---
title: "The real cost of a free AI scribe — Hanah"
description: "We don't want to sacrifice output quality by using cheaper LLMs, taht's why Hanah offers a generous 30 day trial and no cheap model option."
source: https://hanah.health/blog/no-free-ai-scribe/
---

[← All posts](https://hanah.health/blog/) Article

# The real cost of a free AI scribe

Ahmed, Founder, Hanah · 25 September 2026

![](https://hanah.health/assets/blog/no-free-ai-scribe.webp)

## Every note has a cost

Every note Hanah drafts runs through two AI models. One transcribes the consult as it happens, and a large language model then drafts the note from that transcript and your template. We pay for both on every consult, and the cost grows with every patient you see.

We pick our AI vendors by rigorously test them so we can [publish honest benchmarks](https://hanah.health/au/trust/transparency/), stand behind them and know we add value and minimise harm.

Unfortunately this comes with additional compute costs to us. Most software costs almost nothing extra per user, which is why a calendar or a form builder can give a tier away for free. An AI scribe can't do that. A clinician seeing a full caseload runs every one of those consults through both models, and every one of them has a bill attached.

## A free scribe is like a brand new car without seat belts

The only way to make a free scribe pay for itself is to run it on a cheaper language model, and there's no way around it - the problem doesn't solve itself at scale as compute costs increase linearly.

Smaller models cost a fraction of what the larger ones do, and on a demo recording in a quiet room, without checking the generated documentation too carefully, the difference can be hard to spot.

The difference shows up in real consults. A cheaper model misses more of what was said, drifts from your template more often, and is more likely to write down something the patient never said. You end up reading the draft against your memory of the consult and fixing it line by line.

The time the scribe was meant to save goes into editing, and the chance of an inaccurate note reaching the patient's record goes up.

A missed detail is easy to add back when you review the draft. An invented one reads as perfectly plausible, and that makes it much harder to catch before you sign.

## A full month on the same model

Instead of a free tier, the Practice plan comes with a one-month free trial and no card needed. The trial runs on the same model paying clinicians use, on your own consults. A month is long enough to see how much time Hanah gives back to you before you decide whether it's worth paying for.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@hanah.health.

See Hanah in your own practice.

[Book a demo](https://hanah.health/index.html#demo)