Home Instead vs Right at Home: fees and models compared
Last updated 20 August 2026
Figures current as at August 2026. Right at Home figures are from its Brisbane West office’s published “common pricing” list; Home Instead publishes no national pricing.
The short version
- Both are full-service franchise networks - the real difference on this page is transparency: Right at Home offices publish price lists; Home Instead is quote-only, with no national pricing published as at August 2026.
- Right at Home’s Brisbane West list shows personal care and domestic assistance at $111 an hour (weekday) and care management at $120 an hour - slightly under the national medians of around $115 and $110.
- Because both are franchises, prices vary office by office. Neither brand has one national price.
- Home Instead is known for its consistent-caregiver, relationship-based model and lists 24-hour care as a flagship service - you’ll need a quote from your local office to compare it on price.
Side by side
| Home Instead | Right at Home | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Full-service (franchise) | Full-service (franchise) |
| Ownership | Private franchise network (owned by Honor Technology, US) | Private franchise network (US-origin brand) |
| Care management fee | 10% of quarterly budget is set aside for all registered providers; hourly rate not published - ask your local office | 10% of quarterly budget set aside; care management $120/hr (Brisbane West “common pricing”; varies by office) |
| Other admin / loading fees | Not published | Not published |
| Personal care rate (weekday) | Not published - quote on enquiry | $111/hr (Brisbane West, 6am-8pm weekday) |
| Cleaning rate (weekday) | Not published - quote on enquiry | $111/hr domestic assistance (Brisbane West list) |
| Coverage | National franchise network (30+ offices claimed on its site) | National franchise network - each office publishes its own pricing |
| Distinctive features | Consistent-caregiver, relationship-based model; 24-hour care a flagship service (confirm with your local office) | Publishes franchise-level Support at Home price lists; 24/7 care offered (franchise-level claim); RN nursing $171/hr on the Brisbane West list |
Right at Home’s “common price” is the price most frequently charged over a two-month reporting period at that office - it can differ from the office’s standard price list, and from other offices’ prices.
What the fee structures mean in practice
Under Support at Home, 10% of your quarterly budget is set aside for care management with every registered provider. On a Classification 5 budget of $10,182.38 a quarter, that’s $1,018.24 for care management, leaving $9,164.14 a quarter for services - whichever of these two brands you choose.
At Right at Home Brisbane West’s published $111 an hour for personal care, $9,164.14 buys about 82 hours of care a quarter - roughly 6.3 hours a week. For Home Instead, there is no published rate to do that sum with. When you get a quote, divide $9,164.14 by the quoted hourly rate to see your hours. As a guide to what’s at stake: at around six hours a week, every $10-an-hour difference between quotes changes your quarter by roughly $780 of budget.
Plenty of good providers price on enquiry. The national median prices give you a benchmark: around $115 an hour for personal care and $110 for cleaning in mid-2026. Ask any office for its full price list in writing, including evening and weekend rates and its care management hourly rate, before you sign.
Choose Home Instead if… / Choose Right at Home if…
Home Instead may suit you if continuity matters most - its model centres on a consistent caregiver and a relationship-based approach - or if you need around-the-clock care and your local office can deliver it. You’re comfortable requesting a quote and comparing it against benchmarks yourself.
Right at Home may suit you if you want to see prices before you pick up the phone, or you like being able to compare an office’s published list line by line against other providers. Its Brisbane West figures sit close to the national medians, but check the list for your local office.
Either way, the deciding factor is usually your local office: its prices, its staff availability, and how soon it can start. Franchise brands can differ more between two offices than between two brands.
Figures on this page were verified from the providers’ published pricing in August 2026 and change often. Franchise prices also vary by office. Always confirm current prices, in writing, with the office that would actually serve you before signing a service agreement.
Want help comparing quotes?
Tell us your postcode and we’ll show you which providers cover your area, what they publish, and how their prices compare.
Common questions
Why doesn’t Home Instead publish its prices?
It doesn’t say. As at August 2026 we could find no national Support at Home price list on its website, and pricing is provided on enquiry through local offices. That’s legal - providers set their own prices - but it means you must request a quote to compare. Monthly statements are mandatory, so whatever you agree will be itemised once services start.
Is Right at Home’s $111 an hour the same everywhere?
No. Right at Home is a franchise and each office sets and publishes its own prices. The figures here are the Brisbane West office’s “common pricing” - the prices it most frequently charged over a recent two-month period. Use the brand’s office locator to find the price list for your area.
Which is cheaper?
Honestly, we can’t say - Home Instead publishes no prices to compare. What we can say is that Right at Home Brisbane West’s published rates sit at or a little under the national medians (around $115 for personal care, $110 for cleaning). Get a written Home Instead quote and put the two side by side for your suburb.
Do both charge the 10% care management fee?
Yes - 10% of your quarterly budget is set aside for care management with every registered Support at Home provider; the government caps it at that level. Providers differ in the hourly rate they book against that pool, which affects how much coordinator time it buys. See our care management fee comparison.
Sources
- Right at Home Australia - Brisbane West Support at Home common pricing (PDF), rightathome.com.au/images/pdfs/common-pricing/8026_RAH_BW_SAH_Common_Pricing.pdf, accessed August 2026.
- Right at Home Australia - Support at Home, rightathome.com.au/support-at-home, accessed August 2026.
- Home Instead Australia - Support at Home, homeinstead.com.au/support-at-home (no published national pricing as at August 2026).
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - National Summary of Support at Home Prices (median service prices), 2026.
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - Support at Home classification budgets, July 2026.