HIPAA Messaging Cost Calculator
See what secure messaging actually costs for your practice — compare pricing across every major platform in seconds.
Compare pricing nowMost HIPAA-compliant messaging vendors hide their pricing behind sales calls, demos, and multi-week procurement cycles. This calculator uses only publicly available pricing to show you what each platform actually costs for your team size — and flags the hidden fees, contract requirements, and setup friction that don't appear on pricing pages.
HIPAA messaging platform pricing at a glance
The table below summarizes published pricing, signup requirements, and hidden costs for the most widely used HIPAA-compliant messaging platforms. Use the interactive calculator above to see costs tailored to your team size and messaging needs.
| Platform | Published pricing | Billing | Start / sales motion | BAA | Category / fit | Setup time | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BloomText | Free team chat up to 5 users; SMS patient texting $129/mo; team chat $14.50/user/mo | Month-to-month | Start today | Included on free and paid plans | Patient SMS + team chat | Same day | None. No setup fees, no onboarding cost. No surprise overage charges. |
| OhMD | Communicate starts at $300/mo; Automate starts at $500/mo | Public monthly start; contract details not listed | Demo required | HIPAA messaging platform | Patient SMS + practice communications | After demo | Starts at $300/mo, but signup runs through a demo. Enterprise and API pricing require sales. |
| TigerConnect | Contact sales | Annual / enterprise contract | Sales call required | Enterprise BAA / security review | Enterprise clinical team messaging | 2-6 weeks | Enterprise quote required. Strong team messaging fit, but not a self-serve patient SMS product. |
| Spruce Health | Basic $24/user/mo; Communicator $49/user/mo | Month-to-month | Start trial online | Included, including trial | Patient SMS + phone/fax | 1-3 days | Business SMS requires one-time A2P 10DLC registration ($19.50). Heavy/abnormal usage may need vendor clarification. |
| pMD | pChat $10/user/mo | Month-to-month | Start today | Included in terms | Secure app messaging | Same day | Patients use pMD/pChat rather than plain SMS. Good secure messaging fit, less comparable for no-app patient SMS workflows. |
| Hucu.ai | Free Basic tier; paid plans use per-patient or per-location pricing | Month-to-month available; paid pricing not public | Free tier; paid pricing unclear | HIPAA messaging vendor | Care coordination + patient/family messaging | Same day | Paid pricing scales by patient or location, not team size. Native SMS and broadcast SMS can carry usage fees. |
| Celo Health | BAA starts on Growth at $49/mo billed annually; patient messaging requires Business Pro at $199/mo billed annually | Annual billing required | Self-serve; annual billing | BAA on Growth+; patient messaging on Business Pro | Clinical messaging / patient app | Same day | Free plan has no BAA. Patient messaging locked to Business Pro ($199/mo). Annual billing required. |
Need HIPAA-compliant messaging?
Get started for freeQuestions to ask before you sign
Before committing to any vendor, ask these questions. The answers will reveal costs that don't appear on the pricing page.
- Do you charge an implementation or onboarding fee?
Some vendors charge $2,000–$10,000 upfront for setup, training, and onboarding before you send a single message. If the answer isn't "no," ask for the exact amount in writing.
- Can I cancel month-to-month, or is there a minimum contract?
Multi-year contracts with early termination penalties lock you in even if the tool stops meeting your needs. Ask for month-to-month billing or a money-back guarantee.
- Are there per-message fees or overage charges?
SMS volume can change the real cost of a patient messaging product. If a vendor does not publish carrier, registration, or overage details, treat the calculator total as incomplete and ask for those costs in writing.
- How long until we can actually send our first message?
Enterprise tools may take 2–6 weeks for BAA execution, legal review, and provisioning. That's weeks of paying for a tool you can't use yet.
- Do we need IT staff to set this up and maintain it?
Tools requiring server configuration, SSO setup, or EHR integration may need dedicated IT staff or a consultant — a hidden cost that never appears on the pricing page.
- Do our patients need to download an app to communicate?
If patients must install an app to receive messages, expect lower response rates and more friction. Ask whether patients can reply via standard SMS on their existing phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
- We use publicly available pricing from each vendor's website. When exact pricing, HIPAA plan eligibility, or SMS sending costs are not published, we show that uncertainty rather than guessing. Verify current pricing directly with each vendor before making a purchasing decision.
- We verify competitor pricing quarterly and update this page when changes are found. Each vendor row includes a "last verified" date so you can see how recent our data is.
- Many HIPAA messaging vendors do not publish their pricing publicly. They require a sales call or demo to get a quote. We show "Contact sales" rather than estimating, because publishing inaccurate pricing would not help your decision.
- Patient SMS is not just a seat-count feature. Registration, carrier, segment, and usage rules can affect total monthly cost. When a vendor publishes those details, the calculator accounts for them. When they are not public, the row is marked as unknown instead of assuming SMS is free.
- Yes. BloomText offers a free plan that includes a signed BAA, secure messaging, and up to 5 team members. Paid plans start at $129/month for SMS patient texting and $14.50/user/month for team chat.
- Patient SMS lets your practice text patients on their personal phone — they reply via regular SMS without downloading an app. Team chat is internal secure messaging between your staff members for care coordination and collaboration.
How accurate is this calculator?
How often is pricing updated?
Why do some platforms show "Contact sales"?
Why does SMS volume change the comparison?
Is BloomText really free?
What is the difference between patient SMS and team chat?
Methodology and sources
We built this calculator using publicly available pricing data from each vendor's website. When a vendor does not publish pricing or SMS sending costs, we show "Contact sales" or "unknown" rather than pretending the missing cost is zero. Prices shown are monthly subscription costs based on team size, selected messaging needs, HIPAA/BAA eligibility, and monthly outbound SMS volume where public data supports a calculation. We verify pricing quarterly and update this page when changes are found.
- BloomText — published pricing — Public pricing page lists free, SMS, and team chat plans. (verified June 10, 2026)
- OhMD — published pricing — Public pricing page lists Communicate at $300/mo and Automate at $500/mo with Book a demo CTAs. (verified June 3, 2026)
- TigerConnect — contact sales for pricing — No public self-serve pricing found on the vendor site; quote required. (verified June 3, 2026)
- Spruce Health — published pricing — Public pricing page lists Basic at $24/user/mo and Communicator at $49/user/mo. (verified June 3, 2026)
- pMD — published pricing — Public pChat FAQ lists $10/user/mo with no setup fees or long-term contracts. (verified June 3, 2026)
- Hucu.ai — contact sales for pricing — Public pricing page lists a free Basic tier, per-patient or per-location paid pricing, month-to-month availability, and SMS/email usage fees without public rates. (verified June 3, 2026)
- Celo Health — published pricing — Public plan table lists annual billing, BAA starting on Growth, and external user chat on Business Pro. (verified June 3, 2026)
Page last updated June 10, 2026.
