Pick Google Chat if your office already runs on Google Workspace: Chat is included, and Google's BAA covers it once an admin accepts it. Pick Yodl if you want staff chat on its own, with a signed BAA included for $10 a month for five people and no suite to administer. The real question is whether you want a full productivity suite or just the chat.
At a glance
Google Chat is the chat tool inside Google Workspace, so you buy it with Gmail, Drive, Meet and Docs. Yodl is standalone team chat for staff, made for small healthcare teams. In the table, BAA means Business Associate Agreement, the contract in which a vendor agrees to protect patient information. Here is how they line up for a five-person office.
| What matters | Yodl | Google Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Price for a 5-person office | $10 a month (5 users and one location included) | $35 a month on Business Starter annual ($7 per user) or $42 on the Flexible plan ($8.40 per user) |
| How it is priced | Flat per location; $2 per extra user; $10 per extra location | Per user per month, annual or Flexible; Chat is bundled with the whole Workspace suite |
| Signs a BAA, and on which plans | Yes, every plan, including the $10 plan | Yes, accepted in the Admin console; the help page does not name specific editions; Google Chat is a covered service |
| Free tier or trial | No free plan or trial | No free business tier; 14-day free trial |
| Built for | Staff-to-staff chat in small healthcare teams and small businesses | Businesses up to 300 users, as part of a full productivity suite |
| File storage | 20 GB per location | Pooled: 30 GB per user on Starter, 2 TB on Standard, 5 TB on Plus |
| API | $20 a month per workspace (REST API, webhooks, bot users) | Not mentioned on the pricing or HIPAA pages we read |
| Apps and devices | Any browser on phone or computer; Mac app; iPhone app (beta) | Not recorded in our research; check Google's site |
Pricing in detail
As of November 2026, Google Workspace Business Starter costs $7 per user per month on the Annual or Fixed-Term plan, or $8.40 per user per month on the Flexible plan. For five people that is $35 a month annual or $42 a month Flexible. Business Standard is $14 per user per month annual ($16.80 Flexible) and adds 2 TB of pooled storage per user and Gemini in Chat. Business Plus is $22 ($26.40 Flexible), and Enterprise is contact sales. Google's pricing page also shows time-limited introductory discounts for new customers. Prices change, so verify them on Google's site before you buy.
You cannot buy Google Chat on its own. It comes with the whole suite, which is good value if you need Gmail and Drive anyway, and wasted money if you only need chat.
Yodl is $10 a month for one location, with 5 users and 20 GB of file storage included. Extra users are $2 each per month. Each additional location is another $10 a month with 5 more users and 20 more GB. API access is $20 a month per workspace, and Enterprise is custom pricing. There is no free trial, and you can cancel any month. For five people the math is $10 against $35 to $42; for six it is $12 against $42 to $50.40.
HIPAA and the BAA
HIPAA requires a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) before a vendor handles protected health information (PHI). PHI is any health information tied to a person: a patient's name next to a diagnosis, a photo of a chart, a question about someone's refill. The BAA is the contract in which the vendor promises to protect that information.
Google signs a BAA. Workspace customers accept it electronically in the Admin console, under Account settings, then Legal and compliance. Google's HIPAA page lists Google Chat, Gmail, Drive, Meet, Calendar and other core services as included, and its help page does not name specific editions. Two things to know: Google says customers without a signed BAA must not use PHI in Workspace at all, and third-party apps, add-ons and Additional Google Services are not covered. Someone in your office has to find the setting, accept the agreement, and keep add-ons away from PHI.
Yodl signs a BAA with every customer on every plan, including the $10 plan. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest on HIPAA-eligible infrastructure with subprocessor BAAs. Channel roles, an audit viewer with CSV export, retention controls and legal hold, passkeys and a 15-minute inactivity lock are built in. Like Slack, Microsoft Teams and Google Chat, Yodl is not end-to-end encrypted, by design, so that search, retention and admin controls can work.
The features a small practice actually uses
Google Chat gives you spaces, direct messages and threads in every edition, next to Gmail with your own domain, Google Meet video meetings, and Drive, Docs, Sheets and Slides with pooled storage. On Business Standard and up, Gemini in Chat can find, summarize and translate. If your office lives in Gmail, Chat is one click away, and so is a video call. Yodl has no voice or video calls.
Yodl is only the chat, done carefully:
- Public and private channels, direct messages, group DMs, threads, reactions, @mentions and saved messages.
- File previews for images, PDFs, spreadsheets and voice notes, a team files library with 20 GB per location, and full-text search scoped to your rooms.
- Channel roles: Manager, Member and Viewer, so the front desk can read the clinical channel without posting in it.
- Invite-only workspaces, passkeys (Face ID or Touch ID), and push notifications that never include message content.
- Any browser on a phone or computer, a Mac app, an iPhone app in beta, and an optional AI teammate from PhiClaw that is a separate product, not part of the $10 plan.
Where Google Chat is the better choice
Google Chat is the right buy if your office already pays for Google Workspace. The chat is included, the BAA covers it once your admin accepts it, and staff already sign in to Gmail every morning. Paying for a second chat tool when you own one is hard to justify.
- You already run Gmail and Drive on a paid Workspace edition.
- You want chat, email, video and documents from one vendor with one admin console.
- You need video calls inside the chat tool, or Gemini features on Business Standard and up.
Where Yodl is the better choice
Yodl is the right buy if you do not use Google Workspace, or if you use it for email and want staff chat kept separate and simpler. The BAA is part of the product, not a setting to find, and the price is flat. Roles, the audit log, retention and legal hold, passkeys and the inactivity lock are there on day one, along with a 13-gate HIPAA readiness checklist in the admin panel you can walk an owner or an auditor through.
- Your office runs on Microsoft 365, your practice management system's email, or no suite at all.
- You want the BAA signed on the plan you actually buy, with nothing to configure.
- You want $10 a month for five people instead of a per-user suite bill, and $10 per extra location with its own 5 users and 20 GB.
Who should choose which
| Team type | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Office already on paid Google Workspace | Google Chat | Chat is included and covered by the BAA once accepted |
| Office on Microsoft 365 or no suite | Yodl | Standalone chat with the BAA included for $10 a month |
| Practice that wants video calls in its chat tool | Google Chat | Google Meet is built in; Yodl has no calls |
| Owner who does not want an admin console to manage | Yodl | Invite-only workspace, roles and audit log ready on day one |
| Multi-location practice watching cost | Yodl | $10 per location with 5 users and 20 GB each |
If Yodl sounds like the fit, see Yodl pricing: $10 a month for 5 people, a signed BAA.
Google Chat is a reasonable HIPAA-eligible chat if you already pay for Workspace and your admin accepts Google's BAA. Yodl is the simpler buy for a small practice that wants staff chat on its own, with the BAA included, for $10 a month.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Chat HIPAA compliant?
Google Chat can be used in a HIPAA-compliant way. Google signs a BAA that lists Google Chat among the covered Workspace services, but an admin must accept it in the Admin console first, and third-party add-ons are not covered. Without the signed BAA, Google says you must not use PHI in Workspace at all.
How much does Google Chat cost for 5 users?
Google Chat is only sold as part of Google Workspace. As of November 2026, Business Starter is $7 per user per month on the annual plan, so $35 a month for 5 users, or $42 a month on the $8.40 Flexible plan. Verify current pricing on Google's site.
Can I buy Google Chat without the rest of Google Workspace?
No. Chat is bundled with every Workspace edition and cannot be bought alone.
Does Yodl sign a BAA on the $10 plan?
Yes. Yodl signs a BAA with every customer on every plan, including the $10 plan.
Can we use Google Workspace for email and Yodl for staff chat?
Yes. Some offices keep Workspace for email and documents and use Yodl for staff chat so the chat has its own roles, audit log and retention. Write down which tool is for PHI so staff are not guessing.