Heidi Health vs Lyrebird Health: which is right for your business?
Both are Australian-built AI scribes that listen to consultations and draft clinical notes. Choose Lyrebird if you are a GP on Best Practice and want deep integration that also drafts care plans, health assessments and forms inside your clinical software. Choose Heidi if you work across specialties or settings, want a generous free tier, or need tools beyond scribing such as dictation, evidence answers and task agents. Both say they do not keep consultation audio. Whichever you choose, AHPRA expects informed patient consent and that you review every note before it goes in the record.
Last reviewed October 2026
Side-by-side comparison
| Heidi Health | Lyrebird Health | |
|---|---|---|
| Best at | Flexible scribing across specialties, with dictation, evidence answers and task agents in one tool. | General practice on Best Practice, including care plans, health assessments and forms. |
| Plan structure | Free plan with unlimited transcription, paid Clinician and Practice plans, and Enterprise. | Limited free plan, a free plan for Best Practice users, Pro, and Enterprise. |
| EMR integration | EHR integrations on paid plans, including Best Practice; otherwise copy notes across. | Deep Best Practice integration, plus Genie, Gentu and browser workflows for other systems. |
| Data storage | Australian customer data hosted in Australia, with some offshore processing disclosed; check the processing agreement. | Says data is processed and stored in Australia. |
| Audio and training | Audio is not stored after notes are generated; review terms on secondary use. | No audio retained after the consult and no model training on patient data. |
| Certifications | ISO 27001 and SOC 2. | Ask for current security certifications and audit reports during procurement. |
| Team and admin controls | Team template sharing and management on paid plans; SSO and custom hosting on Enterprise. | Team templates and central billing; organisation sharing and SSO on Enterprise. |
| Reach | Used internationally across many specialties and some Australian hospitals. | Focused on Australian general practice and specialists, with hospital trials such as Gold Coast Health. |
| Learning curve | Quick to start; templates take time to tune to your style. | Quick for Best Practice users because it works inside the clinical software. |
Choose Heidi Health if…
- →You work in a specialty, allied health or a setting outside general practice
- →You want a capable free tier before paying
- →You use clinical software other than Best Practice
- →You want dictation, evidence lookups and task help in the same tool
Choose Lyrebird Health if…
- →You are a GP using Best Practice and want notes written straight into the record
- →You want help drafting care plans, health assessments and WorkCover or NDIS forms
- →Onshore processing and storage of all data is a firm requirement
- →Your practice uses Genie or Gentu
For Australian businesses
AHPRA's guidance on using AI in healthcare says practitioners remain responsible for records and must obtain informed patient consent. The RACGP advises reviewing every note, preferring Australian data storage and checking secondary data use. Some states treat recording a private conversation without consent as a criminal offence. Health information is sensitive information under the Privacy Act 1988, and state health records laws may also apply. Scribes that only summarise generally fall outside TGA device regulation, but features that suggest diagnoses or treatment may not. Talk to your medical defence organisation before rollout.
Our verdict
For GPs on Best Practice, Lyrebird's in-software integration and help with care plans and forms make it the more efficient choice, and its fully onshore data claim is simple to explain to patients. For specialists, allied health, hospitals or clinicians on other systems, Heidi's flexibility, free tier and wider feature set make it the stronger option. Both are credible Australian products. Trial each for a fortnight, check note accuracy closely, and confirm data terms in writing before signing.
Full reviews
Heidi Health
Free plan + paidHealthcare
An AI medical scribe founded in Melbourne that listens to a consultation, through a device microphone or an uploaded recording, and drafts a structured clinical note. It also produces letters and documents from templates, supports dictation, and offers an evidence assistant for clinical questions.
Best for: Australian GPs wanting to cut after-hours documentation
Heidi Health review →Lyrebird Health
Free plan + paidHealthcare
An Australian AI scribe for GPs and specialists that turns consultation audio into clinical notes and also drafts referral letters, certificates and care plans. It integrates directly with common Australian clinical systems such as Best Practice and Genie, and processes and stores data onshore.
Best for: General practices running Best Practice or Genie
Lyrebird Health review →
Frequently asked questions
Do I need patient consent to use Heidi or Lyrebird?
Yes. AHPRA and the RACGP expect informed consent before an AI scribe listens to a consultation, and some states make recording without consent an offence. Explain what the tool does, record consent in the notes, and offer a way to opt out.
Are AI scribes regulated by the TGA?
Scribes that only transcribe and summarise generally are not medical devices, so they do not need TGA approval. Features that suggest diagnoses or treatment can bring a product into device regulation. Check how each vendor describes any clinical suggestion features.
Where is patient data stored?
Lyrebird says data is processed and stored in Australia. Heidi hosts Australian customer data in Australia but discloses some offshore processing for performance. Read each data processing agreement and ask about subprocessors before you commit.
Who is responsible if the AI note is wrong?
You are. Practitioners remain responsible for the accuracy of their clinical records, regardless of the tool. Review and correct each note straight after the consultation, before it is finalised, and watch for misheard medicines, doses and symptoms.
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Still deciding?
AI Lab Australia can trial both tools against your own documents and workflows, and set up the one that fits with the right privacy controls.