The short answer
For a solo NDIS support worker who wants every client's record, documents and receipts in one place, Sparks Scribe is our pick: the Clients module holds an unlimited client list from the $15 Essentials plan (including GST), and the $20 Vault plan adds a Document Vault and a Receipt Vault, with data stored in Australia. It is built for one person, so there is no five-licence minimum to pay through. ShiftCare and Visualcare also keep records and are Australian, but both are priced for teams and agencies; Astalty is built for coordinators; EasyAs is an invoicing app whose privacy policy allows personal information to be transferred outside Australia; Bugal is a web-based solo tool. Disclosure: we make Sparks Scribe, so read our verdict on it with that in mind.
Keeping client records used to mean a folder on a laptop, a few signed PDFs buried in your email, and receipts in the glovebox. For an NDIS support worker that is a real risk. If a plan manager, participant or the NDIA ever asks who you support and what was agreed, the answer needs to be in one place, current, and stored somewhere you trust. This guide looks at six apps through a single lens: how well each one keeps client records, documents and receipts together, and where your data is stored. We name them: Sparks Scribe, ShiftCare, Astalty, Visualcare, Bugal and EasyAs.
One thing up front: we make one of these apps. Sparks Scribe is our product, so read our verdict on it knowing that, and check every competitor claim against the vendor's current public pages. Every competitor detail below was collected from each product's public website in July 2026. Where we could not verify something, we say "not verified" instead of guessing.
What makes client records easy to keep in one place?
Feature-count lists reward bloat and hide the things that actually matter when it is just you keeping the records. So we looked at every tool through the same five questions:
- Is there a proper client record? A Clients (or participant) module that holds each person's details in one organised list, not a spreadsheet you maintain by hand.
- Can you store their documents? Service agreements, plans and consent forms attached to the record, not scattered across your inbox.
- Can you keep their receipts? Expenses and receipts filed against the work, ready when tax time or an audit arrives.
- Where is the data stored? For NDIS records, data hosted in Australia matters to a lot of workers. We note what each vendor states, and flag where we could not confirm it.
- Who is it built for? A tool built for one person keeps the record simple. A tool built for agencies pulls its roadmap, and its price, toward rostering and payroll.
Everything below was checked against official public pages in July 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm on the vendor's own site before you decide.
1. Sparks Scribe: client records, documents and receipts in one Australian app
Full disclosure first: this is our product, built in Australia by Sparks Support Pty Ltd for independent NDIS support workers, not agencies. For keeping client records, three modules do the work. The Clients module holds an unlimited client list, included from the $15 Essentials plan. The $20 Vault plan adds a Document Vault for storing documents and a Receipt Vault for receipts, and it also creates automatic service agreements, keeps a kilometre log, and includes tax tools and Xero sync.
If you need compliance depth, the $39 Safeguards plan adds per-client risk profiles and six consent forms with in-app signing, so the record stretches from "who they are" to "what we agreed and what has been signed." Data is stored in Australia, and the app runs on iPhone, Android and the web. On the record: a 5.0 rating on the Australian App Store and more than 90,000 shifts booked through the platform.
Our verdict: for one person who wants the client list, their documents and their receipts in a single Australian-hosted app, this is the tightest package here. It leaves out team rostering and payroll on purpose; if you run an agency, the platforms below carry those, at agency prices.
2. ShiftCare: document features, but priced for teams
ShiftCare is a care-management platform built for agencies. Its public pages describe uploading client documents with expiry dates and staff-access controls, storing care plans, agreements and progress notes, and a Document Hub for organising compliance records with reminders when documents are about to expire. ShiftCare also states its customer data is hosted in Australia on AWS, with Australian-based servers.
The catch for a solo worker is the pricing floor. Every ShiftCare plan has a minimum of five licences, even if you are the only person using it, and invoicing sits on the Professional plan, which works out at $65 to $75 a month excluding GST for one person depending on billing. The document features come at a team price, not a solo price.
Our verdict: document and client-record features with data hosted in Australia, but the five-licence minimum means a sole trader pays for a team of five. We have written a full Sparks Scribe vs ShiftCare comparison.
3. Astalty: participant records built for coordinators
Astalty is built for NDIS support coordinators and providers, and its Participant Records feature is aimed squarely at record keeping: store service agreements, consent forms, risk assessments, NDIS plans and custom record types, attach or link documents to each record, set expiry rules and alerts, and send documents for digital signing through a DocuSign integration.
For a lone support worker the economics are the question. The restricted support-worker profile is $30 per user per month and the standard seat is $64, with e-signatures at $1 each on top. Astalty's participant records page shows an ISO 27001 badge; we did not find an explicit statement of the data-hosting location on the pages we checked (July 2026), so ask before you commit.
Our verdict: participant records aimed at coordinators, priced per seat. For a solo worker whose week is shifts, notes and invoices, it carries coordination depth you may not use. See our Sparks Scribe vs Astalty comparison.
4. Visualcare: Australian provider platform, pricing on application
Visualcare is an Australian care-management platform for aged-care and NDIS providers. On its public pages it describes holding service agreements, approved hours, planned dates and agreed services in the participant's profile, a full note history added from the worker app, and document-compliance alerts across the participant lifecycle. Visualcare describes itself as an Australian company with its head office in Adelaide, and says its software is designed, developed and maintained in Australia; we did not find an explicit statement of the data-hosting location on the participant pages we checked (July 2026). It is a fully web-based application.
Visualcare does not publish pricing on the pages we checked, so a solo worker would need to request a quote, and its feature set is built around organisations that roster teams rather than one person keeping their own records.
Our verdict: an Australian-built provider platform with participant-record features, aimed at aged-care and NDIS organisations rather than sole traders, with pricing on application.
5. Bugal: solo client management, web based
Bugal is a practice-management tool for Australian independents. Its public pages list client management, a service agreement creator, shift management, invoicing and expense tracking, and it runs in the browser on any internet-enabled device. For keeping records that means you can hold a client list, generate service agreements and track expenses. A dedicated document vault for storing other files against a client is not detailed on its public pages.
Pricing is a free plan capped at two invoices a month, or the Solo plan at $35 a month, with a 30-day trial. We could not verify from Bugal's pages whether prices include GST, or where the data is hosted.
Our verdict: a web-based solo tool with client management, service agreements and expense tracking. Its $35 Solo price is more than the $20 Vault plan that adds Sparks Scribe's Document and Receipt Vaults, and we could not verify where Bugal stores data.
6. EasyAs: an invoicing app, thin on records
EasyAs, from EasyAs Provider Invoicing Pty Ltd, does one job: NDIS invoicing. It lets you create, view and edit participant details, mark favourites, and store, track, email and print invoices, with NDIS item numbers pre-loaded. For keeping client records more broadly it is thin by design. Across its website and app-store listings we found no general document store for service agreements, plans or consent forms, and it stores invoices rather than receipts filed against a client.
Its privacy policy states that personal information may be transferred to countries outside Australia, including the United States and European Union, while the product collects participant names and NDIS numbers. The Small plan is $19.95 a month on their website ($19.99 via in-app purchase); the pages do not state whether prices include GST.
Our verdict: an invoicing app, not a records system. It stores participant details and invoices, but for service agreements, plans, consent forms and receipts you would run a second tool, and its privacy policy allows personal information to be sent overseas.
The comparison at a glance
Collected from public pages in July 2026. "Data stored in Australia" reflects only what each vendor states on the pages we checked; where a vendor does not state it, we mark it not verified rather than guessing.
| App | Client records module | Document storage | Receipt / expense storage | Data stored in Australia | Price for 1 person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparks Scribe | Clients module, unlimited (from $15) | Document Vault + automatic service agreements ($20 Vault plan) | Receipt Vault ($20 Vault plan) | Yes, stored in Australia | $15/month incl GST ($20 Vault adds the vaults) |
| ShiftCare | Client records + Document Hub | Yes, care plans, agreements, expiry reminders, staff access | Not verified | Yes, hosted in Australia (AWS) | $65 to $75/month ex GST (min 5 licences; invoicing on Professional) |
| Astalty | Participant Records | Yes, service agreements, consent forms, risk assessments, NDIS plans; DocuSign signing | Not verified | Not verified (ISO 27001 badge; location not stated on pages we checked) | $30/month support-worker profile ($64 standard seat) |
| Visualcare | Participant profiles | Yes, service agreements, compliance docs, note history | Not detailed | Australian company; hosting location not stated on pages we checked | Pricing on application (not published) |
| Bugal | Client management | Service agreement creator (general vault not detailed) | Expense tracking | Not verified | Free (2 invoices/month) or Solo $35/month |
| EasyAs | Basic participant details | No general document vault (invoicing only) | Stores invoices, not client receipts | No, privacy policy allows transfer outside Australia (US, EU) | $19.95/month on their website ($19.99 via in-app purchase) |
All details collected from each vendor's public website in July 2026 and simplified for comparison; prices and plans change, so check the vendor's own page before deciding. "Not verified" means we could not confirm the detail from official public pages and chose not to guess.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best app for keeping NDIS client records in one place?
For a solo NDIS support worker who wants client records, documents and receipts in one place, Sparks Scribe is our pick: the Clients module holds an unlimited client list from the $15 Essentials plan including GST, and the $20 Vault plan adds a Document Vault and a Receipt Vault, with data stored in Australia. It is built for one person, so there is no five-licence minimum to pay through. ShiftCare and Visualcare also keep records and are Australian, but are priced for teams and agencies; Astalty is built for coordinators; EasyAs is an invoicing app; Bugal is a web-based solo tool. Disclosure: we make Sparks Scribe.
Which NDIS apps store client data in Australia?
Sparks Scribe stores its data in Australia. ShiftCare states its customer data is hosted in Australia on AWS with Australian-based servers. Visualcare describes itself as an Australian company whose software is designed, developed and maintained in Australia, though we did not find an explicit data-hosting-location statement on the participant pages we checked in July 2026. EasyAs's privacy policy states personal information may be transferred to countries outside Australia, including the United States and European Union. We could not verify the data-hosting country for Astalty or Bugal from the public pages we checked in July 2026, so ask before you commit.
Can I store client documents and service agreements in these apps?
Yes, in most of them. Sparks Scribe's Document Vault on the $20 Vault plan stores documents, and the Vault plan also creates automatic service agreements. ShiftCare stores care plans, agreements and other documents with expiry-date reminders and staff-access controls. Astalty's Participant Records store service agreements, consent forms, risk assessments and NDIS plans with DocuSign signing. Visualcare holds service agreements and compliance documents in the participant profile. Bugal has a service agreement creator, but a general document vault is not detailed on its public pages. EasyAs is an invoicing app and does not list a general document store.
Can I keep receipts and expenses against a client?
Sparks Scribe has a dedicated Receipt Vault on the $20 Vault plan, alongside a kilometre log and tax tools. Bugal lists expense tracking. ShiftCare, Astalty and Visualcare focus their document features on care and compliance records; we did not verify a client-linked receipt store on the pages we checked in July 2026. EasyAs stores invoices rather than receipts.
How many clients can I store in Sparks Scribe?
Sparks Scribe's Clients module holds an unlimited client list, and unlimited clients are included from the $15 Essentials plan including GST. To add the Document Vault and Receipt Vault you move to the $20 Vault plan, which also adds automatic service agreements, a kilometre log, tax tools and Xero sync.
Do independent support workers need to keep client records?
Yes. Accurate, current client records are how you evidence who you support and what was agreed if a plan manager, participant or the NDIA ever asks. Keeping the client list, their signed documents and their receipts in one place makes that far easier than stitching together a spreadsheet, an email inbox and a shoebox of receipts.
Is an invoicing app enough to keep client records?
Not on its own. An invoicing-only app such as EasyAs stores participant details and invoices, but not the wider record: service agreements, consent forms, plans and receipts. For those you would run a second system. A tool with a Clients module plus document and receipt storage keeps the whole record together in one place.
What is the cheapest way for a sole trader to keep client records with documents?
Bugal has a free plan capped at two invoices a month with client management and a service agreement creator, so at $0 it is the cheapest entry, though a general document vault is not detailed on its pages. Among paid plans that combine a client list with document and receipt storage, Sparks Scribe's $20 Vault plan including GST is the cheapest we verified: it adds the Document Vault and Receipt Vault to the Clients module, with data stored in Australia. ShiftCare and Visualcare are priced for teams and agencies.