HIPAA Compliant Telehealth Platforms: The 2026 Comparison

Last updated: August 3, 2026

A telehealth platform is HIPAA compliant when the vendor signs a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) and you run the platform in its compliant setup. Several real options exist at every price, including one with a free BAA. So which HIPAA compliant telehealth platform fits your practice? That depends on what you need around the video call. Doxy.me signs a BAA on every plan, even free. SimplePractice bundles the BAA with a full practice system. Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams can qualify on the right business plans. This guide compares them BAA by BAA. It also covers the half of telehealth the platform does not protect: the booking, the intake, and your website.

TL;DR: Quick answer

• Doxy.me signs a BAA on all plans, including the free one. That makes it the cheapest true HIPAA compliant telehealth platform to start with.

• SimplePractice signs a BAA on every paid plan, and its built-in video sits under that same BAA. No separate video vendor needed.

• Zoom signs a BAA on Zoom for Healthcare and eligible Business plans, on request, with HIPAA mode turned on. Free Zoom never qualifies.

• Google Meet is covered under the paid Workspace BAA. Microsoft Teams is covered under the Microsoft 365 business terms.

• The platform covers the visit. It does not cover your booking flow, intake forms, or website. Those need their own BAA chain.

• All vendor terms checked August 2026. Terms change; confirm before you rely on them.

What makes a telehealth platform HIPAA compliant?

Two things, and marketing is neither. First, the contract: the vendor must sign a BAA before it carries patient video, chat, or files (45 CFR § 164.308(b)). Second, the setup: encryption, access controls, and the vendor's compliant mode actually turned on (45 CFR § 164.312). No agency certifies platforms, so "HIPAA certified" on a sales page is a warning sign, not a credential. Vendors sell these as platforms, telehealth software, or virtual care suites. The name changes nothing. A HIPAA compliant telehealth platform is simply one where both halves are true for your account. The wider rules for virtual care sit in our guide to HIPAA compliant telehealth.

The platforms, BAA by BAA

Here is how the main options compare as a HIPAA compliant telehealth platform in 2026.

Which platform fits which practice?

Every HIPAA compliant telehealth platform in the table clears the BAA test. The fit question is the rest of the stack. Pick by what you need around the call, not by the call itself. A solo therapist who already has scheduling and notes handled needs only the visit lane. Doxy.me fits, and the free BAA makes the trial risk-free. A practice that wants scheduling, notes, billing, and video in one place is really buying a practice system. SimplePractice fits that shape, and one vendor means one BAA covering more of the chain. A clinic already paying for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 may not need a new vendor at all. Meet and Teams are covered by the suite BAAs those clinics already hold. Zoom fits teams that want the patient side people already know. Plan for the setup work: the BAA request, the HIPAA mode, the disabled features. The tool-by-tool video comparison, including the settings each one needs, is in HIPAA compliant video conferencing.

The half a HIPAA compliant telehealth platform does not cover

Every platform above protects the visit. None of them protects the path to it. A patient books the visit somewhere. They fill out intake forms somewhere. Those steps carry PHI before the camera ever turns on. A name plus an appointment with your practice already signals care. That is why a generic scheduler can break the chain, as we show in is Calendly HIPAA compliant. Recording adds its own rules on consent and storage, covered in HIPAA compliant video recording. And the website that hosts your booking flow and forms needs its own BAA. So the honest checklist for a HIPAA compliant telehealth platform has two columns: the platform's side, and everything that runs on your site.

If the website half is the part you have not solved

The platform choice above usually takes an afternoon. The website half is where practices stall, and that is the layer we build. Our healthcare hosting runs BAA-covered servers for booking pages, intake forms, and patient sites. Plans start at $79 per month self-managed, BAA included. The managed plan starts at $229 per month with migration included. We sell this, so weigh that as a disclosure. Pick any HIPAA compliant telehealth platform from the table for the visit. Tell us what the rest of your stack runs and you will get a straight answer on the website half.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best HIPAA compliant telehealth platform?

The one whose BAA and shape fit your practice. Doxy.me for visit-only needs on any budget. SimplePractice for an all-in-one practice system. Meet or Teams if you already pay for the suite. Zoom if you want its patient familiarity and will complete the BAA and HIPAA mode setup.

Is Doxy.me free plan HIPAA compliant?

Yes, with one condition. Doxy.me signs a BAA on all plans, including free. Make sure a signed BAA naming your practice is in place before the first visit, and keep a copy with your compliance records.

Is Zoom a HIPAA compliant telehealth platform?

It can be. You need Zoom for Healthcare or an eligible Business plan, a BAA requested and signed, and HIPAA mode enabled. Free and standard Zoom accounts never qualify for patient visits.

Can I use FaceTime or WhatsApp for patient visits?

No. Neither offers a BAA, so neither can carry patient visits under HIPAA. The enforcement break that allowed everyday video apps ended in 2023. Use a HIPAA compliant telehealth platform with a signed BAA.

Does the platform BAA cover my booking page and intake forms?

No. The platform BAA covers the platform. Your booking flow, intake forms, and website carry PHI too, and they need their own BAA-covered home. Check both halves before your first visit.

Recap: HIPAA compliant telehealth platform

To recap, a HIPAA compliant telehealth platform needs a signed BAA and the compliant setup turned on. Doxy.me signs on every plan, free included. SimplePractice covers video inside its paid practice system. Zoom qualifies on Healthcare and eligible Business plans with HIPAA mode. Meet and Teams ride the suite BAAs you may already hold. Consumer video apps never qualify. Then finish the other half: booking, intake, and the website need their own covered home.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Vendor BAA terms and plan lineups are as published in August 2026 and change; confirm current terms with each vendor, consult qualified counsel, and base your safeguards on a written risk analysis. We sell HIPAA compliant hosting and compliance reviews. Reviewed August 2026.

Sources

• Doxy.me: Security and BAA

• SimplePractice: Business Associate Agreement

• Zoom: HIPAA compliance

• Google Workspace Help: HIPAA compliance with Google Workspace

• Microsoft: HIPAA and the HITECH Act compliance offering

• 45 CFR § 164.308 (administrative safeguards, BAA requirement): ecfr.gov

• 45 CFR § 164.312 (technical safeguards): ecfr.gov