Slack's paid plans start at $8.75 per user a month, but Slack supports HIPAA only on Enterprise plans with a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA) and restrictions. Yodl gives a practice the same channels-and-threads layout with a BAA included at $10 a month for 5 users. Pick Slack if you are a large organization that can buy Enterprise; pick Yodl if you are a small team that needs a BAA now.
At a glance
Protected health information (PHI) is any detail that identifies a patient and relates to their health or care. A BAA is the contract HIPAA requires from a vendor before it handles PHI. Slack prices are as of November 2026 from slack.com/pricing; prices change, so verify there.
| What matters | Yodl | Slack |
|---|---|---|
| Price for a 5-person office | $10 a month, BAA included | Pro $8.75 per user monthly ($43.75 for 5) or $7.25 annual ($36.25); Business+ $18 or $15; no HIPAA support on either |
| How it is priced | Flat per location; $2 per extra user; $10 per extra location | Per user per month; Enterprise+ by contract |
| Signs a BAA, and on which plans | Yes, every plan | Yes, Enterprise plans only, with restrictions on PHI |
| Free tier or trial | None | Free plan: 90-day visible history, 10 apps, data deleted after 1 year |
| Built for | Small healthcare teams and small businesses | Teams of all sizes; HIPAA support limited to enterprise |
| File storage | 20 GB per location | Per-member figures not on the pages we read |
| API | $20 a month per workspace | Slack APIs on Pro and up; Discovery API on Enterprise+ |
| Apps and devices | Any browser, Mac app, iPhone app (beta) | Not covered on the pages we read |
Pricing in detail
Yodl has one plan: $10 a month for 5 users, 1 location, 20 GB and a signed BAA. Extra users are $2 each, an extra location is $10 with 5 more users and 20 more GB, and the API is $20 a month. Month to month, no free trial.
Slack has four tiers. Free is $0 with 90 days of visible history, 10 apps, and data deleted after one year. Pro is $8.75 per user a month billed monthly or $7.25 annually (a $4.38 promotion runs for three months on eligible new monthly teams). Business+ is $18 per user monthly or $15 annually. Enterprise+ is contact sales and includes the Discovery API.
For 5 people that is $43.75 a month on Pro monthly, $36.25 annual, $90 on Business+ monthly or $75 annual. None supports HIPAA; Enterprise+, which does, has no published price.
HIPAA and the BAA
HIPAA requires a BAA before a vendor handles PHI (45 CFR 164.502(e) and 164.308(b)). HIPAA does not certify any app; the BAA plus your own policies and training is compliance with either tool.
Slack's help article is direct: on Enterprise plans, Slack can be configured to support HIPAA-compliant message and file collaboration. You must be on an Enterprise plan, execute a BAA and agree to the Slack Guide for HIPAA Entities. Then the restrictions: no communicating with patients; PHI only in messages, files and file names; monitoring through Slack's data loss prevention tools or Discovery APIs plus an external DLP product; Slack should not be the system of record; and Slack's BAA does not cover third-party apps. The article does not address encryption.
Yodl signs a BAA with every customer on every plan, including the $10 plan. It is encrypted in transit and at rest, hosted on HIPAA-eligible infrastructure with subprocessor BAAs, and like Slack not end-to-end encrypted, by design, so that search, retention, audit and admin controls work. Slack on Enterprise with a BAA and DLP is a sound setup for a large organization; Slack on Free, Pro or Business+ has no BAA, so it is not a place for PHI.
The features a small practice actually uses
| Feature | Yodl | Slack |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | Channels, DMs, group DMs, threads, reactions, @mentions, saved messages | Channels, DMs, threads, huddles |
| Files and search | Preview and download; full-text search; 20 GB | File sharing and search; per-member storage not on the pages we read |
| Calls, apps, automation | No calls; website leads into a channel; optional PhiClaw AI teammate (separate) | Huddles; 10 apps on Free, unlimited on paid; Workflow Builder; Slack AI by plan |
| Roles, audit, lock | Manager, Member, Viewer; invite-only; audit viewer with CSV export; retention and legal hold; passkeys; 15-minute lock | SSO and admin controls on higher tiers; DLP and Discovery API on Enterprise+ |
Where Slack is the better choice
Slack is the better choice for a large organization that can buy Enterprise. With an IT department, a compliance officer and a DLP budget, Enterprise+ gives you the BAA, the Discovery API, data loss prevention, SSO and admin controls.
Slack is also the better choice when breadth matters more than PHI: huddles, Workflow Builder with custom steps on Slack APIs, unlimited app integrations on paid plans. A business that never handles PHI gets Pro at $7.25 per user on annual billing with no BAA needed, and a company already on Slack keeps one tool by buying Enterprise with a BAA.
Where Yodl is the better choice
Yodl is the better choice for the practice that wants Slack's layout with the HIPAA part solved on day one. The BAA is on the $10 plan; there is no Enterprise tier to qualify for, no DLP product to buy, and no sales call. You get public and private channels, DMs, group DMs, threads, saved messages and full-text search.
Yodl's admin controls are built for a practice, not a corporation: roles per channel, invite-only workspaces, an audit viewer with CSV export, retention controls and legal hold, and a 13-gate HIPAA readiness checklist in one panel. Web push carries no message text; the important-message email only tells you to open Yodl. The price is known: $10 a month for 5 with the BAA, $2 per extra user, $10 per extra location. A 10-person practice pays $20 a month; on Slack with a BAA it costs whatever Enterprise+ sales quotes.
Who should choose which
| Your team | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hospital system or health-tech company with IT and compliance staff | Slack Enterprise+ | BAA, DLP, Discovery API, SSO, deep integrations |
| 5 to 50 person practice that handles PHI | Yodl | BAA on the $10 plan |
| Business that never handles PHI | Slack Pro or Business+ | Breadth and integrations, no BAA needed |
| Team moving off group texts this week | Yodl | Self-serve checkout, month to month |
If Yodl is the fit, start on the pricing page: $10 a month for 5 people, a signed BAA.
Slack supports HIPAA only on Enterprise plans with a BAA and restrictions; its public prices from $7.25 per user do not include it. Yodl gives a small team the same layout with a signed BAA at $10 a month for 5 users.
Frequently asked questions
Is Slack HIPAA compliant?
Only on Enterprise plans, after you execute a BAA and agree to the Slack Guide for HIPAA Entities, and with restrictions: no patient communication, PHI only in messages and files, DLP monitoring, no BAA for third-party apps. Free, Pro and Business+ do not include this.
How much does Slack cost for 5 users?
As of November 2026, Pro is $8.75 per user a month billed monthly ($43.75 for 5) or $7.25 annually ($36.25); Business+ is $18 or $15. Enterprise+, the HIPAA tier, is contact sales. Prices change; verify on slack.com.
Can I use Slack's free plan for a medical office?
Not for patient information. The free plan has no BAA, keeps 90 days of visible history and deletes data after one year.
Is Yodl end-to-end encrypted?
No, by design, and neither is Slack. Yodl encrypts in transit and at rest and keeps server-side control so that search, retention, audit and admin controls work. HIPAA treats encryption as an addressable safeguard.