A veterinary AI scribe listens to the exam, the phone call or your dictation and writes the medical record for you, usually a structured SOAP note, in about a minute. The category has grown fast and consolidated just as fast: IDEXX now owns CoVet, Instinct Science owns ScribbleVet, and independent tools such as Scribenote, Talkatoo and VetSOAP compete on price and features. We compared the leading veterinary AI scribes on note quality, PIMS integration, extra tools, security and what a real clinic pays, using vendor pricing pages checked in October 2026 and verified user ratings.
The best veterinary AI scribes at a glance
AI scribe | Best for | Entry price | Full access | User rating |
|---|
| Scribenote | Starting free; notes in your own format | Free plan | $79/DVM/mo (annual) | 4.8 (22) |
| CoVet | Groups and IDEXX practices; widest PIMS links | $45.83/user/mo | $99/user/mo (annual) | 4.5 (89) |
| ScribbleVet | Dental charts, Care Cards, whole-team seats | $40/user/mo | $150/DVM/mo (annual) | 4.5 (32) |
| Talkatoo | Dictation plus AI scribe and call summaries | $40/DVM/mo | $99/DVM/mo (annual) | 4.7 (374) |
| VetSOAP | Solo vets who want one simple flat plan | $50/user/mo | $50/user/mo | Not yet rated |
User ratings are from VetSoftwareHub, with the number of reviews in brackets. Prices are per month in USD and change often, so confirm them on the vendor's pricing page before you budget.
What a veterinary AI scribe does
A veterinary scribe documents the visit so the veterinarian does not have to. Human scribes have done this in busy hospitals for years; AI scribes do it with ambient listening. You start a recording on a phone, tablet or computer, talk through the exam with the client as you normally would, and the AI filters out small talk, picks up drug names and clinical terms and writes the Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan. You review the draft, correct anything it missed and move the finished note into your practice management system.
AI scribe vs veterinary dictation software
Veterinary dictation software turns what you say into text, word for word, wherever your cursor is. It is fast, but you still have to dictate the whole record after the exam. An AI scribe listens to the whole conversation and writes the record itself. Many tools now do both: Talkatoo started as dictation and added Auto-Records, while scribes such as Scribenote and CoVet also accept dictations and call recordings.
What else the best scribes write
- Client communication: visit summaries, discharge instructions and recap emails written in plain language for pet owners.
- Calls and follow-ups: call summaries from a masked clinic number, and in Talkatoo's case automatic follow-up texts that flag patients who need attention.
- Specialty records: visual dental charts from a spoken COHAT, surgical and radiology reports, and templates for exotic, equine and production animal cases.
- History summaries: long referral records and PDFs condensed into a page before the patient walks in.
Our picks by practice type
- Best overall and best free plan: Scribenote, with unlimited notes on its Free plan, Pro at $79 per DVM, Adaptive Templates that copy your existing format and free seats for the care team.
- Best for groups and IDEXX practices: CoVet, with API connections to ezyVet, Cornerstone, AVImark, ImproMed, Provet and Shepherd, shared templates, multi-patient records and real-time clinical chat.
- Best full-featured scribe: ScribbleVet, with dental charts, Care Cards, client emails, Plumb's drug monographs and one-click transfer to ezyVet, Pulse and Vetspire.
- Best for dictation and callbacks: Talkatoo, which dictates into any PIMS, summarizes client calls and has the largest review base in the category.
- Best simple flat price: VetSOAP, one $50 plan with unlimited notes, built by practicing veterinarians.
- Want the scribe inside your PIMS? Digitail includes the Tails AI scribe in its practice management system; see our veterinary practice management software guide.
How to choose a veterinary AI scribe
- Start with your PIMS. One-click or API transfer saves the most time. CoVet has the widest list of connections, ScribbleVet transfers to ezyVet, Pulse and Vetspire, Scribenote's PIMSPal covers Pulse and ezyVet, and Talkatoo and VetSOAP rely on dictation or copy and paste.
- Run a real accuracy test. Use the free trial on your hardest appointment types, a noisy emergency visit, a dental, a multi-pet visit, and count how many edits each note needs. Editing time, not demo polish, decides whether a scribe saves time.
- Count who needs a seat. Most tools charge per DVM and include technicians and support staff, but check: ScribbleVet includes staff only on Unleashed, CoVet's support accounts are free, and VetSOAP charges every user.
- Watch usage caps. ScribbleVet Essential stops at 150 notes a month and CoVet Essentials at 100; a full-time doctor writes far more than that.
- Check security and data use. Ask for a SOC 2 Type 2 report, data retention terms and whether your recordings train the vendor's models. Scribenote opts Free plan users into training by default; paid plans are opted out.
- Weigh ownership. A scribe owned by a PIMS company may integrate best with that company's systems. Ask how the roadmap treats your PIMS if it belongs to a competitor.
- Plan for consent. Recording laws vary by state and province. Most clinics add signage or a line in the check-in form, and Scribenote publishes a free consent template.
What a veterinary AI scribe costs
Pricing models differ more than prices. Here is what a practice with three full-time veterinarians would pay each month on the full-feature plan, billed annually where that is cheaper.
AI scribe | Pricing model | 3 DVMs per month | What to watch |
|---|
| VetSOAP | Per user, one plan | $150 | Support staff need their own seats |
| Scribenote Pro | Per full-time DVM | $237 | $99 per DVM on monthly billing; no part-time pricing |
| CoVet Unlimited | Per user; support seats free | $297 | About $149 per user on monthly billing |
| Talkatoo Ultimate | Per DVM; staff included | $297 | Credits for follow-up texts and extra staff call minutes |
| ScribbleVet Unleashed | Per active DVM; staff free | $450 | $200 per DVM on monthly billing; part-time rate not published |
Free and low-cost tiers exist too: Scribenote Free costs nothing with unlimited notes on standard models, and ScribbleVet Essential at $40 or Talkatoo SOAP Notes at $40 a month suit a part-time or relief vet. Students can use CoVet free through school and for eight months after graduation.
Who owns which veterinary AI scribe
Ownership now shapes integrations, so it belongs on your checklist.
- CoVet: acquired by IDEXX, announced September 16, 2026. IDEXX says it will keep supporting other scribes and PIMS it does not operate.
- ScribbleVet: acquired by Instinct Science, the company behind Instinct EMR and Plumb's, in January 2026, and set to become the first AI scribe powered by Plumb's.
- Scribenote: independently owned, founded in 2019 in Canada and not tied to any PIMS.
- Talkatoo: independent, founded in 2019 by Shawn Wilkie, with partnerships across more than 24 veterinary companies.
- VetSOAP: independent, founded by practicing veterinarians Dr. Aaron Smiley and Dr. Jason Szumski.
Frequently asked questions about veterinary AI scribes
What is a veterinary AI scribe?
A veterinary AI scribe is software that records an exam, call or dictation and writes the medical record automatically, usually as a SOAP note, plus client summaries and discharge instructions. The veterinarian reviews and signs the note before it goes into the PIMS.
What is the best AI scribe for veterinarians?
Scribenote is the best starting point for most practices thanks to its free plan, low Pro price and top user rating. CoVet is best for groups and deep PIMS integration, ScribbleVet for the most extra tools, Talkatoo for dictation and calls, and VetSOAP for a simple flat price.
How much does a veterinary AI scribe cost?
Full-feature plans run from $50 to $200 per veterinarian per month. VetSOAP costs $50 per user, Scribenote Pro $79 per DVM annually, CoVet Unlimited and Talkatoo Ultimate $99 annually, and ScribbleVet Unleashed $150 to $200 per DVM. Scribenote also has a free plan.
Are veterinary AI scribes accurate?
The leading tools are tuned for veterinary terminology and handle background noise, but none is perfect. Expect to spend a minute or two reviewing each note, especially drug names and doses, and judge a scribe by how much editing its notes need during your trial.
Do I need client consent to record appointments?
It depends on your state or province. In two-party consent areas you need the client's agreement, so most clinics post signage or ask at check-in. Ask the vendor how recordings are stored and when they are deleted.
Do AI scribes integrate with veterinary practice management software?
Most do in some form. CoVet has API connections with ezyVet, Cornerstone, AVImark, ImproMed, Provet Cloud and Shepherd; ScribbleVet transfers to ezyVet, Pulse and Vetspire; Scribenote's Widget Mode works with any PIMS. Talkatoo and VetSOAP work with every PIMS through dictation or copy and paste.
Is there a free veterinary AI scribe?
Yes. Scribenote's Free plan includes unlimited notes on standard AI models, Teams Mode and PIMS export. CoVet is free for veterinary students, and most other scribes offer a free trial of two weeks or a money-back guarantee.
