If you want notes without recording and a workflow that goes beyond documentation, Reframe is the better fit.
This is mainly about whether recording fits your practice, and what you need after the note is done.
Ambient AI scribe for clinical documentation
Reframe Practice
Decision rule
Choose the tool that matches the job you need this week, not the tool with the most features on paper.
The bigger question is not which tool writes better notes. It is what happens after.
Freed ends at the note. Reframe starts there and moves into worksheets or session prep from the same case.
Last reviewed March 21, 2026.
This page was updated against Freed public pricing and feature pages, not private account screens.
Freed publicly presents HIPAA compliance and BAA availability. This comparison is about workflow shape and clinical focus, not suggesting every therapist should avoid recording.
Choose Freed if
You want ambient recording to handle documentation automatically.
Client consent for recording is straightforward in your practice setting.
Your main pain point is time spent writing notes after sessions.
Choose Reframe if
You prefer not to record sessions or deal with consent-to-record questions.
You want the same case to move from note into worksheet or prep.
You want 10 free typed notes with no account first, then $29/mo for the rest of the workflow instead of $99/mo.
Good. You should be skeptical.
Most therapists who shop for AI tools start in a defensive crouch. Audio-recording tools sit awkwardly with informed-consent ethics. Audio transcription introduces hallucination risk that the clinician then has to audit. Generic chatbots store everything you paste into them. And the marketing copy across the category sounds like every product was built by the same person.
Reframe was built by a therapist who carries the same skepticism. The text-input design is a direct response to the consent problem. The zero-retention architecture is a direct response to the storage problem. The mental-health-specific scope is a direct response to the “built for everyone, fits no one” problem.
You do not need to take that on faith. The product has a free entry point (10 notes per month, no account). Try it on a hypothetical case before you trust it with a real one.
What is the best Freed AI alternative for therapists?
The best Freed AI alternative for therapists who do not want to record sessions is Reframe Practice. Reframe takes a 2-3 sentence text summary and produces a structured progress note in SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, or PIRP format. There is no audio capture, no transcription, and no client consent-to-record conversation.
The two products solve different shapes of the documentation question. Freed is an ambient AI scribe built for medical and behavioral-health clinicians who want recording as the primary input. Reframe is built specifically for mental health clinicians who want text input and who view recording as adding more clinical and ethical surface area than it removes.
Surveys of private-practice clinicians consistently put documentation time near the top of the burnout list, with median reports of 15-30 minutes per session note when typed from scratch. Both products target that documentation burden. They differ on whether the path runs through audio capture or through a focused text-input workflow that bridges into worksheet and session prep.
What is the best Freed AI alternative for therapists?
For therapists who do not want to record sessions, Reframe. Typed notes first, then bridge into worksheet or session prep for the same case. No audio capture, no transcription, no consent-to-record conversation.
What is the difference between Freed and Reframe?
Freed is an ambient AI scribe that records sessions and generates notes from the transcript. Reframe starts with typed notes, then lets you turn the same case into a worksheet or session prep. No recording involved.
Should I switch from Freed to Reframe?
Switch if you prefer not to record sessions and you want a note-to-worksheet-to-session-prep workflow. Stay with Freed if ambient recording saves you significant documentation time and client consent is not a concern in your practice.
Is Freed built for therapists?
Freed started as a medical scribe for physicians and expanded to therapy. It works well for documentation, but the product was not designed around therapy-specific workflows like worksheets or session prep.
Is Reframe HIPAA-compliant?
Yes. Reframe uses Google Vertex AI under a Business Associate Agreement and processes inputs in-memory without server-side retention.
Is $99/mo Freed worth it vs $29/mo Reframe?
If ambient recording genuinely saves you hours of documentation time, the cost may make sense. If your main need is structured notes plus worksheets and prep, Reframe covers that at $29/mo after 10 free notes with no account required.
What about the consent-to-record question?
Recording sessions requires informed client consent, which varies by jurisdiction and practice setting. Some therapists find this straightforward. Others prefer a workflow that does not introduce that question. Reframe sidesteps it entirely; you type the note yourself.
Can I use Freed and Reframe together?
Yes. Some clinicians use Freed for note generation and Reframe for worksheets and session prep. The two tools cover different parts of the clinical workflow.
Why does the no-recording angle matter for therapists?
Recording in the therapy room raises informed-consent, retention, and hallucination questions that text input does not. For clinicians whose ethics framework or client population makes recording awkward, the no-recording design is the actual product.
Looking for the right tool is one step. Getting found by the right clients is another. Free practice checkup
Start with the note.
Then move into worksheet or prep only when the case calls for it.
Progress Notes
Start with 10 free typed notes. No account or recording workflow required.
Worksheet Builder
Turn the same case into a client-ready worksheet in under a minute.
Session Prep
Keep the next session ready when the note alone is not enough.
Security & Privacy
Zero-retention architecture. Verify it yourself in your browser.
References & Further Reading
Government health agencies, professional associations, and peer-reviewed sources supporting the guidance on this page.
- APA on telehealth and digital mental health practice — professional association standards for digital mental health tools.
- HHS HIPAA for mental health professionals — federal compliance requirements that govern therapy data handling.
- FTC health privacy enforcement — consumer protection precedent for mental-health platform compliance.