Clinicians comparing Heidi Scribe alternatives need more than another ambient note generator. A replacement has to fit Australian practice software, produce the documents required after a consult, make its data routes clear and offer commercial terms that can be assessed. These three options are compared on pricing, integrations, data handling, strengths and limits.

Heidi Scribe alternatives at a glance

Lyrebird and Grounded Scribe publish prices excluding GST. Medow does not publish a numeric subscription price.

1. Lyrebird: recommended for Australian GP workflows

Lyrebird is the recommended option for Australian GPs and specialists who want the documentation workflow to continue beyond an ambient note, especially in Bp Premier. AI scribing is one part of the clinical AI platform. The same consult context can support reviewed notes and post-consult documents such as letters, forms, care plans and assessments.

• Best fit: Australian GPs and specialists who need structured drafts plus the work that follows a consult. Eligible Bp Premier users have a useful free starting point with note and observation write-back.
• Workflow and capabilities: Lyrebird accepts three capture modes: ambient capture, dictation or typed input. It prepares draft clinical notes and can use reviewed consult context for documents and care workflows, including referrals, certificates, reports, forms, Chronic Condition Management Plans, Mental Health Treatment Plans and health assessments.
• Integrations: In Bp Premier, basic patient details can auto-populate, and reviewed notes and observations can save to the patient file. Lyrebird's current Bp sources conflict on direct letter write-back: the Bp Free guidance says notes and letters save to the record, while the Bp integration guide instructs users to copy and paste letters. These sources do not establish direct Bp letter write-back consistently. Named integration routes also include Cubiko, Genie, Gentu, Epic, Meditech and Oracle, plus FHIR, HL7 and SMART. The method and depth vary by product and deployment in Lyrebird's integration directory.
• Australian price and access: Free costs A$0. Bp Free access costs A$0 for eligible Australian Bp Premier users and includes unlimited Notes and Standard Dictate, 10 combined AI Edit, Smart Dictate and Documents actions per month, and 20 Workflow actions in total. The Workflow allowance does not reset monthly. Under the current Pro pricing terms, Pro costs A$1,920 annually, equal to A$160 per month, or A$240 month to month. Eligible clinicians working under 25 hours per week can access Pro for A$960 annually or A$120 monthly. A 14-day Pro trial is available.
• Data and privacy: Application databases, transcripts, user data, speech processing and backups are stored in Sydney. De-identified health information may be processed by Azure OpenAI in the European Union. Audio is deleted after transcription by default. When retention is enabled, audio can be stored for up to six months under Lyrebird's privacy policy.
• Main strength: The Bp Premier path auto-populates basic patient details and returns reviewed notes and observations to the patient file. Lyrebird also supports documents and structured workflows around the note.
• Main limitation: Bp Free limits AI Edit, Smart Dictate, Documents and Workflow actions. Outside Bp Premier, the exact launch, context and write-back method vary by environment.

The narrower Lyrebird and Heidi comparison covers the Bp Premier decision in more detail.

2. Medow: specialist letters and reporting

• Best fit: Specialist clinics that produce consultation letters and reports, particularly those using one of Medow's live practice-system integrations.
• Workflow and capabilities: Medow supports ambient capture and post-consult Smart Dictation. It is positioned for more than 50 specialties and can prepare multiple clinical outputs from one consult for clinician review.
• Integrations: Medow's integration overview presents live bi-directional API connections for Genie, Gentu, Elixir and Meditech. Its public materials conflict on Shexie: the overview marks Shexie and Maestro as coming soon, while a separate Shexie page presents that connection as available. Shexie's production status and exact data flow need to be set out in the contract.
• Australian price and access: Medow does not publish a numeric Australian subscription price. Its subscription terms give first-time subscribers a 60-day money-back guarantee from the initial purchase date. This is a refund period after purchase, rather than a verified free or no-card trial.
• Data and privacy: Data for Australian and New Zealand healthcare providers is hosted in Australia. Medow's privacy policy also discloses support from the Philippines and Germany, possible automated transcription in the US, and audio retention for up to seven days for troubleshooting. Its trust and safety page says patient data is not used to train AI models, while the privacy policy permits anonymised and aggregated patient data to train and test its services.
• Main strength: Its focus is specialist reporting, with named API connections that can move appointment and patient information into Medow and completed documents back to supported systems.
• Main limitation: There is no public price for like-for-like cost comparison. The Shexie status and data-training wording need written clarification before purchase.

3. Grounded Scribe: lower-cost plans for allied and mental health

• Best fit: Solo and lower-volume psychologists, counsellors, allied health clinicians and other Australian professionals who prefer transparent session-based plans.
• Workflow and capabilities: Grounded Scribe supports four capture modes: full-session capture, short dictation, telehealth capture and an authorised recording upload. It prepares a structured draft for review, editing and final approval.
• Integrations: Published Grounded Scribe integrations for Cliniko, Halaxy and Nookal include clinical note push. The directory does not describe a connected workflow for Bp Premier or MedicalDirector.
• Australian price and access: Under Grounded Scribe pricing, monthly plans are Free at A$0 for 10 sessions, Plus at A$19 for 30, Core at A$39 for 60, Pro at A$69 for 120 and Max at A$99 for unlimited sessions. The 14-day Pro trial requires no card and falls back to Free without a paid subscription.
• Data and privacy: Notes, transcripts, user data and note generation are handled in Sydney. Audio transcription takes place in the US under a stated real-time, zero-retention arrangement. The Grounded privacy policy and security overview state that clinical data is excluded from model training.
• Main strength: The published prices and volume bands make the likely monthly cost easy to calculate for smaller practices, while its three practice-system integrations support note push.
• Main limitation: Every plan below Max has a monthly session cap. The published connected workflows cover Cliniko, Halaxy and Nookal, rather than Bp Premier or MedicalDirector.

Run a workflow-level pilot before switching

The right choice among these Heidi alternatives comes down to the complete scribing workflow. The useful test starts before capture and ends when the clinician approves the record. Give each shortlisted product the same representative work, including routine, complex, short, telehealth and noisy consults. Then assess:

1. Clinical quality: Record omissions, unsupported content, contradictions, speaker errors, medicine and dose errors, and departures from the required template.
2. Net documentation time: Measure capture, generation, review, correction, document preparation and transfer into the patient record. First-draft speed alone can hide review work.
3. Record workflow: Write down the patient context imported, fields or documents returned, user action required and fallback when the integration is unavailable.
4. Output coverage: Include the letters, forms, certificates, care plans and assessments that create work after the note.
5. Data and governance: Map audio, transcripts, notes, backups, support access, overseas processing, retention, deletion and model-training terms.
6. Whole cost: Include GST, annual commitments, paid seats, session or action limits, integration fees, implementation, support and exit terms.

The TGA's digital-scribe guidance keeps responsibility for informed patient consent and an accurate final record with the healthcare professional. The medical scribe buyer checklist turns these checks into a fuller practice evaluation.

For Australian clinicians who want a Bp Premier-connected workflow for notes and observations, plus post-consult document generation for letters, forms, care plans and assessments, Lyrebird Bp Free provides an A$0 starting point. Pro removes these caps on Documents, Letters and Workflows and includes all integrations for practices that need those features regularly.

Start Lyrebird free