PrimeCarers vs Curam

On PrimeCarers, a family searches carers near them, sees each carer's own rate and profile, messages the ones they like and chooses who to hire. The carer is self-employed, sets their own rate and works for the family, who direct the care. PrimeCarers is not a care agency and is not registered with the CQC, because it does not employ carers or provide care itself. An optional managed service adds help with admin, scheduling and finding cover for a fee on top (5% or 10%), but it is not regulated care and the carer stays self-employed.

Curam describes itself as a UK home care platform that connects families directly with self-employed carers, so its main service works the same way (curamcare.com). It also runs Curam Managed Care, which it says is CQC registered, with a managed care team that arranges and oversees care plans (Curam Managed Care). If you want a regulated, managed service from the same company as the marketplace, Curam has one and PrimeCarers does not.

On PrimeCarers the price a family sees on a carer's profile is the price they pay. Our standard fee is a share of that price, and the carer keeps the rest: 20% on hourly visits under 6 hours, 15% on visits of 6 hours or more (including overnights), and 12.5% on live-in. Nothing is added on top unless you choose the managed service. Some long-standing carers are on older or negotiated rates, so these are our standard fees.

Curam's client information page says a 12% client fee is added to your invoices, and that the carer is paid the rate they agreed with you minus a 15% carer fee (Curam client information). Put on the same footing as ours, as a share of what the family pays, those two published fees come to about 24% for Curam, with about 76% reaching the carer. Curam's home page calculator mentions "10% Curam fees", so ask Curam which figure applies to you.

Carers on both platforms set their own rates, so the carer you choose decides the price more than the platform does.

On PrimeCarers, hourly visits cost £18 to £25 an hour, typically £19.47, and live-in care costs £1,050 to £1,400 or more a week, typically £1,120. These figures include our fee. Our pricing page shows the live rates.

Curam says the average rate charged on Curam was £20.50 an hour and £1,200 a week for live-in care in August 2025, and that its 12% client fee is added to invoices (Curam client information). With that fee added, the hourly average would be about £22.96. Its live-in cost guide gives a typical range of £950 to £1,400 a week, with the 12% platform fee on top (Curam, cost of live-in care).

Every carer on PrimeCarers has an ID check, a right to work check, an enhanced DBS check (or PVG in Scotland, Access NI in Northern Ireland) issued within the last 2 years, and an online interview before they appear in a search. We do not verify references, qualifications or training. Carers can invite past employers and families to leave references on their profile, and families who booked them can leave reviews, but checking a carer's skills and training is for you to do with them before you book. What we check, and what we don't.

Curam lists more requirements for carers who join. Its carers page asks for relevant care experience, two UK work references, a Care Certificate from the last three years, the right to work in the UK and an enhanced DBS, PVG or Access NI (Curam, for carers). Its client information page says every carer provides two referees, one of them a UK resident, and that qualifications on a profile must be backed by certificates (Curam client information). On what each platform says it checks, Curam's published bar is higher.

A council direct payment can usually pay a self-employed carer your family has chosen, including one found on PrimeCarers. Payment runs through PrimeCarers, so the invoices for each visit are there when the council reviews your spending. Councils set their own rules, so ask your direct payments team before care starts. How direct payments work.

Curam says it accepts local authority direct payments, that NHS Continuing Healthcare funding can be used where the CHC team agrees to a self-employed carer, and that personal budget holders use it (Curam client information).

Curam has many more Trustpilot reviews than PrimeCarers and a higher score there. Both pages are public: PrimeCarers on Trustpilot and Curam on Trustpilot. On either platform, the reviews on the profile of the carer you are considering tell you more about that person than the company's overall score.

On PrimeCarers, tell us and our team will help you look for another carer, but we cannot guarantee cover because carers are self-employed. It is worth agreeing a back-up plan with your carer early on, such as a second carer who knows the routine. If you need someone quickly, our urgent finder looks for a carer for you, with a £40 fee charged only if you go ahead with a carer it finds. The managed service adds help finding holiday cover and priority help finding a replacement live-in carer.

Curam says its carers are encouraged to work in micro-teams, so your carer can tell you who covers for them, and the replacement invoices you through the platform while your regular carer is away. You can also hire a different carer on the platform (Curam client information). On Curam Managed Care, it says its scheduling team manages changes and cover (Curam Managed Care).

Both are introductory platforms, so on either one you choose and direct a self-employed carer, and the care is between you and them. You can search both and decide on the carer rather than the platform.