Gladys alternatives in the UK (scored, November 2026)

Key Takeaways

This is a scored list of Gladys alternatives in the UK: eight introductory platforms, judged on published vetting, fees, flexibility, family support and third-party reviews. None is CQC-registered as a care provider for the service we scored. We run Match With Care and put it in the table on the same rules. Gladys itself is in the table too. Method: how we score platforms. Live table: home care platforms. Checked 13 November 2026.

The Gladys homepage, opened this morning, still lists local carers across BANES, Bristol, Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset and South Gloucestershire. Two paragraphs earlier it says Gladys is proud to serve families across the country. I left both sentences on screen.

Why families search for Gladys alternatives

Gladys is the name people in Bath type. The testimonials on that homepage are Frome, Keynsham, Combe Down, Paulton, Clifton. The introductory-agency page adds Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire and is plain that Gladys is not a traditional domiciliary agency. It introduces self-employed carers. You pick who comes.

That is a real model. It is also why a sibling outside those counties opens a second tab.

Priya in Clapham had the Gladys FAQ on one screen and Elder's pricing page on the other. Her mum is in Paulton. One sister liked the local match. Priya wanted a weekly from-price that did not sit next to a "variable platform fee" with the amount left blank.

Age UK (updated 18 February 2026) still points families at registered homecare agencies, or at arranging a private carer themselves. If savings sit above £23,250, the council will not help with care costs. Age UK's cost page (updated 3 November 2026) puts privately arranged care at home around £25 an hour. The NHS puts a paid carer at about £15 to £30 an hour. Attendance Allowance is still £76.70 a week, or £114.60 if help is needed through both day and night.

Gladys's own client FAQ prices visiting from £32 an hour and live-in from £200 a day.

How we scored these Gladys alternatives

The CQC (updated 2 November 2026) registers people who carry on regulated activity. These platforms introduce self-employed carers, so a CQC grade cannot rank them.

Each platform is scored out of 100 from facts on its own pages: vetting 25, price transparency 20, flexibility 15, family support 20, third-party reviews 20. Review points need at least 10 reviews and are weighted by volume up to 100. A 5.0 with fewer than 100 reviews earns 12 of 20. A fact we cannot find is not published, and earns nothing. Full rules: platform ranking methodology. We run Match With Care. Its rank is the score. Checked 13 November 2026.

What are the main Gladys alternatives in the UK?

On this 13 November 2026 check we scored Elder, Match With Care, Curam, Live-in Care Direct, PrimeCarers, Country Cousins, Gladys and Care.com UK. Elder leads on published facts, at 95/100. Related lists: Elder alternatives, Country Cousins alternatives and best live-in care platforms in the UK.

Comparison table

Rank	Platform	Score	Live-in from	Family fee	Reviews
1	Elder	95/100	From £1,195 a week on the pricing page	One agreed weekly rate	4.8/5 from 905, Trustpilot
2	Match With Care	89/100	Around £1,050–£1,400 a week	15% platform fee on the invoice	5.0 on Google, fewer than 100 reviews (12/20 review points)
3	Curam	88/100	From £950 a week	12% on the carer's rate	4.5/5 from 588, Trustpilot
4	Live-in Care Direct	75/100	From £1,200 a week	One fixed weekly fee	4.9/5 from 121 Google reviews, as stated on their homepage
5	PrimeCarers	72/100	From £1,050, typically £1,120	Fee included	4.1/5 from 43, Trustpilot
6	Country Cousins	55/100	Long-term from £1,155	Lifetime registration fee (amount not published)	3.8/5 from 108, Trustpilot
7	Gladys	47/100	From £1,400 a week (£200 a day)	Carer-set rates; platform fee amount unpublished	No third-party score with 10+ reviews opened
8	Care.com UK	14/100	Not published	Paid Premium to message carers	3.6/5 from 6,405, Trustpilot UK

Checked 13 November 2026. Elder, PrimeCarers and Care.com UK Trustpilot pages returned 403 today. Curam and Country Cousins listings were not re-opened. Review figures above are the last successful opens, as recorded in platform-facts. Care.com UK's 3.6 from 6,405 stays on the 21 October 2026 UK listing.

1. Elder · 95/100

Why it ranks here. Elder's introductory-agency page states enhanced DBS or PVG, right-to-work, and that it aims to verify at least two professional references before introduction, plus a situational assessment. The pricing page, opened 13 November 2026, publishes live-in from £1,195 a week, a two-week trial, no joining or exit fee, and two weeks' notice. Families choose the carer. Trustpilot, last opened 12 October 2026, showed 4.8 out of 5 from 905 reviews.

Where it falls short. Elder is not CQC-registered as a provider. Insurance cover was not on the pages we opened, so those points are zero. The same introductory-agency page says self-employed carers can only prompt medication; Elder does not assess qualifications for administering it.

Sources: pricing, introductory agency.

2. Match With Care · 89/100

Why it ranks here. We run Match With Care. On the same checklist we reach 89, second in this set, one point above Curam. Our FAQ states enhanced DBS, right-to-work, references, an interview, no joining or exit fee, a platform fee on the invoice, carer swaps at no extra matching cost, and replacement cover. The home care platforms table records that fee as 15%. London and the live-in page, both opened 13 November 2026, put live-in around £1,050 to £1,400 a week. Google shows a 5.0 average with fewer than 100 reviews, which earns 12 of 20 review points.

Where it falls short. We are not CQC-registered as a provider. Our own platform insurance cover is not published on our site yet; carers must hold their own public liability insurance. Two weeks' notice, or fees in lieu, is the usual standard. Twelve review points against Elder's 18 is most of the six-point gap.

Sources: FAQ, London, live-in care.

3. Curam · 88/100

Why it ranks here. Curam's client FAQ says every carer is interviewed, DBS-checked, right-to-work checked, and must supply two referees. No sign-up fee, no tie-in, and a 12% client fee. Insurance through CFC is on the FAQ. Care advisers are described as available seven days a week for replacements. The live-in cost guide, opened 13 November 2026, starts ongoing live-in at £950 a week. Trustpilot (NZ listing), last opened 13 October 2026, showed 4.5 out of 5 from 588 reviews.

Where it falls short. A trial shift is charged. Taking a carer off the platform after 90 days attracts a £750 plus VAT recruitment fee. The family total is the carer's rate plus 12%. Self-managed care is not a CQC-regulated personal-care service.

Sources: client information, live-in costs.

4. Live-in Care Direct · 75/100

Why it ranks here. The carers page states enhanced DBS, right-to-work, professional references checked, and an in-person interview. The homepage, opened 13 November 2026, publishes standard live-in from £1,200 a week as one fixed fee, you choose the carer, a named care manager, and replacement help. Google reviews are stated there as 4.9 out of 5 from 121 reviews.

Where it falls short. Not CQC-registered as a provider. No joining fee, notice period, trial or insurance policy was spelled out on the pages we opened. The homepage Trustpilot widget showed 4.8 from 41 reviews, which would score lower on volume.

Sources: homepage, carers.

5. PrimeCarers · 72/100

Why it ranks here. The pricing page, opened 13 November 2026, still prices live-in from £1,050 a week, typically £1,120, fee included. Hourly visits are typically £19.47. What PrimeCarers checks, on the live-in page updated 6 October 2026, is identity, right to work, an enhanced DBS issued within two years (or DBS Update Service, PVG or Access NI), and an online interview. No deposit or joining fee.

Where it falls short. The same live-in page is plain that PrimeCarers does not check qualifications, training or references. A cancelled visit is payable in full unless hospitalisation, illness, or another reason you and the carer agree. Trustpilot, last opened 13 October 2026, showed 4.1 out of 5 from 43 reviews.

Sources: pricing, live-in care.

6. Country Cousins · 55/100

Why it ranks here. The why-join page asks applicants for proof of eligibility to work in the UK, DBS or PVG checks, six months' experience, and two professional references to be shortlisted for an interview. Families choose the carer. The introductory-versus-managed page says Country Cousins can help source replacement cover. Live-in from around £1,155 a week is published. Trustpilot, last opened 13 October 2026, showed 3.8 out of 5 from 108 reviews.

Where it falls short. The live-in cost page, reviewed 13 October 2026 and opened today, still names a lifetime registration fee and an agency fee. Neither amount is published. The pages we opened do not say Country Cousins itself verifies the two professional references carers must supply to be shortlisted, so those points stay at zero. Notice, trial, insurance and family online tools were not published. Short-term care, under four weeks, is £1,344 on the price comparison.

Sources: live-in cost, price comparison, why join, introductory vs fully managed.

7. Gladys · 47/100

Why it ranks here. The client FAQ, opened 13 November 2026, states enhanced DBS, references, interviews, and public liability insurance. Families choose from a handpicked list. Live-in from £200 a day, which we treat as £1,400 a week. The live-in cost article uses the same daily figure and says introductions across England.

Where it falls short. Right-to-work, joining fees, a trial or free swap, and replacement-cover help were not on the pages we opened. We did not open a third-party review listing with at least 10 reviews, so reputation points are zero. The terms, last updated 24 September 2026, name a variable platform fee plus VAT without publishing the amount, and an off-platform fee of £1,500 plus VAT or 30% of a one-year contract. Cancelling or pausing live-in needs at least a month's notice. An administration charge of £50 applies if you cancel or amend a package after introductions. The homepage still lists BANES to South Gloucestershire.

Sources: client FAQ, homepage, live-in care cost 2026, terms, introductory agency.

8. Care.com UK · 14/100

Why it ranks here. The elderly-care listings page, opened 13 November 2026, puts the average caregiver rate at £15.08 an hour as of November 2026. Families post a job, message, interview and hire. The family FAQ makes a paid Premium membership the gate to reading applications and sending messages.

Where it falls short. The same listings page states Care.com does not introduce or supply carers and does not verify identity or posted information. £15.08 is a caregiver average, not a family from-price, and there is no weekly live-in figure. The UK Trustpilot listing, last opened 21 October 2026, showed 3.6 out of 5 from 6,405 reviews, which earns 6 of 20 review points.

Sources: elderly care listings, family FAQ, Trustpilot UK.

Best-for picks from the same scores

• Most thorough published vetting (25/25): Elder, Curam, Match With Care and Live-in Care Direct.
• Lowest published live-in starting price: Curam, from £950 a week on its cost guide. Add the 12% client fee before you treat that as the family total.
• Most flexible published terms (15/15): Elder and Match With Care, which both publish no fixed term plus a trial or a free carer swap.
• Strongest third-party review points: Live-in Care Direct, on the Google figure stated on its homepage (4.9/5 from 121).

If you want a CQC-inspected agency instead of an introductory platform, that is a different list: how we rank agencies.

---

We run Match With Care as an introductory care marketplace, not a CQC-registered agency. If you want us to introduce a vetted self-employed carer, see who is available. We'll tell you the 15% fee before you choose. The live scores sit on home care platforms.

I still do not know whether "across the country" on the Gladys homepage is a plan or copy that has not caught up with the county list underneath it. Both were there this morning.