Nabla vs Upheal: Medical AI scribe vs mental health EHR compared

Nabla built their reputation in hospital systems. Physicians use it. Emergency departments use it. The ambient transcription is fast, the enterprise security is serious, and the multilingual support is genuinely impressive at 31 languages. For large medical organizations that need consistent AI documentation across specialties, it has a real place.

For a private practice therapist, the gaps are significant. Nabla requires ambient recording to generate a note — if a client isn't comfortable being recorded, or if you prefer to dictate after the session, it doesn't work. There's no scheduling, no billing, no client records, no telehealth. And Nabla trains on session data by default, with no opt-out for clients.

Therapists using Nabla are running a separate EHR for everything else. Upheal does what Nabla does and replaces the EHR alongside it.

What is Nabla?

Nabla is a medical AI scribe designed for hospital systems. It joins clinical encounters via ambient recording and generates structured notes for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers. It has no scheduling, billing, client records, or telehealth. It was not built for therapy.

Upheal is a full AI-native EHR built for behavioral health practitioners from the ground up. If you're paying for Nabla plus a separate EHR, Upheal replaces both at lower total cost.

Nabla vs Upheal at a glance

Privacy and ethics: The therapeutic trust differentiator

The most significant distinction between these platforms lies in their fundamental approach to client data and consent — areas where mental health professionals rightfully demand the highest standards.

The significant gap: Nabla's clinical data processing terms are governed by an enterprise agreement that isn't publicly available. Therapists can't review the policy before signing up, can't share it with clients who ask, and can't independently confirm what happens to session recordings. Upheal's policy is public, requires explicit opt-in from both therapist and client before any data trains their AI, and has been consistent since launch. For clients who ask what happens to their recordings, one platform gives you a document you can point to. The other requires an enterprise contract to find out.

Data training and consent

Upheal requires explicit opt-in consent from both therapist and client before any session data is used for AI model training. This consent-first approach means your clients' most vulnerable disclosures are never used to improve the system unless everyone has made an active, informed choice to participate.

Nabla operates differently, using client data to train their AI models by default without explicit client notification. While they describe anonymization processes, this approach transforms therapeutic exchanges into training data without the transparent consent that therapeutic relationships require.

Recording deletion policies

Upheal deletes all audio recordings by default after processing, reducing the risk of stored sensitive content being accessed inappropriately. Therapists can choose to retain recordings for supervision or professional development, providing complete control over data retention.

Nabla does not store user data on their servers, with only the past 20 consultations cached locally on devices. This approach provides strong security but may not suit therapists who want to review sessions for professional development or supervision.

Flexible input methods vs ambient-only capture

Upheal supports multiple documentation approaches — therapists can generate comprehensive notes from brief written summaries, dictated overviews, or session recordings. This flexibility means never being forced to record sensitive conversations if that doesn't align with practice style or client comfort levels.

Nabla requires real-time audio capture during sessions to function effectively. While this ambient approach works well in medical settings, some therapeutic relationships and approaches work better without recording technology present in the room.

Where Upheal goes further

The AI assistant.

Nabla generates a note. That's where the product ends. Upheal's AI assistant has access to the full clinical record — treatment goals, diagnosis, prior session history — and works before and between sessions. Before your next client, it pulls their open goals and what hasn't moved. It drafts discharge summaries, referral letters, and client messages from the actual record, not a generic template. You can ask it to flag unsigned notes, pull outstanding balances, or prep you for a specific client. Nabla can't do any of that.

Everything else a practice needs.

Scheduling, billing, a client portal, intake forms with AI import, telehealth, and a compliance checker that audits notes against Aetna and Optum standards. Nabla has none of these. Therapists on Nabla are managing all of this in a separate EHR with no shared data. Upheal is one platform.

Recording flexibility.

Nabla only works via ambient recording. If a client is uncomfortable being recorded, or if you see clients who might decline consent, the product doesn't function. Upheal supports in-person sessions via mobile app, telehealth through any platform, text summaries, dictation, and uploaded audio. Recording is an option, not a requirement.

Pricing

Nabla's pricing isn't published publicly and requires a sales conversation to confirm. Based on reported pricing, it runs approximately $119/month per clinician. Add a separate EHR at $49-99/month and you're at $168-218/month for two systems with no shared data.

Upheal is AU$1.45/session capped at AU$100/month, including scheduling, billing, AI notes, treatment plans, compliance checking, and client messaging.

Insurance billing is coming soon. If that's part of your practice, now is a good time to get started on the free plan and be ready when it goes live.

What therapists think about these platforms

The therapeutic community's response reveals telling insights about what practitioners truly value when choosing AI documentation tools.

Therapists using Nabla appreciate its efficiency but note limitations for specialized mental health work:

"I like Nabla, however it turns to be quite verbose and I have to correct random spellings etc. It does allow me to listen to the patients better so I'm not worried about writing things down."
‍Reddit

The platform's medical orientation sometimes creates friction for therapy-specific workflows:

"I haven't used NABLA yet, but as a therapist, I'm curious how it might fit into longer intake sessions or progress notes. I'm all for tools that cut down charting time, but like you said, if it's just asking basic symptom checks, I'm not sure it adds much."
‍Reddit

Upheal's specialized approach resonates with mental health professionals who understand the value of purpose-built tools:

"Between the four tools currently available to help private practice therapists streamline their documentation — AutoNotes, Blueprint, Mentalyc, and Upheal — Upheal comes out as the winner in terms of easing the burden of documentation and providing additional session insights that may be helpful for the therapist."
‍Hannah Weisman, PhD

The emphasis on clinical sophistication matters deeply to practitioners seeking both efficiency and professional growth.

Is Nabla right for private practice therapists?

Nabla makes sense if you work in a large integrated medical system where consistent documentation across specialties is the priority. If physicians and therapists share a platform and you already have an EHR handling everything else, it does the job.

Choose Nabla if:

• You work in a hospital or multi-specialty medical setting
• You have a separate EHR in place and need documentation only
• Ambient recording is standard practice in your setting
• Scheduling, billing, and telehealth aren't part of what you're solving for

Choose Upheal if:

• You're in private practice and want one platform for everything
• You want notes that connect to treatment goals and prior clinical history
• You want a compliance checker that catches documentation gaps before the payer does
• You want to stop paying for two systems that don't share data
• You want AI that handles the work between sessions, not just during them

For private practice therapists, the math is simple. Nabla at approximately $119/month plus a separate EHR puts you at $168-218/month for two systems that don't talk to each other. Upheal is capped at AU$100/month for notes, scheduling, billing, compliance checking, and an AI assistant. It costs less and does more.

Frequently asked questions

Is Nabla an EHR?

No. Nabla is a medical AI scribe for hospital systems. It does not include scheduling, billing, client records, or telehealth. Therapists using Nabla also need a separate EHR.

How does Nabla pricing compare to Upheal?

Nabla's pricing isn't published publicly, but is reported at approximately $119/month per clinician for notes only. Upheal is AU$1.45/session capped at AU$100/month, including scheduling, billing, AI notes, treatment plans, compliance checking, and telehealth.

Does Nabla train on client session data?

Yes, by default, with no opt-out for clients. Upheal requires explicit opt-in consent from both therapist and client before any session data trains their AI.

Can Upheal replace Nabla and my current EHR?

Yes. Upheal covers AI notes, treatment planning, scheduling, billing, intake forms, telehealth, and client records in one platform.

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