Slack supports HIPAA only on its Enterprise plans, which a 5-person office cannot buy off the shelf. The tools that give you Slack's layout with a BAA at a small-team price are Yodl ($10 a month for 5 users, BAA on every plan), Microsoft Teams Essentials ($4 per user paid yearly) and Google Chat in Workspace ($7 per user, annual plan). Chanty lists a BAA on its $3 per user Business plan.
Why people look for an alternative to Slack
Slack is the product everyone pictures when they say team chat: channels, threads, direct messages, search, huddles and thousands of apps. As of November 2026 the Pro plan is $8.75 per user per month, or $7.25 paid annually, and Business+ is $18, or $15 annually. Prices change, so check slack.com before you compare.
The problem for a medical, dental or therapy office is where the BAA sits. A BAA (Business Associate Agreement) is the contract HIPAA requires before a vendor can store protected health information, or PHI: anything that identifies a patient and relates to their care. Slack's help article says HIPAA support is available on Enterprise plans only and that you must execute a BAA. Enterprise+ has no listed price.
Even with the contract, the conditions are strict: no communicating with patients, PHI only in messages, files and file names, monitoring through Slack's DLP or Discovery APIs plus an external DLP tool, and Slack must not be the system of record. The Free plan is no escape; it hides messages older than 90 days. Our Yodl vs Slack page has the side-by-side.
The alternatives at a glance
All prices are for 5 people, read from each vendor's own site on November 3, 2026. Verify before you buy; plans change.
| Tool | Price for 5 people as of November 2026 | Signs a BAA | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yodl | $10/mo flat (5 users, 1 location, 20 GB) | Yes, every plan | Small healthcare teams that want Slack's layout with the BAA included |
| Microsoft Teams | Teams Essentials $4/user/mo paid yearly = $20/mo | Yes, commercial plans by default | Offices already on Microsoft 365 |
| Google Chat (Workspace) | Business Starter $7/user/mo annual = $35/mo ($8.40 flexible) | Yes, accepted in the Admin console | Offices that live in Gmail and Drive |
| Chanty | Business $3/user/mo annual = $15/mo | Yes, Business plan | Tiny teams on a tight budget |
| Zenzap | Business+ $50 total/mo for up to 5 users; BAA add-on price not published | Add-on, by contacting sales | Teams that prefer a WhatsApp-style app |
| Rocket.Chat | Starter free (self-managed); Commercial: get pricing | Yes, Commercial plan | Teams with someone to run a server |
| Mattermost | Contact sales; free evaluation edition | Site does not say | Organizations that must self-host |
| Pumble | Free, or Pro $2.49/seat/mo annual = $12.45/mo | No BAA offering found | General teams with no PHI in chat |
Alternatives that sign a BAA at a published price
Yodl
Yodl is the closest match to Slack's layout here, and the BAA is on every plan. For $10 a month you get 5 users at one location, 20 GB of files, public and private channels, group DMs, threads and full-text search, plus channel roles, an audit viewer, retention and legal hold. Like Slack and Teams it is encrypted in transit and at rest but not end-to-end, so search and audit work. Missing versus Slack: huddles, an app marketplace and SSO.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft's HIPAA BAA is available by default through its Online Services Data Protection Addendum to commercial customers that are covered entities, with Teams in scope. Teams Essentials is $4 per user per month paid yearly on an auto-renewing subscription, with 10 GB of storage per user; the free consumer version is not in scope. Cheap and covered, but a suite rather than a chat app, and someone has to administer it.
Google Chat
Google Chat comes with every Google Workspace edition, and Google lists Chat among the services included in its BAA, which an admin accepts in the Admin console. Business Starter is $7 per user per month on an annual plan or $8.40 on the flexible plan, with 30 GB of pooled storage per user. Chat cannot be bought alone; add-ons are not covered. Without the signed BAA, Google says you must not put PHI in Workspace.
Chanty
Chanty has a Free plan for up to 5 members and a Business plan at $3 per user billed annually (the FAQ says $4 monthly) that lists HIPAA compliance and a BAA, with 20 GB per user. For three people or fewer it is cheaper than Yodl. The pricing page is inconsistent on the monthly price, so confirm the number and the BAA in writing.
Alternatives with a catch
Zenzap
Zenzap is WhatsApp-style chat with AI agents, to-dos and calls. Business+ is $50 total a month for up to 5 users with the annual toggle selected, and the Free plan allows unlimited users with 1 GB. HIPAA compliance with a signed BAA is a paid add-on through sales with no published price. Credible if your team wants a messenger rather than channels; the total is unknown until sales answers.
Rocket.Chat
Rocket.Chat is open source and can run on your own server or in a private cloud. Starter is free for self-managed workspaces, and the Commercial plan is described as HIPAA-supportive with a BAA available, but its price is get pricing, not a number, and Starter does not list a BAA. If someone can keep a server patched and backed up, it is a serious option; if not, hosting becomes your compliance problem.
Mattermost
Mattermost is self-hosted team chat with channels, threads and playbooks. Professional and Enterprise are priced per activated user on a prepaid annual subscription with no public number. Its documentation says a HIPAA-compliant deployment requires a team trained on HIPAA requirements, and we found no BAA statement on its pricing, HIPAA or healthcare pages. A lot to take on for a small office.
Pumble
Pumble gives you unlimited users and message history free, with channels, threads, calls and 10 GB per workspace; Pro is $2.49 per seat per month annually. We found no HIPAA or BAA statement on its pricing or security pages; Pumble treats HIPAA as the customer's responsibility. Use it for non-clinical chat, not for anything that names a patient.
How to choose
Run every candidate, including Yodl, through these:
- Is the BAA on the exact plan you will buy, with no add-on, minimum seat count or sales call?
- What does it cost for your headcount, and does the price assume annual billing?
- Staff only, or patients too? Most of these, Slack and Yodl included, are staff-only.
- Does it run in a browser and on staff phones, and do notifications hide message content?
- Can you export an audit log, set retention and place a legal hold?
- Can you export your data and leave within a month?
Yodl's plan is $10 a month for 5 people with the BAA signed on every plan; see yodl.cc/pricing.
Slack's HIPAA support is an Enterprise feature. For a small team, the realistic HIPAA-compliant Slack alternatives are Yodl at $10 flat, Teams Essentials or Google Workspace if you already use Microsoft or Google, and Chanty if you have three people or fewer.
Frequently asked questions
Is Slack HIPAA compliant on the Pro plan?
No. Slack's help article says HIPAA support requires an Enterprise plan and an executed BAA. Pro and Business+ are not covered, however the workspace is configured.
What is the cheapest HIPAA-compliant Slack alternative?
Chanty lists a BAA on its $3 per user Business plan ($15 a month for 5, billed annually). Yodl is $10 flat for 5 users; Teams Essentials is $4 per user paid yearly. Prices as of November 2026.
Is Pumble HIPAA compliant?
Pumble's pricing and security pages make no HIPAA or BAA claim, and we found no BAA offering. Treat it as a general tool.
Can I self-host Mattermost or Rocket.Chat to avoid needing a BAA?
The BAA question then shifts to your hosting provider and your own team; Mattermost's docs say that needs people trained on HIPAA. Possible, but a project.
Does Yodl have an app directory like Slack?
No. Yodl has no public app marketplace. It offers an API with webhooks and bot users for $20 a month, and website form leads can post into a channel.