The short answer
Many NDIS provider platforms charge per worker per month, so your bill climbs every time you hire. Sparks Provider charges a flat $499 a year per business, GST included, with unlimited staff and clients, so growing your team does not grow your subscription bill.
If you started out as a sole trader support worker and you have just taken on your first one or two staff, the software question hits fast. The spreadsheet that worked for one person does not work for three. But before you sign up to anything, it is worth understanding how pricing actually behaves as your team grows, because that is where the real cost difference shows up.
This site is written by the team behind Sparks Provider, so we are upfront about that. We are comparing pricing models on their own terms, not ranking every platform on the market, and we are not inventing numbers for products we have not published pricing for ourselves.
How we are comparing this
We are looking at one specific thing: what happens to your annual software cost as headcount changes. That is the number that matters most to a small provider deciding whether to hire a fourth worker or a fifth. We are not comparing feature lists here, and we are not claiming any platform ranks higher than another. If you want to see a feature by feature comparison against ShiftCare, that lives at sparksprovider.app/compare/shiftcare.
The per-worker pricing pattern
A common approach in rostering and care software generally is to charge per active user, per month. It feels affordable at the start. Two staff on a modest monthly rate looks cheap next to building your own system. But this model is designed to scale with your team, which means your software bill is designed to grow every time your business grows. Take on a support worker for six months to cover a participant's increased hours, and you are paying for that seat the whole time they are active, on top of whatever else changes in your business that month.
None of this means per-worker pricing is a bad choice for every provider. Some businesses prefer to pay in step with headcount because it feels proportional. But it is worth doing the maths at 5 staff, then again at 15, before you commit, rather than judging the price only at the size you are today.
The flat annual fee model
Sparks Provider sits on the other side of this comparison. It costs $499 for the year, GST included, covering unlimited staff and unlimited clients. That price does not change whether you have two support workers or twenty. It is set per business, not per person, so hiring your third, sixth or tenth worker does not touch the subscription line at all.
For a provider expecting to stay small and steady, the difference between models might be minor. For a provider expecting to grow, or one that takes on casual and part time staff who come and go with participant needs, a flat fee removes a variable that would otherwise need recalculating every time the roster changes.
What this actually looks like month to month
- A sole trader adds their first two support workers to cover overnight shifts. Under a flat annual model, the subscription cost stays the same as it was solo.
- A small team takes on a casual worker for eight weeks to cover a participant's short-term increase in support. Under a flat model, that temporary addition costs nothing extra in software fees.
- A provider grows from four to nine staff over eighteen months. Under a flat model, the yearly renewal is the same figure both times.
- A business trials software for a week before deciding. Sparks Provider offers a 7-day free trial with no card required, so you can test the roster and invoicing workflow before any cost applies at all.
Where to check current pricing yourself
Pricing changes across the market, and we are not going to guess at numbers we have not published ourselves. If you are comparing platforms, ask each provider directly for current per-worker or per-month rates, and check whether the price is capped or genuinely scales with headcount. You can also use the calculator at sparksprovider.app/calculator to see what a flat $499 a year looks like against your own expected team size.
A note on what the price includes
With Sparks Provider, that $499 covers the roster, staff shift access, participant records, service agreements sent for signing, a price book built from current NDIS support items, invoicing, and a claim file you can upload to PRODA yourself. Xero integration is included for pushing invoices and draft timesheets across. It does not include payroll, award interpretation or wage calculations, and it will not sign into PRODA or lodge claims for you. Those stay decisions and actions for you or your bookkeeper.
Whichever model you choose, run the numbers at the team size you expect to be in two years, not just today. That is the comparison that actually protects your margin.
Frequently asked questions
Does the $499 price change if I hire more staff during the year?
No. Sparks Provider is priced per business at $499 a year including GST, and it covers unlimited staff and unlimited clients regardless of how many people you add.
Is there a cost to trial Sparks Provider before switching?
No. There is a 7-day free trial and no card is required to start it.
Can I move my existing participant and staff records across if I switch platforms?
Sparks Provider has a built in ShiftCare import that brings across participants, staff invitations and up to seven years of shift history and progress notes. Re-importing the same file will not duplicate people.
Does Sparks Provider handle payroll once staff hours are approved?
No. Approved timesheets can be sent to Xero payroll as drafts for checking, but Sparks Provider does not calculate wages, interpret awards or decide pay rates.
Where can I compare Sparks Provider against ShiftCare directly?
A feature by feature comparison is available at sparksprovider.app/compare/shiftcare.