The NDIS works on the principle of choice and control — you choose your providers, set the terms, and decide what supports you receive. The challenge is that choice only works when you have good information. And good information about NDIS providers is harder to come by than it should be.
This guide covers every method participants use to find NDIS providers today, the strengths and weaknesses of each, and what to actually look for once you've got a shortlist.
The official NDIS provider finder
The NDIS Commission and the official myplace portal both include provider search tools. The official finder lists NDIS-registered providers and lets you filter by service type and location.
It's a useful starting point for two things: confirming a provider is actually registered, and seeing the full list of options in your area. What it doesn't give you is any sense of quality. There are no reviews, no ratings, and no information about what other participants experienced. You'll find every registered provider, but you'll learn nothing about whether they're any good.
Marketplaces — Hireup, Mable, Mobility
Marketplaces are different from directories. Instead of just listing providers, they handle the engagement end-to-end: you find a worker, book a shift, pay through the platform, and the platform manages the employment or contractor relationship. They're particularly useful for personal care, community access, and support work.
The trade-off is that you're choosing individual workers rather than provider organisations, which gives you more control but also more responsibility for managing the relationship. You also pay platform fees on top of the worker's rate.
Other ways to find providers
- Facebook groups. NDIS-focused groups in your state or region are often the most honest source of provider recommendations. Post asking for suggestions, search for the provider's name to see what's been said before, and weight personal stories more than generic praise.
- Your support coordinator. If you have one, this is one of their core jobs. Just remember they can only recommend who they know.
- Your Local Area Coordinator (LAC). Your LAC can help with general guidance and connecting you to local services, especially if you don't have support coordination funded.
- Word of mouth. Other participants and families in your community are often the best source of honest information.
What to look for in an NDIS provider
Once you have a shortlist, here are the things worth checking before you commit.
- Registration status. Confirm whether they're NDIS-registered (matters most if you're NDIA-managed). Check the NDIS Commission's provider register if you want to be sure.
- Reviews and reputation. Search the provider's name across Google, Facebook groups, and independent directories. Look for patterns, not single opinions.
- Responsiveness. The way a provider responds to your initial enquiry is a strong signal of how they'll communicate ongoing. Slow, vague, or pushy responses early on usually don't get better.
- Service agreement. Read it carefully. Look for cancellation terms, notice periods, hourly rates, and how disputes are handled. A vague agreement is a red flag.
- Trial periods. A good provider will be happy for you to try a few sessions before committing long-term. Be wary of any provider who pressures you to sign for many months upfront.
- Match with your goals. A great provider for someone else may not be the right one for you. Make sure they understand and support what you're actually trying to achieve.
Where RateMyProvider fits
RateMyProvider is being built to be the single independent place to find, compare, and review NDIS providers in Australia. Verified reviews, transparency scores, free for participants, and impossible for providers to suppress negative feedback by paying us.
We're not the only directory you should ever use — there's value in cross-referencing across multiple sources. But we want to be the most reliable signal in your toolkit, especially for the question that matters most: what was it actually like for the people who came before you?
Related reading
- NDIS provider reviews — why they matter and where to find them
- NDIS support coordination — what it is and how to choose well
- NDIS plan management — how it works and how to choose a plan manager
Frequently asked questions
It depends on how your plan is managed. If you're NDIA-managed, you can only use NDIS-registered providers. If you're plan-managed or self-managed, you can use either registered or unregistered providers, which gives you more flexibility (but more responsibility too).
A directory lists providers and lets you contact them yourself — you do the engagement, the booking, and the agreement directly with the provider. A marketplace (like Hireup or Mable) handles the matching, booking, payment, and sometimes the employment relationship as well. Directories suit people who want to choose and manage their own providers; marketplaces suit people who want a more turnkey experience.
Yes — that's a big part of what support coordinators do. They have local knowledge and can suggest providers they've seen work well for participants with similar goals. The catch is that a coordinator can only recommend who they know, and recommendations may be limited by their own network. Independent reviews give you a wider, less filtered view.
In rural and regional Australia, provider availability can be limited. Options include: providers who deliver remotely (telehealth therapy, online support coordination), providers who travel to your area, or unregistered local workers if your plan is self- or plan-managed. Your support coordinator and Local Area Coordinator can help you explore options.