The short answer
If you want the note actually written for you, Sparks Scribe is our pick: you type a few words or tap the Mic and speak, and AI Assist returns a finished, professionally formatted shift note in about 60 seconds, with an in-app prompt to check it before you save. ShiftCare offers AI of a different shape (you write or dictate, then AI rephrases or summarises, and you Accept or Discard), but it is built for agencies with a minimum of five licences on every plan. Astalty, Bugal and Visualcare record notes but do not write them with AI on their public pages, and EasyAs is invoicing only. One disclosure up front: we make Sparks Scribe.
"AI shift notes" has become a badge every NDIS app wants to wear, but the phrase hides four very different things. Some apps draft a finished note from a sentence. Some take the note you already wrote and tidy it up. Some just give you a template and a reminder to fill it in. And some do not touch notes at all. This guide compares six apps by name on the one job the label promises: turning what happened on your shift into a professional note, fast. The six are Sparks Scribe, ShiftCare, Astalty, Bugal, Visualcare and EasyAs.
One thing up front: we make one of these apps. Sparks Scribe is our product, built in Australia by Sparks Support Pty Ltd, so read our verdict on it with that in mind and check every competitor claim against the vendor's current public pages. Every competitor detail below was collected from each product's public website, help centre or app-store listing in July 2026. Where we could not verify something, we say so rather than guess.
What makes an AI shift-note tool actually useful?
Feature checklists reward apps for having "AI" in a heading. That is not the same as the app writing your note. So we scored every tool on five plain questions:
- Does it write the note, or just store it? There is a real gap between AI that drafts a finished note from a short input, AI that rephrases what you already wrote, a template that prompts you, and an empty text box. We name which is which.
- Can you speak it? Voice dictation matters when your desk is the front seat of your car between shifts. We checked whether each app lets you talk instead of type.
- How fast is a finished note? A note you still have to rewrite is not finished. We looked for a published time from raw input to a note you could save.
- Are the right templates there? Progress report, incident, behavioural observation, medication, community access: the note type shapes what you have to capture.
- Is there a human check before it saves? An AI note is a draft until a person reads and approves it. The tool should make that step obvious, not optional.
Everything below was checked against official public pages in July 2026; features and prices change, so confirm on the vendor's own site before you decide.
1. Sparks Scribe: a finished note in about 60 seconds, typed or spoken
Full disclosure first: this is our product. Sparks Scribe is built for independent NDIS support workers, and shift notes are the feature we obsess over. You start a note, type a sentence about the shift or tap the Mic and just say what happened, and AI Assist drafts a professionally formatted note in about 60 seconds. If you would rather stay hands-on, you can pick a template and write it yourself.
The templates cover the note types workers actually file: Start Blank, SOAPIE, Daily Progress Report, Incident Report, Behavioural Observation, Medication Administration and Community Access Report. You can import completed tasks into the note and attach a photo, so the record is complete without a second app.
The part that matters most for AI notes is the check step. AI Assist drafts from your words and shows an in-app warning, Please check before saving. You review, adjust anything that is not right, and approve. The note then saves and goes out under your name, so you stay accountable for what it says. For how the AI itself handles your words, see our AI use statement.
On the record: a 5.0 rating on the Australian App Store, more than 90,000 shifts booked through the platform, data stored in Australia, and AI notes and voice included on the $15 Essentials plan with a 14-day free trial, every feature unlocked and no card required.
Our verdict: the strongest match for this specific feature. Type or speak to a finished note in about 60 seconds, with the templates you need and a built-in prompt to check before it saves. Sparks Scribe does not roster teams or run payroll; if you need those, an agency platform will suit you better.
2. ShiftCare: AI that rephrases the note you write, built for agencies
ShiftCare is a care-management platform aimed at agencies, and in 2026 it added AI help for notes. From its own help centre (verified July 2026): a carer can dictate a progress note using a microphone button, then tap a rephrase button to have AI rephrase, summarise or improve it, and choose Accept or Discard before the change is applied. Its help centre also describes an automated review tool that scans notes for quality and risk indicators.
The distinction is what the AI starts from. ShiftCare's tool works on the note you have already written or dictated, rather than drafting a finished note from a short prompt. For a solo worker, the platform around it is the catch: ShiftCare prices per licence with a minimum of five licences on every plan (July 2026), so one person pays as if they had a team of five.
Our verdict: on the AI-writing feature it works on the note you have already entered, with voice dictation and an Accept or Discard step, but it is built and priced for agencies, not one person. See our Sparks Scribe vs ShiftCare comparison.
3. Astalty: templates and reminders, not AI writing
Astalty is a platform for NDIS coordinators and providers with a support-worker app. Staff record case notes directly in the app, post-shift or on the go, and can add images or supporting documents. Organisations can build custom case-note templates that the team then fills in.
What it does not do is write the note for you. Astalty's Smart Prompts are reminders, nudging staff who forget to clock in, clock out or finish a note, not AI that composes the note. Voice dictation for notes is not mentioned on its support-worker-app page (July 2026). So the templates guide you, but you still write every word yourself.
Our verdict: custom case-note templates for teams, but no AI drafting and no voice on its public pages. See our Sparks Scribe vs Astalty comparison.
4. Bugal: shift notes listed, no AI writing mentioned
Bugal is a platform for Australian independent support workers. "Shift Notes & Reports" appears as an included feature across its free and paid tiers, but the site gives no detail on how the notes are written, and mentions no AI note-writing and no voice dictation on the pages we checked (July 2026). Bugal describes itself as a web-based, mobile-first platform, with no App Store or Google Play listing mentioned.
Our verdict: a place to record notes, not a tool that writes them; nothing AI on its public pages for this feature. See our full comparison hub.
5. Visualcare: provider documentation, no AI writing verified
Visualcare is aged care and NDIS software built for provider organisations. Each shift saves its shift notes, communication, incidents and concerns for audit, and its documentation sits inside rostering, compliance and audit-readiness workflows. On the pages we reviewed, progress notes must be entered by the end of the day.
For the AI-writing question specifically, we could not verify any AI note-writing or voice dictation from Visualcare's public pages (July 2026). Its documentation is organised around audit trails for teams, but it is not aimed at a solo worker and does not advertise writing the note with AI.
Our verdict: built for provider compliance and audit, with no AI note-writing verified on its public pages, and not designed for one person. See our Sparks Scribe vs Visualcare comparison.
6. EasyAs: NDIS invoicing only, no notes
EasyAs is an NDIS invoicing product that does one job: NDIS invoicing, with item numbers pre-loaded. Across its website and both app-store listings, there is no mention of progress notes, shift notes or AI features of any kind (July 2026). A worker using it still needs somewhere else to write their notes.
Our verdict: it covers the invoice, not the note; there is no AI shift-note feature here to compare. See our Sparks Scribe vs EasyAs comparison.
The comparison at a glance
Collected from public pages in July 2026. "AI writes the note" means the app produces note text for you, not just stores what you type.
| App | Type or speak? | AI writes the note? | Templates | Human check before saving | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparks Scribe | Type or speak (Mic) | Yes, AI Assist drafts a finished note in ~60s | Seven (SOAPIE, Daily Progress, Incident, Behavioural, Medication, Community Access, Start Blank) | Yes. "Please check before saving", you approve | Solo NDIS support workers |
| ShiftCare | Type or dictate (mic) | Assists: rephrases, summarises or improves the note you write | Not verified for this feature | Yes. Accept or Discard the AI change | Agencies and teams (min 5 licences) |
| Astalty | Type (voice not mentioned) | No. Smart Prompts are reminders | Custom case-note templates | Manual entry | Coordinators and providers |
| Bugal | Not verified | No AI note-writing mentioned | Not detailed | Manual entry | Solo and micro providers (web-based) |
| Visualcare | Not verified | No AI note-writing verified | Not detailed | Manual entry, notes due by end of day | Aged care and NDIS providers |
| EasyAs | Not applicable (no notes) | No, invoicing only | Not applicable | Not applicable | NDIS invoicing |
All details collected from each vendor's public website, help centre or app-store listing in July 2026 and simplified for comparison; features and prices change, so check the vendor's own pages before deciding. "Not verified" means we could not confirm the detail from official public pages and chose not to guess.
Frequently asked questions
Which apps write NDIS shift notes with AI?
Of the six apps in this comparison, the one that drafts a finished note for you is Sparks Scribe: type a few words or tap the Mic and speak, and AI Assist returns a professionally formatted shift note in about 60 seconds, which you review and approve before it saves. ShiftCare offers AI note assistance of a different kind, where you write or dictate your note and then tap rephrase to have AI rephrase, summarise or improve it, choosing Accept or Discard (verified from ShiftCare's help centre, July 2026). Astalty records case notes with custom templates and Smart Prompt reminders but does not write the note with AI. Bugal lists shift notes and reports with no AI note-writing on its public pages. Visualcare is provider documentation software with no AI note-writing verified on its public pages. EasyAs is an NDIS invoicing product and does not write notes at all.
Can I speak my shift note instead of typing it?
Yes, in some apps. Sparks Scribe has a Mic button, so you can speak your note and AI Assist turns it into a formatted note in about 60 seconds. ShiftCare lets carers dictate a progress note with a microphone button and then rephrase it with AI (verified July 2026). Astalty, Bugal, Visualcare and EasyAs do not mention voice dictation for notes on the public pages we checked in July 2026.
How long does an AI shift note take to write?
Sparks Scribe states about 60 seconds from typed or spoken input to a finished, professionally formatted note. The other apps in this comparison do not publish a time to write a note, so we cannot compare like for like.
Does a human review the AI note before it is saved?
With Sparks Scribe, yes by design: AI Assist drafts from your words and shows an in-app warning, Please check before saving, so you review and approve the note, and it goes out under your name. ShiftCare's rephrase tool asks you to Accept or Discard the AI change before it is applied (verified July 2026). Whichever tool you use, you are responsible for the final note, so always read it before saving.
Does Sparks Scribe have shift-note templates?
Yes. Sparks Scribe includes templates for Start Blank, SOAPIE, Daily Progress Report, Incident Report, Behavioural Observation, Medication Administration and Community Access Report. You can also import completed tasks and attach a photo. Astalty offers custom case-note templates set by the organisation. We could not verify selectable note templates for ShiftCare, Bugal, Visualcare or EasyAs for this feature from their public pages (July 2026).
Does ShiftCare write shift notes with AI?
ShiftCare offers AI writing assistance for progress notes: a carer types or dictates the note, then taps a rephrase button to have AI rephrase, summarise or improve it, and chooses Accept or Discard (verified from ShiftCare's help centre, July 2026). It assists with the note you write rather than drafting a finished note from a short prompt. ShiftCare is a care-management platform built for agencies and teams, and its pricing carries a minimum of five licences on every plan, so a solo worker pays for a team.
Is there a free trial to test AI shift notes?
Sparks Scribe offers a 14-day free trial with every feature unlocked, including AI notes and voice, and no credit card required. There is no free tier. Trial terms for the other apps vary and should be checked on each vendor's site; this article focuses on the AI note-writing feature rather than trial length.
Where is my client data stored when I use an AI shift-note app?
It varies, so check each vendor's privacy policy before entering client information. Sparks Scribe stores its data in Australia; for how the AI itself handles your words, see the Sparks Scribe AI use statement at sparkscribe.app/ai-use. We have not re-verified hosting locations for the other apps in this article, so ask each vendor before you commit.
Are AI-written shift notes reliable enough for NDIS records?
An AI note is a draft until a person checks it. Sparks Scribe is built around that: it drafts from your words, prompts you to check before saving, and the note is saved and sent under your name, so you stay accountable for accuracy. Shift notes are your evidence of service delivery if a plan manager, participant or the NDIA queries an invoice, so read every note before you save it. For how Sparks Scribe uses AI, see sparkscribe.app/ai-use.