Practice AllSoftware
Directory
Abridge logovsHeidi Health logo

Abridge vs Heidi Health

Compared by PracticeAll's healthcare IT team · Updated · How we review

The short answer

Abridge and Heidi Health both draft clinical notes from recorded visits, but they are sold to different buyers. Abridge is an enterprise platform for health systems, embedded in Epic and priced by quote. Heidi lets an individual clinician sign up free, upgrade to a paid seat and use it on web, mobile or desktop, with EHR integration on its Teams plan. For an independent practice Heidi is the realistic option; for a large Epic system both deserve a pilot.

Choose Abridge if you are a health system on Epic that wants an enterprise contract covering physician, inpatient and nursing documentation.

Choose Heidi Health if you are a clinician or small practice that wants to start free and pay per seat without a sales process.

Abridge vs Heidi Health at a glance

AbridgeHeidi Health
Best forHealth systems, especially on EpicIndividual clinicians, small practices and multi-site teams
Practice sizeEnterprise; the site says 300+ health systems use itSolo to enterprise
Starting priceNot publishedFree plan; Clinician plan from $110 per month billed annually
Pricing modelEnterprise contract, quote onlyPer seat; Free, Clinician (Standard or Max seats) and custom Teams
Core approachAmbient note drafting with Linked Evidence for verificationAmbient scribe plus dictation, clinical evidence answers and task agents
EHR integrationsEmbedded in Epic (Haiku and Hyperspace); a Cerner integration is described at Adventist HealthEpic via SMART on FHIR, plus Oracle Cerner, athenahealth, eClinicalWorks and others; EHR integration is a Teams feature
HIPAA / BAASays it is HIPAA compliant; publishes a business associate agreementSays it is HIPAA compliant, SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001; makes a BAA available to every covered entity
PlatformsInside Epic Haiku and Hyperspace; own app used with CernerWeb, iOS, Android, and desktop apps for macOS and Windows
Notable strengthInpatient and nursing documentation inside EpicFree entry point and fast self-serve start
Main drawbackNo self-serve option for individual cliniciansEHR integration and admin controls need the Teams plan

Key differences

Who can buy it

This is the main difference. Abridge sells to health systems through a contact form, with single sign-on, governance controls and usage analytics for enterprise IT. Its site offers no individual sign-up. Heidi offers a free plan with one seat and a weekly usage allowance, a paid Clinician plan with a 14-day free trial, and a Teams plan for organizations. Heidi names health system customers such as Beth Israel Lahey Health and The Ohio State University, so it is not limited to small practices.

Documentation approach

Both record the conversation and draft a note for review. Abridge focuses on note accuracy and verification, letting clinicians check draft text against the conversation with Linked Evidence, and it extends to inpatient notes and nursing flowsheets. Heidi pairs its scribe with dictation through Heidi Desktop, evidence answers grounded in journal sources, and agents that handle tasks such as visit paperwork, patient recaps and referral letters. Heidi cites transcription testing across 77 languages.

EHR integration

Abridge runs inside Epic, where conversations are captured in Haiku and drafts are verified in Hyperspace, and its blog describes a Cerner integration at Adventist Health. Heidi is listed on Epic Showroom and integrates through SMART on FHIR as an embedded panel in Hyperspace or Haiku, which requires IT configuration. Its integrations page also names Oracle Cerner, athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, Veradigm and others. On Heidi's pricing page, EHR integration is a custom Teams feature, so free and Clinician users copy notes into the EHR.

Pricing and contracts

Abridge publishes no prices. Heidi's US pricing page lists the Clinician plan at $110 per seat per month on annual billing or $150 month to month, with a higher-priced Max seat for heavier use. Teams pricing is custom and adds shared capacity, SSO, template configuration and EHR integration. A solo clinician can therefore try Heidi for nothing, while Abridge requires an organizational agreement.

Which should you choose?

For most independent practices the choice is made by availability: Heidi can be used today, and Abridge is not sold to individual clinicians. For health systems on Epic, both can be embedded in the chart, so a pilot comparing note quality and edit rates is the fair test.

Choose Abridge if:

  • You are a health system that wants the scribe embedded in Epic Haiku and Hyperspace
  • You want inpatient and nursing documentation from the same vendor
  • Your IT team needs enterprise governance, analytics and a negotiated contract

Choose Heidi Health if:

  • You want to start free and pay per seat with no sales call
  • Clinicians work across web, phone and desktop and want dictation as well as ambient notes
  • You want agents for letters, recaps and follow-up tasks alongside the note

Small practices on a browser-based EHR can also compare Freed, and groups that want native integrations with several major EHRs can look at Suki.

Read the full reviews

Abridge logoAbridge reviewHealth systems rolling out ambient AI documentation across many specialtiesContact for pricingHeidi Health logoHeidi Health reviewClinicians wanting an ambient AI scribe with a free tier and mobile appsFree plan; paid from $110/mo (annual)

Sources

  1. Abridge homepage
  2. Abridge product page
  3. Abridge business associate agreement
  4. Adventist Health and the Abridge Cerner integration (Abridge blog)
  5. Heidi Health homepage (US)
  6. Heidi Health pricing (US)
  7. Heidi Health HIPAA compliance
  8. Heidi Health integrations
  9. Heidi Health Epic integration
  10. Heidi Health partners and API

Abridge vs Heidi Health: FAQ

Is Abridge or Heidi Health better for small practices?

Heidi Health is the practical choice for small practices. A clinician can sign up free, upgrade to a paid Clinician seat after a 14-day trial and use it on web, mobile or desktop. Abridge sells enterprise contracts to health systems and does not offer individual sign-up, so independent practices generally cannot buy it directly.

How much do Abridge and Heidi Health cost?

Abridge does not publish pricing; it is quoted per health system. Heidi has a free plan with a weekly usage allowance. As of October 2026 its US pricing page lists the Clinician plan at $110 per seat per month billed annually or $150 month to month, with a higher-priced Max seat. Teams pricing is custom.

Do Abridge and Heidi Health integrate with Epic?

Yes. Abridge is embedded in Epic, capturing visits in Haiku and letting clinicians verify drafts in Hyperspace. Heidi is listed on Epic Showroom and connects through SMART on FHIR as a panel inside Hyperspace or Haiku, which needs IT setup and approval. Heidi lists EHR integration as a custom feature of its Teams plan.

Are Abridge and Heidi Health HIPAA compliant, and do they sign a BAA?

Both say they are HIPAA compliant. Abridge publishes its BAA terms and says data is encrypted in transit and at rest and stored in US data centers. Heidi says it makes a BAA available to every covered entity it works with, hosts US data in the United States, and holds SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. Confirm which plan your BAA covers.

Does Heidi Health or Abridge offer an API for embedding a scribe?

Heidi does, and Abridge does not describe one. Heidi's partners page offers an API for building its documentation into telehealth platforms, health apps and EHRs, plus an embeddable widget or iFrame, with developer documentation and access on request. Abridge's product pages do not describe a public API or SDK; it reaches clinicians through EHR integrations and health system partnerships. Partner pricing is not published, so software companies should ask Heidi for terms.

Can you switch from one to the other or use both?

Yes. Finished notes are stored in the EHR, so changing scribes does not move patient records. A clinician can trial Heidi's free plan at any time, but a health system already contracted with Abridge should check its agreement and security review process before letting staff use a second scribe with patient data.