Upheal is the best pick for therapists who want a free tier now and one product that can grow into billing, telehealth, and a client portal — AI session notes are $39 a month, with an optional EHR. Mentalyc is the best pick for solo clinicians who only need notes and want the lowest paid entry — $19.99 a month for its Mini plan, with a 14-day trial and a design that works alongside your existing EHR. Both replace writing progress notes from memory after a full day of sessions. This article reports vendor facts only; it is not medical, legal, or HIPAA advice.
The two, in one line each
Upheal is an AI documentation platform for therapists that writes session notes from audio, with a free tier and an optional EHR and AI assistant.
Mentalyc is an AI scribe for therapists that turns session audio into SOAP, DAP, and other notes plus treatment plans, with a 14-day trial.
Where each one actually wins
Upheal wins on breadth and a free starting point. Its free plan covers text-to-note, dictation, and uploads for individual therapy only; AI notes from session video or audio start at $39 a month for unlimited sessions, and an AI Assistant add-on is another $39. Its EHR is $1 per session pay-as-you-go or $99 a month flat with the assistant included. It also offers treatment plans, an AI compliance checker that reviews notes against payer criteria, and insurance billing tools, with a 50% first-year discount for students and associates. Its BAA is accepted at sign-up, and session audio is deleted by default once notes are generated.
Mentalyc wins on price and focus. Plans are Mini at $19.99 a month ($14.99 annual) for 40 notes, Basic at $39.99 for 100, Pro at $69.99 for 160, and Super at $119.99 for 330, with a 14-day trial of 15 notes and no card needed. Its AI covers progress and intake notes, treatment plans with measurable goals, a therapeutic-alliance score, medical necessity documentation, and, on higher plans, automatic CPT code suggestions and progress tracking. It accepts a BAA online at registration, deletes audio once the note is ready, and anonymizes transcripts. Note caps and session-length limits per plan are the main constraint, and Capterra reviewers report occasional freezes and lost data after interruptions.
If you want a free starting point and an all-in-one path to billing and telehealth, Upheal is the more direct fit. If you only need notes at the lowest price and keep your own EHR, Mentalyc is the better match.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Starting price (monthly billing) | Core job | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upheal | Free tier; AI Notes $39/mo | AI notes + optional EHR, billing, assistant | Therapists wanting an all-in-one path |
| Mentalyc | $19.99/mo (Mini); 14-day trial | AI notes, treatment plans, progress tracking | Solo clinicians wanting notes only |
*Prices as listed by each vendor in October 2026. The video above is a 2024 independent clinician review of Upheal, so plans and features have changed since.*
Which one should you use?
Choose Upheal if you want a free tier and a single product that can add billing, a client portal, and telehealth. Choose Mentalyc if you want the cheapest notes-only plan and plan to keep your current EHR.
FAQ
Do these tools sign a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement? Both say they do, accepted online at sign-up. A BAA does not replace your own HIPAA review, and you should check the current terms for your plan and your jurisdiction.
What happens to the session audio? Both delete session audio by default once notes are generated. Mentalyc also anonymizes transcripts and says it does not train AI on session data. Upheal stores protected data in pseudonymized form and lets you opt out of AI training.
Which note formats are supported? Both support SOAP and DAP on lower tiers and add formats like BIRP and others on higher tiers. Mentalyc's Mini and Basic plans cover individual adult clients, while couples and family work needs higher tiers.
Is the free plan useful? Upheal's free plan is permanent but limited: it doesn't produce AI notes from live session audio or video. Mentalyc has no permanent free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Do I still need to review the notes? Yes. Reviewers note both tools can need edits for accuracy, especially in family and multi-speaker sessions, and the clinician remains responsible for the final record.
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*Ratings and pricing reviewed monthly. Last updated October 2026.*
Bogdex · Founder & editor, woska
Bogdex builds and curates woska, testing AI tools against real workflows to judge which ones actually save time rather than which have the longest feature list.