CouchNotes vs Upheal
A Upheal alternative that never uploads your sessions.
Upheal is one of the most polished therapy-focused scribes — telehealth integrations, session analytics, a generous-feeling free tier. The architecture is the trade: sessions are captured into Upheal's cloud, where their servers transcribe, analyze, and store. CouchNotes takes the opposite bet — no analytics dashboard, no platform, just your sessions becoming your notes on your own machine, with audio deleted when you finalize. A year of Upheal's paid tier costs roughly three CouchNotes licenses.
Side by side
| Feature | Upheal | CouchNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Built for therapists specifically | Yes | Yes |
| Where session audio is processed | Upheal's cloud servers | Your Mac, locally |
| Audio retention | Per Upheal's policy | Deleted on finalize, by default |
| Pricing | Free tier; paid from $49/mo | One-time license |
| Year-one cost (paid tier) | $588+ | $199 |
| Telehealth call capture | Yes, integrated | Via audio import |
| Session analytics | Yes | No — notes only, by design |
| Works offline | No | Yes, fully |
| Platform | Browser-based | macOS (Apple Silicon) |
Upheal details as listed publicly, June 2026 — verify current terms on their site.
Where Upheal is genuinely strong
- Telehealth capture integrations (Zoom, Meet, in-platform calls) are genuinely seamless
- Session analytics — talk ratios, themes, treatment insights — beyond note drafting
- Free tier exists for trying the workflow before paying
Choose Upheal instead if…
- Your practice is primarily telehealth and you want call capture built in
- You value session analytics and supervision insights, not just documentation
- You need Windows/browser access or share devices across a group practice
Common questions
Can CouchNotes handle telehealth sessions like Upheal?
Yes, differently: record locally during the call or drop the session recording into CouchNotes afterwards — it transcribes and drafts from any audio file. What you don't get is in-platform call capture; what you do get is that the recording never touches a third-party server.
Upheal has a free tier — why pay for CouchNotes?
Upheal's free tier still processes sessions in their cloud; the price you pay is architectural, not monetary. CouchNotes has a 14-day full trial, then one payment — less than five months of Upheal's paid tier, as listed publicly in June 2026.
Why doesn't CouchNotes do session analytics?
Deliberate scope. Analytics require accumulating session data; CouchNotes deletes audio on finalize and keeps only your note. If longitudinal analytics matter to your supervision model, Upheal is the stronger choice.
Keep your sessions on your Mac.
CouchNotes is in development — the waitlist gets early-access pricing and first beta invites.
Comparing more tools? See the full Mac scribe roundup — or grab the free SOAP/DAP/BIRP templates while you decide.