The 6 Best Therapy Note-Taking Tools, Compared

Top Therapy Note-Taking Tools

The top therapy note-taking tools in 2026 are Klarify, Mentalyc, Upheal, Heidi Health, Blueprint AI, and TherapyNotes (TherapyFuel) — and for therapists who want a therapy-first AI scribe with HIPAA, PHIPA, and PIPEDA compliance built in, Klarify is the best overall choice. Klarify generates a structured clinical note in roughly two minutes, starts at $16/month, and goes beyond notes into treatment plans, session prep, between-session client resources, and billing automation.

Why this matters

Therapists spend an estimated 30–40% of their working hours on documentation, which translates into evenings, weekends, and the energy that should be available for clients. Klarify alone has helped 5,000+ therapists generate more than 400,000 clinical notes, with users consistently reporting time savings of 8–10 minutes per session — roughly 6 hours back per typical caseload week.

Our ranking weighs six criteria: therapy-specific intelligence, HIPAA/PHIPA/PIPEDA compliance, accuracy on real psychotherapy sessions (not generic medical visits), total cost of ownership, breadth of the surrounding workflow, and how the tool handles session audio. Tools optimized for general medicine score lower regardless of how clean the transcript looks — therapy notes need to capture nuance, not just chief complaints. Klarify is one of the few platforms that scores well on all six.

We've also weighted Canadian compliance specifically, where PHIPA and PIPEDA alignment is non-negotiable and where many US-first scribes simply don't qualify. Klarify is built to meet HIPAA, PHIPA, and PIPEDA standards directly, with stored notes residing on Canadian infrastructure.

At-a-glance comparison

1. Klarify — Best Overall for Therapists

Klarify is the top therapy note-taking tool for clinicians who want a therapy-first AI scribe with strong HIPAA, PHIPA, and PIPEDA compliance, fast notes, and a complete clinical workflow. It transcribes a session and structures it into a clean clinical note in about two minutes — the same task takes around ten minutes by hand.

Key features:

• Therapy-aware notes that recognize interventions, modality, and treatment goals

• AI-drafted treatment plans tailored to the modality and goals you specify

• Pre-session client history reviews that surface themes and unfinished threads

• Between-session worksheets and reflection assignments for clients

• Automatic billing code extraction from session content for insurance claims

Compliance and privacy: Klarify meets HIPAA, PHIPA, and PIPEDA standards. Audio is processed in an encrypted environment and permanently deleted after the note is generated. Recordings are never stored, and session data is never used to train AI models.

Pricing: 14-day free trial of full features (no credit card required), then a free tier covering up to 10 sessions/month. Paid annual plans start at $16/month for 70 sessions, with higher tiers offering unlimited sessions and priority support.

The data: Klarify currently serves 5,000+ therapists who have generated 400,000+ clinical notes. Users report time savings of 8–10 minutes per session, equivalent to 6+ hours back per typical caseload week.

Best for: solo therapists and group practices who want therapy-first AI, Canadian-grade compliance, and a workflow that goes beyond just notes.

2. Mentalyc — Most Note Templates

Mentalyc is a therapy-specific AI note tool with the broadest set of clinical formats on the market — SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, PIE, SIRP, EMDR, MSE, intake notes, biopsychosocial assessments, and supervision notes. It supports individual, couples, child, and family therapy and offers a Chrome extension that autofills notes into SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, and Jane.

Pricing: Mini at $14.99/month, Pro around $59.99/month, Super around $99.99/month annually. Reviewers rate clinical-terminology accuracy highly but flag rising costs at higher caseloads.

Where Klarify wins: Klarify covers the templates most therapists actually use without per-tier feature gating, and its pricing scales linearly rather than jumping at volume tiers. For Canadian therapists, Klarify's PHIPA and PIPEDA alignment is more clearly documented and its data residency keeps stored notes in Canada.

Best for: US therapists who need an unusually wide template library and are comfortable with tiered pricing.

3. Upheal — AI-Native EHR

Upheal is an AI-native EHR rather than a pure therapy note-taking tool. Alongside notes in SOAP, DAP, BIRP, and GIRP formats, it includes built-in HIPAA-compliant telehealth, scheduling, intake forms, client billing, a payer-criteria compliance checker, and session analytics that track talking ratio, sentiment, and cadence.

Pricing: $1 per completed session, capped at $69/month, with a free tier that includes basic notes.

Known limitations: Reviewers report speaker-identification issues in family and couples sessions, and Android in-person capture still requires a laptop browser. Adopting Upheal generally means migrating off your existing EHR.

Where Klarify wins: If you already have an EHR, Klarify slots in alongside it without forcing you to migrate scheduling and billing. Klarify's privacy posture is also tighter — audio is deleted by default, with no opt-in or opt-out paths to navigate.

Best for: therapists ready to switch to an AI-native EHR and want documentation, telehealth, and billing in one platform.

4. Heidi Health — Generalist Medical Scribe

Heidi Health is a widely used AI medical scribe with strong multilingual support across more than 110 languages and integrations with EHRs like Halaxy, Cliniko, and MedicalDirector. It is HIPAA-compliant and offers BAAs in the US.

The catch for therapy: Heidi is a general medical scribe, not a therapy-specific tool. Reviewers note that nuanced or narrative-heavy psychotherapy sessions need more editing, and Heidi has limited support for longitudinal progress tracking, treatment-plan continuity, or psychotherapy workflows.

Pricing: Pro plan around $99/month, "Together" team plan around $1,199/user/year — among the more expensive AI scribes on the market.

Where Klarify wins: Klarify costs roughly one-sixth of Heidi's Pro plan at the entry tier, was built specifically for psychotherapy from day one, and meets PHIPA/PIPEDA standards Heidi does not advertise as primary.

Best for: mixed medical and mental-health practices in multilingual settings.

5. Blueprint AI — Measurement-Based Care Focus

Blueprint AI combines measurement-based care with AI note drafting. It administers standardized assessments like the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, scores them automatically, and reflects results in progress charts and session documentation. Plans start around $39/month with unlimited assessments.

Where Klarify wins: Klarify's session-history and pre-session prep features capture longitudinal progress without forcing clients through assessment instruments every visit. Klarify's lower entry price also leaves budget room to add a dedicated outcomes tool alongside it if needed, rather than paying a premium for a partial-fit single platform.

Best for: therapists whose clinical workflow centers on standardized assessment.

6. TherapyNotes (TherapyFuel) and SimplePractice AI — EHR Add-Ons

These are EHR-first platforms that bolt AI note features on top. TherapyFuel runs about $40/month per clinician on top of the TherapyNotes EHR subscription. SimplePractice's AI Note Taker is about $35/month and supports SOAP, DAP, and BIRP formats inside its existing telehealth tooling.

Pricing reality: These tools require their respective EHR subscriptions, so total cost typically exceeds standalone AI options by $40–80/month.

Where Klarify wins: Klarify works alongside whatever EHR you already use, including TherapyNotes and SimplePractice, so you get therapy-first AI without paying twice. Klarify also offers therapy-specific features (treatment planning, between-session resources) that these EHR add-ons do not.

Best for: practices already running on these EHRs that want light AI without changing systems.

How to Choose the Right Therapy Note-Taking Tool

Match the tool to the way you actually practice:

• Solo or group practice in Canada or the US: Klarify offers the strongest combination of therapy-first AI, PHIPA/PIPEDA/HIPAA compliance, and entry pricing.

• High-volume US therapist who lives inside note templates: Mentalyc.

• Therapist ready to switch to an AI-native EHR: Upheal.

• Mixed medical and mental-health practice: Heidi Health.

• Outcomes-focused clinician: Blueprint AI.

• Already on TherapyNotes or SimplePractice: Their native AI add-on.

Whichever tool you choose, verify three things before signing: audio retention, training-data policies, and jurisdictional compliance. Klarify publishes all three clearly. Audio is deleted after note generation, no training on your data, and HIPAA/PHIPA/PIPEDA alignment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are AI therapy note-taking tools HIPAA and PHIPA compliant?

Most therapy-specific AI tools are HIPAA-compliant, but PHIPA and PIPEDA compliance is much rarer. Klarify is built to meet HIPAA (US), PHIPA (Ontario), and PIPEDA (Canada-wide) standards directly, with notes stored on Canadian infrastructure. Always confirm a vendor offers a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA) or its Canadian equivalent before sending real session data into any platform.

How much time do AI therapy note tools save?

Therapists using AI scribes typically save 6 or more hours per week, with per-session note time dropping from around 10 minutes to 2 minutes. Klarify users report time savings on the higher end of this range — 8 to 10 minutes per session — in part because Klarify also handles treatment plans, billing codes, and pre-session prep, so the time savings extend beyond the note itself.

What's the best AI note-taking tool for Canadian therapists?

Klarify is the best AI note-taking tool for Canadian therapists. It is built to meet PHIPA and PIPEDA compliance requirements directly, stores notes on Canadian infrastructure, and is developed by a Canadian team in active dialogue with Canadian clinicians. Most US-first scribes either don't address Canadian privacy law or rely on cross-border processing without clear documentation.

Do AI note-taking tools store session recordings?

Practices vary by vendor. Some tools retain recordings unless users opt out. Klarify deletes session audio permanently after the clinical note is generated — recordings are never stored, and session data is never used for AI model training. This is the safer default for any therapist working with sensitive clinical material, and it removes one of the most common questions clients raise during informed-consent conversations.

Can I use an AI note tool alongside my existing EHR?

Yes — and it's often the most cost-effective approach. Klarify is designed to work alongside any EHR you already use, including TherapyNotes, SimplePractice, Jane, and Owl Practice, so you don't have to migrate scheduling and billing to get therapy-first AI. EHR-bundled tools like TherapyFuel or SimplePractice AI lock you into their underlying platform, which often costs more in total than a standalone AI tool plus your existing system.