The best AI medical scribe depends on your setup. Abridge is best for Epic health systems, Heidi is the best free option, Freed is best for solo doctors on a budget, and Nuance DAX has the broadest hospital EHR support. Below we compare the top scribes by use case, price, and EHR fit.
An AI medical scribe listens to the visit and writes the clinical note for you. It saves hours of typing and cuts burnout, which is why it is the most proven use of AI agents in healthcare.
What is an AI medical scribe?
An AI medical scribe is a tool that records the patient visit, understands the conversation, and drafts the clinical note. The newest ones are ambient, which means they listen in the background with no typing. The clinician reviews and signs the note. Good scribes also suggest billing codes and write the note straight into the electronic health record, so the doctor does less admin.
The best AI medical scribes at a glance
| Scribe | Best for | Price per provider | EHR fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abridge | Epic health systems | ~$250 to $500+/mo | Native Epic |
| Nuance DAX Copilot | Large hospital systems | ~$300 to $900+/mo | Epic, Cerner, Meditech |
| Ambience | Specialty groups, coding | Custom quote | Epic, athenahealth |
| Suki | Voice-first workflow | ~$300 to $400/mo | Broad |
| DeepScribe | High-documentation specialties | ~$300 to $500/mo | athena, eCW, Epic |
| Heidi | Solo and international clinicians | Free tier, paid from ~$110/mo | Browser based |
| Nabla | Telehealth and multilingual | From ~$119/mo, free tier | Browser based |
| Freed | Solo doctors on a budget | ~$99/mo, entry from $39 | Copy and paste |
Prices are reported mid 2026 figures and change often. Enterprise scribes are quote based, so confirm current terms with each vendor.
Abridge: best AI scribe for Epic health systems
Abridge is the best AI scribe for large health systems on Epic. It embeds directly in Epic with two way writeback, so notes flow into the chart automatically. Its Linked Evidence feature ties each line of the note back to the moment it was discussed, which helps with audits. Pricing is enterprise, generally $250 to $500 or more per provider a month, with no free trial. It is built for systems, not solo doctors.
Heidi: the best free AI medical scribe
Heidi is the best free AI medical scribe. It has a usable free tier and paid plans from about $110 a month, which makes it a strong pick for independent and international clinicians. Heidi supports more than 100 languages and community shared templates. The trade off is integration. It is browser based and mostly works by copy and paste, rather than deep EHR writeback.
Freed: best AI scribe for solo doctors on a budget
Freed is the best budget pick for US solo clinicians and small practices. It costs about $99 a month per provider, with an entry tier as low as $39, and it is simple to set up on your own. It handles SOAP, discharge, and common outpatient notes well. The limit is depth. It mostly copies into the chart and does not do full two way EHR writeback, and it is primarily English only.
Nuance DAX Copilot: best for large hospital systems
Nuance DAX Copilot, now part of Dragon Copilot, has the broadest hospital EHR support. It works across Epic, Oracle Health, and Meditech, which makes it the safe enterprise pick for big multi specialty systems. Pricing runs from about $300 to $900 or more per provider a month, and implementation can push the all in cost higher. Its edge is Nuance speech recognition and deep enterprise integration.
Ambience: best AI scribe for specialty coding
Ambience Healthcare is the best scribe for specialty groups that want documentation plus billing codes. It uses specialty tuned models and suggests E&M and ICD-10 codes, with published case studies on revenue uplift. It integrates natively with Epic and athenahealth. Pricing is custom and quote based, so it suits groups with a procurement process rather than solo clinicians.
Suki: the best voice-first AI scribe
Suki is the best pick if you want voice commands, not just ambient notes. Beyond writing the note, it lets clinicians place orders, referrals, and scheduling by voice. It runs from about $300 to $400 per provider a month and works across Epic, athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, and more. The catch is a learning curve, with a short throughput dip while clinicians adjust.
Nabla: best AI scribe for telehealth and multilingual care
Nabla Copilot is the best scribe for telehealth and international practices. It performs well on virtual visits and meets both HIPAA and GDPR rules, which suits European and global groups. It starts at about $119 a month per provider and has a free tier for low volume use. It is weaker on enterprise EHR writeback than the big system scribes.
DeepScribe: best for high-documentation specialties
DeepScribe is the best pick for specialties with heavy notes, like oncology, cardiology, urology, and orthopedics. It uses specialty tuned models, prompts for E&M coding, and offers an optional human review tier for extra accuracy. It runs from about $300 to $500 per provider a month and integrates with athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, Epic, and AdvancedMD.
How much does an AI medical scribe cost?
AI medical scribes range from about $39 a month for a solo budget tool to $900 or more per provider for enterprise systems. Solo and small practice tools like Freed, Heidi, and Nabla publish clear prices, often under $120 a month. Enterprise scribes like Abridge, Nuance DAX, and Ambience use custom contracts and cost several hundred dollars per provider a month, plus setup.
Are AI medical scribes HIPAA compliant?
The leading AI medical scribes are built to be HIPAA compliant, and some, like Nabla, also meet GDPR for international use. Still, compliance depends on the vendor and your setup, so always sign a business associate agreement and confirm how patient data is stored and used. The clinician also reviews and signs every note, which keeps a human in control of the record.
How to choose an AI medical scribe
Pick based on your size and your EHR. If you run a health system on Epic, choose Abridge or Nuance DAX. If you are a solo doctor, choose Freed for value or Heidi for a free start. If you need coding support, choose Ambience or DeepScribe. If you want voice commands, choose Suki. If you do telehealth or work across languages, choose Nabla. Match the tool to your EHR first, then start with a trial before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
Abridge is the best AI medical scribe for Epic health systems, while Heidi is the best free option and Freed is the best budget pick for solo doctors. The right choice depends on your practice size and your EHR.
Heidi is the best free AI medical scribe, with a usable free tier and paid plans from about $110 a month. Nabla also offers a free tier for low volume use.
AI medical scribes cost from about $39 a month for a solo budget tool to $900 or more per provider for enterprise systems. Most solo tools are under $120 a month.
The leading scribes are built to be HIPAA compliant, and some also meet GDPR. Always sign a business associate agreement and confirm how patient data is handled before you start.
Abridge and Nuance DAX Copilot have the strongest Epic integration, with native embedding and two way writeback into the chart.