Assisted living & senior living communities · Updated 2026-09-23
Assisted living software in 2026: which platform for which community
An assisted living community needs software for four jobs: the resident’s care record and medication administration (eMAR), state compliance documentation, billing that mixes rent, levels of care and extras, and the sales pipeline that keeps units occupied. Enterprise platforms cover all four for multi-level operators; smaller communities often get more from a product built only for assisted living. We compared the platforms operators actually use from their public information, checked on September 23, 2026, with no paid placements.
What the research says about electronic records in residential care
Electronic records do not automatically free up time. Shiells et al. (Informatics for Health and Social Care, 2019) reviewed 22 studies on electronic patient records in nursing homes: they can support time for direct care, accountability, care planning and information exchange, but can also create new documentation burdens; the device used and the structure of the record make the difference.
Medication is where the gain is clearest. In a before-and-after study of an electronic medication administration record (in a hospital setting), McComas, Riingen and Kim (CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 2014) found medication errors fell from 11.0 to 5.3 events per month, while the time per medication pass did not fall (11.3 to 14.4 minutes). Expect safety gains from eMAR, not necessarily time savings.
The picks at a glance
| Software | Best for | Indicative pricing |
|---|
| PointClickCare | Operators whose residents move between assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing | quote-based |
| MatrixCare | Multi-level senior living operators that want clinical and financial data together | quote-based |
| Yardi Senior Living Suite | Operators that already run Yardi for property management and accounting | quote-based |
| Eldermark | Communities that want sales (CRM), care and billing in one senior-living product | quote-based |
| ALIS (Medtelligent) | Small and mid-size assisted living communities | quote-based |
| WellSky Long-Term Care | CCRCs and operators that also run home health or hospice services | quote-based |
Pricing is indicative, checked at the date above — plans change; always confirm with the vendor. We have no paid relationship with any editor listed here.
The contenders, in detail
1. PointClickCare
Pricing : quote-based
Operators whose residents move between assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing
PointClickCare’s Senior Living platform is a cloud EHR covering assessments, care plans, eMAR, billing and revenue cycle, from a vendor also used by skilled nursing and post-acute providers.
Strengths
- +Clinical, operational and financial data in one platform
- +Suits operators that also run skilled nursing or memory care
Watch out for
- −Enterprise-grade scope for a small community
- −No public pricing
2. MatrixCare
Pricing : quote-based
Multi-level senior living operators that want clinical and financial data together
MatrixCare, a ResMed company, is a cloud EHR and revenue-cycle platform for independent living, assisted living and memory care, with clinical, financial and point-of-sale data in the same system.
Strengths
- +Covers independent living through memory care
- +Clinical and billing data share one record
Watch out for
- −No public pricing
- −Configuration effort for a single small community
3. Yardi Senior Living Suite
Pricing : quote-based
Operators that already run Yardi for property management and accounting
Yardi’s senior living suite pairs an EHR/eMAR with Voyager Senior Housing property accounting and a business-intelligence layer, for operators that manage senior housing as real estate as much as care.
Strengths
- +Property accounting and care records from one vendor
- +Portfolio-level reporting
Watch out for
- −Built for portfolios more than single communities
- −No public pricing
4. Eldermark
Pricing : quote-based
Communities that want sales (CRM), care and billing in one senior-living product
Eldermark is built specifically for senior living rather than adapted from acute care: EHR and eMAR, billing, CRM for move-ins and resident engagement for independent living, assisted living and memory care communities.
Strengths
- +Designed for senior living from the start
- +Move-in CRM alongside care records
5. ALIS (Medtelligent)
Pricing : quote-based
Small and mid-size assisted living communities
ALIS is built for assisted living and memory care: eMAR with medication counts, assessments, state-by-state regulatory tracking, family communication and admissions.
Strengths
- +Assisted-living workflows, not a nursing-home EHR cut down
- +State-specific compliance tracking
Watch out for
- −Less suited to operators with skilled nursing beds
- −No public pricing
6. WellSky Long-Term Care
Pricing : quote-based
CCRCs and operators that also run home health or hospice services
WellSky Long-Term Care is an EHR spanning skilled nursing, CCRCs, assisted and independent living, with resident records, care plans and billing, from a vendor that also serves home health and hospice.
Strengths
- +One vendor across long-term care and home-based care
- +Covers skilled nursing and assisted living
Watch out for
- −No public pricing
- −Broad platform to configure
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How to choose
01Built for assisted living, or cut down from skilled nursing?
Platforms born in skilled nursing carry clinical depth a small assisted living community may never use. Products built for assisted living (ALIS, Eldermark) usually fit service plans and levels of care more naturally.
02eMAR and pharmacy integration
Medication passes are the highest-risk daily task. Check the pharmacy interface, controlled-substance counts and what happens when the network drops mid-pass.
03State compliance documentation
Assisted living is regulated state by state. Ask the vendor to show the assessment and service-plan forms for your state, not a generic template.
04Billing that matches your pricing model
Rent plus levels of care, à-la-carte services, second occupants, respite stays: test your real price sheet in the billing module before signing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best assisted living software for a small community?
For a community under about 50 beds, a product built for assisted living such as ALIS or Eldermark is usually a better fit than an enterprise platform designed around skilled nursing. Ask each vendor for references of your size and in your state.
How much does assisted living software cost?
None of the vendors compared here publishes a price list; pricing depends on beds or units, modules and implementation. Ask for a quote with the same scope (care record, eMAR, billing, CRM) and the cost of migrating resident records.
Does an eMAR really reduce errors?
The evidence points that way: in one before-and-after study, medication errors fell from 11.0 to 5.3 per month after an electronic medication administration record was introduced, even though each medication pass did not get faster (McComas et al., 2014, in a hospital setting).