# ARC vs OVcare: children's home software compared on cost and scope (2026) Source: https://arccare.co.uk/compare/ovcare Last updated: 2026-11-10 Side by side ## 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. ✓ ARC leads on 11 of 21 rows ＝ Level on 6 OVcare leads on 4 Green cells mark where ARC leads, slate cells where OVcare leads. Rows tagged LEVEL are a draw. → Scroll the table sideways to see OVcare Comparison of ARC and OVcare across cost, the young person record, the regulations, and data assurance | CAPABILITY | ARC | OVcare | |---|---|---| | COST AND TERMS | | Published price | £149, £199 or £249 per home / month by registered beds (1–3, 4–6, 7+), published on our pricing page. Two months free if you pay annually. | OVCARE LEADS From £185 per home / month excluding VAT for children's care homes. [\[1\]](#source-1) | | What the price is charged on Per-home, per-licence and per-bed models produce very different bills for the same home. | ＝ LEVEL The home. Staff accounts are unlimited and never change the price, whether you run five staff or twenty-five. | ＝ LEVEL The home, with unlimited beds and no per-young-person charge. [\[1\]](#source-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. [\[1\]](#source-1) | | Minimum contract | ✓ARC LEADS None. Pay monthly and cancel at any time, or pay annually for two months free. An annual plan can be cancelled but is not refunded, and runs to the end of the paid year. | Not stated as none; the price varies by contract length. [\[1\]](#source-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. [\[1\]](#source-1) | | Price across a group of homes Some vendors discount the per-home rate as you add homes. | Each home is banded on its own registration, so a group of small homes pays small-home prices. Combined billing across the group, published rates at every home, and no renegotiation as you grow. | OVCARE LEADS Reduces as you add homes. [\[1\]](#source-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. [\[2\]](#source-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. [\[2\]](#source-2) | | Daily recording | ＝ LEVEL Structured daily journals that compile from what staff log during the shift, with mandatory-field prompts. | ＝ LEVEL 200+ forms covering daily logs and care plans. [\[2\]](#source-2) | | Handover | ✓ARC LEADS Compiled automatically from the shift rather than re-typed at the end of it. | Not published. [\[2\]](#source-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. [\[2\]](#source-2) | | Home finances | ✓ARC LEADS Each home's cash tin, prepaid card and debit card has its own account: top-ups from your organisation, spends recorded with receipts, pocket money moved into a child's pots, and regular counts checked against the balance, with manager sign-off. | Not published. No petty cash, card, pocket money or budget feature appears on their features or children's homes pages. [\[2\]](#source-2) | | Staff rotas | ＝ LEVEL Managers build and publish rotas as a live calendar, including shifts that run across several days. Staff see the published rota, changes after publishing are flagged, and hours export as a CSV for payroll. | ＝ LEVEL Rotas with automatic shift planning, clock-in and timesheets, and staff self-service for leave. Overtime tracking and costs are listed for children's homes. [\[3\]](#source-3) | | Electronic medication record (eMAR) | ＝ LEVEL Prescriptions confirmed by a second person, scheduled and as-needed doses recorded at the point of giving, a controlled drugs register with witnessing, and live stock balances. Runs alongside your pharmacy MAR until a manager signs it over as the record. | ＝ LEVEL Scheduled and as-needed medication with allergy conflict checks, cabinet syncing, and tracking of top-ups, disposals and returns. Every action updates the MAR automatically. [\[3\]](#source-3) | | Safeguarding workspace | ✓ARC LEADS A separate, role-restricted workspace rather than a folder everyone can open. | Not published as a separate restricted area. [\[2\]](#source-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. [\[2\]](#source-2) | | Regulation 44 independent visits | ✓ARC LEADS Structured independent-visit record with the monthly due date tracked. | Not named; Regulation 45 and MARs are. [\[2\]](#source-2) | | Regulation 45 quality of care reports | ＝ LEVEL Compiled from the record already entered, with manager sign-off and a full audit trail. | ＝ LEVEL Yes, with automated reporting. [\[4\]](#source-4) | | DATA AND ASSURANCE | | Where the data is held | ＝ LEVEL United Kingdom, named to the service: the application on Amazon EC2 and the database on Amazon RDS, both in the UK region. | ＝ LEVEL United Kingdom. [\[2\]](#source-2) | | Independent security certification Formal certification held by the supplier itself, separate from its hosting provider. | Role-restricted access, an append-only audit trail on every record, and a signed data processing agreement, running on ISO 27001-certified AWS infrastructure in the UK. | OVCARE LEADS Cyber Essentials Plus, DSPT compliant. [\[2\]](#source-2) | | Track record and availability How long the product has been running, and how widely. | Live now, with onboarding, migration and UK-based support included from day one. | OVCARE LEADS 100+ care facilities claimed. [\[2\]](#source-2) | ### Sources 1. \[1\] “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. \[2\] “Children's Care Homes” “200+ Inspection-Ready Forms” “advanced encryption, and secure UK hosting” “Cyber Essentials Plus Certified” “100+ Care Facilities Using” 3. \[3\] “Rotas with automatic shift planning, clock-in and timesheets, plus staff self-service for leave and fit notes” “Scheduled and PRN medication with daily administration reminders, allergy conflict checks, cabinet syncing and tracking for top-ups, disposals and returns.” 4. \[4\] “Understanding Regulation 45 Reports: Simplifying Compliance with OVcare” OVcare information taken from their own public material, last checked 11 August 2026. We re-check every comparison at least every 6 months. If anything here is out of date or wrong, email and we will correct it. The honest bit ## When OVcare is the better choice OVcare reduces its rate as you add homes, which ARC does not do at all, so a larger group can end up paying them less per home despite ARC's lower entry price. They also cover supported accommodation and family assessment centres, hold Cyber Essentials Plus, and claim 100+ care facilities today. For a group running mixed provision on a tight budget, OVcare is the more practical choice. Cost ## Compare the whole bill, not the headline ARC is £149, £199 or £249 per home per month, set by the number of beds the home is registered for. That covers unlimited staff accounts, every feature, AI, onboarding and migration, billed monthly or annually. 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. [See ARC's full pricing →](https://arccare.co.uk/pricing) ### Questions to ask any supplier 1. ? Is the price per home, per registered place, or per user? 2. ? Which features sit behind a higher tier or an add-on — including AI? 3. ? What do onboarding, training and data migration cost? 4. ? Is that price conditional on a one, two or three-year term? 5. ? Where is our data hosted, and where does any AI processing happen? Questions ## ARC and OVcare: common questions ### Is OVcare cheaper than ARC? It depends on the size of the home and the group. OVcare publishes from £185 per home per month excluding VAT for children's care homes, against ARC's £149 for one to three beds, £199 for four to six and £249 above that — so ARC is lower for smaller homes. OVcare reduces the price as you add homes and ARC does not, so a larger group may end up paying OVcare less. 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. ARC has its own eMAR, and compiles Regulation 45 reports from the record with manager sign-off. Switching ## 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. 1 ### Review what you hold We look at your current records together and agree what must come across and what can be archived. 2 ### Migrate the record Young person records, plans and open incidents are moved and checked before anyone relies on them. 3 ### Train on shift Short sessions with the people who will use it, in the home, on real entries. 4 ### Run in parallel A short overlap so nothing is lost, then a clean cut-over on a date you choose. ## Other comparisons [### ARC vs CHARMS: a broad platform against a narrow one Last checked August 2026. ](https://arccare.co.uk/compare/charms) [### ARC vs Clearcare: what a home actually pays Last checked August 2026. ](https://arccare.co.uk/compare/clearcare) [### ARC vs CRIS Last checked August 2026. ](https://arccare.co.uk/compare/cris) ## See ARC in your home. See both systems side by side before you decide. No spam. We'll only use this to arrange your demo.