Australian psychologists have documentation needs a generic AI scribe doesn't cover: session notes that stand up to AHPRA's record‑keeping standards, review letters back to the referring GP under Better Access, and a privacy regime — the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) — that applies to every health service provider regardless of size.
This guide compares eight AI scribes for psychologists, clinical psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists, mental health social workers and occupational therapists in private practice. Each is assessed on the same five things: Australian privacy commitments, where data is hosted, therapy note formats and letters, price, and how it fits your practice‑management system.
How we compared them
- Australian privacy commitments. What the vendor publicly states about the Privacy Act 1988 and the APPs.
- Where data is hosted. Whether the vendor states Australian hosting, overseas hosting, or doesn't say.
- Mental health fit. Therapy note formats, couples and family sessions, telehealth, and letters for Better Access.
- Price. Public pricing, currency, and whether notes are capped.
- Practice-system fit. Integrations with Cliniko, Halaxy, Coreplus, Zanda (Power Diary) and Nookal.
At a glance
Tool | Best for | Data hosted | Australian privacy claims | Price (public) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Twofold | Most psychologists and mental health clinicians | United States | APP entity under the Privacy Act | US$69/mo or US$49/mo annually, unlimited notes |
NovoPsych (NovoNote) | Better Access letters and psychometrics | Australia (Sydney) | APPs | Free tier; Pro A$30/mo |
Heidi Health | Direct Cliniko/Halaxy/Nookal integration | Australia | Privacy Act, APPs | Free tier; paid plans |
Grounded Scribe | Budget solo practice with integrations | Australia (Sydney) | APPs | Free tier; A$19–99/mo |
Lyrebird Health | Psychologists working alongside GPs | Australia (Sydney) | APPs | Free tier; Pro A$160–240/mo |
Halaxy AI Scribe | Practices already on Halaxy | Not stated | "Australian privacy regulations" | Credits, about A$0.15–0.22 per 15 min |
Zanda BizzyAI | Practices already on Zanda | Not stated (AWS) | Privacy Act | US$19/user/mo |
Upheal | Low or part-time caseloads | Not stated (AWS) | Not stated for Australia | A$1.45/session, capped at A$100/mo |
Checked on each vendor's own website, 27 September 2026.
1. Twofold — best AI scribe for most Australian psychologists
Best for: psychologists, counsellors and mental health social workers in solo or group practice who want therapy‑native notes without changing their practice system.
Twofold is an AI scribe built for mental health first. It drafts SOAP, DAP, BIRP, progress and intake notes from a session, and has dedicated templates for couples therapy, family therapy, DBT and biopsychosocial assessments. Its template builder lets you write the instruction for each section, so you can build your own GP review letter or case‑note format once and reuse it.
What makes it the best fit for most Australian practices:
- Unlimited notes at a flat price. US$69 a month, or US$49 a month billed annually, with a seven-day free trial and no card required. There are no note caps, credits or per-session fees.
- Works with any practice system. The finished note copies into Cliniko, Halaxy, Coreplus, Zanda, Nookal or anything else — no plan upgrade needed.
- Bound by the Australian Privacy Principles. Where the Privacy Act applies, Twofold is an APP entity, so the APPs bind it directly. Its privacy policy states that information is disclosed to recipients in the United States, it treats health information as sensitive information, and it notifies the OAIC of eligible data breaches. Information is never used for marketing or to train or fine-tune models. See how Twofold handles Australian privacy law.
- Group practices get central billing and seats, templates shared across the team, and notes that stay private to each clinician.
Trade-offs: Twofold is hosted in the United States, on Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, so your practice discloses information overseas under APP 8 — allowed, but you need to take reasonable steps and tell clients. It has no ready‑made Better Access letter template (you build one in the template builder), and pricing is in US dollars.
2. NovoPsych (NovoNote) — best for Better Access letters and psychometrics
Best for: psychologists who want AI notes, GP letters and psychometric testing in one Australian tool.
NovoNote drafts GP Mental Health Treatment Plan progress letters, Eating Disorder Plan review letters, NDIS reports and WorkCover forms, and writes progress notes for CBT, ACT and EMDR sessions. NovoPsych states compliance with the APPs and hosts session notes on AWS in Sydney. There's a free tier of 30 notes and 10 letters a month; Pro is A$30 a month.
Trade-off: no named practice‑management integrations — notes are copied across.
3. Heidi Health — best for direct integration with Cliniko, Halaxy and Nookal
Best for: practices that want notes pushed straight into their practice system from an Australian‑hosted scribe.
Heidi is Australian, states that it adheres to the Privacy Act and the APPs, keeps all data hosted in Australia, and lists ISO 27001, ISO 42001 and SOC 2. It markets to psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists and social workers, and its template community includes GP letter templates for Better Access. It has a free plan with a cap on advanced templates.
Trade-off: built for all of medicine rather than therapy first, and its Cliniko, Halaxy and Nookal integrations need the Practice plan or higher.
4. Grounded Scribe — best budget option for solo practice
Best for: solo psychologists and counsellors on Cliniko, Halaxy or Nookal who want low monthly pricing.
Grounded Scribe is Australian and aimed at psychologists, counsellors and social workers. It states APP compliance, stores records in Australia, offers templates aligned to clinical psychology item numbers, and includes its Cliniko, Halaxy and Nookal integrations on every plan. Pricing runs from a free tier of 10 sessions a month to A$99 a month for unlimited use.
Trade-off: a newer, smaller vendor with no ISO or SOC certification listed.
5. Lyrebird Health — best for psychologists working alongside GPs
Best for: psychologists co‑located with GPs who use Best Practice.
Lyrebird is an Australian scribe built for general practice that now markets to psychologists, with progress notes, SOAP and DAP, mental state examinations, risk assessments and GP letters. It processes and stores data in Australia, aligned with the APPs.
Trade-off: its integrations are GP software (Best Practice, Genie, Gentu), and its Pro plan is the most expensive here at A$240 a month, or A$160 a month billed annually.
6. Halaxy AI Scribe — best if you're already on Halaxy
Best for: practices whose bookings, notes and billing already live in Halaxy.
Halaxy's built‑in AI Scribe mentions psychologists and mental health treatment plans and runs on credits — one credit per 15 minutes of transcription, at about A$0.15–0.22 per credit — on top of Halaxy's free core software. Halaxy states it complies with Australian privacy regulations.
Trade-off: only works inside Halaxy, and Halaxy doesn't state where AI processing is hosted.
7. Zanda BizzyAI — best if you're already on Zanda (Power Diary)
Best for: existing Zanda and Power Diary practices.
Zanda's BizzyAI generates notes into your chosen clinical note template. Zanda names the Privacy Act and says it holds ISO 27001 certification. BizzyAI AI Pro costs US$19 per user per month.
Trade-off: only works inside Zanda, is priced in US dollars, and doesn't state its hosting region.
8. Upheal — best for low or part-time caseloads
Best for: part‑time clinicians who want to pay per session in Australian dollars.
Upheal's Australian site prices at A$1.45 per session, capped at A$100 a month, with a free plan. It supports SOAP, DAP and BIRP notes, couples sessions and built‑in telehealth.
Trade-off: Upheal doesn't publish an Australian privacy or hosting statement, and its integrations are US systems.
Also considered
- Mentalyc states it meets the APPs but advertises US-based data residency and has no Australian letters.
- Blueprint and AutoNotes state US hosting and don't mention Australia.
- Cliniko and Coreplus don't have built-in AI scribes; they connect to third-party tools, including several above.
Does an AI scribe have to store data in Australia?
No. The Privacy Act 1988 doesn't require health information to stay in Australia. But when your practice sends client information to an overseas vendor, APP 8 requires you to take reasonable steps to ensure the vendor doesn't breach the APPs — usually through the vendor's terms — and your privacy policy must say information is likely to be disclosed overseas.
Two states add their own conditions. Victoria's Health Records Act (HPP 9) and NSW's Health Records and Information Privacy Act (HPP 14) allow health information to be transferred out of the state only on specified grounds, such as the recipient being bound by substantially similar principles or the client consenting.
If your practice's own policy requires Australian hosting, choose Heidi, NovoPsych, Grounded Scribe or Lyrebird.
How to choose
- Need Better Access letters out of the box? NovoPsych, or Heidi's GP letter templates.
- Want notes to land in Cliniko, Halaxy or Nookal automatically? Grounded Scribe or Heidi.
- Need Australian hosting? Heidi, NovoPsych, Grounded Scribe or Lyrebird.
- Want therapy-native formats including couples and family, unlimited notes at a flat price, and freedom to use any system? Twofold.
- Whichever you pick, get the client's informed consent to record. AHPRA notes that consent is particularly important for AI tools that record private conversations, and state surveillance laws can carry criminal penalties.