CareSync and Hande both speak directly to Children’s Homes and Supported Accommodation, but their public product stories differ. CareSync centres on digital care records, collaboration, compliance workflows and evidence. Hande explicitly markets the ‘whole home’: care and safeguarding, staff and HR, property and finance, governance, rotas and inspection evidence in one system. That makes this a useful architectural decision. Do you want a focused care-management layer that works alongside existing business systems, or do you want to consolidate more of the operation into one platform?
At a glance
| Area | CareSync | Hande |
|---|---|---|
| Public pricing | Published: £23/month solo placement; £61 / £73 / £91 monthly by bed band (1–5, 6–8, 9–12) | £49.99/home first 2 months, then £89.99 |
| Users | Ask supplier | Unlimited users |
| HR/rota | Not headline public feature | Training, staff records, rota and shifts |
| Finance | Not headline public feature | Expenses, mileage, receipts, petty cash |
| Care records | Core proposition | Daily logs, incidents, MAR, health, care plans |
| Contract | Ask supplier | Monthly or annual; cancel anytime |
Hande’s proposition is operational consolidation
Hande’s website makes a broad promise: run the whole home in one place. Its pricing page lists daily logs, incidents, body maps, MAR, health records, training matrices, policy read-tracking, safer recruitment evidence, Annex A, young-person registers, rotas, handovers, expenses, mileage, receipts and petty cash. It says every plan includes all features and unlimited users. The standard rate published is £49.99 per home per month for the first two months and £89.99 thereafter. For providers currently paying for separate rota, HR, petty-cash and care-record systems, that breadth could change the economics significantly.
CareSync’s proposition is narrower and potentially simpler
CareSync focuses on care records, secure collaboration, compliance workflows and evidence. Its public website does not present itself as an HR, payroll or finance suite. If your organisation already has good specialist systems for those functions, a narrower care platform may reduce implementation risk because fewer departments have to change at once. If you are trying to eliminate multiple subscriptions, however, Hande’s broader model deserves a close look.
The hidden question: one system or best-of-breed?
There is no universal answer to software consolidation. One platform can reduce duplicate data, logins and integrations. Separate specialist systems can be deeper in each function and allow departments to change tools independently. Map your current environment before choosing. List where young-person data, staff data, rotas, training, expenses, policies and incidents currently live. Then decide which information genuinely needs to be connected. Do not buy an all-in-one product simply because the phrase sounds efficient, and do not preserve unnecessary complexity simply because existing tools are familiar.
Pricing and value
Hande’s published price is notably low relative to several competitors, particularly given the breadth it claims to include. That makes due diligence important: confirm whether the price applies to your exact Supported Accommodation property model, what happens at group scale, how storage and support are handled, and whether any future modules are separately charged. CareSync’s published prices are £23 a month for a solo placement and £61, £73 or £91 a month for homes with 1–5, 6–8 or 9–12 beds, after a three-month free trial. Compare the cost of the systems each platform would replace, not just the licence itself.
Implementation and data migration
Hande says onboarding and data migration are included. CareSync should be asked to define the same scope. The more functions a platform replaces, the more complicated migration becomes. Moving daily logs and care plans is one project; moving HR records, rotas, finance and policy acknowledgements is larger. Build a phased plan and decide which historic records must move versus remain in a secure archive. A low monthly fee can be outweighed by a chaotic migration if scope is not controlled.
Who is each platform best for?
Hande is worth shortlisting if your strategic goal is to consolidate care, workforce and operational administration into one lower-cost platform. CareSync is a natural shortlist option if your primary need is clearer care records, safeguarding, incidents, collaboration and evidence and you prefer to keep existing corporate systems. Test both with staff and managers, and judge them on the workflows you perform every day rather than on the number of modules listed.
Questions to ask before you sign
Whichever supplier you prefer, put the commercial and operational assumptions in writing. Ask what the quoted price includes, whether it changes with beds, young people, homes or users, what happens at renewal, and whether any core feature is an add-on. Confirm who migrates historic data, what format you receive if you leave, where data is hosted, whether multi-factor authentication is available, how backups are tested and how support is escalated. Ask for a reference from a provider that resembles your organisation in size and service type. Finally, involve frontline staff in the decision. A system bought only by directors can look excellent in a boardroom and still fail on a night shift.
Editorial note
This comparison is based on information published by the suppliers on their own websites and public materials checked in October 2026. Products, pricing, certifications and contract terms can change. Where a supplier does not publish a figure or feature, this article says so rather than assuming it is absent. CareSync is the publisher of this article, so readers should treat it as a buyer’s guide rather than independent market research and verify all material claims directly with shortlisted suppliers before purchasing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Hande cost?
Hande publishes a standard rate of £49.99 per home per month for the first two months and £89.99 thereafter, with all features and unlimited users included.
Does Hande include HR and rota functions?
Yes. Hande publicly lists training, policies, safer-recruitment evidence, rotas and shifts among included features.
Does CareSync include finance and HR?
Those are not headline features on CareSync’s main public website. Buyers should ask CareSync directly about current capabilities and integrations.
Which approach is better: all-in-one or focused software?
It depends on your existing systems and change appetite. Consolidation can reduce duplication, while a focused platform can reduce implementation scope and preserve stronger specialist tools.
Sources checked
CareSync: https://www.caresync.co.uk/
CareSync pricing: https://caresync.co.uk/pricing
Hande home: https://handeapp.co.uk/
Hande pricing: https://handeapp.co.uk/pricing/index.html
