Freed vs Upheal: AI scribe vs mental health EHR compared

Freed is a general medical AI scribe designed to sit alongside the EHR you already have. It even ships a Chrome extension aimed at SimplePractice and other browser-based systems, so the note lands where you already work. Upheal can be used exactly the same way, and can also become the EHR when you want it to.

The honest version of this comparison is not "scribe versus EHR." Freed has grown. It has an AI chat with cited clinical evidence, EHR push, coding, and a separate AI receptionist product that answers calls and books appointments. What it does not have is a clinical record built around therapy: no treatment plans that notes connect to, no client portal, no insurance claims, and templates designed for 30-plus medical specialties rather than for the way therapists document. With Freed, the layer stays a layer.

Freed vs Upheal at a glance

What Freed is, and what it now includes

Freed is an ambient scribe for all of healthcare. You capture the visit in the browser, the mobile app or a Chrome extension, or you upload a recording or a transcript afterwards, and Freed produces a structured note against a specialty template that can learn your editing style over time.

Three things it has added are worth knowing before you compare, because older comparisons miss them.

An AI chat. Freed's AI Chat answers clinical questions with citations drawn from more than 50 medical sources, and it is on every tier including Starter. Core adds an AI assistant for editing notes by instruction.

Coding and EHR push. Premier adds ICD-10 coding, a coding assistant covering CPT and E/M with post-visit optimisation, EHR push for supported browser-based systems, prior visit summaries, and patient context carried forward into new notes.

Front Desk. Freed launched an AI receptionist in April 2026. It answers the practice phone around the clock in more than 90 languages, handles scheduling, reschedules and follow-ups in a shared inbox, and warm-transfers to staff. It is a separate purchase, from $149 a month per block of 250 calls, on top of a scribe subscription.

So Freed is no longer only a note-taker. It is a scribe with a clinical chat, a coding layer and an optional receptionist, and none of that is an EHR. There is still no client chart, no treatment plan, no client portal and no claims submission.

Where Freed wins

Note quality across medical specialties

Freed's reputation rests on the notes, and it has earned that reputation across a genuinely wide range of medicine. It publishes a 98% recall figure on medical terms tested across more than 30 specialties. If your practice includes medical work alongside therapy, or you are a prescriber writing medication management notes, that breadth is real and Upheal does not try to match it.

Premier also suggests CPT, ICD-10 and E/M codes and optimises them after the visit. Upheal runs the Compliance Checker against payer documentation criteria but offers no E/M coding assistant. For therapy the code set is narrow enough that this matters less than it does in medicine, and it is still a real Freed capability.

The trial, and a very generous student offer

Freed gives every signup a 7-day trial of Premier features with no card. More notably, eligible students, residents, trainees and fellows get 12 months of Core free, and trainees can get up to 50% off monthly Premier. Upheal offers students and associates 50% off their first 12 months, on Individual plans only. Freed's offer is better, and if you are pre-licensed that difference matters more than anything else on this page.

They publish their BAA

Freed's Business Associate Agreement is included in full inside its Platform Terms of Use, so you can read it before you sign up rather than after. It carries a ten-day breach notification window and requires subcontractors to accept the same restrictions. Several tools in this category keep their BAA behind an account or a sales conversation, and being able to read the document up front is a genuine advantage.

Where Upheal goes further

Built for therapy rather than adapted to it

Freed's templates are specialty-specific across all of healthcare. Upheal's are therapy-specific: SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, PIRP, SIRP, PIE, EMDR, intake and psychiatry, and Smart Sections let you write your own instruction for a section so the AI captures the same thing every time. Tell it to always record the DBT skill practised and the client's response, and it will.

Notes that connect to a treatment plan

Upheal's Golden Thread links every session note to treatment goals, so the record runs from assessment through discharge as one narrative rather than a stack of separate visits. Freed carries prior visit context forward into a new note on Premier, which helps, but there is no treatment plan for it to connect to.

The Compliance Checker

Upheal audits a note against Aetna and Optum documentation criteria before you sign it, and can check PDF notes exported from another system. If a medical necessity element is missing you find out before the claim goes out. Freed has no equivalent.

An assistant that does practice work

Freed's chat answers clinical questions and edits notes. Upheal's AI Assistant does that and then keeps going: it pulls a client's history and open goals before the session, drafts discharge summaries and referral letters from the record, reschedules appointments, generates invoices and superbills, chases outstanding balances and drafts client messages. It shows you what it is about to do and waits for your approval.

Two ways to run it, not one

Freed is designed to work alongside your existing EHR, and for a therapist who likes their EHR that is a perfectly good answer. The limit is that it is the only answer available. The notes live in one system, the schedule and the money live in another, and an extension carries text one way between them. Front Desk covers the phone and the calendar, but it is a third subscription rather than a second.

Upheal runs either way. Keep SimplePractice or TherapyNotes and use Upheal for notes alone, capturing sessions from any browser tab, your video calls, or the mobile app, and pushing the finished note back with the Chrome extension. Or switch on scheduling, telehealth, the client portal, intake forms, messaging, payments and insurance claims, and let it replace the EHR, at which point the AI is working from the whole record rather than the transcript. You do not have to decide on day one, and you do not have to migrate anything to start.

Capture without recording the room

Both tools take more than live audio. Freed accepts uploaded recordings and uploaded transcripts, and has dictation inside its chat. Upheal additionally generates a full note from a short typed or dictated summary after the session, which is the option therapists reach for when a client declines recording. Upheal also has its own HIPAA-compliant telehealth, captures from any browser tab or desktop app, and has iOS, Android and macOS apps. Freed has browser, mobile and extension capture, and pushes into browser-based EHRs on Premier.

Privacy and data handling

Both platforms are HIPAA compliant and sign a BAA, and both delete session audio after the note is produced. Upheal is HIPAA, PHIPA, PIPEDA, GDPR, and DPA compliant, has completed a SOC 2 Type II audit, and is continuously externally tested. Freed's security page states HIPAA and HITECH compliance and SOC 2 Type 2 certification, and says all of its data is stored within the United States. The differences are in the documents, and both are worth reading.

What Freed's own documents say

Freed's security page and HIPAA FAQ are unambiguous: protected health information is never used to train its models, training happens on de-identified notes only, and clinic data is not shared externally. Patient recordings are deleted once the note is generated. Notes can be kept indefinitely or set to auto-delete after 30 days, and if you use the Resume feature the visit audio is retained for up to 28 days so the recording can be continued.

Its privacy policy, last updated 11 August 2026, is written more broadly than the security page. It lists "to improve or train our AI models to better serve your needs" among the uses of personal information. Read on its own, that policy describes no opt-in or opt-out.

The terms fill that gap, and they are the document that governs. Freed's Platform Terms of Use, last updated 13 August 2026, grant a licence to use your data "to train the AI/ML models to improve the Platform, including but not limited to improving the Platform accuracy, efficiency and quality of speech recognition and Output, with your consent provided via Platform settings." So a consent mechanism does exist. It sits in the terms rather than the privacy policy, and in a settings screen rather than on the marketing page. Before you sign up, ask where that setting is and what it defaults to, because the answer to that question is what actually determines how your session data is used.

The same terms also give you the stronger side of two clauses worth knowing. You own Your Data and the Output outright; Freed claims no ownership of either. And Voice ID and Learned Output, the two features that retain material beyond a single note, are both explicitly opt-in.

Two smaller things in the same policy are worth knowing on a clinical platform. Freed uses session-replay technology from a third party that records a video-like reproduction of user interactions with the platform, including page visits, clicks and scrolls. And the policy states that Freed does not monitor, recognise or honour browser Do Not Track signals or similar opt-out mechanisms.

Two things in the terms that a therapist should read before signing up

The browser extension reaches into your EHR. Installing it grants Freed a licence to access your EHR system and to "read, scan, collect and store PHI and other information accessible from your EHR System", and states that by granting that access "you authorize Freed to use your EHR System as though you and your Authorized Users were accessing it themselves". Anything the extension reads becomes Your Data under the same terms as a session you recorded deliberately. That is not unusual for an integration of this kind, and it is a materially bigger permission than pasting a note across, so it is worth deciding on knowingly.

It is not built for substance-use records. Freed's terms state the platform has not been designed to process 42 CFR Part 2 data, and users agree not to put such records through it. If you work in a substance-use treatment setting, that is a hard limit rather than a preference.

How Upheal handles the same questions

No session data is used for AI improvement unless the client actively opts in. A client who never sees the request is opted out. Consent can be withdrawn and the data is deleted. Therapists on paid plans can switch the request off for every client at once. Session recordings are deleted by default once the note is generated, and you can choose to keep them for supervision or peer consultation instead. Upheal's provider privacy policy was last updated 3 December 2025 and states that collected data is not sold to third parties.

Pricing

Freed has four tiers, verified against its pricing page and help centre pricing article on 7 September 2026.

Starter, $39/month. One clinician, up to 40 notes a month, specialty templates, core note generation and editing, AI Chat with clinical evidence. A therapist seeing 15 clients a week passes 40 notes in the third week, so for a working caseload this tier is a trial rather than a plan.

Core, $79/month. Unlimited notes, live onboarding, the AI assistant for note editing, template builder. This is the realistic tier for a full-time clinician.

Premier, $119/month, or $104/month billed annually. Adds EHR push, prior visit summaries, patient context pull-forward, patient instructions and letters, ICD-10 coding and the coding assistant. Note that their pricing page shows the annual rate by default, so the $104 you see first is not the monthly price.

Groups, custom pricing from two clinicians, adding medical assistant seats, patient sharing, admin dashboards, SSO, centralised billing and an organisation-wide BAA.

Upheal is $1 per session, capped at $69/month, billed after the sessions happen, with every clinical and practice feature included at that price: AI notes, treatment plans, the Compliance Checker, scheduling, telehealth, client portal, forms, messaging, payments and insurance claims. A light month costs less. A heavy month never costs more.

Two things to state plainly rather than bury. A session is counted when you generate a note or schedule a client, and telehealth calls count too, because the fee covers the whole platform rather than the note alone. And money movement carries its own fees on Upheal: card payments at Stripe's 2.9% plus $0.30, insurance claims at $0.30 each and eligibility checks at $0.15.

The comparison that matters is not $69 against $79. It is $69 for documentation plus the EHR, against $79 for documentation with the EHR still to buy. What that EHR costs depends entirely on which one you pick, so we are not going to invent a number for it.

What therapists say

Therapists who have tried both tend to talk about cost and about how therapy-specific the notes feel.

"I don't understand why I need to pay more for Freed than for my EHR, plus it writes generic notes that I need to edit extensively." Blackbackjackal, Reddit

"Upheal offers many features that other AI clinical note takers do not. The analytics set Upheal apart, the formatting of their notes with some customizability, and more. However, the feature that, to me, sets Upheal apart from other AI clinical note takers is how well it detects who is the client and who is the clinician." Daniel Elliott, Trustpilot

Is Freed right for a therapy practice?

Freed is a strong product being asked to do a job it was not designed for. For a therapist, the question is whether you want the best general medical scribe or a system built around the clinical record you actually keep.

Choose Freed if:

• You practise across medicine as well as therapy, or you are a prescriber who needs coding support
• You have an EHR you like and intend to keep, and you only want documentation
• You are a student or trainee, where 12 months of Core free is the best offer in this category
• You want to read the BAA before you sign up rather than after
• Your phones are the bottleneck and Front Desk solves a problem no scribe does

Choose Upheal if:

• You want templates and language built for therapy rather than adapted from medicine
• You want notes that connect to a treatment plan and to prior sessions
• You want a compliance check against payer criteria before you sign
• You want the assistant to handle scheduling, billing and client messages, not just the note
• You want the option to replace your EHR later without changing tools again

Frequently asked questions

Is Freed an EHR?

No. Freed is an AI scribe with a clinical chat, coding support and an optional AI receptionist. It has no client chart, treatment plans, client portal or insurance claims, and therapists using it keep a separate EHR. Its Premier tier pushes finished notes into supported browser-based EHRs.

Does Freed have an AI assistant?

Yes. Freed's AI Chat answers clinical questions with citations from more than 50 medical sources and is included on every tier including Starter. Core adds an assistant that edits notes on instruction. Upheal's Assistant covers clinical questions and drafting as well, and additionally takes action on scheduling, invoices, superbills, forms and client messages.

Does Freed do scheduling?

Not in the scribe product. Freed Front Desk, launched in April 2026, is a separate AI receptionist that answers calls, books and reschedules appointments and organises follow-ups in a shared inbox, starting at $149 a month per 250 calls. Scheduling is included in Upheal at no extra cost.

How does Freed pricing compare to Upheal?

Freed is $39/month for up to 40 notes, $79/month for unlimited notes, and $119/month for the Premier tier, or $104/month if billed annually, with custom Group pricing. Their pricing page displays the annual rate by default. Upheal is $1/session capped at $69/month and includes the EHR. Freed's plans do not include scheduling, billing, claims, a client portal or treatment plans, so the fair comparison adds whatever EHR you keep alongside it.

How does Freed handle data and AI training?

Freed's security page and HIPAA FAQ state that protected health information is never used to train its models, that training uses de-identified notes only, and that clinic data is not shared externally. Its privacy policy, updated 11 August 2026, lists improving or training its AI models among the uses of personal information. Its Platform Terms of Use, section 7, grant that training licence "with your consent provided via Platform settings", so a consent mechanism does exist; ask where that setting sits and what it defaults to. Freed states it does not sell personal information, and its terms give you outright ownership of your data and output. Upheal uses session data for AI improvement only where the client has actively opted in; clients who never see the request are opted out, consent can be withdrawn with deletion, and therapists on paid plans can switch the request off for every client.

Are Freed and Upheal HIPAA compliant?

Yes. Freed's security page states HIPAA and HITECH compliance and SOC 2 Type 2 certification, and says all of its data is stored within the United States. Upheal is HIPAA, PHIPA, PIPEDA, GDPR, and DPA compliant, has completed a SOC 2 Type II audit, and is continuously externally tested.

What does Freed's browser extension have access to?

Its terms grant Freed a licence to access your EHR system and to read, scan, collect and store PHI and other information accessible from it, authorising Freed to use that system as though you were accessing it yourself. Anything the extension reads becomes Your Data under the same terms as a session you recorded. That is normal for an integration of this depth, and it is worth agreeing to knowingly rather than by default.

Can I use Freed for substance-use treatment records?

No. Freed's terms state the platform has not been designed to process 42 CFR Part 2 data and that users agree not to submit such records through it.

Can I use Upheal alongside my current EHR instead of replacing it?

Yes. Many therapists run Upheal purely for notes next to SimplePractice, TherapyNotes or whatever they already use, capturing sessions from any browser tab, their video calls, or the mobile app. Scheduling, billing, telehealth and the client portal are there when you want them and ignored until then. The difference from Freed is that the option exists at all.

Can Upheal replace Freed and my current EHR?

Yes. Upheal covers AI session notes, treatment planning, scheduling, billing, insurance claims, intake forms, telehealth, secure messaging and client records in one platform, and AI-assisted migration imports your clients and notes from your existing system.

Sources: Freed claims are taken from its pricing page and help centre pricing article, its Privacy Policy for Scribe and AI Chat (last updated 11 August 2026), its Platform Terms of Use (last updated 13 August 2026) including the Business Associate Agreement at Schedule A and the Browser Extension Terms at Schedule B, its privacy and security article, security page, HIPAA compliance FAQ, product FAQ, Front Desk launch material and app store listings. Pricing and product pages read 5 September 2026; pricing re-checked and the legal documents read in full on 7 September 2026; security page re-read 15 September 2026. Where this page says Freed does not have something, that reflects Freed's own published plan descriptions and product pages. Upheal claims are from upheal.io feature pages, the support centre and the privacy policy for providers, updated 3 December 2025. Pricing and features change on both sides; confirm current terms with each vendor before deciding.