The short answer
If a support worker on my team asked me which app to use so they could speak a note instead of thumb-typing it, I would point them at Sparks Scribe, for one plain reason: you tap the Mic, say what happened on the shift, and its AI Assist hands back a finished, properly formatted note in about a minute that you read, correct and approve before it saves under your name. It is $15 a month including GST on the entry plan, with the Mic, the AI and NDIS-coded invoicing all in the one place. I should be upfront that I make Sparks Scribe. ShiftCare has the same dictate-then-AI idea, but it is built for teams and sets a five-licence minimum on every plan on the pricing I checked. Astalty, Visualcare and Bugal describe typed notes, and EasyAs is really an invoicing tool. Everything below is what each vendor states on its own public pages in July 2026, and I say so where I could not confirm something.
I run a disability support provider on the Sunshine Coast, and I am a parent of NDIS participants, so I sit on both sides of this. I hire support workers, and I read the notes they write. The most common complaint I hear about the paperwork is not that it is difficult. It is that it always lands at the worst possible moment: the end of a long shift, sitting in the car, tired, staring at a phone keyboard. That is where notes get thin, or get put off, or get written from memory three shifts later. Voice dictation is the one feature that genuinely fixes that, when the app does it properly.
So this piece is narrow on purpose. It is about one job only: speaking a support-work note out loud instead of typing it, and whether the app turns those spoken words into something you would be happy to hand a plan manager. I look at five apps by name, Sparks Scribe, ShiftCare, Astalty, Visualcare and Bugal, with a word on EasyAs at the end.
One disclosure before anything else. I make one of these apps. Sparks Scribe is mine, so weigh my verdict on it accordingly, and check every competitor claim against that vendor's current pages. I collected the competitor details from public websites, help centres and app-store listings in July 2026. Where I could not confirm a feature, I say I could not confirm it, and I do not fill the gap with a guess.
What does dictating a note by voice actually mean?
"Voice" gets used loosely, and the differences are the whole story. Three separate things all get called it, and only one of them saves a tired worker any real writing:
- The keyboard microphone you already have. Every iPhone and Android has a little mic on the keyboard. Tap it in any text box and it types what you say, word for word, ums and all. Handy, but the app did not build it, and you are left with a raw block of speech to tidy up.
- A Mic the app itself adds. Some apps put their own record-and-transcribe button inside the note. A bit better, because it is designed for the note field, but you are still handed a transcript to shape into something a plan manager would accept.
- A Mic plus AI that finishes the writing. This is the one worth having. You talk in plain language about the shift, and the app turns it into a clear, structured note in the shape a support record needs. You read it, fix anything wrong, and approve it. The writing is done, but the note is still yours.
When I say an app "does voice well" in this piece, I mean the third one. A transcript is not a finished note, and on a busy week the difference is twenty minutes a day.
What would I look at before I recommended one?
Here is what I would actually check, in the order that matters to me as the person who hires the worker and is responsible for the records:
- Is there a real Mic in the app, or is it leaning on the phone keyboard? A built-in Mic that feeds the note is a feature the app owns. Quietly pointing you at the keyboard mic is not.
- Does the AI write the note, or just transcribe it? Transcription saves you the typing. AI that structures the note saves the harder part, the writing.
- Do you review and approve before it saves? This is the one I care about most. An AI draft that a worker can read, correct and sign off is fine. A note that writes itself and saves with nobody reading it is a problem waiting to happen. The note has to go out under the worker's name, as their account of the shift.
- Is it built for one worker, or bolted onto a team platform? Voice dictation sitting inside agency software often arrives with agency pricing, whether or not you have a team to fill it.
- Where does the spoken text go? Voice and AI features usually send text off to a third-party service to process. Before anyone speaks a client's details into an app, I want to have read that vendor's privacy and AI statements.
1. Sparks Scribe: the Mic plus AI that hands back a finished note
Disclosure again: this is my app. On the specific job of speaking a note, here is exactly what it does. In the note composer you can type or tap the Mic and talk. AI Assist then drafts a finished, formatted note from what you said, and it comes back in about a minute. There is a plain warning next to it, "Please check before saving when using AI Assist", because the design assumes you stay the author: you read the draft, correct anything, and approve it, and only then does it save under your name.
You also pick the shape of the note before you start, so the dictation lands in a structure rather than a wall of text. The templates are Start Blank, SOAPIE Notes, Daily Progress Report, Incident Report Template, Behavioural Observation, Medication Administration and Community Access Report. You can pull completed tasks into the note and attach a photo to the same record.
Because it is built for one worker, the Mic sits next to the rest of a sole trader's admin rather than inside a team console. NDIS-coded invoicing is on the same $15 Essentials plan, not held back for a higher tier. How the AI handles what you dictate is set out plainly at sparkscribe.app/ai-use, which is worth a read before you speak client details into anything. For the record, the app holds a 5.0 rating on the Australian App Store, has had more than 90,000 shifts booked through it, and offers a 14-day trial with every feature unlocked and no card.
My verdict: for a solo worker who would rather talk than type, this is the one I would put in their hand, because the note comes back finished and they still approve it before it saves. It is not team software, so if you are rostering staff and running payroll, it is the wrong tool, and ShiftCare below is built for that.
2. ShiftCare: it has the Mic and the AI, but it is priced for a team
ShiftCare is the other app here that genuinely does dictate-then-AI, and I am not going to pretend otherwise. Its help centre describes AI Progress Notes: inside a note you tap a microphone, speak, press stop, then push a rephrase button, and the AI rewords your dictation into a note you accept or discard. It says the AI also flags key details such as follow-ups, and that the feature can be switched off in the account's AI settings.
The catch for a lone worker is not the feature, it is everything around it. ShiftCare is care-management software for agencies, with team rostering and payroll. On the public pricing I checked in July 2026 it sets a minimum of five licences on every plan, even if you are the only person using the account, and invoicing sits on the Professional plan, which works out at roughly $65 to $75 a month excluding GST for a single worker, depending on billing. You get the microphone, but you pay as though you had a team of five.
My verdict: the feature is real, but the price assumes a roster. For an agency already running ShiftCare for its scheduling and payroll, the voice notes come inside software you pay for anyway. For a worker on their own, being billed for five seats to use one microphone is the wrong shape.
3. Astalty: typed case notes, and the prompts are reminders, not writing
Astalty is aimed at NDIS support coordinators and providers and has a dedicated support-worker app. On the pages I read, its case notes are typed: a worker records structured case notes in the app, using the organisation's templates, and can attach images or documents. That is a notes workflow, but it is typing.
Astalty's prompts sometimes get mistaken for AI writing. They are not. Astalty describes them as reminders, a nudge if you forget to clock in, clock out or finish a note, so a shift is not left half-recorded. A reminder to write the note is not the app writing the note for you. I could not verify a dedicated Mic for dictation, or AI that drafts a note from speech, from Astalty's public pages in July 2026.
My verdict: a typed-notes app for coordination-heavy teams. On its public pages I could not confirm voice dictation or AI note-writing, so if speaking the note is the point, this is not the tool I would reach for.
4. Visualcare: a provider platform, with voice and AI notes not verified
Visualcare is a care-management platform built for NDIS and aged-care providers rather than individual workers. Progress notes are part of it, but on the public pages I checked in July 2026 I could not confirm a Mic for dictation, or AI that writes a note from spoken words. I am not saying it lacks them. I am saying I could not verify them, and I will not guess on your behalf.
Two things a solo worker should note anyway. Visualcare does not publish a self-serve price I could find, which usually points to a quote-based, provider-scale product rather than a set monthly fee for one person. And as provider software, its focus is organisation-wide record-keeping, not the one-tap "speak your shift" moment a lone worker wants at the end of the day.
My verdict: built for providers, not sole traders, and I could not verify voice dictation or AI note-writing from its public pages. If this feature is your reason for choosing, ask Visualcare directly before you assume it is there.
5. Bugal: shift notes are there, but on its pages they are typed by hand
Bugal is aimed at Australian independent support workers, and it does list "Shift Notes and Reports" as an included feature, so notes are in the product. What I could not find anywhere on its public pages in July 2026 was any mention of voice dictation, speech-to-text, or AI note-writing. On the evidence of its own site, the shift note is typed by hand.
A couple of practical points for this feature. Bugal describes itself as a web-based, mobile-first platform, with no App Store or Google Play listing mentioned as of July 2026, which shapes how comfortable dictating on a phone would be. And its paid Solo plan is $35 a month, more than double the $15 entry plan on my app.
My verdict: the notes feature exists, but nothing on its public pages points to voice or AI. For the one job this guide is about, you are typing the note out yourself.
And one more, EasyAs, which is really about invoicing
EasyAs, the NDIS invoicing product at easyasinvoicing.com.au, is worth placing rather than ranking. Its job is turning shifts into NDIS invoices, with the support item numbers pre-loaded. On the public pages and store listings I checked in July 2026 it does not centre on progress or shift notes, and I could not verify voice dictation or AI note-writing anywhere on it. It lists apps on the App Store and Google Play, and its smallest plan is $19.95 a month on its website. If dictating notes is what you are after, EasyAs is solving a different problem, and you would still need somewhere else to write the note.
How do the apps compare at a glance?
Collected from public pages, help centres and app-store listings in July 2026. "AI finishes the note" means the app turns your spoken words into written prose, not just a transcript.
| App | Mic button for notes | AI turns speech into a finished note | You review before saving | Notes + NDIS invoicing in one app | Price for 1 person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparks Scribe | Yes, Mic button | Yes, AI Assist, finished note in about a minute | Yes, "Please check before saving", saved under your name | Yes | $15/month incl GST |
| ShiftCare | Yes, microphone in progress notes (help centre) | Yes, dictated words rephrased by AI, accept or discard | Yes, accept or discard the rephrase | Invoicing needs Professional | About $65 to $75/month ex GST (min 5 licences on every plan) |
| Astalty | Not verified from public pages | No, prompts are reminders, not AI writing | n/a (typed notes) | Yes, plus coordination tools | $30/month support-worker profile ($64 standard seat) |
| Visualcare | Not verified from public pages | Not verified from public pages | n/a | Provider platform | Public price not verified |
| Bugal | No, not mentioned | No, not mentioned | n/a (typed notes) | Yes, Shift Notes and Reports | Free (2 invoices/month) or Solo $35/month |
Every cell here comes from a vendor's own public page, help centre or store listing as it read in July 2026, then trimmed to fit; pricing and features move, so confirm on the vendor's site before you commit. "Not verified" means the detail was not something I could stand behind from an official page, so I left it open rather than filling it in. EasyAs is invoicing-first, so it is written up above instead of scored in the table.
Frequently asked questions
Can I dictate an NDIS progress note instead of typing it?
Yes, on some apps. In Sparks Scribe you tap the Mic, speak the shift, and the note is drafted for you. ShiftCare's help centre describes a microphone inside its progress notes that records your voice and then rephrases it. On the public pages I checked in July 2026, Astalty, Visualcare and Bugal describe typed notes and I could not verify a dedicated dictation button, and EasyAs is an invoicing tool that does not centre on notes.
What is the difference between voice-to-text and AI that writes the note?
Voice-to-text transcribes what you say word for word, so you still have to shape the raw speech into a proper note. AI that writes the note takes your spoken words and turns them into structured, formatted prose in the shape a support record needs, which you then read and approve. The second one saves the harder part, the writing, not just the typing.
Which apps turn what I say into a finished note?
Of the apps here, two do. Sparks Scribe's AI Assist drafts a finished note from your spoken or typed words, with a reminder to check it before saving. ShiftCare's help centre describes AI that rephrases your dictated words into a reworded note you accept or discard. For Astalty, Visualcare and Bugal I could not verify AI note-writing from their public pages in July 2026, and Astalty's prompts are reminders to finish a note, not AI that writes it.
Do I still have to read an AI-drafted note before it saves?
Yes. The AI drafts it, but you are the author. Sparks Scribe shows a warning, "Please check before saving when using AI Assist", and the worker reviews and approves the note before it saves, so it goes out under their name. Treat any AI draft as a first pass to read, correct and confirm, never a note to trust unread.
How much does an app with proper voice notes cost for one worker?
It varies. Sparks Scribe's Essentials plan is $15 a month including GST and includes the Mic, AI-written notes and NDIS-coded invoicing. ShiftCare has the dictate-then-AI feature but is priced for teams, with a minimum of five licences on every plan and invoicing on its Professional plan, roughly $65 to $75 a month excluding GST for one person on the pricing I checked in July 2026. Astalty's support-worker profile is $30 a month ($64 for a standard seat), Bugal's Solo plan is $35 a month, and EasyAs starts at $19.95 a month on its website. I could not verify a public price for Visualcare.
Is it safe to speak client details into an app?
Read each vendor's privacy and AI statements before you enter client information, because voice and AI note features usually send text to a third-party service to process it. Sparks Scribe sets out how its AI handles what you dictate at sparkscribe.app/ai-use. For the other apps, check their own statements rather than assuming.
Can I dictate on both an iPhone and an Android?
Sparks Scribe runs on iOS, Android and the web, so the Mic is on both. ShiftCare offers a support-worker app, and Astalty lists apps on Google Play and the App Store. EasyAs lists apps on both stores, though it is invoicing-focused. Bugal describes itself as a web-based platform, with no App Store or Google Play listing mentioned as of July 2026, and I could not verify app-store availability for Visualcare.
As someone who hires support workers, why does it matter whether the note is AI-written?
Because the note is a record I rely on, and if a plan manager, participant or the NDIA ever queries a shift, the note is the evidence. AI that drafts the note saves my workers time, which means notes get written on the day instead of from memory later. What I insist on is that the worker reads and approves the draft before it saves, so it is genuinely their account of the shift and it carries their name, not something a machine filed unread.
Once you can speak the note, the next thing worth getting right is what goes in it. Here is my guide on how to write NDIS shift notes, with examples, and my wider round-up of the best apps for independent NDIS support workers.