Frequently Asked Questions

Getting started

What is Ardela?

Ardela is an AI dictation, transcription, document, and legal-workflow platform. A Matter is the shared legal file for an instruction. Voice captures work, Clara helps search, draft, and review it, Reviews checks documents against playbooks, Pillars structures document packs, and the workspace organises clients, matters, queues, workflows, and reporting.

What do I need?

You need an Ardela account, access to a workspace, and a supported browser. Recording also needs microphone permission. You can use browser recording, the native mobile app, or Ardela Voice for Windows and macOS.

What is the difference between browser, mobile, and desktop Voice?

Browser recording creates a full recording with an editable timeline, batch transcript, templates, and export
Mobile recording captures and trims local drafts, then uploads them in the foreground for the same server workflow
Desktop Voice streams speech, cleans it, and inserts text into a compatible active text field

Desktop Voice does not automatically create a browser recording. See Recordings, Mobile, and Ardela Voice for desktop.

Which features need Pro?

Pro adds tasks, time tracking, key dates, matter file uploads, the transcriber queue, workflows, analytics, custom firm templates, document drafting, forms, document review, API keys, and webhooks. Creating clients and matters, Voice, Clara, and Pillars are available on Starter. See Billing and plans.

Recording and transcription

When does browser transcription start?

Select Finalise after reviewing the recording timeline. Pausing saves the current part, but it does not finalise the recording or start batch transcription of the submitted audio.

What is the difference between dictation and meeting mode?

Dictation is intended for one speaker. Meeting mode processes a conversation with multiple speakers and groups transcript segments by speaker after finalisation. Review and name the speaker groups before relying on the transcript.

What files can I upload?

Ardela accepts common audio and video formats, including MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, MOV, and WebM. A complete import can be up to 500 MiB. See Upload audio for the current workflow.

Can I record offline?

Offline behaviour depends on the surface:

An installed web app can keep an in-progress local capture. After reconnecting, reopen it, wait for pending parts to upload, review the timeline, and select Finalise
The native mobile app keeps local drafts offline, but server recordings are not available for full offline browsing
Mobile upload requires the app to remain open with a network connection

Always confirm that a draft has uploaded before removing it from the device.

How can I improve transcription?

Use a suitable microphone, reduce background noise, speak clearly, and check names and matter references. The custom dictionary is currently proven for desktop Voice; do not assume it affects every browser or mobile transcript. Review the transcript before generating a note or document.

Why is a recording still processing?

Large imports and slow connections can take longer. Check that the recording was finalised, keep the upload surface open when required, then refresh the recording. See Troubleshooting if the status does not change.

Who can see my work?

Access depends on workspace membership, role, Matter ownership, and explicit View, Work, or Manage grants. Being in the same group does not by itself expose all recordings, clients, matters, or Pillars.

Administrators do not receive a bypass of Matter content. See Matter access and Permissions and roles.

What are groups for?

Groups organise teams, share Matter access, route queue work, and configure transcriber approval. Adding a member to a group can open every Matter already shared with that group. Use a Matter grant when another person or group needs access to a specific file. See Groups.

Can I continue an existing recording?

You can add or edit audio while a browser recording is a draft. If the editor lets you change audio after transcription, the current transcript becomes out of date. Select Finalise again and wait for a matching transcript before generating.

Templates, Clara, and Pillars

How do I create a formatted note or document?

Correct the transcript, choose an available template, and start generation. Available prebuilt templates are included on all plans. Custom firm templates and AI document drafting require Pro or Enterprise.

The draft stays private until you select Share to matter. Review it against the transcript and source material before exporting or sending it.

Does Clara change content automatically?

Clara proposes changes and shows them for approval. You decide whether to apply or reject each change, and the underlying permission is still required. Clara conversations stay private.

Can Clara review legal documents?

Pro and Enterprise workspaces can use Reviews and playbooks. Findings remain grounded in the source, and tracked changes can be reviewed individually before Word export. A review stays private until you save it to a Matter. Ardela is not a law firm, and Clara's output is not legal advice. See Reviews.

What are Pillars?

A Pillar groups source documents. Tables extract structured information into columns, and Clara can answer questions with citations to source passages. A Pillar created on a matter is shared with that matter from the start. A standalone Pillar can later be moved with Share to matter. See Pillars.

Clients, matters, and forms

How do I link a recording to a matter?

Choose the client and matter in the recording editor, or start the recording from the matter. Linking associates the recording with that file. Completing it can place the transcript in Files. Generated documents still need Share to matter.

Do clients and matters require Pro?

No. You can create and maintain clients and matters on Starter. Tasks, time entries, key dates, matter file uploads, and forms require Pro or Enterprise.

Can Ardela fill court or legal forms?

Where enabled, Pro and Enterprise workspaces can generate supported England and Wales forms with evidence for individual fields. Coverage is limited to the forms available in your workspace, and every field requires review. See Forms.

Transcriber queue

How do I send work to a transcriber?

Assign the appropriate group and use Send to transcriber from the recording actions. Approval after completion depends on the group's settings. Queue assignment is not a Matter grant. See For authors.

Do transcribers use paid seats?

No. Active members in the built-in Transcriber tier do not consume paid seats. A different billable role does, including Read-only.

Where does a transcriber work?

Transcribers use the Queue to find, claim, edit, and complete available work. Open the pop-out player from the queue or editor when a separate playback window is useful.

Mobile and desktop

Is there a native mobile app?

Yes. Ardela has a native mobile capture app for iOS and Android. It supports local drafts, trimming, and foreground upload. Most server content opens through the authenticated web surface, and some desktop navigation areas are intentionally hidden on mobile. See Mobile.

Which desktop platforms are supported?

Ardela Voice supports Windows and macOS. Linux is not currently supported.

Billing and limits

How much do plans cost?

Starter is £29 per paid seat each month for up to 10 seats. Pro is £39 per paid seat each month for up to 25 seats. Annual billing receives a 15% discount. Enterprise is custom.

Is there an automatic free trial?

No. New workspaces do not automatically receive a Pro trial. Ardela may grant a trial directly.

What happens when I reach an allowance?

The affected action is paused until the billing period resets or the workspace allowance changes. Existing work remains subject to the workspace's subscription and access state. See Billing and plans.

API and integrations

Is the API generally available?

The v1 API is a beta interface for Pro and Enterprise workspaces. Test error handling, retries, and content mapping before using it for production filing.

What is the API base URL?

https://app.ardela.ai/api/v1

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