks Scribe, and I make it, so factor that in: the Clients list is unlimited from the $15 Essentials plan including GST, and the $20 Vault plan puts a Document Vault and a Receipt Vault around each client, with the data held in Australia. ShiftCare and Visualcare hold records but are built for agencies and priced that way; Astalty suits coordinators; Bugal is a lean solo web app; EasyAs is invoicing rather than a records system.
Do any of these apps keep client data onshore in Australia?
Some state it, some do not. Sparks Scribe stores its data in Australia. ShiftCare says its customer data is hosted in Australia on AWS. Visualcare describes itself as an Australian company that designs, develops and maintains its software in Australia, though I did not find an explicit hosting-location line on the pages I read in July 2026. Astalty shows an ISO 27001 badge but did not state a hosting country on the pages I checked. EasyAs's privacy policy says personal information may be sent to countries outside Australia, including the United States and European Union. I could not confirm Bugal's hosting country. Read the privacy policy before you enter a client's details.
Can I keep service agreements and consent forms inside the app itself?
In most of them, yes. Sparks Scribe stores files in its Document Vault on the $20 Vault plan, which also generates service agreements, and its $39 Safeguards plan adds consent forms you sign in the app. ShiftCare stores care plans and agreements with expiry-date reminders. Astalty holds service agreements, consent forms, risk assessments and NDIS plans with DocuSign signing. Visualcare keeps agreements and compliance documents in the participant profile. Bugal has a service agreement creator but does not detail a general document store on its public pages. EasyAs, being an invoicing app, does not list one.
Is there anywhere to file a client's receipts and expenses?
Sparks Scribe has a dedicated Receipt Vault on the $20 Vault plan, alongside a kilometre log and tax tools. Bugal lists expense tracking. ShiftCare, Astalty and Visualcare point their document features at care and compliance records, and I did not confirm a client-linked receipt store on the pages I read in July 2026. EasyAs keeps invoices rather than receipts.
How many clients does Sparks Scribe store, and which plan do I need for the vaults?
The Clients list is unlimited, and unlimited clients come with the $15 Essentials plan including GST. The Document Vault and Receipt Vault sit on the $20 Vault plan, which also adds automatic service agreements, a kilometre log, tax tools and Xero sync.
Can I just use my invoicing app for client records too?
Not really. An invoicing-only app such as EasyAs holds participant details and invoices, but not the rest of the record: service agreements, consent forms, plans and receipts. You would end up running a second system for those. A tool with a proper Clients module plus document and receipt storage keeps the whole record in one place.
What is the cheapest way to keep records, documents and receipts together?
Bugal's free plan (capped at two invoices a month) is the cheapest entry at nothing, with client management and a service agreement creator, though it does not detail a general document vault. Among paid plans that put a client list, document storage and receipt storage together, the cheapest I verified is Sparks Scribe's $20 Vault plan including GST, with the data held in Australia. ShiftCare and Visualcare carry the features but at agency pricing, and Visualcare does not publish a price.
Once your records live in one place, the next job is writing the notes that go with them. Here is my guide on how to write NDIS shift notes, with examples, and my wider comparison of apps for independent support workers.