If you are an independent or small-practice clinician shopping for an AI scribe, you have almost certainly heard of Freed — a popular, easy-to-use ambient AI medical scribe known for clean notes and a loyal following among solo physicians and small practices. LucasAI is also fully ambient, but it is built as a broader clinical platform: it writes the note and layers on integrated real-time medical coding, prior authorization support, automated patient outreach, and inpatient as well as outpatient workflows.
Both tools free clinicians from typing during the visit. The real question for a small practice is how much of the surrounding work — coding, revenue capture, prior auth, follow-up — you want the software to carry. This guide breaks down exactly where each one fits.
LucasAI vs Freed at a glance
Here is a side-by-side summary across the features that matter most to independent and small practices. Details follow below.
| Feature | Freed | LucasAI |
|---|---|---|
| Primary approach | Ambient AI scribe focused on producing the clinical note | Fully ambient clinical platform — note + coding + prior auth + outreach |
| Best for | Solo & small practices wanting a simple, fast scribe | Solo, small & group practices wanting documentation + revenue + outreach |
| Ambient AI scribe | Yes — a core strength | Yes — real-time, note ready as you leave the room |
| Integrated medical coding | Verify current coding capabilities with vendor | CPT, CPT II, ICD-10 & E&M service levels in real time, one-click optimization & Magic Addendum |
| Prior authorization | Verify with vendor | Yes — Prior AuthAI compiles supporting documentation |
| Automated patient outreach | Verify with vendor | Yes — EmilyAI calls patients pre/post-visit & updates the chart |
| Inpatient / hospital | Primarily outpatient / ambulatory focus | Yes — Rapid Rounds, Swift Summaries, Lightning Handoffs, Obs/Inpatient status |
| EHR integration | Note export / copy-paste into the EHR; verify current options | Data-mapped integration with any web-based EMR via a Chrome extension; deploys in days |
| Multilingual / Spanglish | Verify current language support with vendor | 90+ languages, Spanglish-native mixed-language capture, full Spanish UI |
| Compliance HIPAA + BAA | Yes | Yes + Organizational BAA, HIPAA & GDPR |
| Published pricing | Publicly listed around $99/month per clinician; group options | Transparent: Premium $69.99 / Pro $299 / Enterprise $999 per month |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
What is Freed?
Freed (getfreed.ai) is an ambient AI medical scribe that listens to the clinician-patient conversation and drafts a structured clinical note, typically in a SOAP format. It has built a strong reputation among solo and independent clinicians for being simple to start, fast, and pleasant to use, with customizable note styles and templates.
Freed's design center is the note: capture the visit, produce a clean draft, and let the clinician review and paste or export it into their chart. For many independent providers who simply want to stop typing during visits, that focused simplicity is exactly the appeal.
What is LucasAI?
LucasAI (lucashealth.ai) is an ambient clinical platform built by a team of clinicians, technologists, and entrepreneurs, headquartered in Miami, Florida. It starts from a real-time, fully ambient scribe that writes your note as you talk — no commands or dictation — and treats documentation as the beginning of the workflow rather than the end of it.
On top of the ambient scribe, LucasAI layers:
- CodingAI — real-time CPT, CPT II, ICD-10 and E&M service-level suggestions, one-click optimization, and a Magic Addendum to keep documentation complete and compliant.
- EmilyAI — automated patient outreach that calls patients before and after visits to close care gaps, complete screenings, and update the chart for you.
- Prior AuthAI — automatically compiles the documentation needed for prior authorizations, from billing codes to risk factors.
- Inpatient tooling — Rapid Rounds, Swift Summaries, Lightning Handoffs, and Observation/Inpatient status justification for hospital workflows.
- Provider & Team Mode — coordinated, multi-role workflows spanning the front desk, medical assistants, and providers.
The throughline: LucasAI is fully ambient like Freed, but it carries the surrounding documentation-and-revenue workload too.
Medical coding & revenue capture
This is the clearest difference, and it matters most to small practices where every code is real revenue.
Freed is focused on producing an excellent clinical note. If integrated, real-time medical coding is on your wish list, confirm Freed's current capabilities and any add-ons directly with the vendor, as these evolve.
LucasAI treats revenue capture as a core job. CodingAI suggests CPT, CPT II, ICD-10 codes and E&M service levels in real time, flags under-documentation, and offers one-click optimization plus a Magic Addendum for a compliant, defensible note. For an independent clinician, correctly capturing the work you already did can offset the cost of the software many times over.
Prior auth & patient outreach
Beyond the note, LucasAI automates work that usually falls on a small practice's limited staff.
- Prior AuthAI assembles the documentation needed for prior authorizations — drawing on diagnoses, billing codes, and risk factors — right from the encounter. See the prior authorization overview.
- EmilyAI places automated outreach calls before and after visits to close care gaps, complete screenings, and update the chart.
Freed is centered on the scribe experience; if prior authorization or patient outreach automation matters to you, confirm current capabilities directly with the vendor.
EHR integration
Freed typically delivers the finished note for review and copy-paste or export into your EHR; verify its current integration options for your specific system.
LucasAI uses a proprietary Chrome extension with structured data mapping into any web-based EMR's front end — set up in days, no APIs and no IT project — so the note, codes, and supporting data can land in the right fields. For an independent practice that wants fast deployment without an enterprise integration cycle, that is a meaningful advantage.
Specialties & care settings
Freed supports a broad range of specialties and is positioned primarily for outpatient and ambulatory documentation.
LucasAI covers outpatient workflows too, and adds a dedicated inpatient product line — Rapid Rounds, Swift Summaries, Lightning Handoffs, and Observation vs. Inpatient status justification — plus specialty-tuned engines you can browse on the specialties page. If you round in a hospital or work across both settings, that breadth favors LucasAI.
Security & HIPAA compliance
Both vendors build for clinical environments and will sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA).
- Freed is designed for HIPAA-regulated clinical use and offers a BAA; review its current security documentation for your risk assessment.
- LucasAI is HIPAA and GDPR compliant and offers an organizational BAA, which matters for groups and any practice with international considerations.
For most practices either posture is sufficient; always review each vendor's current BAA and security documentation for your own risk assessment.
Pricing
Both publish per-clinician pricing — a refreshing change in this category.
Freed pricing (2026)
- Listed publicly around $99/month per clinician, with group/organization options and a free trial. Verify current pricing directly with Freed.
LucasAI pricing (2026)
- Free trial available
- Premium — $69.99/month
- Pro — $299/month
- Enterprise — $999/month
LucasAI's entry Premium plan comes in below Freed's publicly listed per-clinician price while bundling coding, outreach, prior-auth support, and integration. See full details on the pricing page or estimate impact with the ROI calculator.
LucasAI platform at a glance
- Ambient AI scribe with ~52-second average note generation.
- 35+ specialty-tuned engines across outpatient, inpatient, ER, hospital medicine, SNF/rehab and hospice.
- Real-time medical coding — ICD-10, CPT I/II and E&M leveling, with HCC/V28 and MCC/CC analytics and specificity scoring.
- Case Guardian evidence-based code support that reverse-checks every billable code against the documentation.
- Real-time CDI and LCD/MAC-aware compliance checks during the encounter.
- 90+ languages, Spanglish-native — real-time mixed-language capture and a full Spanish UI.
- API-less EHR integration into virtually any web EHR in 24–48 hours.
- Multi-disciplinary capture across front desk, medical assistant, nurse and physician — not just the exam-room conversation.
- Clinician in control — LucasAI drafts; the provider reviews and finalizes (aligned with California SB 1120 and Texas equivalents).
See LucasAI on your own visits
Experience fully ambient documentation, real-time coding, and patient outreach in action.
Start Free Trial →Which should you choose?
Choose Freed if: you want a simple, well-liked ambient scribe whose single job is producing a clean note, you are a solo or small outpatient practice, and integrated coding, prior auth, outreach, and inpatient workflows are not priorities for you right now.
Choose LucasAI if: you want fully ambient documentation and integrated real-time medical coding to capture more revenue, you want to automate prior authorization and patient outreach, you document inpatient as well as outpatient encounters, you need strong multilingual/Spanglish capture, and you want transparent pricing that starts below $70/month.
Put simply: Freed is an excellent ambient scribe. LucasAI is a fully ambient clinical platform — the note, the coding, and the surrounding workflow — often at a lower entry price. The best choice depends on whether you want just the note, or the whole documentation-and-revenue workflow handled for you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between LucasAI and Freed?
Freed is a well-loved ambient AI scribe focused on producing the clinical note, popular with solo and independent clinicians. LucasAI is also fully ambient, but adds integrated real-time medical coding (CPT, CPT II, ICD-10 and E&M levels), prior authorization support, automated patient outreach, and inpatient plus outpatient workflows. Freed writes the note; LucasAI runs the documentation-and-revenue workflow around it.
Is LucasAI a good Freed alternative for a solo or small practice?
Yes. LucasAI is built for independent and small practices as well as groups. It is fully ambient like Freed, deploys in days with no IT project, and its entry Premium plan is $69.99/month — adding revenue capture through real-time coding, prior-auth support, and patient outreach on top of the note.
Does LucasAI do medical coding and billing? Does Freed?
LucasAI's CodingAI suggests CPT, CPT II, ICD-10 codes and E&M service levels in real time, with one-click optimization and a Magic Addendum. Freed is primarily focused on producing the clinical note; if integrated coding matters to you, confirm Freed's current capabilities directly with the vendor.
How does pricing compare between LucasAI and Freed?
LucasAI publishes transparent pricing: Premium at $69.99/month, Pro at $299/month, and Enterprise at $999/month, plus a free trial. Freed also publishes per-clinician pricing that has been listed publicly around $99/month, with group options. Verify both vendors' current pricing directly, as plans change.
Does LucasAI support inpatient and hospital documentation?
Yes. LucasAI offers dedicated inpatient features including Rapid Rounds, Swift Summaries, Lightning Handoffs, and Observation/Inpatient status justification, alongside outpatient workflows. Freed is focused primarily on outpatient and ambulatory documentation; confirm current inpatient capabilities directly with the vendor.
Are LucasAI and Freed HIPAA compliant?
Both are designed for clinical use and offer a BAA. LucasAI is HIPAA and GDPR compliant and offers an organizational BAA. Review each vendor's current security documentation for your own risk assessment.
Does LucasAI handle Spanish and mixed-language visits?
Yes. LucasAI supports a large set of languages and is Spanglish-native, capturing visits where clinician and patient move between English and Spanish mid-conversation, with a full Spanish interface available. Confirm current language support with each vendor for your patient population.
Board-certified emergency physician and toxicologist focused on underserved and rural healthcare, and passionate about building tools that give clinicians their time back. Meet the LucasAI team →
Published by LucasAI; reviewed by David Watts, DO. We have aimed to represent Freed accurately using publicly available information as of June 2026, including Freed's own website and reputable third-party coverage. Product features, integrations, tiers, and pricing for both companies change frequently — please verify current details directly with each vendor. "Freed" and all other product and company names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners, used here for identification and comparison purposes only (nominative fair use). LucasAI is not affiliated with, authorized by, endorsed by, or sponsored by Freed.