Best AI Scribe for Psychologists in Australia (2026 Comparison)

What Should Psychologists Look for in an AI Scribe?

Before jumping into comparisons, it is worth understanding what separates a good AI scribe from a great one for psychological practice specifically:

• Psychology-specific templates: SOAP notes are a start, but psychologists need templates aligned with Better Access requirements, MBS item numbers, and profession-specific language (presenting concerns, formulation, risk assessment, therapeutic interventions).
• Assessment integration: If you are using standardised assessments like the PHQ-9, GAD-7, DASS-21, or PCL-5, your AI scribe should work alongside your assessment workflow — not in a separate silo.
• Australian compliance: Data sovereignty matters. Your clients' session recordings and clinical notes should be stored on Australian servers, and the platform should support Australian Privacy Principles.
• Flexible note detail: A 50-minute therapy session generates very different documentation needs compared to a 20-minute review or a 6-session group program. Your AI scribe should adapt accordingly.
• Affordable entry point: Not every psychologist runs a high-volume practice. Provisional psychologists, part-time practitioners, and those just starting out need options that do not cost $200 per month.

The Contenders: A Quick Overview

Lyrebird Health

Price: ~$200-$300/month

Lyrebird Health is one of Australia's more established AI medical scribes, originally built with a strong focus on general practice. It has since expanded to support allied health and psychology.

Strengths:

• Well-established in the Australian market with a strong GP user base
• Real-time transcription during consultations
• Integrations with some practice management systems
• Australian-hosted data

Considerations for Psychologists:

• The pricing is steep. At $200-$300 per month, you would need to see a significant volume of clients to justify the cost.
• Originally designed around medical consultation workflows (short, high-volume appointments), which does not always translate well to 50-minute therapy sessions.
• Limited built-in assessment tools — you will need a separate platform for standardised outcome measures.

Best suited for: High-volume practices or multidisciplinary clinics where the per-session cost is offset by volume.

For a detailed comparison, see our Grounded Scribe vs Lyrebird analysis.

Heidi Health

Price: ~$99/month

Heidi Health has gained traction across multiple healthcare professions in Australia. It offers AI-powered note generation with a clean interface and more moderate pricing than Lyrebird.

Strengths:

• More affordable than Lyrebird at roughly $99 per month
• Supports multiple note formats and professions
• Growing user community in Australia
• Solid transcription accuracy

Considerations for Psychologists:

• While Heidi supports psychology, its template system may not cover the full range of MBS item numbers and Better Access documentation requirements out of the box.
• No built-in assessment platform — you will still need a separate tool for PHQ-9, GAD-7, DASS-21 administration and scoring.
• At $99 per month with no free tier, there is a meaningful financial commitment before you have evaluated the tool in your workflow.

Best suited for: Psychologists wanting a step up from manual notes at a moderate price point, who do not need integrated assessments.

For a detailed comparison, see our Grounded Scribe vs Heidi analysis.

NovoPsych

Price: ~$30-$99/month

NovoPsych takes a different approach. Rather than starting as an AI scribe, it is primarily an assessment and outcome measurement platform that has been adding documentation features. For psychologists who rely heavily on outcome measures, NovoPsych has been a go-to choice.

Strengths:

• Excellent assessment library with Australian norms
• Strong outcome tracking and reporting
• Purpose-built for psychology and mental health
• Affordable entry point

Considerations for Psychologists:

• The AI scribe capabilities are newer and less mature compared to dedicated transcription platforms.
• Assessment quotas may be shared with or limited by your session allocation, depending on your plan.
• Less flexibility for practitioners who work across multiple professions or settings.

Best suited for: Psychologists whose primary need is assessment administration and outcome tracking, with documentation as a secondary benefit.

For a detailed comparison, see our Grounded Scribe vs NovoPsych analysis.

Grounded Scribe

Price: Free (10 sessions/mo) to $99/month | 14-day free trial, no credit card required

Grounded Scribe was built specifically for Australian allied health practitioners, with psychology as a core use case from day one.

Pricing Tiers:

*All prices AUD, GST-exclusive. 10% discount on annual billing.*

What Sets Grounded Scribe Apart for Psychologists

1. MBS-Compliant Better Access Templates

Grounded Scribe includes 16 MBS-compliant templates specifically for Medicare billing documentation. These are aligned with item numbers for clinical psychologists (80000-80025), registered psychologists (80100-80120), and related mental health professions. They automatically prompt for the documentation elements that Medicare requires — session duration, location, intervention type, and progress indicators.

2. Unlimited Assessments on Every Tier — Including Free

On every plan — including the free tier — you get unlimited access to standardised assessments: PHQ-9, GAD-7, DASS-21, PCL-5, K-10, CORE-10, PSS-10, and more. Assessment results integrate directly into your clinical notes and contribute to longitudinal outcome tracking.

Most competitors either charge extra for assessments, limit them to higher tiers, or do not offer them at all.

3. Score Profiles with Normative Data

Beyond simple scoring, Grounded Scribe provides Score Profiles for externally-administered standardised assessments. These profiles include Australian normative data where available, allowing you to contextualise a client's results against population benchmarks. This is particularly valuable for writing reports, preparing case formulations, and communicating with referrers.

4. PII Redaction

For practitioners concerned about privacy during the transcription process, Grounded Scribe offers automatic PII (personally identifiable information) redaction. This feature strips identifying details from transcripts before they are processed, adding an additional layer of privacy protection.

5. AI Receptionist (Unique Feature)

No other AI scribe platform in Australia offers a built-in AI receptionist. This feature handles incoming calls to your practice — booking appointments, answering common questions about fees and availability, and providing information to potential clients. You can test it free in your browser before committing to a paid receptionist plan.

6. Supervision and Professional Development

Grounded Scribe includes built-in supervision management tools: session logging, competency tracking, learning plans, and hours tracking. For provisional psychologists and registrars, this means your documentation platform and supervision records live in the same place.

Considerations

• As a newer platform, Grounded Scribe does not yet have the market history of Lyrebird or NovoPsych.
• Practice management system integrations are still being expanded.
• The AI Receptionist is a separate product with its own pricing (from $19/mo for 60 call minutes; inbound browser calls are free).

Head-to-Head: What Matters Most for Psychologists

For Budget-Conscious Practitioners

If cost is your primary concern — perhaps you are a provisional psychologist, working part-time, or just starting your practice — Grounded Scribe's free tier (10 sessions per month with unlimited assessments) is the only option that lets you use a full-featured AI scribe at no cost. The Plus tier at $19 per month is significantly cheaper than any competitor.

For Assessment-Heavy Practices

If you rely heavily on standardised outcome measures, the choice is between NovoPsych and Grounded Scribe. NovoPsych has a longer track record in assessments, but Grounded Scribe offers unlimited assessments on all tiers (including free) with Score Profiles and normative data, plus superior AI transcription and note generation.

For High-Volume Practices

If you are seeing 30+ clients per week, Grounded Scribe's Pro/Max tiers handle high volume well at $69-$99 per month — compared to Lyrebird at $200-$300 per month.

For Medicare/Better Access Compliance

Grounded Scribe's 16 MBS-compliant templates are purpose-built for Australian Medicare requirements. The specific alignment with Better Access item numbers, duration-based item selection, and billing eligibility checklists is a meaningful advantage.

For Solo Practitioners Who Need More Than Notes

If you want one platform that handles clinical documentation, assessments, phone reception, supervision records, and client management, Grounded Scribe is the only option that consolidates these into a single platform.

Making Your Decision

There is no single "best" AI scribe for every psychologist. Your choice should depend on your practice size, budget, documentation needs, and which features matter most.

A simple decision framework:

• Try AI documentation risk-free — Start with Grounded Scribe's free tier (10 sessions, unlimited assessments, no credit card)
• Assessment platform first, AI notes second — Consider NovoPsych
• Solid AI notes at a moderate price — Compare Heidi and Grounded Scribe Plus/Core
• Established brand, budget not a concern — Lyrebird is worth evaluating
• Most features per dollar — Grounded Scribe offers the strongest value proposition

Whatever you choose, the hours psychologists spend on notes each week are hours that could be spent on clinical work, professional development, or simply having a better work-life balance.

Start your free trial — 14 days, no credit card required.

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*This comparison is based on publicly available information as of February 2026. Pricing, features, and availability may have changed since publication. We encourage you to verify current details directly with each provider.*

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