Fee explainer · Childcare & senior careHow much does Papa cost?
Papa offers companion care for older adults, often through insurance. Here is what it costs in 2026, from Papa's own site, and how it differs from booking a caregiver directly.
Pricing sourced July 2026 · Pre-launch comparison
In short
Papa bills companion-care visits at $30 per hour for people paying directly, with a one-hour minimum and per-minute billing after that; visits are free for members of qualifying health plans. Papa is a managed service that sets the rate and the caregiver pay, not a marketplace where you hire a caregiver directly.
Papa vs a flat fee, side by side
| Papa | Bobby (pre-launch) | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Managed hourly companion-care service | Marketplace to book care directly |
| What you pay | $30/hour direct (free via some plans) | The caregiver's rate + a flat $1 |
| Minimum | One-hour minimum, then per minute | Set by the booking |
| What the caregiver keeps | Papa sets pay and the visit rate | 100% of their own rate |
A worked example
Take a two-hour companion visit paid out of pocket.
Papa: At $30 an hour, Papa bills about $60 for the visit (free if you are covered by a qualifying health plan). Papa sets both the visit rate and the caregiver's pay.
Bobby (being built): On Bobby's marketplace you book a caregiver at their own rate and Bobby adds a flat $1; the caregiver keeps 100% of what they charge.
If you are paying out of pocket, Papa charges $30 an hour with a one-hour minimum, then by the minute after that. A lot of members pay nothing at all, since Papa comes through qualifying Medicare Advantage and other health plans. Either way, Papa runs the match and decides both the visit rate and what the companion earns.
A marketplace does it the other way. You pick the caregiver, pay their rate directly, and the platform adds a small fee. Bobby is being built on that model for care in New York: a flat $1 per booking on top of the caregiver's own rate, with the caregiver keeping 100 percent of what they charge. To be straight about it, if you get Papa free through a health plan that is tough to beat on price; if you are paying out of pocket, booking directly can give you more say over who you hire and what you pay.