CuraFlow vs QCS: prices, contracts and what you keep
By Cura Compliance UK · Updated 12 November 2026
QCS and CuraFlow both sell CQC-ready care policies, on different terms. QCS is a membership from £265 a month that renews every 12 months, and access ends if you leave. CuraFlow sells one library per service type, from £595 once, and the Word and PDF copies you download stay yours.
The short answer
Choose QCS if you run several services, including in Wales, and want one membership that covers policies, audits, e-learning, HR advice lines and care planning. Choose CuraFlow if you want a library written for your service type, a price you can see before speaking to anyone, and documents you keep. CuraFlow also sells Ofsted libraries for children's homes, supported accommodation and nurseries, which QCS's public pages do not list.
Side by side
| CuraFlow | QCS | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | One-off library per service type, with an optional monthly plan for staff access | Monthly membership |
| Published price | Libraries £595 to £1,195 once. Monthly plans £19 to £99, by team size | Foundations from £265 a month, Assurance from £390, Governance from £515. QCS Start for new providers: £599 |
| Contract | None for the library. Monthly plans cancel any time | Renews automatically for 12 months unless you give notice at least 30 days before the term ends. Fees are non-refundable |
| If you stop paying | The Word and PDF copies you downloaded are yours to keep | Access to the policies ends, and the terms require you to stop using the documentation |
| Downloads | The whole library in Word and PDF, with your company details filled in | Up to 30 Word or PDF items a month under the terms |
| Service types | Care homes (with and without nursing), domiciliary care, supported living (LD and autism), cosmetic clinics and online GP for CQC. Children's homes, supported accommodation and nurseries for Ofsted. Care at home and housing support for the Care Inspectorate | Care homes, nursing homes, domiciliary care, supported living, healthcare clinics and GPs |
| Regulators | CQC, Ofsted and the Care Inspectorate (Scotland) | CQC, the Care Inspectorate and CIW. Some pages also name RQIA |
| Policy updates | Included in monthly plans: updates every six months, plus new policies as they are written | Ongoing. QCS says it makes about 500 policy updates a month and sends change alerts |
| Staff reading | Staff accounts with read-and-acknowledge tracking on monthly plans | Reading lists shared with staff. Its FAQ says users are unlimited per location |
| Audits and mock inspections | CuraFlow Compliance, from £29 a month: scheduled audits, action plans and mock inspections mapped to all 34 quality statements | Audit Centre from the Assurance tier. Mock inspections in the Governance tier, built on the five key questions |
| Also included | Policies and audits only. Registration support is sold separately | E-learning (100+ CPD courses), HR and health and safety advice lines, care planning and rostering |
| Trial | Free sample policy. 14-day free trial of Compliance | The terms describe a 24-hour trial. The website now books a demo |
What three years costs
Take a domiciliary care agency with 25 staff. The CuraFlow library is £995 once, and the 25-staff plan is £49 a month, so £2,759 across three years. Adding CuraFlow Compliance for one manager at £29 a month, paid annually, brings it to £3,803.
QCS's Foundations tier starts at £265 a month, at least £9,540 across three years. Audits begin at the Assurance tier, from £390 a month, at least £14,040. QCS's tiers also include e-learning, advice lines and care planning that CuraFlow does not offer, so this compares only the policy and audit parts. Weigh what you would actually use.
What you keep if you leave
This is the biggest practical difference. QCS's FAQ says access to policies, procedures and other services ends when you cancel, and its terms say you must stop using the documentation. The same terms cap downloads at 30 items a month, require QCS trade mark notices to stay on templates, and bar putting QCS content into third-party AI tools such as ChatGPT.
With CuraFlow, the library you buy is downloaded in full as Word and PDF with your company details already in place. Those copies are yours whether or not you keep a monthly plan. If you stop the plan, you lose staff tracking and future updates, not the policies.
Where QCS is stronger
- Breadth. More than 340 policies across care homes, nursing homes, domiciliary care, supported living, clinics and GPs, in one membership.
- Wales. QCS covers Care Inspectorate Wales. CuraFlow does not sell a Welsh library.
- Everything in one place. E-learning, HR and health and safety advice lines, care planning and rostering sit alongside the policies.
- Track record. QCS was incorporated in 2007 and shows a Trustpilot score of 4.6 from about 1,750 reviews.
Where CuraFlow is stronger
- Every price is published, so you can work out a three-year cost before talking to anyone.
- You buy the library once and keep it. There is no 12-month renewal or cancellation notice.
- Ofsted coverage. Children's homes, supported accommodation and nursery libraries are written to the Ofsted frameworks.
- Each library is written for one service type, and arrives with your company name and details substituted throughout.
- CuraFlow Compliance maps audits and mock inspections to all 34 CQC quality statements and shows a predicted rating for each key question.
For other options, including subscription libraries priced between the two, see QCS alternatives for care policies and procedures. For audit tools specifically, see CQC audit software compared.
Buy this library
£995, or £895 with code CURAFLOW100 at checkout until 31 December 2026.
Every policy in the domiciliary care library in Word and PDF, yours to keep, with 90 days' free portal access for staff sign-off.
Questions first? Ask us on WhatsApp or email info@curacompliance.co.uk.
Frequently asked questions
- Is CuraFlow cheaper than QCS?
- On published prices, yes, for policies. A CuraFlow domiciliary care library is £995 once, against QCS memberships from £265 a month. QCS includes e-learning, advice lines and care planning that CuraFlow does not, so compare the parts you would use.
- How much does QCS cost per month?
- QCS's pricing page, checked 10 November 2026, shows three tiers: Foundations from £265 a month, Assurance from £390 and Governance from £515. QCS Start, for new providers, is £599. It does not say whether prices include VAT or how they vary by location, so ask QCS for a written quote.
- How do I cancel QCS?
- QCS's terms renew memberships automatically for 12 months unless you give notice at least 30 days before the end of the current term, and fees are non-refundable. Check your order form for your term dates, and give notice in writing in good time.
- Do I keep QCS policies if I cancel?
- No. QCS's FAQ says access to its policies and services ends when you cancel, and its terms require you to stop using the documentation. CuraFlow library downloads stay yours after any plan ends.
- Does QCS cover Ofsted children's homes?
- QCS's public pages list care homes, nursing homes, domiciliary care, supported living, clinics and GPs, regulated by CQC, the Care Inspectorate and CIW. We found no Ofsted or children's services library. CuraFlow sells Ofsted libraries for children's homes, supported accommodation and nurseries.
- Can I switch from QCS to CuraFlow?
- Yes. Buy the library for your service type, set up staff accounts, and ask staff to read and acknowledge the new policies. Time it with your QCS renewal date so your notice lands at least 30 days before the term ends.
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