Mable vs HomeMade: fees and models compared
Last updated 21 August 2026
Provider and platform fees verified from published pricing, August 2026. Budget figures current as at 1 July 2026.
The short version
- This isn’t a rivalry - HomeMade is Mable’s own subsidiary. The real question is whether you need a platform, a registered provider, or (as many people end up with) both working together.
- Mable is a marketplace, not a registered Support at Home provider: you find independent workers and agree rates directly, with a 7.95% client platform fee added on top. Your Support at Home funding can only flow to Mable through a registered provider or self-management arrangement.
- HomeMade is a registered provider built for self-managers: the government’s 10% care management allocation plus a 10% service loading (“HomeMade fees: 20%”), wrapping Mable-style worker choice in the compliance, budgeting and claims a registered provider must do.
- Neither publishes set hourly rates - on Mable, workers set their own (minimum $42/hr); through HomeMade, rates depend on the workers and services you choose.
Side by side
| Mable | HomeMade | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Platform / marketplace - not a registered Support at Home provider itself; used via approved providers or self-management arrangements | Self-managed registered provider (fully managed option added) |
| Ownership | Private (Mable Technologies) | Private (subsidiary of Mable Technologies) |
| Care management fee | Not applicable - Mable is a platform; care management sits with your registered provider | Self-managed: 10% care management allocation (government-mandated) plus 10% service loading - described on its pricing page as “HomeMade fees: 20%”. Fully managed: 10% care management fee, with “cheaper set rates” for services |
| Other admin / loading fees | Client platform fee 7.95% of the agreed rate (added on top); Support Engagement Fee 10% of the agreed rate (deducted from the worker’s side). “All prices include Mable fees” | 10% service loading on services received through HomeMade (self-managed option) |
| Personal care, weekday | No set rates - workers set their own; minimum worker rate $42/hr (aligned to the Fair Work minimum) | Not published - depends on rates agreed with your chosen workers |
| Cleaning, weekday | No set rates - as above | Not published |
| Coverage | Australia-wide platform (worker availability varies by area) | Australia-wide (“more than 3,500 service providers across Australia”) |
| Distinctive features | Choose-your-own-carer is the core proposition; free to join, “pay only when you get support”; rates agreed directly with independent workers | Registered provider handling budgets, claims and compliance; built on the Mable marketplace; fully managed option with set rates in a separate pricing list (available on request); as at Aug 2026 advertises a contribution offer for full pensioners - check the details and conditions directly |
The two aren’t interchangeable: Mable on its own can’t receive your Support at Home funding - a registered provider must administer the budget. HomeMade is one such provider (and the one Mable built for the job), but it isn’t the only way to use Mable.
What the fee structures mean in practice
Here is one worked example at Classification 5, which has a quarterly budget of $10,182.38 in 2026-27. Whoever administers your budget, the government’s 10% care management allocation comes off first: $1,018.24, leaving a service pool of $9,164.14 for the quarter. Care management is clinical care, so it costs you nothing personally.
Workers via Mable
- Classification 5 · $10,182.38/qtr
- 10% care management = $1,018.24 (taken by your registered provider), leaving $9,164.14
- Then
- Mable’s 7.95% client platform fee sits on top of each agreed rate - roughly $8,489 of agreed worker rates fit in the pool, before any registered-provider fees
- In hours
- Depends on agreed rates - a worker at $55/hr costs about $59.37/hr with the platform fee; one at $90/hr about $97.16/hr
HomeMade
- Classification 5 · $10,182.38/qtr
- 10% care management = $1,018.24, leaving $9,164.14
- Then
- 10% service loading on services received through HomeMade - roughly $8,331 of worker charges fit in the pool
- In hours
- Depends on agreed rates - HomeMade doesn’t publish hourly rates, so hours turn on what your chosen workers charge
The honest comparison: these fees answer different questions. Mable’s 7.95% pays for the marketplace - finding, booking and paying independent workers. HomeMade’s fees pay for being your registered provider - administering the budget, claims and compliance while you keep Mable-style choice. If you source Mable workers through a registered provider, ask exactly which fees stack and on what - the combination differs by arrangement, and your provider must set it out in your service agreement and monthly statements. Your means-tested contribution applies per service either way - see what you’ll pay.
Every figure on this page was verified from Mable’s and HomeMade’s published pricing in August 2026. Platforms and providers adjust fees over time, and the government publishes a quarterly National Summary of Support at Home Prices for benchmarking. Ask for the current fee schedule in writing - and for a plain-English list of every fee that will apply to your arrangement - before signing anything.
Which suits you?
Lean towards Mable (with your own registered provider) if…
- You want maximum control: choosing individual workers, interviewing them, and negotiating rates directly.
- You already have - or want to shop separately for - a registered provider to administer your budget, and you’ll compare what each charges alongside Mable’s 7.95%.
- You’re comfortable that worker availability on a marketplace varies by area, especially outside the cities.
Lean towards HomeMade if…
- You want one organisation to be your registered provider and your route to Mable-style worker choice, rather than assembling the pieces yourself.
- You value a large curated network (HomeMade cites more than 3,500 service providers) with budgeting and claims handled.
- You may want to step up to its fully managed option with set rates later, without changing provider.
Neither answer is “better” - and because the companies are related, choosing one doesn’t wall off the other. The right question is how much administration you want to own yourself.
Not sure which fits your situation?
Tell us your classification, postcode and how hands-on you want to be, and we can help you compare these options - and any others servicing your area - for your situation.
Common questions
Can I use my Support at Home budget directly on Mable?
Not on its own. Mable isn’t a registered Support at Home provider, so your funding has to flow through a registered provider (or an approved self-management arrangement) that agrees to pay Mable workers from your budget. HomeMade exists largely to be that provider, but other registered providers can also work with Mable - ask any provider you’re considering whether and how they support it.
If HomeMade is owned by Mable, is this comparison even fair?
It’s less a contest than a map of one company’s two offerings - which is exactly why we flag the ownership. The practical takeaway: if a HomeMade representative suggests Mable (or vice versa), that’s a related company being recommended. It may still be the right fit; just compare the combined fees against unrelated alternatives - see our self-management providers comparison - before deciding.
Who is responsible for worker screening and quality?
It differs by model, and it’s worth pinning down in writing. On Mable you engage independent workers directly, with the platform providing verification checks; through a registered provider like HomeMade, the provider carries registered-provider obligations under the Aged Care Act. If something goes wrong, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission handles complaints about registered providers - see complaints and refunds.
What do the fees mean for what I actually pay?
Platform fees and loadings come out of your quarterly budget, not directly out of your pocket. What you personally pay is your means-tested contribution per service, set by Services Australia - the same percentage rules with any provider or platform. See contributions explained, and remember personal care becomes free for everyone from 1 October 2026.
Sources
- Mable - pricing, mable.com.au/pricing/, accessed August 2026.
- Mable - Support at Home price guide, mable.com.au/discover/support-at-home/support-at-home-price-guide/, accessed August 2026.
- HomeMade - pricing, homemadesupport.com.au/pricing/, accessed August 2026.
- HomeMade - Support at Home, homemadesupport.com.au/support-at-home, accessed August 2026.
- HomeMade - self-managed home care, homemadesupport.com.au/self-managed/, accessed August 2026.