Side-by-side comparison · Productivity & Notes
Abridge vs Heidi vs Shortwave
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Hospital and health-system leaders choosing an AI scribe for their doctors and nurses.
Pick it if: GPs, specialists, psychologists and allied health practitioners who spend their evenings writing up notes.
Pick it if: Busy Gmail and Google Workspace users who want AI to search, sort and draft their email.
Overview
| Attribute | Abridge | Heidi | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Turns doctor–patient conversations into notes inside the hospital EHR. | AI medical scribe that listens to a consult and writes the notes and letters. | AI email app for Gmail that searches, sorts, drafts and acts on your inbox for you. |
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | See website | Free | $18/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | No | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Abridge | Heidi | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Abridge | Heidi | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | – | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | Yes | – |
| API access | – | – | – |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | – |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | – | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | – | – | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No | – |
| Runs agents or automations | – | – | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | Yes | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 5/ 17 | 10/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Abridge | Heidi | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | EnterpriseOur pick Custom Health systems rolling it out across many clinicians. | Free Free A single clinician trying it on real consults. | Free Free Trying it on your Gmail inbox. |
ClinicianOur pick See website (14-day free trial) A clinician who uses it every day. | ProOur pick $18/mo Individuals who use the AI daily. | ||
Practice Custom Clinics with several practitioners. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams who share threads and need more AI. | ||
Enterprise Custom Health services and large groups. | Premier $45/seat/mo Heavy users with complex email workflows. | ||
Max $120/seat/mo People who live in email all day. | |||
| Which plan to pick | There is only one way to buy it: a contract between your organisation and Abridge. If you are a single clinician or small practice, look at Heidi instead. | Start on Free for a couple of weeks of real consults. If it saves you time every day, trial the Clinician plan; if you need notes to flow into your practice software or want one bill for the clinic, ask about Practice. | Start on Free for a week to see if you like the app. Pro is enough for most individuals; pick Business only if you share threads with a team. Every paid plan has a 14-day free trial. |
Key features
| Attribute | Abridge | Heidi | Shortwave |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Abridge | Heidi | Shortwave |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Abridge | Heidi | Shortwave |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Abridge, Heidi or Shortwave?
They tie on our overall rating (Abridge 4.2/5, Heidi 4.2/5 and Shortwave 4.2/5). Abridge is best for large health systems on Epic and cutting after-hours note writing. Heidi is best for writing up consult notes and drafting referral and specialist letters. Shortwave is best for finding old emails by describing them and clearing a cluttered Gmail inbox quickly.
Which is cheaper, Abridge, Heidi or Shortwave?
Abridge: Pricing isn't published; check the vendor's site for a quote. Heidi: It's free to use. Shortwave: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $18/mo.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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