Care.com Review
Care.com is an online platform where people can engage various services such as senior car, pet care, special needs car, housekeeping, tutoring and more. The company has been around since 2006 and currently has over 32 million members in 20 countries. If you are capable of providing caregiving services, you can earn some extra income by offering your services to other members on the platform.
Pros
- High hourly earnings – you can earn anywhere from $15 to up to $20 per hour by providing caregiving services to people in your local regions.
- Quick processing time for payments – all payments are processed via Stripe and are done within 2 business days, sometimes as quickly as 30 minutes.
- Get up to $500 in benefits each year – for every hour you work, you can earn Benefit Bucks, which you can redeem for things like healthcare costs.
- 4 different benefits – all caregivers get access to: health and dental insurance, discounts, healthcare costs and expenses, income protection.
Cons
- May need to wait a long time for approval – caregiver accounts have to undergo a background check before being approvd, which can take up to 2 months.
- Membership subscription fees – caregivers must either pay a $20 per month fee for premium membership or pay an annual fee for a background check.
Jump to: Full Review
Compare to Other Gig Economy Jobs
DoorDash
Earn $25 per hour plus keep 100% of your tips (4000 cities in USA)
You can use any mode of transportation: your car, bicycle or motorcycle
You have the freedom to pick and choose which orders you want to accept
GoPuff
Experienced delivery drivers can earn up to $21 per hour ($13 on average)
Choose when you want to work based on your schedule in 1000 cities
Delivery snacks, drinks, grocery, quick meals, cleaning supplies and more
Grubhub
Make around $12 per hour + tips and create your own flexible schedule
No resume, interview or delivery experience required, and no dress code
Cash your earnings out up to $500 a day (free for Chase Bank customers)
How Does Care.com Work?
Founded in 2006 and based in North Waltham, Massachusetts, Care.com is an online marketplace that connects caregivers with families in need of their services.Care.com claims to be a one-stop-shop for families and sitters and one of the largest resources of their kind.
Care.com allows you to;
- Register and set your rates and availability
- Browse for jobs in your area
- Do the jobs and start earning a few dollars
Care.com also allows families to publish available job postings which you can apply for.
Jobs you can find through Care.com:
- Babysitting jobs – part-time babysitting, summer job, after school babysitting, language-specific babysitting, toddler babysitting.
- Child care jobs – before school child care, in-home child care, mothers helper job, religious child care, etc.
- Nanny jobs – part-time, full-time, live-in, overnight, college, etc.
- Tutoring jobs – homeschooling, after school tutoring, foreign language tutoring, etc.
- Senior care jobs – companion care, nursing home, home care, health aide, etc.
- Housekeeping jobs – house cleaning, gardening, cooking, house sitting, etc.
- Special needs jobs – care for people with special needs, down syndrome, autism, etc.
- Pet care jobs – pet sitting, walking, grooming, boarding.
- Part-time jobs – after school jobs, driving jobs, night jobs, weekend jobs.
In order to simplify your job search process, Care.com offers an app for iOS and Android devices. Using this app, you can find caregiver jobs, apply to them, and communicate with families on the go
While you don’t need any specific educational qualification or degree to join Care.com as a caregiver, you should be qualified for the job you are advertising for.
How Much You Can Make With Care.com?
On average, you can earn from $13.31 to $15.04 as a Care.com caregiver. Accordingly, with a regular 40-hour/week schedule you could earn $532 – $602 per week, i.e. up to $2,400 per month and $28,877 per year.
| Position | Estimated Earnings |
|---|---|
| Babysitter / Nanny | $13.68 /hour |
| Childcare Provider | $45,938 /year |
| Caregiver | $16.04 /hour |
| Personal Care Assistant | $14.27 /hour |
| Household Manager | $346 /week |
| Housekeeper | $16.29 /hour |
| Pet Sitter | $13.69 /hour |
Source: Indeed.com
However, be aware that the hourly rate is totally negotiable with the families and varies depending on location and services requested. Moreover, some families may request that you provide more than one service at a time to them, which could increase your earnings as well.
Who is Care.com Best for?
Care.com is designed for caregivers looking for jobs and career opportunities. The platform is also best for anyone who wants a caregiver to look after their children, seniors, or patients at home or work.
Care.com Benefits: What Does Care.com Offer?
Lots of opportunities
It opens up lots of opportunities, and you can find tons of job postings on the site. Whether you’re looking for work as a pet-sitter or a tutor, it can be a good resource for finding work.
Educational blog
Care.com also has a blog containing informative articles for family members and caregivers. The blog article topics include;
- Parenting
- Balancing work and parenthood
- How to run a business as a caregiver
- Family-friendly companies
- Employee benefits
Easy to use
Care.com is very easy to navigate. When you sign up, choosing options is quick and easy.
You get access to a database of professionals.
Care.com Requirements
- Be 18 years or older
- Have a clear criminal record
- Pass background checks
Care.com Costs to Consider
Free Basic Membership
As a Free Basic Member, you’re not charged anything. Not even a commission fee when you get a job through the platform.
But Basic Membership is very limited when it comes to job opportunities. You only have access to just a few jobs.
However, the company has recently updated their terms and offers newly enrolled healthcare workers and senior caregivers access to a free 30-day Premium Membership. The accessible jobs during this period include childcare, senior care, and pet care positions.
The Company today announced that effective immediately, newly enrolling healthcare workers and those looking for senior care will have access to a free 30-day premium membership to Care.com, through which they can find an array of care support including childcare, senior care, and pet care
Premium Membership
A Care.com Premium Membership comes with some benefits for a monthly fee of $20.
Perks of Care.com Premium Membership:
- Your profile will appear highlighted in the search results.
- Rank higher in the search results.
- Receive priority email notification when new jobs are available. These notifications arrive hours before Free Basic Members receive them.
- Check which families have viewed your profile.
Care.com Payout Terms and Options?
Once you’ve completed the work, Care.com will pay you directly using Stripe. Through Stripe, you can set up a direct transfer of funds to your personal bank account. This feature also allows you to update your payment preferences at any time.
Is Care.com Legit & Safe?
Care.com is a company that’s been connecting families to caregivers since 2007; hence not a scam. Rated 1.1 on Trustpilot, 3.3 on Sitejabber, and 1.1 on Facebook, the company has gathered tons of reviews, with most users describing it as an easy-to-use platform that connects you to clients.
Other users also praised it for prompt payments. However, some users think it’s not the best platform claiming that its premium fee of $20 is a bit high. Other caregivers also had issues with the platform for canceling their accounts without warning.
| Website | Rating |
|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 1.1 |
| Sitejabber | 3.3 |
| 1.1 |
What are the Care.com Pros & Cons?
Care.com Pros
- No fees when you get a job through Care.com.
- Get paid in cash.
- Affordable premium membership.
- There are tons of resources available
Care.com Cons
- Premium membership renews without a warning.
- You need a premium account to respond to job posts – $20/month.
How Good is Care.com Support and Knowledge Base?
Care.com has an extensive support and knowledge base, including frequently asked questions page FAQs with clear guidelines and instructions for the caregiver and care seeker. You can also reach the company through a ticketed email service or phone at (877) 277-3115.
Care.com Review Verdict: is Care.com Worth it?
As Care.com is one of the largest platforms connecting you with families who need your help as a caregiver, I would say it’s totally worth listing your profile over there.
However, the biggest downside Care.com has is that premium membership renews automatically, without reminding you of it. If you check out TrustPilot reviews about Care.com, you’ll see that people not only complain but also call the company a scam because of it.
But even this downside may mean nothing to you if you stick with the free basic membership. If you decide to purchase a Premium Membership, you could mark the membership renewal date on your calendar and cancel it before renewal when you no longer need to use it.
How to Start Earning With Care.com?
There are 2 ways you can get jobs as a caregiver through Care.com.
The first one is pretty simple: just browse the open caregiver jobs and provide required information about you. While this way is the easiest one, it only offers a limited number of jobs, which are posted by the company and are mostly on a remote basis.
On the other hand, when you become a Care.com member, you’ll be able to browse jobs posted by families and contact them directly.
Here’s the step-by-step guide to becoming a Care.com member:
Step 1 – Join the Care.com platform
First step to starting your caregiver career on Care.com is to join the platform. Simply make sure you select “Apply to jobs” under the question “What would you like to do?”.
After you select that, you’ll need to select what services you offer and create an account.
Step 2 – Create your caregiver profile
Once you have created your login details, you’ll be redirected to a page where you need to create your caregiver profile.
At this step, you’ll need to provide detailed information about you, including:
- Your personal and contact information
- Your location
- Availability
- Job preferences
- Language(s) you speak
- Education
- Skills
- Years of experience
- Upload your profile picture
Step 3 – Pass the screening process
A background check is the most important part of the Care.com screening process, known as CareCheck.
What’s included in CareCheck?
- Social Security Number trace
- National Sex Offender Public Website search
- Multi-jurisdictional criminal database search
- Federal and county criminal records search
After successfully passing this process, you get a CareCheck badge which will be available on your profile for families to make sure they can trust you.
Note that Care.com pays for the background checks included in the CareCheck so you don’t have to.
Step 4 – Browse the family requests
Families who sign up for the Care.com seeking caregivers can post their requests on the platform so you as a caregiver can apply and contact them directly.
Just select the job that suits your skills and preferences, filter the postings by location and apply to families who you feel comfortable working with.
Sites Like Care.com
| Company | Care.com | DoorDash | Grubhub | GoPuff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logo | 
|
|
|
|
| Pay per hour | $13.31 to $15.04 | $20 | $12 to $13 | 13 |
| Pay Schedule | Not specified | Weekly | Thursdays | Wednesdays |
| Best for | Babysitting, Tutoring | Food delivery | Food delivery | Delivery services |
Care.com vs. DoorDash
DoorDash Summary
- Choose your own flexible working hours
- Earn up to $25 per hour + tips
- Get $150 when you refer a friend to join
- You get to keep 100% of all tips
DoorDash is a work for yourself job that allows you to make money delivering food. While both platforms allow you to make extra money, DoorDash is free compared to Care.com, which charges $20 per month.
DoorDash also allows you to make up to $20 compared to Care.com expected earnings of $13.31 to $15.04. As for the payment schedule, DoorDash pays weekly, while Care.com hasn’t specified its payment schedule.
Care.com vs. Grubhub
GrubHub Summary
- High average earnings of $12 per hour
- Instant cash out for your earnings
- Earn more from tips and peak periods
- Deliver with car, bike, scooter, motorcycle
Grubhub is an online food delivery app that allows you to earn extra money. Like Care.com, Grubhub lets you make extra money. While Grubhub is free to sign up and use, Care.com charges $20 to use its premium plan and access more features.
Grubhub also lets you earn $12 to $13 compared to Care.com, whose expected earnings is between $13.31 to $15.04
Care.com vs. GoPuff
GoPuff Summary
- Potential to earn up to $21 per hour
- Additional ways to earn extra cash
- Good side hustle even with a full-time job
- Work as much or as little as you want
GoPuff is a food delivery app that allows you to make money delivering food. Compared to Care.com, which charges $20 per month to access its premium plan, GoPuff is free to use.
Go Puff also allows you to make $13 compared to Care.com, which lets you make $13.31 to $15.04. More so, GoPuff pays every Wednesday compared to Care.com, whose payment schedule is not specified.
Care.com vs. SitterCity
Sittercity Summary
Sittercity is completely free for caregivers. The only difference between Care.com and SitterCity is that SitterCity only features 5 types of jobs – babysitter, nanny, pet care provider, care companion and housekeeper.
On the other hand, Care.com offers the services SitterCity does, plus tutoring and caregiving for people with special needs.
Care.com vs. UrbanSitter
UrbanSitter is a popular alternative to Care.com when it comes to babysitting. However, that’s the only service UrbanSitter offers to families, while with Care.com you can work in many different categories – you can be a nanny, a tutor, a pet sitter or an elder people companion.
Care.com vs. GreatAuPair.com
GreatAuPair.com is a company that provides you jobs as a babysitter, a nanny, a pet sitter, a housekeeper or a senior care companion. Basically, GreatAuPair.com is a direct alternative to Care.com.
But unlike Care.com, GreatAuPair.com takes care of your hiring process and also gives you an opportunity to work abroad.
Other Sites Like Care.com
Alternative Gig Economy Jobs
BetterHelp
Steady App
Shopkick
Lyft
Roadie
Bellhop
FlexJobs
Instacart
JobGet
Puls
Shipt
Care.com FAQ
What is Care.com
The platform offers a diversity of services to families seeking caregivers. This ultimately translates into a variety of care services you can provide as a caregiver.
Currently,the site has over 32.9 million members across 20 countries. Care.com is also offered as an employee benefit by 150 companies and organizations, such as Google and Facebook.
Is Care.com legitimate?
Yes, Care.com is a legitimate site that connects caregivers with clients.
How do I contact the Care.com customer service center?
You can contact Care.com customer service by emailing or chatting with them.
What is Care.com’s refund policy?
Care.com does not offer refunds on its Premium memberships.
How does Care.com work to keep caregivers safe?
Care.com encourages caregivers to schedule a video conference call with the family before working for them.
How does Care.com work to keep families safe?
Care.com does background checks on all caregivers, including a National Sex Offender Registry check.