Is Upheal GDPR compliant for UK therapists?

Upheal's privacy policy states that it is fully compliant with the GDPR, refers to individuals in the EU and UK, and offers an EU/UK Data Processing Agreement. Its hosting region is not stated on the pages we reviewed, so ask Upheal where UK clients' data is stored and processed and which transfer mechanism applies. NoteSono stores notes in the EU; some AI processing uses providers outside the UK and EU under data processing terms that exclude training on your data.

What is a UK-built alternative to Upheal?

NoteSono is a UK-built alternative for therapists in private practice. It is ICO registered (ZC045529), stores notes in the EU, and works from a summary you give after the session rather than a session recording. NoteSono starts free, with paid plans from £14.99/month, and includes 20 note formats on paid plans.

Does Upheal record sessions?

Upheal can record live sessions on its AI Notes plan and above, and it also supports dictation after the session and uploads of recordings. Its free plan has no live recording. If you record sessions, you need clients' explicit agreement and a plan for storing and deleting the audio. NoteSono does not record sessions: you summarise after the client leaves.

Can UK therapists use Upheal?

Yes. As with any AI notes tool, you need a Data Processing Agreement, a clear answer on where data is stored and processed and the transfer mechanism for anything outside the UK, an updated privacy notice, and clients' explicit agreement if you record sessions.

What note formats does NoteSono support?

NoteSono supports 20 clinical note formats: SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, Narrative, Brief, Intake, Discharge, Risk, Formulation, Supervision, EMDR, CBT, Schema, Person-Centred, Integrative, Psychodynamic, Couples, Family and Group. SOAP, DAP, BIRP and Intake are on the free plan; all 20 come with Essentials and Pro.

Upheal Alternative for UK Therapists

Q: Can I try NoteSono before paying?

Yes. Start free — 5 notes a month, no card, no time limit — with a 7-day trial of everything whenever you want it.

Upheal is one of the best-known AI therapy notes tools. It is well designed and widely used, and it now sells UK plans priced in pounds. If you're a therapist in UK private practice weighing it up, the useful questions are practical ones: how it captures sessions, what it costs, and what to check for UK GDPR.

This guide compares Upheal with NoteSono. We make NoteSono, so weigh our view accordingly; we've stuck to facts we could check on Upheal's own pages.

What is Upheal?

Upheal is an AI documentation and practice platform. It can record sessions (in person or through its telehealth), transcribe them and generate structured notes. It also supports dictation after the session and uploads of recordings. Its UK plans are Free, AI Notes (£29/month) and EHR Pro (£69/month), with an EHR option billed per session.

Upheal's privacy policy states that it is fully compliant with the GDPR, refers to individuals in the EU and UK, and offers an EU/UK Data Processing Agreement.

UK GDPR: what to check with any tool

As a UK therapist in private practice, you are bound by UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. HIPAA, the US health data law, doesn't apply to you. Whatever tool you use, check:

Where data is stored and processed. If any of it goes outside the UK, that's a restricted transfer. The EU is covered by UK adequacy regulations; the US needs the UK-US data bridge (for certified companies) or the UK IDTA or Addendum.
A Data Processing Agreement that covers UK GDPR.
Retention and deletion of recordings, transcripts and notes.
Your own paperwork: the ICO data protection fee (£52 a year for most sole practitioners, or £47 by direct debit), and a privacy notice that names the tool.

Upheal's position for UK therapists

Data storage: Upheal uses AWS; the region was not stated on the pages we reviewed. Ask where UK clients' data is stored and processed.
Session recording: recording is available on AI Notes and above. If you record, clients need to know and agree beforehand, and your privacy notice should explain how recordings are stored. Upheal offers manual and practice-wide auto-delete for recordings.
DPA: Upheal offers an EU/UK DPA. Read it and keep a copy with your records.
Professional bodies: BACP hasn't published specific guidance on AI clinical notes. Its Ethical Framework still applies: be open with clients about the tools you use, keep accurate records you've reviewed, and protect confidentiality.

Upheal vs NoteSono for UK private practice

Feature	Upheal	NoteSono
Approach	Session recording, dictation or upload	Post-session summary (voice or typed)
Data	States GDPR compliance; EU/UK DPA; hosting region not stated	Notes stored in the EU; some AI processing outside the UK and EU under data processing terms
ICO registered	Ask Upheal	Yes, ZC045529
Session recording	Available on AI Notes and above	No: summarise after the session
Note formats	13+ note types, 170+ preset sections	20 formats, including Couples, Family and Group
Free option	Free plan (no live recording)	Free plan: 5 notes a month, 4 formats, no card
Pricing (GBP)	Free / £29 / £69 a month	Free / £14.99 / £24.99 a month
Telehealth	Built-in video	No video

The session recording question

This is the biggest practical difference between the two.

With recording, you start Upheal before the session and it transcribes and summarises what was said. That's convenient when it works, but it means your client must know they are being recorded and agree to it, and you need a plan for the audio.

NoteSono works the other way around. After your client leaves, you speak or type a short summary: what happened, how the client presented, what interventions you used, and the plan. NoteSono drafts a clinical note in your chosen format for you to review. NoteSono does not record your sessions, and we don't keep your recording.

Some therapists prefer not to record, for example when working with trauma, abuse or clients involved in legal proceedings. A post-session summary avoids recording the session altogether, though you still need to tell clients that AI helps write their notes.

What to look for in an AI notes tool

Clear answers on data: where it is stored and processed, a UK GDPR DPA, and ICO registration.
A workflow that suits your clients: recording, or a summary afterwards.
Formats you actually use: SOAP, DAP, BIRP and GIRP are common, and you may also want Supervision, Risk and Discharge notes.
A record you can defend: you review and approve every note.
Pricing that fits a solo practice.

How NoteSono fits

Notes stored in the EU; some AI processing uses providers outside the UK and EU under data processing terms that exclude training on your data
ICO registered: ZC045529
No session recording: post-session summary only
We don't keep your recording
20 clinical note formats including Supervision, Risk, Couples, Family and Group
Pricing in GBP: free plan, Essentials £14.99/month, Pro £24.99/month
Client consent template included

Start free — 5 notes a month, no card, no time limit — with a 7-day trial of everything whenever you want it. Create a free account

Should you use Upheal as a UK therapist?

Upheal is a well-built product with UK pricing, a free plan and an EU/UK DPA. If you're comfortable with session recording, or use its dictation mode, and you've checked where your data goes and updated your privacy notice and client agreements, it can work well.

If you'd rather not record sessions and want a notes-first tool built in the UK, NoteSono is worth trying alongside it.