Comparisons
TeleScribe vs Heidi vs Lyrebird
The full feature-by-feature comparison of the three Australian AI medical scribes. Pricing, scribe features, clinical tools, telehealth, security, integrations — everything we could verify from each company's public website.
Built by Clinicians. Kept in Australia. No multinational marketing tax.
Last verified: 2026-04-14. We update this page as we add features and as competitors update their public pages.
The honest summary
Where TeleScribe is ahead
- A$79/mo — cheaper than Heidi Clinician (A$120/mo monthly) and Lyrebird Pro (A$240/mo monthly), with no annual lock-in required
- Lit search included in the base price — Heidi gates Evidence as a separate A$40/mo add-on (Clinician + Evidence ≈ A$160/mo)
- Browser-to-browser video consult included — neither competitor advertises their own video platform
- 9 Medicare exemption pathways with audit-logged proformas and TeleCheck postcode disaster-zone lookup
- 13 named, validated clinical screening tools — neither competitor publishes a list
- Australian CVD Risk Calculator embedded — not advertised by either competitor
- 4-layer ASR fallback chain with named providers (Deepgram, OpenAI, Groq) — competitors keep their model stack opaque
- "Audio is never written to disk" hard architectural guarantee, not just "deleted after transcription"
- Meetings workspace with consent audit trail — included, not advertised by either competitor
- Built by Clinicians. Kept in Australia. No multinational marketing tax.
Where competitors are ahead (honestly)
- Heidi has the deepest enterprise EMR integration story (Epic, Oracle Cerner, Athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, Best Practice, Halaxy, Cliniko, Genie, Gentu, Nookal, MediRecords, plus 5+ more); TeleScribe has zero live integrations as of 2026-04-14
- Heidi sells a hardware product — “Heidi Remote”, a 21g wearable mic with on-device encryption — and an iOS Epic Haiku integration; TeleScribe is web-only
- Heidi has a public free tier with unlimited transcription; TeleScribe’s free is a 14-day full-feature trial only
- Heidi makes the Clinician plan free for trainees; TeleScribe offers 40% student off
- Heidi has multi-region pricing (AUD, NZD, USD, GBP, EUR, JPY, etc.) and the deepest published proof points (KLAS report, Jean Bishop “85% wellbeing improvement”, 2.4M consults/week)
- Lyrebird is exclusively built into Bp Premier with field write-back (BP, weight) and a free “Bp Free” tier for Bp Premier subscribers
- Lyrebird auto-fills Chronic Condition Management Plans (721/732), Mental Health Treatment Plans, and Health Assessments from the patient record inside the EMR — TeleScribe has the underlying note types but not the named billing-code workflow
- Lyrebird integrates with Cubiko for MBS billing and BetterConsult for pre-consult intake — TeleScribe does not yet
- Lyrebird co-developed national AI scribe guidance with MDA National — TeleScribe has no MDO endorsement yet
- Lyrebird has an 80% registrar discount for the duration of registrar employment; TeleScribe student discount is 40%
- Lyrebird advertises annual billing with a 33% saving (A$160/mo effective); TeleScribe is monthly only
- Lyrebird supports terminal server / Citrix and has a public partner API; TeleScribe API is not yet public
- Lyrebird publishes outcome data: 80% documentation time reduction, 88% PDQI-9 improved note quality, NHS deployment to 20,000 clinicians
- Both competitors have published customer logos and case studies; TeleScribe has none yet
We list these openly because honest comparison is the point. We'd rather you trust this page than discover a gap later.
Feature-by-feature
14 categories. 94 rows. Every cell sourced from a publicly accessible URL on 2026-04-14.
Pricing & Plans (AUD)
What you actually pay each month. All amounts verified from each company’s public pricing page on 2026-04-14.
| Feature | TeleScribe | Heidi | Lyrebird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan, billed monthly | A$79/mo, no annual discount needed | Evidence add-on A$40/mo; Clinician A$120/mo | Pro A$240/mo |
| Entry paid plan, billed annually (effective) | A$79/mo (no annual lock-in offered or required) | Clinician A$85/mo (~A$420/year saving) | Pro A$160/mo (~A$1,920/year, save 33%) |
| Free tier | No free tier; 14-day full-access trial | Yes — unlimited transcription, standard templates | Yes — 50 consult notes + 10 documents per month |
| Bp Premier bundle | Not applicable | Not advertised | Yes — “Bp Free” tier free for Bp Premier subscribers |
| Trial | 14 days, full feature access, card optional initially | 14 days on Evidence / Clinician / Practice tiers | 14 days on Pro |
| Student / registrar / trainee discount | 40% off student rate | Trainees get the Clinician plan free | 80% off Pro for the duration of registrar employment |
| Part-time discount | Not advertised | Not advertised on pricing page | Yes — pro-rata auto-discount at checkout |
| Group / practice discount | Yes — practices of 3 or more | Practice plan A$130/mo annual | Tiered discounts on annual subscriptions |
| Cancellation terms | Monthly billing, no annual lock-in, cancel any time | Not specified on pricing page | Monthly or annual billing options |
| Lit search / evidence — included in base price | Yes — lit search beta included at A$79 | Evidence is a separate A$40/mo add-on on top of Clinician A$120/mo (total ~A$160/mo) | Not advertised |
Core Scribe Features
| Feature | TeleScribe | Heidi | Lyrebird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real-time transcription | Yes — 4-layer ASR fallback chain | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient capture | Yes | Yes | Yes — “Ambient Scribe” |
| Dictation mode | Yes | Not explicitly advertised on pages reviewed | Yes — dedicated dictation mode |
| Typed notepad | Yes | Yes | Yes — “Notepad” |
| Pause / resume | Yes | Not advertised on pages reviewed | Yes |
| Note types advertised | 19 (SOAP, brief, referral, telehealth, specialist, mental health, sick certificate, procedure, discharge, medication review, plus secondary docs) | “Standard” + “Advanced” templates per tier | SOAP, Progress, custom templates |
| Custom templates | Yes — clinician-configurable | Yes (Advanced templates on paid tier) | Yes — fully customisable, learns from examples |
| Style learning from your past notes | Yes — up to 3 example notes | Yes — “Advanced templates personalisation” | Yes — “adapts to your style over time” |
| Multi-language consults | Not specifically advertised | Not specifically advertised on AU pages | “Varied accents, mixed languages” |
Clinical Tools, Calculators & Validated Screens
Built-in clinical instruments inside the scribe — what you can run from the same recording without leaving the consult.
| Feature | TeleScribe | Heidi | Lyrebird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in validated tools | 13 — PHQ-9, K10, DASS-21, ASRS ADHD, EDE-Q, Epworth, ISI, STOP-Bang, AU CVD Risk, Greene Climacteric, Menopause Rating, BMI, Pain Assessment | Not itemised on pages reviewed | DASS-21 sent pre-consult for MHTP workflow; others not itemised |
| Validated mental health screens | PHQ-9, K10, DASS-21, ASRS ADHD | Not itemised | DASS-21 |
| Australian CVD Risk Calculator | Yes — AU-specific calculator embedded | Not itemised | Not itemised |
| Sleep tools | Epworth, ISI, STOP-Bang | Not itemised | Not itemised |
| Custom tool creation | Build-on-request at no extra cost | Not advertised | Not advertised |
Specialty & Role Coverage
| Feature | TeleScribe | Heidi | Lyrebird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specialties advertised | 50+ specialty knowledge packs | 300+ clinical specialties claimed; specialties grouped by category | 50+ medical specialties listed |
| Role-specific templates | 35+ clinician role templates | Family Medicine, Specialists, Nurses, Mental Health, Allied Health, Dentists, Veterinarians, Trainees | Per-discipline product pages: GPs, Specialists, Allied Health |
| Veterinary support | Not advertised | Yes | Not advertised |
| Dental support | Not advertised | Yes | Not advertised |
Telehealth, Medicare & Australian Compliance Workflows
| Feature | TeleScribe | Heidi | Lyrebird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video consult included | Yes — browser-to-browser, browser-native WebRTC, no per-minute charges, no add-on, no external platform | Not advertised as a core included feature | Captures audio from existing video calls; does not provide its own video platform |
| Phone consult support | Yes — BYO Vonage / Twilio plumbing | Not advertised | Yes — speaker-mode capture instructions provided |
| Audio isolation when wearing headphones | Yes — server-side audio capture | Not advertised | Yes — explicit feature for telehealth |
| Medicare exemption pathways | 9 pathways with audit-logged proformas (Natural Disaster, BBV/SRH, Mental Health FPS, Urgent After-Hours, Under 12 Months, Homelessness, AMS/ACCHS s19(2), MyMedicare, COVID-19) | Not advertised on pages reviewed | Not advertised on pages reviewed |
| Disaster-zone postcode eligibility lookup | Yes — TeleCheck postcode-to-LGA-to-disaster-zone check | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Chronic Condition Management Plans (721/732) | Care plan note type supported; not a named billing-code workflow | Not specifically advertised | Yes — “Initial 721 & Review 732 drafted from patient record” |
| Mental Health Treatment Plans | Mental health note type supported | Not specifically advertised as named product | Yes — DASS-21 pre-consult, MHTP auto-fill from EMR |
| Health Assessments (ATSI, 45-49, 75+) | Not a named workflow | Not advertised | Yes — “designed for nurse-led completion and GP review” |
| MBS code suggestions | Yes — advisory MBS suggestions in the note flow | Not advertised on AU pricing page | Via Cubiko integration for Bp Premier subscribers |
Document Generation
| Feature | TeleScribe | Heidi | Lyrebird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referral letters | Yes — generated from same recording, PDF letterhead | Yes (Scribe tier) | Yes — unlimited on Pro |
| Discharge summaries | Yes | Not specifically advertised | Not specifically advertised |
| Sick / work / Workcover certificates | Yes — sick certificate template | Not specifically advertised | Yes — Workcover certificates listed |
| PDF letterhead with clinician signature | Yes — uploaded signature image, full letterhead | Not advertised on pages reviewed | Yes — unlimited PDFs on Pro |
| Fill existing PDF forms / templates | Not advertised | Not advertised | Yes — upload PDF, auto-fill from consult and patient record |
| Email document to patient / clinician | Yes — via Resend, with audit trail | Not advertised | Not specifically advertised |
| Patient resource library | Yes — admin-managed library, send by email | Not advertised | Not advertised |
Lit Search & Clinical Evidence
Point-of-care evidence and reference search — what each tool offers, and what it costs.
| Feature | TeleScribe | Heidi | Lyrebird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lit search at point of care | Yes (beta) — included in A$79/mo subscription | Yes — “Heidi Evidence” sold as a separate A$40/mo add-on (Clinician + Evidence ≈ A$160/mo) | Not advertised |
| Transparent citations | Yes — citations shown inline with answers | Yes — “transparent citations” | Not advertised |
| Patient-context-aware answers | Yes — uses live transcript context | Yes — “patient-context-aware answers” | “Patient context across documentation” |
| CPD / CME tracking | Not advertised | Yes — CPD/CME tracking on Evidence add-on | Not advertised |
| Documentation aid only (TGA-safe stance) | Yes — explicit TGA-safe boundary; documentation aid only | Standard documentation aid framing | Standard documentation aid framing; “clinician oversight always” |
EMR & Practice Management Integrations
Direct EMR / PMS integrations advertised on each company’s public integrations page on 2026-04-14.
| Feature | TeleScribe | Heidi | Lyrebird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Practice (Bp Premier) | Planned (not yet live) | Yes | Yes — “Exclusively built into Bp Premier”, with field write-back (BP, weight) |
| Genie / Gentu | Planned | Yes | Yes |
| Medical Director | Planned | Yes | Not listed |
| Halaxy | Planned | Yes | Not listed |
| Cliniko | Not yet | Yes | Not listed |
| MediRecords | Not yet | Yes | Not listed |
| Nookal | Not yet | Yes | Not listed |
| Cubiko (MBS billing) | Not yet | Not listed | Yes — exclusive integration |
| BetterConsult (pre-consult intake) | Not yet | Not listed | Yes |
| Epic | Not on roadmap (AU focus) | Yes — SMART on FHIR, Hyperspace / Hyperdrive / Haiku | Yes — enterprise pathway |
| Oracle Cerner | Not on roadmap | Yes — MPage write-back | Yes |
| FHIR / HL7 v2 / SMART on FHIR | Not yet | Yes | Yes |
| Public partner API | Not yet public | Not advertised | Yes — “Lyrebird OpenAPI” publicly documented |
| Webhooks for write-back | Not yet | Not advertised | Yes — Partner API webhook write-back |
AI & Technology Transparency
How much each vendor tells you about the AI models they use.
| Feature | TeleScribe | Heidi | Lyrebird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speech recognition (ASR) providers named publicly | Deepgram nova-3-medical, OpenAI gpt-4o-mini-transcribe, OpenAI whisper-1, Groq whisper-large-v3-turbo (4-layer fallback) | Not advertised — “our AI” | Not advertised |
| Reasoning model providers named publicly | OpenAI GPT-4.1-mini (default), Anthropic Claude (premium), via Vercel AI Gateway | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Self-hosted / on-prem option | Not offered | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Hardware wearable / on-device | Not offered | Yes — “Heidi Remote” 21g wearable mic with on-device encryption | Not offered |
| De-identification before LLM processing | Not advertised | Yes — “automatically removes identifiable details before processing” | Not explicitly advertised |
| Patient data used to train AI | Never — contractually prohibited with all providers | “Heidi doesn’t use any of your data to train our AI” | “We don’t train AI on your data” |
Security, Privacy & Australian Sovereignty
| Feature | TeleScribe | Heidi | Lyrebird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Database hosting region | Australian-hosted (Supabase Sydney) | Australian-headquartered; specific data residency commitments require contacting Heidi | “Processed and stored within Australia” |
| Audio retention policy | Audio is processed in memory only — never written to disk at any point | “As soon as Heidi transcribes, the audio disappears. No audio is ever kept.” | “Audio is securely destroyed” after transcription |
| Australian Privacy Act / APP alignment | Yes — ADM disclosure planned by Dec 2026 deadline | Not explicitly advertised on pages reviewed | Yes — “aligned with Australian Privacy Principles” |
| HIPAA alignment (US) | Not claimed (TeleScribe is AU-only, not a US product) | Yes — listed in safety footer | “Aligned with APP, HIPAA, and GDPR” |
| GDPR alignment | Not claimed | Yes — UK/EU footer | Yes |
| SOC 2 Type II certification | Not claimed | Not found on pages reviewed (may be in gated trust centre) | Not advertised on pages reviewed |
| TGA Digital Scribes alignment (5 February 2026) | Yes — documentation-aid-only stance published, TGA-safe boundary explicit | Not explicitly named | Not explicitly named |
| AHPRA AI-labelling on outputs | Yes — draft disclaimers on every AI output | Not advertised | “Respects clinician oversight and review at all times” |
| Co-developed with a defence / MDO body | Not yet | Not advertised | Yes — co-developed national AI scribe guidance with MDA National |
| Owner identity and legal entity | Black Health Intelligence Pty Ltd (ABN 23 693 026 112). ASIC business name “telescribe” registered 18 February 2026 | Australian-incorporated company; ABN searchable on ABR | Australian-incorporated company; ABN searchable on ABR |
Platform, UX & Workflow
| Feature | TeleScribe | Heidi | Lyrebird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web app | Yes | Yes | Yes — entirely web-based, no downloads required |
| iOS / Android app | Not yet — mobile web works on iOS Safari and Android browsers | Downloads page in footer; Heidi Haiku is an Epic-specific mobile integration | Mobile web only |
| Desktop client | Not offered (web only) | Downloads page listed in footer | Not offered |
| Terminal server / Citrix support | Not advertised | Not advertised | Yes — explicitly supported |
| Theme options | 11 themes including 7 Australian botanical themes | Not itemised | Not itemised |
Meetings Workspace
| Feature | TeleScribe | Heidi | Lyrebird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team meeting / case conference workspace | Yes — included in subscription, with consent gate, real-time transcription, AI minutes, action items | Not advertised on pages reviewed | Not advertised on pages reviewed |
| Per-participant consent audit trail | Yes — audit-logged consent capture | Not advertised | Not advertised |
Support, Onboarding & Trust Signals
| Feature | TeleScribe | Heidi | Lyrebird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-serve signup | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Live chat | Not yet | Yes | Yes — business hours via Help Centre |
| Status page | Not yet | Yes — “System Status” publicly linked | Not listed |
| Customer logos / case studies | None published yet | KLAS Research, MaineGeneral Health, Jean Bishop Centre | Gold Coast Health, Grove Medical, St Kilda Medical Group, Ochre Health, 4 SW London NHS Trusts |
| Quantitative outcomes published | Not yet — internal data only | “2.4 million consultations per week”; KLAS “100% would purchase again”; Jean Bishop “85% wellbeing improvement” | 80% reduction in post-consult documentation time; 88% PDQI-9 improved note quality; 84% workflow improvement; 68% patients notice more engagement |
| NHS / large enterprise deployment | Not yet | Not specifically advertised on AU pages | Yes — 4 South West London NHS Trusts, 20,000 clinicians |
Beta & Roadmap Visibility
| Feature | TeleScribe | Heidi | Lyrebird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public changelog | Not yet | Yes — Changelog link in footer | “Product Updates” blog posts |
| Public roadmap | Not yet | Not formally published | Not formally published |
How TeleScribe is built
Australian-hosted
Transcripts and clinical notes stored in Supabase Sydney. Australian data centres, Australian-incorporated owner, Australian Business Number visible.
Audio never stored
Audio is processed in memory through medical-grade speech recognition and discarded the moment the transcript is returned. Audio is never written to disk.
TGA-safe boundary
Documentation aid only. Aligned with the TGA Digital Scribes guidance (5 February 2026). No diagnostic claims. Every output requires clinician review.
About this comparison
Every claim on this page is sourced from each company's publicly accessible website as of 2026-04-14. We do not infer features that are not advertised publicly. Where a competitor does not advertise a feature, we mark it “Not advertised” rather than “does not exist”.
No false claims. If you spot a fact that is incorrect or out of date, email office@telescribe.com.au and we will update it within one business day.
No association. TeleScribe is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or partnered with Heidi Health Pty Ltd or Lyrebird Health Pty Ltd. Trade marks are the property of their respective owners. Comparative advertising is explicitly legal in Australia under section 122(1)(d) of the Trade Marks Act 1995.
Sources fetched on 2026-04-14:
- TeleScribe: https://www.telescribe.com.au
- Heidi homepage: https://www.heidihealth.com/en-au
- Heidi pricing: https://www.heidihealth.com/en-au/pricing
- Lyrebird homepage: https://www.lyrebirdhealth.com/au
- Lyrebird pricing: https://www.lyrebirdhealth.com/au/pricing
Try it for 14 days
$79/mo after the free trial. Video consult included. Lit search beta included. Australian-hosted. No annual lock-in. Cancel any time.
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