NDIS software: off-the-shelf (ShiftCare, Lumary, Brevity…) vs custom — how to decide

For most providers, off-the-shelf NDIS software is the right starting point. Platforms such as ShiftCare, Lumary, Brevity, CareMaster, Astalty and SupportAbility already handle rostering, notes, incidents, invoicing and claiming. Custom software pays off when your service model is genuinely different, when you need to join several systems, or when the software is a product in its own right. Often the best answer sits in between: buy the core and extend it with integrations.

This post is part of our guide to healthcare software development in Australia. This article is general information, not legal advice.

What NDIS software has to handle in 2026#

Before comparing products, write down what the software must do for your organisation. The rules below shape most of it.

A few details are worth spelling out.

• Incidents. The NDIS Commission requires registered providers to notify all reportable incidents. Deaths, serious injuries, abuse or neglect, unlawful sexual or physical contact or assault, and sexual misconduct must be notified within 24 hours; unauthorised restrictive practices within 5 business days, or 24 hours if a person was harmed. Notifications go through the Commission's portal, starting with an Immediate Notification Form and followed by a 5 Day Form.
• Pricing. The NDIS pricing schedule sets out what the NDIA considers appropriate and reasonable maximum prices for NDIS supports, with national, remote and very remote recommended maximum prices for each support item. The current schedule took effect on 1 July 2026, and you must discuss proposed changes to existing service agreements with participants, who must agree before the changes are made. Your software has to hold more than one price list at a time.
• Registration. Registered providers are audited against the NDIS Practice Standards and must meet conditions such as effective complaint and incident management and worker screening. Only participants who self-manage or plan-manage their funding can use unregistered providers.
• New for SIL and platforms. The Commission says supported independent living (SIL) and NDIS digital platform providers must register from 1 July 2026, and SIL providers must follow new SIL Practice Standards from the same date.

NDIS software on the market: six packaged platforms#

This table summarises how each product describes itself on its own website as at September 2026. All six are Australian-focused; features and plans change, so check the vendor's current pages.

Each product has real strengths. Lumary suits organisations that already use or want the Salesforce ecosystem. Astalty and ShiftCare publish their prices, which makes budgeting easier. Brevity and CareMaster state security certifications on their websites, which gives you something concrete to ask about. SupportAbility focuses on client management and NDIS billing across community services, SIL, allied health and support coordination.

We have not quoted prices because plans change; check each vendor's current pricing page and confirm whether prices include GST.

When off-the-shelf NDIS software is the right call#

Buying is usually right when:

• Your supports and workflows are common in the sector, so a product built for many similar providers fits with configuration.
• Your admin team is small and you do not want to run servers, security patches or backups.
• You need to go live quickly, for example before a registration audit.
• You want someone else to update rules and price lists each July.
• Your accounting or payroll system is already one the product integrates with.

Before you sign, check four things that feature lists skip: whether you can export all of your data (including notes and documents) in a usable format, where the data is hosted and who can access it, what support hours and response times you get, and what happens to your data if you leave.

How to run a fair NDIS software demo#

Vendors demonstrate their smoothest paths. Bring your own scenarios instead, and run the same ones through every product on your shortlist.

1. A roster change at short notice. A worker calls in sick for an early shift. How quickly can a coordinator find a suitably qualified replacement, and does the worker's app update straight away?
2. An incident late at night. A support worker records a serious injury on their phone. Who is alerted, and how does the system help you meet the 24-hour notification and the follow-up form?
3. A price change. A new pricing schedule takes effect. Can you hold old and new prices side by side, update the affected service agreements and record each participant's agreement?
4. Mixed funding. One participant is NDIA-managed, another plan-managed and a third self-managed. Does invoicing and claiming handle each one correctly?
5. An exit test. Ask for a full export of a test participant, including notes, documents and audit history. If the vendor cannot show it in the demo, assume it will be hard later.

Score each scenario with the people who will use the system every day, not only with managers. The product that wins the scenarios usually beats the one with the longest feature list.

When to extend with integrations instead#

Many providers find that a packaged platform covers most of their work, with gaps around the edges: reporting across several systems, custom intake or onboarding forms, document signing, finance and payroll links, or SMS reminders. Closing those gaps with integrations is often faster and cheaper than replacing the core.

• Ask for API documentation early. Some vendors publish a REST API; others offer set integrations only. Rate limits and which records the API exposes decide what is possible.
• Ask about NDIA connections. The NDIA's Digital Partnership Program manages controlled access to some NDIA data and systems through APIs for providers and software developers. Ask whether a vendor takes part and what it uses that access for.
• Keep the middle layer thin. An integration should move data, not become a second copy of your participant records. The less it stores, the less you have to secure.
• Mind where data goes. Every SMS, email or reporting tool is another place participant information lands, sometimes overseas. Our explainer on APP 8 and offshore access to health data covers what that means.

Our API integration service is built for this kind of gap-filling.

When custom NDIS software pays off#

Custom software earns its cost in a narrower set of situations:

• Your model is genuinely different, in ways that change rostering, claiming or the participant experience, and configuration cannot bend a packaged product far enough.
• You run several programmes on one workforce, such as NDIS supports alongside Support at Home or private clients, and need one view that no single product gives you. Support at Home has its own rules for quarterly budgets, contributions and monthly statements, and our guide to Support at Home software covers them.
• The software is your product. If you are a start-up building a platform for others, you need to own the code and the roadmap. If it connects participants with supports and processes NDIS payments, check the digital platform registration rules before you design anything.
• You need deep integration or data ownership that a vendor's API or contract will not allow.

Custom also means you own the obligations: hosting, security patching, backups, privacy requests, incident workflows and every rule change each July. Budget for that for the life of the system, not just the build. If an honest look shows a packaged product fits, buy it; we would rather tell you that than build something you do not need.

A decision framework for NDIS software#

Work through these questions in order and stop at the first clear answer.

If you stop at the first or second row, that is a good result, not a failure of ambition.

Questions to ask any NDIS software vendor#

Whichever route you take, ask these before you commit:

1. Where is our data hosted, and from which countries can your staff and subcontractors access it?
2. Can we export all of our data, including notes, documents and audit history, and in what format?
3. How and when do you update price lists and rules after the new pricing schedule each July?
4. How does the incident workflow help us meet the Commission's 24-hour and 5-day timeframes?
5. Which APIs and integrations are available, and what do they cost?
6. What happens to our data, and to backups of it, when the contract ends?

For privacy-specific questions, use our due-diligence questionnaire for health information.

What to do next#

If a packaged product covers most of what you need, start there and talk to us about integrations that close the gaps. If you think your model needs something custom, our healthcare page explains how we approach care-sector builds.