ShiftCare vs Vertex360: Which NDIS Software Pricing Model Suits Your Business?

TL;DR

ShiftCare charges $12 per staff member monthly, while Vertex360 uses participant-tier pricing starting at $35/month for 1-5 participants. Your ideal choice depends on your team structure: ShiftCare favours lean teams with mostly support workers, while Vertex360 suits providers building administrative infrastructure where costs should scale with participants (revenue) not staff (expenses). Calculate both models with your specific numbers to determine the better fit.

Two Different Pricing Philosophies

When you compare ShiftCare and Vertex360, you’re not just looking at two different prices—you’re evaluating two fundamentally different approaches to NDIS software pricing. Understanding these philosophies helps you choose the model that aligns with your business structure and growth plans.

ShiftCare’s Per-User Model Explained

ShiftCare uses a per-user pricing model at $12 per staff member per month. Every person who needs access to the system—support workers, coordinators, practice managers, administrative staff—adds $12 to your monthly bill. This approach is straightforward: more team members means higher software costs.

The per-user model creates a direct relationship between your staffing decisions and software expenses. When you hire a new support worker, your software cost increases by $12 monthly. When you add a coordinator or practice manager, that’s another $12. The model is simple to understand but ties your software costs directly to your workforce size.

This pricing structure works well when your team consists primarily of direct support workers who generate revenue through participant services. The costs scale in proportion to the people delivering billable services.

Vertex360’s Participant-Tier Model Explained

Vertex360 takes a different approach. The software charges based on participant tiers, not individual staff members. The Total Suite plan costs $35 monthly (plus GST) and accommodates 1-5 participants with unlimited staff accounts. The Platinum plan costs $59 monthly (plus GST) and supports larger participant numbers, also with unlimited staff accounts.

This participant-based pricing NDIS model links your software costs to the number of people you support—your revenue generators—rather than the number of people you employ. You can add coordinators, practice managers, administrative assistants, and additional support workers without increasing your monthly software fee, as long as you stay within your participant tier.

The philosophy behind this model recognises that NDIS providers need administrative infrastructure to deliver quality services. Your software costs should reflect business growth (more participants) rather than operational structure (team composition).

For complete transparency on our pricing structure, visit our detailed Vertex360 pricing page to see all available tiers, features, and included benefits for each plan.

The Core Difference

ShiftCare answers: “How many people need system access?” Vertex360 answers: “How many participants do you support?”

Both questions are valid. The right answer for your business depends on how you structure your team and plan to grow.

Understanding Your Team Structure Impact

Your team’s composition determines which pricing model delivers better value. The participant-to-staff ratio and the types of roles you employ create dramatically different cost outcomes under each model.

Direct Support Worker vs Administrative Roles

NDIS providers typically employ two categories of staff: direct support workers who deliver participant services, and administrative personnel who enable service delivery.

Direct support workers include support workers, support coordinators, and specialist staff who work directly with participants. These roles generate revenue and justify their cost through billable hours.

Administrative roles include practice managers, office administrators, rostering coordinators, compliance officers, and business development staff. These positions don’t deliver billable services but enable your support workers to operate effectively and your business to scale.

The distinction matters significantly when comparing ShiftCare vs Vertex360 pricing:

ShiftCare treats all roles equally: Every staff member, whether generating revenue or providing support, costs $12 monthly.

Vertex360 doesn’t charge per role: Your coordinator, practice manager, and administrative team access the system at no additional cost within your participant tier.

Calculating Your Participant-to-Staff Ratio

Your participant-to-staff ratio reveals which pricing model aligns better with your business economics.

Low ratio (many staff per participant): Indicates complex care, high coordination needs, or significant administrative infrastructure. ShiftCare costs increase significantly.

High ratio (fewer staff per participant): Indicates lean operations with mostly direct support workers. ShiftCare remains competitive.

Calculate your ratio: Divide total staff by active participants. A ratio of 2:1 means two staff members for every participant. A ratio of 0.5:1 means one staff member serves two participants.

Cost Scenarios: Real Numbers for Real Businesses

Let’s examine specific scenarios to illustrate how team structure affects costs under each model.

Scenario 1: Lean Support Team

• Team: 1 coordinator, 4 support workers
• Participants: 3
• ShiftCare cost: 5 staff × $12 = $60/month
• Vertex360 cost: $35/month (Total Suite, 1-5 participants)
• Result: Vertex360 saves $25 monthly ($300 annually)

Even with a lean team, Vertex360 offers modest savings. The advantage grows as you add administrative roles.

Scenario 2: Growing with Administrative Infrastructure

• Team: 1 practice manager, 2 coordinators, 8 support workers
• Participants: 12
• ShiftCare cost: 11 staff × $12 = $132/month
• Vertex360 cost: $59/month (Platinum tier for 6+ participants)
• Result: Vertex360 saves $73 monthly ($876 annually)

Adding administrative personnel significantly increases the cost difference. Your practice manager and additional coordinator add $36 monthly to ShiftCare but nothing to Vertex360.

Scenario 3: Established Provider with Complex Structure

• Team: 1 business manager, 1 practice manager, 3 coordinators, 1 admin assistant, 15 support workers
• Participants: 28
• ShiftCare cost: 21 staff × $12 = $252/month
• Vertex360 cost: $59/month (Platinum tier)
• Result: Vertex360 saves $193 monthly ($2,316 annually)

Large teams with substantial administrative infrastructure see dramatic savings with participant-based pricing. Your six non-direct-support roles add $72 monthly to ShiftCare costs but don’t affect Vertex360 pricing.

When Team Structure Favours Each Model

ShiftCare works best when you:

• Employ primarily direct support workers (minimal admin roles)
• Maintain high participant-to-staff ratios (lean operations)
• Have small teams (under 5 total staff)
• Plan to keep team structure simple as you grow

Vertex360 works best when you:

• Build administrative infrastructure (managers, coordinators, office staff)
• Experience high staff turnover requiring frequent license management
• Employ specialist roles that don’t directly bill participants
• Want to separate business growth costs from operational structure costs

When Participant-Based Pricing Makes Sense

Participant-based pricing creates specific advantages for NDIS providers building professional infrastructure or managing complex team dynamics. Understanding these scenarios helps you evaluate whether Vertex360’s model suits your business plans.

Building Administrative Infrastructure

Growing NDIS businesses need more than just support workers. Quality service delivery requires coordination, compliance management, business administration, and client relationship management. These functions require dedicated personnel who don’t directly bill participants.

Under ShiftCare’s per-user model, every administrative hire increases software costs:

• Practice manager: +$12/month
• Office administrator: +$12/month
• Compliance officer: +$12/month
• Business development coordinator: +$12/month

A four-person administrative team adds $48 monthly to your software bill—$576 annually—without generating any billable services.

Vertex360’s participant-based pricing eliminates this growth penalty. You add administrative roles based on business need, not software cost. Your monthly fee remains tied to participant count, allowing you to build the infrastructure required for professional service delivery without software costs constraining your decisions.

This advantage becomes more significant as you scale. A 50-participant provider might employ 2-3 coordinators, a practice manager, an administrative assistant, and a compliance officer—roles essential for quality operations but non-billable. Under ShiftCare, these five positions cost $60 monthly beyond support worker licenses. Under Vertex360, they’re included in your participant tier pricing.

Managing High Staff Turnover

NDIS providers often experience higher staff turnover than other industries. Support workers move between providers, relocate, or change careers. Each staff change requires license management: deactivating departing staff, activating new hires, tracking active licenses.

ShiftCare’s per-user model creates administrative overhead with turnover:

• Monitor active licenses against staff count
• Deactivate licenses promptly to avoid unnecessary charges
• Reactivate or create licenses for new hires
• Reconcile monthly bills against current staffing

High turnover magnifies this administrative burden. Providers managing 20+ support workers with 30% annual turnover handle 6+ license changes yearly—each requiring attention to prevent overpayment.

Vertex360’s unlimited staff accounts within participant tiers eliminate license management overhead. You grant system access to new hires without cost considerations. Departing staff accounts don’t affect your monthly bill. Your software costs remain stable regardless of turnover rates.

This advantage extends beyond cost to operational efficiency. Your coordinators and administrators focus on onboarding and training, not license tracking. System access becomes a simple operational decision, not a budgeting consideration.

Streamlining staff management goes hand-in-hand with efficient scheduling. Learn how Vertex360 enhances staff scheduling for NDIS providers with smart automation and workforce management tools.

Complex Team Structures

NDIS providers serving participants with complex needs often employ diverse team structures: support workers with varying specialisations, therapy assistants, behaviour support practitioners, coordinators managing specific participant groups, and administrative staff handling different business functions.

Complex structures create multiple cost layers under per-user pricing:

• Specialised support workers: $12 each
• Therapy assistants: $12 each
• Behaviour support practitioners: $12 each
• Specialist coordinators: $12 each
• Role-specific administrative staff: $12 each

A provider employing 25 staff across diverse roles pays $300 monthly to ShiftCare. If 30% of these roles are non-direct support positions (coordinators, specialists, admin), you’re paying $90 monthly for staff who don’t generate direct participant revenue.

Vertex360’s participant-based model accommodates team complexity without cost penalties. You structure your team based on participant needs and service quality requirements, not software pricing. The model supports sophisticated service delivery without financial disincentives.

Real-World Application

Consider a behaviour support-focused NDIS provider:

• 2 senior behaviour support practitioners
• 4 support workers trained in behaviour support
• 2 coordinators managing participant plans
• 1 practice manager overseeing compliance
• 1 administrative assistant handling documentation
• Participants: 18

ShiftCare cost: 10 staff × $12 = $120/month Vertex360 cost: $59/month (Platinum tier) Annual savings: $732

The provider’s sophisticated team structure—essential for quality behaviour support services—creates significant cost differences between models. Vertex360 allows the provider to maintain appropriate staffing ratios and specialisations without software costs constraining decisions.

Budget Predictability and Growth Planning

Software costs shouldn’t surprise you or constrain growth. Understanding how each pricing model affects budget predictability helps you plan expansion with confidence.

Revenue-Based vs Expense-Based Cost Scaling

The fundamental distinction between ShiftCare and Vertex360 lies in what drives software costs:

ShiftCare links costs to expenses: Your software bill reflects operational structure (team size), not business success (participants served). Growing your team increases costs regardless of revenue growth. Hiring administrative staff to improve operations increases expenses without adding revenue.

Vertex360 links costs to revenue: Your software bill reflects business growth (participant count), not operational decisions. Adding staff to serve existing participants doesn’t change costs. Building administrative infrastructure happens without software cost penalties.

This distinction matters significantly for budget planning. Expense-based pricing creates uncertainty: every staffing decision affects multiple budget lines (salary + software + associated costs). Revenue-based pricing separates concerns: staffing decisions focus on service quality and operational efficiency, while software costs scale predictably with business growth.

Multi-Year Budget Forecasting

Long-term planning requires predictable costs. Let’s project costs under both models for a growing NDIS provider.

Year 1: Startup Phase

• Participants: 5
• Staff: 1 coordinator, 3 support workers (4 total)
• ShiftCare: $48/month = $576/year
• Vertex360: $35/month = $420/year
• Difference: Vertex360 saves $156 annually

Year 2: Growth Phase

• Participants: 15
• Staff: 1 practice manager, 2 coordinators, 8 support workers (11 total)
• ShiftCare: $132/month = $1,584/year
• Vertex360: $59/month = $708/year
• Difference: Vertex360 saves $876 annually

Year 3: Established Phase

• Participants: 30
• Staff: 1 business manager, 1 practice manager, 3 coordinators, 1 admin, 18 support workers (24 total)
• ShiftCare: $288/month = $3,456/year
• Vertex360: $59/month = $708/year (assuming tier accommodates 30 participants)
• Difference: Vertex360 saves $2,748 annually

Three-Year Total:

• ShiftCare: $5,616
• Vertex360: $1,836
• Total Savings: $3,780

The cost divergence accelerates as you build administrative infrastructure and grow your team. ShiftCare costs increase 500% over three years while Vertex360 costs increase 69%, despite serving 6× more participants.

Cost Transparency Comparison

Budget predictability requires understanding not just base costs but total costs.

ShiftCare transparency:

• Clear per-user rate ($12/month)
• Total cost calculation simple (staff count × $12)
• Setup costs and additional fees vary by plan
• Pricing information partially available online

Vertex360 transparency:

• Published tier pricing ($35 or $59/month plus GST)
• Optional onboarding: $99 for 4 sessions
• Data migration: $3 per file (Total Suite) or complimentary (Platinum)
• All costs visible on pricing page

Both platforms offer reasonable transparency, but Vertex360 publishes complete pricing information publicly, while ShiftCare requires account creation to see full pricing details.

Planning for Uncertainty

Business growth rarely follows straight lines. Participant numbers fluctuate. Staff join and leave. Administrative needs change. Your software pricing model should accommodate uncertainty without creating financial surprises.

ShiftCare’s per-user model:

• Predictable: Costs scale directly with team size
• Uncertainty: Unplanned hires immediately increase costs
• Flexibility: Can reduce licenses quickly if downsizing
• Constraint: Administrative hires carry ongoing software costs

Vertex360’s participant-based model:

• Predictable: Costs tied to participant count (revenue indicator)
• Uncertainty: Tier changes if participant count crosses thresholds
• Flexibility: Can adjust staffing without cost impact within tier
• Freedom: Administrative infrastructure decisions separate from software costs

Neither model is inherently superior for managing uncertainty. ShiftCare offers flexibility in rapidly scaling licenses up or down. Vertex360 offers freedom to adjust team structure without software cost implications.

Feature and Usability Comparison

Pricing models differ significantly between ShiftCare and Vertex360, but what about functionality? Understanding feature parity helps you evaluate whether pricing is the primary differentiator or whether capability gaps exist.

Core Features Both Platforms Offer

ShiftCare and Vertex360 both provide essential NDIS management functionality:

Rostering and scheduling: Both platforms offer digital rostering, shift management, and calendar views. You can assign support workers to participants, manage availability, and track scheduled services.

NDIS claiming and invoicing: Both systems generate NDIS-compliant claims, process participant invoicing, and integrate with NDIS payment systems. You can submit claims electronically and track payment status.

Participant management: Both platforms maintain participant records, store support plans, track goals and outcomes, and manage documentation. Core participant management functionality is comparable.

Mobile access: ShiftCare and Vertex360 both offer mobile applications for support workers. Staff can view rosters, clock in/out, complete shift notes, and access participant information on smartphones.

Compliance and reporting: Both systems support incident reporting, progress notes, and compliance documentation. You can generate reports for internal use and external audits.

Support coordination: Both platforms facilitate communication between coordinators, support workers, and participants. You can manage tasks, share updates, and coordinate service delivery.

Mobile Experience and User Interface

Both platforms prioritise mobile-first design, recognising that support workers primarily access systems via smartphones.

ShiftCare emphasises simplicity and ease of use. The interface focuses on essential daily functions: viewing rosters, clocking shifts, completing notes. Users report that ShiftCare’s mobile app is intuitive and requires minimal training.

Vertex360 provides comprehensive mobile access to all platform features. Support workers can manage their schedules, complete documentation, and communicate with coordinators. The dashboard design accommodates both mobile and desktop workflows.

User experience quality is subjective and depends on individual preferences. Both platforms receive positive feedback for mobile usability. Test both systems to determine which interface suits your team’s workflow better.

Where They Differ Beyond Pricing

While core features are comparable, some distinctions exist:

ShiftCare specifics:

• Focus on rostering efficiency and shift management
• Strong emphasis on mobile-first design
• Simplified feature set prioritising essential functions
• 98% customer satisfaction rating (reported)

Vertex360 specifics:

• Internal audit report included in Platinum plan (valued at $1,200)
• Complimentary data migration for Platinum customers
• Support coordination emphasis
• Multiple support channels (web chat, email, MS Teams, phone)

The features that matter most depend on your business priorities. If rostering efficiency is paramount, evaluate both systems’ rostering modules carefully. If compliance auditing is critical, Vertex360’s included audit report may provide significant value.

The Real Differentiation

Here’s the crucial insight: both platforms offer capable NDIS management software with comparable core features. The primary differentiation lies not in functionality gaps but in pricing philosophy and how costs scale with your business.

You’re not choosing between a feature-rich platform and a limited alternative. You’re choosing between two legitimate approaches to software pricing: per-user vs participant-based.

This means your decision should focus on:

1. Your team structure (administrative vs support worker ratio)
2. Your growth plans (how team composition will evolve)
3. Your budget priorities (expense-based vs revenue-based cost scaling)
4. Your operational preferences (license management vs unlimited access)

Feature comparison becomes secondary when both platforms deliver essential functionality. Pricing model fit becomes primary.

Making Your Decision: Which Model Fits Your Business?

Choosing between ShiftCare and Vertex360 requires honest assessment of your team structure, growth plans, and operational priorities. Use this decision framework to identify the better fit for your specific situation.

Choose ShiftCare If…

Your team consists primarily of direct support workers: If 80%+ of your staff are support workers who directly serve participants, with minimal administrative personnel, ShiftCare’s per-user model remains competitive. Small teams without significant administrative infrastructure don’t trigger the cost advantages of participant-based pricing.

You’re running lean operations intentionally: Some providers choose to keep team structures simple by outsourcing functions like bookkeeping, HR, and compliance management. If you deliberately avoid building internal administrative capacity, per-user pricing works well.

You prefer flexibility in rapid team scaling: ShiftCare allows you to add and remove user licenses easily. If your business model involves rapidly scaling team size up and down based on participant demand, the per-user model offers straightforward cost management.

You’re serving very few participants with multiple specialists: If you support 2-3 participants requiring intensive specialist support (multiple behaviour support practitioners, therapists, highly trained support workers), your team size might exceed typical participant-to-staff ratios. Run the numbers: if you employ 6+ staff for 3 participants, ShiftCare could cost more than Vertex360’s participant-tier pricing.

Choose Vertex360 If…

You’re building administrative infrastructure: If your growth plan includes hiring coordinators, practice managers, administrative assistants, compliance officers, or business development staff, participant-based pricing prevents software costs from constraining these necessary hires. You structure your business for quality and efficiency without software cost penalties.

You experience high staff turnover: If turnover rates require frequent license changes, unlimited staff accounts eliminate license management overhead. You grant system access to new hires without budget considerations and don’t track licenses for departing staff.

You employ complex team structures: If you need diverse roles—specialised support workers, coordinators managing different participant groups, administrative staff handling specific functions—participant-based pricing accommodates this complexity without multiplying costs.

You want revenue-aligned cost scaling: If you prefer software costs that scale with business success (participant growth) rather than operational structure (team composition), participant-based pricing creates this alignment. Your software expenses track revenue generation, not operational decisions.

You value complete pricing transparency: If published pricing information matters for budgeting and planning, Vertex360’s fully visible pricing structure (including all setup costs and tier details) provides clarity from day one.

Still weighing your options? Read our comprehensive comparison: Discover the best NDIS software for providers to understand what sets Vertex360 apart from competitors beyond just pricing.

Questions to Ask Before Deciding

Work through these questions to clarify which model suits your business:

1. What’s my current participant-to-staff ratio? Calculate total staff divided by active participants. Ratios below 1:1 (more staff than participants) strongly favour participant-based pricing.
2. How many non-support-worker roles do I employ or plan to hire? Count coordinators, managers, and administrative staff. Each role adds $12 monthly to ShiftCare but nothing to Vertex360 (within tier limits).
3. What will my team look like in 2-3 years? Project your future team structure. If administrative roles will grow significantly, participant-based pricing offers increasing advantages over time.
4. How important is separating business growth costs from operational structure costs? Consider whether you want software expenses tied to revenue generation (participants) or operational decisions (staffing).
5. What’s my staff turnover rate? High turnover creates license management overhead under per-user models. Unlimited accounts eliminate this administrative burden.
6. Do I want to invest time in license management? Per-user pricing requires monitoring active licenses against current staff. Participant-based pricing eliminates this task.

The Bottom Line

Neither ShiftCare nor Vertex360 is universally superior. The better choice depends entirely on your team structure and growth plans.

Run the calculations with your specific numbers:

• Count your current staff (all roles requiring system access)
• Count your current participants
• Project both numbers 1-2 years forward
• Calculate costs under both models
• Consider administrative overhead (license management vs none)

The right pricing model becomes clear when you apply it to your actual business structure and realistic growth projections.

Key Takeaways

• ShiftCare charges $12 per staff member monthly (per-user pricing), while Vertex360 charges by participant tier starting at $35/month for 1-5 participants with unlimited staff accounts
• Team structure determines value: Lean teams with mostly support workers may find either model competitive; teams with administrative infrastructure see significant savings with participant-based pricing
• Cost crossover points matter: Calculate your specific costs—a provider with 11 staff and 12 participants pays $132/month to ShiftCare vs $59/month to Vertex360 ($876 annual difference)
• Both platforms offer comparable core features: Mobile apps, rostering, NDIS claiming, participant management, and compliance tools are available in both systems—pricing model is the primary differentiator
• Growth planning differs significantly: ShiftCare costs scale with team size (expenses); Vertex360 costs scale with participant count (revenue), creating different budget predictability patterns
• Administrative infrastructure costs nothing extra with Vertex360: Adding coordinators, managers, or admin staff doesn’t change your monthly fee within participant tiers, unlike per-user models
• Choose based on your participant-to-staff ratio: High ratios (lean teams) work with either model; low ratios (more staff per participant) favour participant-based pricing
• License management overhead differs: Per-user models require tracking active licenses against current staff; participant-based models with unlimited accounts eliminate this administrative task

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to Choose Your NDIS Software?

Now you understand how ShiftCare’s per-user pricing compares to Vertex360’s participant-based model. Your team structure and growth plans determine which approach delivers better value.

Next steps:

1. Calculate your specific costs using your actual staff count and participant numbers
2. Project costs 2-3 years forward based on realistic growth plans
3. Test both platforms during free trial periods to evaluate features and usability
4. Consider total costs including setup, training, and ongoing support beyond base pricing

Explore Vertex360

If participant-based pricing aligns with your business structure, explore Vertex360’s transparent pricing and unlimited staff accounts:

• 💰 View complete pricing details: Visit pricing page

• 🎥 See the platform in action: Book a demo

• ✅ Try risk-free: Start 7-day free trial