Arc vs OVcare
OVcare and Arc both publish their prices and both hold data in the UK. OVcare's headline starts lower. Arc's has fewer conditions attached to it, and covers one setting in more depth.
Every claim about OVcare on this page is taken from their own public material and linked to the page it came from. Where they don't publish something, we say so rather than guess. Last checked August 2026.
Arc and OVcare, row by row
Same rows on every comparison we publish, so nothing is chosen to flatter us. Numbers in brackets link to the OVcare page each claim came from.
| CAPABILITY | Arc | OVcare |
|---|---|---|
| COST AND TERMS | ||
| Published price | £249 per home / month, published on our pricing page. |
OVCARE LEADS From £185 per home / month excluding VAT for children's care homes. [1] |
| What the price is charged on Per-home, per-licence and per-bed models produce very different bills for the same home. | The home. Staff accounts are unlimited and never change the price, whether you run five staff or twenty-five. | The home, with unlimited beds and no per-young-person charge. [1] |
| AI included in the price |
ARC LEADS
Included. Advisory drafts, de-identified before inference, UK-only and audited, at no extra charge. |
AI guidance is promoted; whether it is included at every tier is not stated. [1] |
| Minimum contract |
ARC LEADS
None. Billed monthly, cancel at any time. |
Not stated as none; the price varies by contract length. [1] |
| Setup and migration fees |
ARC LEADS
None. Onboarding, training and help moving your existing records across are in the monthly price. |
A one-time setup fee may apply, agreed upfront. [1] |
| Price across a group of homes Some vendors discount the per-home rate as you add homes. | £249 per home, combined billing across the group, and the same all-in price at every home — no renegotiation as you grow. |
OVCARE LEADS Reduces as you add homes. [1] |
| THE RECORD AND THE REGULATIONS | ||
| Who the product is built for |
ARC LEADS
UK children's residential homes only. |
Children's care homes, supported accommodation and family assessment centres. [2] |
| One record per young person |
ARC LEADS
One living record: timeline of every event and entry, care plans and goals, keywork, contact, and wishes and feelings. |
Digital care records across 200+ forms; single-record structure not described. [2] |
| Daily recording | Structured daily journals that compile from what staff log during the shift, with mandatory-field prompts. | 200+ forms covering daily logs and care plans. [2] |
| Handover |
ARC LEADS
Compiled automatically from the shift rather than re-typed at the end of it. |
Not published. [2] |
| Incident tracking |
ARC LEADS
Incidents stay open until they are formally resolved and signed off, with missing episodes, return home interviews and physical intervention records. |
Not published separately from the forms library. [2] |
| Safeguarding workspace |
ARC LEADS
A separate, role-restricted workspace rather than a folder everyone can open. |
Not published as a separate restricted area. [2] |
| Regulation 40 notifications |
ARC LEADS
Raised by a manager at incident review, where the decision belongs, then tracked per recipient with a 24-hour overdue clock and a compiled PDF for the Ofsted submission. |
Not published. [2] |
| Regulation 44 independent visits |
ARC LEADS
Structured independent-visit record with the monthly due date tracked. |
Not named; Regulation 45 and MARs are. [2] |
| Regulation 45 quality of care reports | Compiled from the record already entered, with manager sign-off and a full audit trail. | Yes, with automated reporting. [3] |
| DATA AND ASSURANCE | ||
| Where the data is held | United Kingdom. | United Kingdom. [2] |
| Independent security certification Formal certification held by the supplier. | UK data hosting, role-restricted access and a full audit trail on every record. Arc does not yet hold ISO 27001 or Cyber Essentials. |
OVCARE LEADS Cyber Essentials Plus, DSPT compliant. [2] |
| Homes using it today How long the product has been running and how widely. | Launching in 2026. Join the waitlist before launch and your first home is free for its first year. |
OVCARE LEADS 100+ care facilities claimed. [2] |
Sources
- [1] https://www.ovcare.co.uk/pricing “from £185 per home / per month · excl. VAT” “unlimited beds, training, and support” “AI-Powered Guidance” “Price varies by contract length & reduces as you add homes.” “A one-time setup fee may apply depending on the complexity of your onboarding requirements. This will always be discussed and agreed upfront — there are no surprise charges.”
- [2] https://www.ovcare.co.uk/ “Children's Care Homes” “200+ Inspection-Ready Forms” “advanced encryption, and secure UK hosting” “Cyber Essentials Plus Certified” “100+ Care Facilities Using”
- [3] https://www.ovcare.co.uk/blogs/understanding-regulation-45-reports-simplifying-compliance-with-ovcare “Understanding Regulation 45 Reports: Simplifying Compliance with OVcare”
OVcare information taken from their own public material, last checked August 2026. We re-check every comparison at least every 6 months. If anything here is out of date or wrong, email hello@arccare.co.uk and we will correct it.
When OVcare is the better choice
OVcare starts cheaper, from £185 per home per month against Arc's £249, and reduces the rate as you add homes. They also cover supported accommodation and family assessment centres, hold Cyber Essentials Plus, which Arc does not, and claim 100+ care facilities today. For a group running mixed provision on a tight budget, OVcare is the more practical choice.
Compare the whole bill, not the headline
Arc is £249 per home per month. That covers unlimited staff accounts, every feature, AI, onboarding and migration, with no minimum term. There is no premium tier and the price does not move as your team grows.
Headline prices in this market are rarely the whole bill. Add-ons, per-licence charges, setup fees and the discount that only applies on a three-year tie-in all change the number. Ask every supplier the same five questions and compare what comes back.
And for year one, the comparison is simpler than any of this: request a demo before 1 January 2027 and your first home costs nothing for twelve months.
See Arc's full pricing →Questions to ask any supplier
- Is the price per home, per registered place, or per user?
- Which features sit behind a higher tier or an add-on — including AI?
- What do onboarding, training and data migration cost?
- Is that price conditional on a one, two or three-year term?
- Where is our data hosted, and where does any AI processing happen?
Arc and OVcare: common questions
Is OVcare cheaper than Arc?
On the starting price, yes. OVcare publishes from £185 per home per month excluding VAT for children's care homes, against Arc's £249. OVcare also reduces the price as you add homes. Note that OVcare states a one-time setup fee may apply depending on onboarding complexity, whereas Arc has no setup fee.
Does OVcare charge a setup fee?
It may. OVcare states that a one-time setup fee may apply depending on the complexity of your onboarding requirements, agreed upfront. Arc includes onboarding and migration in the monthly price with no setup fee.
Does OVcare do Regulation 45 reports?
Yes. OVcare publishes material on generating Regulation 45 reports and lists automated reporting for MARs and Regulation 45 reviews. Arc compiles Regulation 45 reports from the record with manager sign-off.
Moving from OVcare to Arc
Changing recording system mid-placement is a real risk, so we plan the move around your home rather than the other way round. Onboarding and migration are included in the monthly price.
Review what you hold
We look at your current records together and agree what must come across and what can be archived.
Migrate the record
Young person records, plans and open incidents are moved and checked before anyone relies on them.
Train on shift
Short sessions with the people who will use it, in the home, on real entries.
Run in parallel
A short overlap so nothing is lost, then a clean cut-over on a date you choose.