Comparison

Back vs Care@Work

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Back

This app provides peace of mind by offering replacement family care when regular arrangements fall through. It allows users to conveniently schedule care, manage reservations, and find nearby centers directly from their mobile device.

Highlights
  • Schedule back-up care
  • Request previous caregivers
  • View reservation details
  • Receive confirmation notifications
  • Copy past reservations
  • Find nearby care centers
  • Add reservations to calendar
Features
Read full description

Family care emergencies can disrupt your whole day. Bright Horizons Back-Up Care™, a benefit available to you if offered by your employer, can give you peace of mind, providing replacement care when regular arrangements fall through. Now the program is in the palm of your hand! As a user of Bright Horizons Back-Up Care, you can conveniently schedule care right from your mobile device with the Back-Up Care app. Whether your regular caregiver calls in sick, your child has a school holiday, or you’re transitioning back to work from parental leave, the Back-Up Care app is your easy, time-saving solution to managing family care challenges while on the go. You can use the Back-Up Care app to: • Sign up for your benefit (to get started, you just need your employer’s username and password) • Submit a new request for back-up care • Request previously used caregivers • View details of existing reservations • Receive notifications when reservations are confirmed • Quickly create new reservations by copying past reservations • Find nearby centers and view each location on a map • Add confirmed reservations to your device’s calendar • Get details about your benefit offering *Please note: Your employer must participate in Bright Horizons Back-Up Care in order to use this app. Not all employers who participate allow the use of this app. Please contact your human resources department for information on benefit availability.

About

Care@Work

Easily access employer-sponsored family care benefits and find local caregivers for children, seniors, pets, and household needs. Get on-demand support for both planned and last-minute care requirements.

Highlights
  • Access employer family care benefits
  • Connect with local caregivers
  • Child care services
  • Adult and senior care
  • Pet care services
  • Housekeeping and errands
  • Backup care for emergencies
Read full description

Access employer provided family care benefits and connect with local caregivers for your family. The Care@Work app by Care.com gives 24/7, on-the-go access to care—for both last minute and planned needs. Company benefits may include access to: * Child Care—including babysitters, nannies, daycare and more * Adult & Senior Care—including personal care, transportation, senior housing and more * Pet Care—dog walkers, pet sitters, boarding and grooming * Housekeeping—cleaning services, errands and odd jobs * Tutoring—individuals and centers * Backup Care—for last minute needs in caring for children or adults To use the Care@Work app, you must be enrolled in your company’s Care.com employee benefits program. If you have not yet enrolled, your HR department can provide you with your company’s Care.com enrollment page. If your company does not offer benefits from Care.com, you can download our Care.com app to find and manage your care needs on-the-go.

Screenshots

Back4 screens
Care@Work4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Back at none against Care@Work's shown. Care@Work's advantage is review sentiment (23% vs 13%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 2.5 for Back against 2.5 for Care@Work. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 126 and 101 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 13% of Back's written reviews are positive against 23% of Care@Work's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Back ships an update every 3 weeks, Care@Work fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Back versus Care@Work: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackCare@Work
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (126 ratings)2.5 (101 ratings) — better
Positive reviews12.6% of reviews22.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings126 — better101
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB95 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBright Horizons CC LLCCare.com, Inc.

Customer experience

Back

All ratings123 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral2.4%
Negative64.2%
Written reviews111 reviews
Positive12.6%
Neutral2.7%
Negative84.7%

Care@Work

All ratings101 ratings
Positive34.7%
Neutral5.0%
Negative60.4%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive22.6%
Neutral1.9%
Negative75.5%

User reviews

Back

From 126 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Quick and easy booking process
  • 👍 User-friendly interface design
  • 🎯 Convenient mobile access to benefits
  • ⚡ Fast reservation submission when working
  • 🔐 Face ID login convenience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and errors
  • 🔓 Persistent login and authentication issues
  • ❌ Unreliable caregiver availability
  • ⏰ Last-minute cancellations and no-shows
  • 🔄 Forced logouts between sessions

Care@Work

From 101 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful for backup care needs
  • 👍 Convenient for last-minute care
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 👍 Life saver for working parents

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Endless login loops
  • 🐛 App redirects to main app
  • 🐛 Inability to access specific features
  • 🐛 Generates false phone numbers
  • 🐛 Update infinite loop

Bugs and requests

Back

Reported bugs

19 issues
  • Login credentials not accepted despite being correct
  • Face ID authentication fails
  • Request Care button missing or non-functional
  • App version mismatch preventing login
  • Forced logout when navigating away from app
Show 14 more
  • Profile information not saving
  • Verification codes not arriving
  • General error messages without details
  • Form data lost when navigating between screens
  • Keyboard not appearing on login screen
  • App crashes on startup
  • Slow page loading causing phone lockup
  • SSO and 2FA authentication failures
  • Reservation confirmation status incorrect
  • Missing emergency contact entry screen
  • Special needs/allergies settings not removable
  • Mobile number textability settings not preserved
  • Address validation rejecting valid addresses
  • Inconsistent data between app and website

Requested features

11 requests
  • Distance-based filtering for childcare centers
  • Display facility names after booking
  • Overnight reservation options
  • Extended session timeout before re-authentication
  • Caregiver selection and preference system
Show 6 more
  • Reservation history and details visibility
  • Real-time caregiver availability updates
  • Automatic backup caregiver assignment
  • Clear policy information in intake forms
  • Improved error messages with specific guidance
  • Search by location other than current position

Care@Work

Reported bugs

37 issues
  • Endless login circle between apps
  • App redirects to regular Care.com app
  • App redirects to Care.com app which is also buggy
  • App prompts to use Care.com app but needed functionality is in @work app
  • Generates false phone numbers
Show 32 more
  • App not compatible with latest iOS update
  • Update infinite loop (app store shows latest, app requires update)
  • Unable to update app, stuck on update stage
  • App will not open due to update requirement
  • App says upgrade needed but no upgrade available
  • Cannot open app, requires upgrade but none exists
  • Upgrade failure, no upgrade available
  • App asks to upgrade but no option exists
  • Error message: must upgrade app, but have latest version
  • App will no longer let me use it, error message to upgrade, but no way to update
  • Downloaded app needs updates but none available
  • Pop-up forces to Care.com app, cannot close, making app useless
  • Unable to interact on app, forces back to Care.com app
  • Cannot close Care.com pop-up page
  • App prompts to open Care.com but it lacks backup care confirmation
  • Pop-up every time, cannot close, redirects to Care.com app
  • App not formatted correctly for iPhone, cannot adjust max hourly rate
  • Reimbursement section cannot be sorted by year or month
  • Reimbursement section page is blacked out
  • No 'active' button when attempting to activate
  • Login requires third-party browser which hangs
  • Multiple claims pending for weeks, no direct contact for Care@work
  • Cannot select kids' birthday, reverts to current date
  • Account terminated without reason
  • Email contact functions do not work
  • Cannot complete fields needed
  • App doesn't load messages/applications
  • Fields appear blank when they are not
  • App confirms date one day before selected date
  • App crashes or won't let me sign in
  • Credit card handling broken, error with expiration date
  • App froze on emergency contact page

Requested features

9 requests
  • Integrate caregiver contact into the main Care.com app
  • Fix the pop-up that forces switch to Care.com app
  • Allow contact with assigned care provider
  • Fix the date selection for requests
  • Improve reimbursement section sorting
Show 4 more
  • Add an 'active' button for activation
  • Allow adjustment of max hourly rate on iPhone
  • Provide direct contact for app support
  • Explain account termination reasons

In-app purchases

None

Back

No in-app purchases

None

Care@Work

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Back free?
Back is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Care@Work free?
Care@Work is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Back or Care@Work?
Care@Work is rated higher. Back averages 2.5 out of 5 from 126 ratings, while Care@Work averages 2.5 from 101 ratings.
Do Back or Care@Work have ads?
Care@Work shows ads; Back does not.
Which is updated more often, Back or Care@Work?
Back ships an update every 3 weeks, and Care@Work fortnightly. Most recently, Back was updated on October 26, 2026 and Care@Work on October 24, 2026.

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