Mable Alternatives: 6 Home Care Options in Australia Compared

Compare Australia’s leading home care and disability support options by worker model, pricing, funding compatibility and how much coordination they handle for you.

Home care options in Australia

Before comparing providers, it helps to know that alternatives to Mable fall into three models that ask very different things of you.

• Marketplaces (Mable, Kynd, Careseekers): You search for workers, check profiles, agree rates and manage the relationship. Maximum control, maximum admin. Usually self-managed or plan-managed only.
• Employer platforms (Hireup): The platform employs the worker, handles tax, super and insurance, and sets the rate. Less admin than a marketplace, less room to negotiate. Open to all NDIS funding types.
• Managed providers (Homage, Five Good Friends): The provider screens and matches carers, coordinates scheduling and backup, and can deliver nursing. Least admin, and typically the only route for agency-managed NDIS participants or families who want care arranged end to end.

Mable and its alternatives at a glance

All figures are verified 17 July 2026 against provider websites.

Why consider an alternative to Mable?

Source: Unsplash

Mable is Australia’s largest marketplace for independent support workers. It gives you the flexibility to choose your own support workers, negotiate rates directly, and manage your care relationships yourself. For people who prefer a hands-on approach and are comfortable coordinating their own support, this can be a great option.

However, a marketplace model isn’t the right fit for everyone.

You may want to consider an alternative if you prefer a provider to take care of matching you with suitable support workers, coordinating schedules, and managing ongoing care. This can be especially valuable if your care needs are more complex or you require clinical nursing services alongside everyday support.

Other home care providers may also be a better choice if your NDIS plan is agency-managed (NDIA-managed), as marketplace platforms like Mable aren’t available under this funding arrangement. Similarly, if you’re receiving Support at Home funding and would like help managing your budget and care services, a full-service provider can offer more hands-on support.

Ultimately, the decision isn’t about choosing the largest platform. It’s about deciding who you want to manage your care. If you’d rather handle worker selection, scheduling, and day-to-day coordination yourself, Mable may suit you well. If you value a provider that takes responsibility for matching, care coordination, clinical oversight, and continuity of care, an alternative provider like Homage may be the better fit.

Alternatives to Mable for Home Care in Australia

1. Homage

Best for: Families who want coordinated personal care and nursing through one service, across NDIS, Support at Home and private funding.

Pricing: weekday personal care $65/hr and weekday nursing $93/hr; visits under two hours add $15 (not for NDIS participants); GST exclusive. (View pricing)

Homage is a registered NDIS provider delivering aged care and disability support across Melbourne.

Care Advisors build a care plan and match each person with a screened support worker or nurse; visits start from one hour, and the Homage app shows worker profiles, messaging and a report after every appointment.

Compared with Mable’s marketplace, you trade some direct search control for guided matching, backup cover and access to nursing procedures alongside personal care. It accepts self, plan and agency-managed NDIS funding, self-managed Support at Home and private pay.

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2. Hireup

Best for: NDIS participants who prefer support workers employed by the platform.

Pricing: $72.74/hr standard weekday and $100.84/hr weekends, effective 1 July 2026.

Hireup is the clearest alternative when worker employment matters. It is the legal employer, so tax, superannuation, payroll, insurance and screening (including the NDIS Worker Screening Check) sit with Hireup rather than you. Rates are fixed to its schedule, so there is less to negotiate than on Mable, but more consistency. It is open to self, plan and agency-managed NDIS participants.

3. Five Good Friends

Best for: older Australians choosing between self-managed and fully coordinated home care.

Pricing: a standard Monday to Friday rate of $68.20/hr for most common services (personal care, cleaning, household tasks, light gardening and in-home respite); nursing is charged at a higher rate. Care management is capped at 10%.

Five Good Friends runs two modes. Self-managed members choose their Helpers, schedules and spending with the app and team backup; full-service members receive matching, scheduling, care planning and monitoring. That flexibility suits families whose desired level of involvement may change over time.

4. HomeMade

Best for: Support at Home participants focused on budget control and self-management tools.

Pricing: a 10% government-mandated care-management allocation plus a service loading fee (standard 10%). An earlier discounted loading was a join-before-June-2026 promotion that has now ended.

HomeMade supports both self-managed and fully managed aged care. Self-managed clients pick providers and rates, track their budget and organise daily support; fully managed clients hand planning and coordination to the team. It is part of the same group as Mable, and sits closer to aged-care budget management than to a disability marketplace.

5. Care Connect

Best for: older Australians who want a dedicated Care Partner to coordinate services.

Pricing: rates vary by service, time, location and care requirements; under Support at Home, care management is capped at 10%. Care Connect publishes a detailed rate guide.

Care Connect builds a care plan, coordinates approved services and assigns a Care Partner for reviews and adjustments. It suits families who want help navigating assessments, quarterly budgets and changing needs rather than arranging each worker relationship themselves.

6. The CareSide

Best for: families wanting a traditional provider with managed and self-managed options.

Pricing: provider-set service rates; under Support at Home, care-management fees are capped at 10%.

The CareSide offers companion care, personal care, nursing, respite, overnight, 24-hour and palliative care across several Australian regions. It is a practical alternative when geographic coverage and access to many care types through one provider matter more than marketplace-style worker selection.

When to choose Mable

Mable is a good choice if you want complete control over who provides your care. Its marketplace lets you browse independent support workers, compare profiles, negotiate rates directly, and manage your own care arrangements. If you’re comfortable coordinating schedules, communicating with support workers, and handling the administrative side of care, Mable offers a high level of flexibility and choice.

When to choose Homage

Homage is a better fit if you’d prefer a provider to manage the coordination of your care, so you can spend less time organising support and more time focusing on what matters. Rather than searching for and managing support workers yourself, Homage matches you with suitable care professionals based on your needs and preferences.

Whether you need personal care, companionship, disability care, or clinical nursing, these services are available through a single provider, making it easier to coordinate care as your needs change. Every care plan is supported by a dedicated Care Advisor, with visit updates available through the Homage app to keep families informed. If your regular care professional is unavailable, Homage can also arrange a replacement to help minimise disruptions to your care.

Homage also supports clients across both the NDIS and aged care systems, providing continuity of care as circumstances or funding arrangements evolve. If you’re looking for a more guided, fully managed care experience, Homage offers a convenient alternative to a self-managed marketplace.

Frequently asked questions

Need help choosing the right care model?

Speak with a Homage Care Advisor about personal care, nursing, disability support and the funding pathways available to you. The conversation is obligation-free, and care visits can start from one hour depending on your needs. Get Care Support.

References