Documentation has long been a tedious, time-consuming aspect of healthcare. Whether a healthcare professional is charting, summarizing visits, or writing referral notes, it often amounts to almost as much time spent at the keyboard as with patients.
That’s where AI medical scribes come in. AI healthcare tools, including scribes, are helping doctors, nurse practitioners, and PAs reclaim hours they used to spend on documentation. Here, we’ll break down the best AI scribes for clinicians in 2026, including Doximity, Freed, Suki, and more, so that finding the right fit for your practice is made simple.
What is an AI Medical Scribe?
An AI medical scribe is a software tool that live records patient appointments and generates structured clinical notes once complete. It uses natural language processing and ambient listening technology to create the final summary, which can then be used as SOAP notes, chart updates, or a jumping-off point for handoffs or referral letters.
What to Look for in an AI Medical Scribe
Of course, not all AI scribes for clinicians are the same. Before choosing a clinical scribe, consider the following:
- Clinical context and accuracy: A quality AI scribe will capture patient appointments with precision, while omitting irrelevant information.
- Security: Any tool worth considering should be HIPAA compliant and have Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) in place.
- Integration features: If an AI scribe integrates with other tools, such as telehealth platforms, it provides greater value as a workflow-streamlining ecosystem rather than a siloed tool.
- Price transparency: If there’s a cost associated with the tool, it should be easy to determine which tier best suits your needs.
- Ease of use: The ideal AI scribe requires little to no IT support and should have support resources and mobile compatibility out of the box.
The 7 Best AI Scribes for Healthcare in 2026
1. Doximity Scribe
Cost: Free
Security: HIPAA-compliant with BAA coverage
Ease of Use: Mobile and desktop availability with no additional software or setup required
Doximity Scribe is free, secure, and available on the go. It records patient interactions and generates a thorough, hands-free summary before securely discarding the original recording. Doximity is HIPAA-compliant and supports custom templates and freeform notes, enabling clinicians across specialties to simplify their workflows. It generates notes within seconds, has a clean interface, and is perfect for practices of any size.
Doximity Scribe can be used for in-person appointments and is also available through the trusted telehealth platform, Doximity Dialer. Both tools are free and can be used together in the same workflow without a subscription. Whether in the office or at home, physicians can generate accurate notes from a single screen with no clicks or typing. There’s no need to wait hours for summaries or worry about hitting a paywall.
In addition to Dialer, Doximity Scribe also integrates with the intuitive clinical decision management tool Doximity Ask. The draft note from Scribe can be copied into Doximity Ask for simple refinement, formatting, or to generate additional documentation like patient care instructions. There’s no IT setup required to use Scribe, and summaries work with any electronic health record (EHR) via simple copy and paste.
2. Heidi
Cost: Free plan available with usage limits
Security: HIPAA compliant with BAA
Ease of Use: No onboarding needed. Free tier requires more note editing
Heidi is a popular, fast-to-deploy scribe available to clinicians today. It’s secure, easy to use, and offers a free tier. There’s also a library of pre-designed templates for convenient use.
It’s important to note, however, that Heidi’s free tier has restrictive usage caps. The free plan also requires more note editing than the paid plans, so it may not streamline clinician workflows as effectively without additional costs involved.
3. Freed
Cost: Starter plan with limited notes for $39 per month
Security: HIPAA compliant
Ease of Use: Mobile and desktop compatibility
Like Doximity, Freed is HIPAA-compliant and discards original recordings. It’s trusted by clinicians because it’s easy to use, and many templates can be fit to a clinician’s specialty. The app does offer some integrations, but some Reddit users cite that Freed is often unreliable in noisier environments.
Freed is also available on desktop and mobile, but it offers limited editing functionality. It’s a purpose-built tool for healthcare, but licenses start at $39 per month.
4. Abridge
Cost: Enterprise pricing not publicly listed
Security: HIPAA compliant. Audio retained for 90 days
Ease of Use: Only available as embed app through Epic. Requires IT deployment
Abridge is a popular option for enterprise-sized health systems, specifically for those using Epic system software. It’s HIPAA compliant and uses a contextual reasoning engine to keep notes consistent with prior patient history. It doesn’t immediately discard recordings, which may be a nonstarter for some practices, and the pricing isn’t publicly available.
While it is a powerful AI scribe, it’s not built for every clinic. Implementation requires significant IT support and often involves institutional procurement.
5. Skriber
Cost: Free trial available, paid subscription for unlimited use
Security: HIPAA compliant
Ease of Use: No setup or onboarding required
Skriber is another HIPAA-compliant tool on our list and offers a free 10-visit trial before requiring a credit card for continued use. Implementation is self-serve, requiring no setup or training. The scribe can generate SOAP notes, DAP notes, and adhere to custom formats.
Skriber also works on mobile and web apps, and the system learns a clinician’s style over time. It’s worth noting that some forum users cite that summaries are inaccurate and that the mobile app crashes from time to time.
6. DeepScribe
Cost: Custom, unlisted enterprise pricing
Security: HIPAA compliant
Ease of Use: No self-serve onboarding. Requires DeepScribe IT implementation
DeepScribe is another on our list better suited for large to enterprise-sized practices, with custom pricing estimated at $350 to $500 per user per month. The tool is secure and HIPAA-compliant, and supports complex specialty environments such as oncology and cardiology.
DeepScribe learns user charting styles over time, but requires extensive IT implementation. It’s overall a good option for the largest specialty practices.
7. Suki
Cost: Starter plan approximately $299 per workspace per month
Security: HIPAA compliant
Ease of Use: Requires administrative coordination with IT
Last on our list is the HIPAA-compliant Suki. This AI scribe supports voice commands for retrieving patient information and generating referral letters, but the smallest plan starts at $299 per month.
Suki is in the middle of the road in terms of implementation, as it does not support self-serve use, but requires some coordination with IT. While it is intuitive and reliable, it is unsuitable for small practices or solo clinicians.
Why All-In-One Accessibility is a Must
A clinical AI tool is only as handy and secure as the ecosystem it’s a part of. Tools that exist only as standalone apps can sometimes create more friction, requiring clinicians to toggle between platforms or manage multiple licenses.
For many clinicians, Doximity Scribe is a go-to for reasons beyond its free price. Because it’s available in Doximity Dialer, secure messages, calls, and video conversations are streamlined, and a clinician’s go-to appointment apps work in one place. It also works with Doximity Ask, meaning you can query and prompt visit notes and get evidence-based responses. Over time, the cognitive load drops, and meaningful AI adoption actually sticks.
Get Doximity Today
If you’re a physician, nurse practitioner, PA, or resident, Doximity Scribe is available for no cost. Over 85% of physicians are already registered Doximity members, and a smarter, more effective way to document is just a few clicks away.
Create a free account with your healthcare credentials today.