Alternatives to Cera for private home care

Cera describes itself as Europe's largest provider of digital-first home healthcare. It says it was co-founded in 2016, and that its 12,000 carers and nurses deliver 3 million visits a month, working on behalf of governments, insurers and the NHS.

It says its private care team can help families arrange care, sometimes within 48 hours, with visits from 30 minutes to several hours a day, as well as live-in, dementia, nurse-led, respite and end-of-life care. It says it is regulated by the CQC in England and the Care Inspectorates in Wales and Scotland. It does not publish private prices. On Trustpilot it showed 4 from 718 reviews on 4 November 2026.

• Helping Hands

  Alternatives to Helping HandsCQC-registered managed agency

  Says it directly employs and trains all its carers and is regulated by the CQC and Care Inspectorate Wales. It offers visiting care and live-in care, with local care managers and a team of specialist nurses.

  Published price: Live-in from £1,675 a week for one person and £2,125 for a couple (page reviewed 17 April 2026).

  Source: Helping Hands live-in care, Helping Hands live-in cost, checked 19 October 2026

• Home Instead

  Alternatives to Home InsteadCQC-registered managed agency

  A network of over 255 locally owned offices in the UK since 2005, regulated by the CQC and the regulators in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Every visit lasts at least an hour, and it offers live-in care too.

  Source: homeinstead.co.uk, checked 19 October 2026

• Right at Home

  Alternatives to Right at HomeCQC-registered managed agency

  A network of 80+ locally owned offices across England, Scotland and Wales. It says every carer is directly employed by Right at Home and that it is regulated by the CQC and the Care Inspectorates in Wales and Scotland. It offers visiting, respite, live-in and 24-hour care.

  Source: rightathome.co.uk, Right at Home FAQs, checked 4 November 2026

• Agincare

  Alternatives to AgincareCQC-registered managed agency

  Family-owned since 1986, with 100+ locations. It says it employs and pays all its care workers, including live-in carers, that all its care services are regulated by the CQC, and that its Smart Start lets you try live-in care for 2 to 4 weeks.

  Published price: Live-in from £1,200 a week, couples from £1,400, and flexible live-in on set days from £695 (its live-in costs page).

  Source: agincare.com, Agincare live-in costs, checked 4 November 2026

• Bluebird Care

  Alternatives to Bluebird CareCQC-registered managed agency

  Home care, live-in care (including for couples) and complex care from 220 locally owned franchise offices, founded in 2004. Each office is inspected by the CQC in its own right, so ratings and prices differ by office. It gives live-in prices as a quote after a free consultation.

  Source: Bluebird Care, why us, Bluebird Care live-in, checked 4 November 2026

• TrustonTap

  Alternatives to TrustonTapIntroductory

  Says the CQC defines it as an introductory agency that is not required to register, that all its carers are self-employed and set their own rates, and that it checks identity, right to work and training certificates and takes two references on each carer.

  Published price: £23 to £34 an hour (average £26), live-in from £1,200 a week, plus a client administration fee of 5% plus VAT.

  Source: TrustonTap FAQs, TrustonTap pricing, checked 4 November 2026

• Curam

  Alternatives to CuramBoth

  Describes itself as a home care platform that connects families directly with self-employed carers. It also runs Curam Managed Care, which it says is CQC registered.

  Published price: Average hourly rate £20.50 and £1,200 a week for live-in (Curam's figures for August 2025), with a 12% client fee added to invoices.

  Source: curamcare.com, Curam Managed Care, Curam client information, checked 19 October 2026

• PrimeCarers

  Alternatives to PrimeCarersIntroductory

  The service that wrote this page. Families search self-employed carers near them, see each carer's own rate and choose who to hire. It is not a care agency and is not CQC registered. Every carer has an ID check, a right to work check, an enhanced DBS (or PVG or Access NI) issued within the last 2 years and an online interview. We do not verify references, qualifications or training.

  Published price: Hourly visits £18 to £25, live-in £1,050 to £1,400 a week, our fee included.

  Source: PrimeCarers pricing, what we check, checked 19 October 2026

An introductory service tends to suit a family that wants to choose the carer, can be the person the carer answers to, and wants more of the price to reach the carer. A managed agency tends to suit care that is complex or clinical, a family that cannot be on hand to direct it, or anyone who wants the provider to be responsible for cover. Either way, ask which checks were done on the carer you would get, not on the company in general.