Zoom vs. Doxy.me vs. Google Meet for Clinicians

Three platforms dominate telehealth: Zoom (with its HIPAA Business Associate Agreement), Doxy.me (built for healthcare), and Google Meet for Healthcare. Each has trade-offs in compliance, user experience, and AI scribe integration.

The short answer: Doxy.me is best for behavioral health practices wanting simplicity; Zoom is best if you already use it; Google Meet works but is less specialized.

Zoom HIPAA

What it is: Zoom with a signed HIPAA BAA. The platform is identical; the BAA adds compliance obligations.

HIPAA compliance:

• Encryption in transit and at rest.
• Business Associate Agreement required ($160/month for each user, minimum 100 users for groups, or $25/month per user solo).
• Audit logging of all sessions.
• 90-day retention of session metadata (call logs, participant lists) unless you disable it.

Pros:

• Most clinicians already use Zoom, so no learning curve.
• Reliable, robust, widely supported.
• Works for large group practices (1000+ clinicians).
• Native recording built in.
• Integration with many EHRs and patient portals.

Cons:

• More expensive at scale (enterprise plans for large groups).
• Recording default is off (you must enable it per call or in settings).
• No specific healthcare features — feels generic compared to Doxy.me.
• Audio quality can vary depending on internet connection.
• Patient experience is less controlled — patients often have to download Zoom app or use browser.

AI scribe integration: Zoom's audio can be captured and sent to Scriber via recording or audio streaming. This works, but requires a manual step: start Zoom, start a separate recording, and upload to Scriber. Not as seamless as Doxy.me integration.

Cost: Zoom HIPAA: $25-40/month per user, depending on volume. For solo practitioners, often cost-prohibitive.

Doxy.me

What it is: A HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform built by and for healthcare providers. It is smaller and more focused than Zoom.

HIPAA compliance:

• Encryption in transit and at rest.
• Business Associate Agreement with every account (free or paid).
• Audit logging.
• No session recordings retained by Doxy.me (you control recording).

Pros:

• Built for healthcare. Includes features like consent management, PHI-safe interface, and clean patient experience.
• HIPAA BAA with everyone, including solo practitioners.
• Simpler UI than Zoom — less cluttered, fewer irrelevant features.
• Excellent patient experience — patients can join from browser without downloading apps.
• Scriber integration: Scriber has a native Doxy.me integration, meaning audio flows directly and notes generate automatically.
• Very affordable: free tier for solo practitioners, $50/month for small groups (includes up to 10 clinicians).
• No minimum user count or contract size.

Cons:

• Smaller platform, so some clinicians have never used it.
• Less enterprise support than Zoom (no dedicated account manager for small practices).
• Limited integration with major EHRs compared to Zoom (though this is improving).
• Fewer customization options for large enterprise deployments.

AI scribe integration: Excellent. Scriber has a built-in integration with Doxy.me. You start Scriber in the session, audio is captured directly, and notes generate automatically. This is the seamless experience.

Cost: Free for solo (1 clinician), $50/month for small groups (up to 10), $150/month for medium groups (up to 25). No per-user licensing.

Google Meet for Healthcare

What it is: Google Meet with a HIPAA BAA, part of Google Workspace for Healthcare (along with Gmail, Drive, Calendar, etc.).

HIPAA compliance:

• Encryption in transit and at rest.
• Business Associate Agreement required.
• Audit logging.
• Recording stored in Google Drive (encrypted).

Pros:

• If you already use Google Workspace for email/calendar, Meet integrates seamlessly.
• Reliable (Google's infrastructure).
• Recording built in and syncs with Google Drive.
• Clean interface, no bloat.
• Good audio and video quality.

Cons:

• Requires Google Workspace subscription ($14-18/month per user minimum) on top of Meet itself.
• Not specifically designed for healthcare — feels like a generic video tool.
• Recording defaults to Google Drive, which you must manage (delete, share, etc.).
• Patient experience requires patients to have a Google account or use the browser link.
• Less intuitive for non-technical patients.

AI scribe integration: Possible, but not native. You would record the Meet session to Google Drive, download it, and upload to Scriber. Extra steps.

Cost: Google Workspace for Healthcare: $14-18/month per user minimum (includes Meet + Email + Drive + Calendar + other tools). You are paying for a suite, not just video.

Comparison table

Feature	Zoom HIPAA	Doxy.me	Google Meet
HIPAA BAA	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cost (solo)	$25+/mo	Free	$14+/mo (Workspace)
Cost (5 clinicians)	$125+/mo	$50/mo	$70+/mo
Patient experience	Good (download app or use browser)	Excellent (browser, no app)	Good (browser, no app)
Setup time	5 minutes	2 minutes	5 minutes
AI scribe integration	Manual recording upload	Native integration	Manual recording upload
Healthcare features	None	Consent, PHI-safe design	None
Recording	Built-in, default off	You control	Built-in, goes to Drive
Audit logging	Yes	Yes	Yes
Stability	Excellent	Very good	Excellent
Support	Good for enterprise	Good for small practices	Good for enterprises

Which platform for which practice type?

Solo behavioral health practice: Doxy.me is the obvious choice. Free, HIPAA-compliant, BAA at signup, native AI scribe integration. No reason not to use it.

Small group practice (2-10 clinicians): Doxy.me is still the best value. $50/month for all 10 clinicians beats Zoom ($250+/month) or Google ($140+/month).

Mid-size group (10-50 clinicians): Doxy.me scales well ($150/month for up to 25 clinicians). If you have existing Zoom infrastructure and staff are trained on it, Zoom is viable. Google Workspace if you are already invested in Google.

Large enterprise (100+ clinicians): Zoom is the standard. Enterprise features, account management, integration with large EHR systems. Doxy.me is smaller and may not have all the features a large org needs (though it is improving).

Multi-site or geographically dispersed: Zoom or Google if you need robust support and features. Doxy.me is simpler and may be sufficient.

AI scribe considerations

If your primary goal is using an AI scribe to reduce documentation time:

Doxy.me + Scriber is the clear winner. Native integration means:

• Audio captures directly from the session.
• Notes generate automatically (no manual upload).
• Visit ends, you choose a template, draft is ready in 10-30 seconds.

Zoom + Scriber works, but requires:

• Recording Zoom locally or capturing audio.
• Uploading to Scriber manually.
• Waiting for processing (usually seconds, but still a step).

Google Meet + Scriber is similar to Zoom: record, download, upload, process.

If you are deploying Scriber across a practice, this integration difference is significant. Doxy.me + Scriber is the path of least resistance.

Compliance across platforms

All three platforms are HIPAA-compliant with a BAA. The compliance requirement is the same:

• Encrypt data in transit and at rest.
• Require a BAA with the vendor.
• Audit access and logging.
• Ensure confidentiality and integrity.

All three meet these requirements. The choice is operational (cost, ease of use, features) not compliance-driven.

For state recording consent laws (see Recording consent laws by state): all three require you to inform patients if you are recording. The platform does not change the legal requirement.

For 42 CFR Part 2 (SUD): all three are compliant. You still need patient consent and must disclose the recording and AI processing.

Migration considerations

If you are currently on Zoom and considering switching to Doxy.me for Scriber integration:

1. Cost savings: Doxy.me is cheaper.
2. Patient experience: Doxy.me is simpler for patients (no app download needed).
3. Integration: Doxy.me + Scriber is more seamless.
4. Learning curve: Doxy.me is easier for clinicians.

Downsides:

1. Staff training: Team has to learn a new platform.
2. EHR integration: Check if your EHR has deeper integration with Zoom vs. Doxy.me. (Most EHRs work with both.)
3. Patient familiarity: Some patients may already have Zoom and expect it.

For most small-to-medium practices, the switch to Doxy.me for Scriber integration is worth it. You save money, simplify the workflow, and improve documentation speed.

Bottom line

Doxy.me is the best choice for behavioral health practices using AI scribes. It is HIPAA-compliant, affordable, has native Scriber integration, and is built specifically for clinicians.

Zoom is the safest choice if your organization already uses it, you have staff training in place, and you do not need Scriber integration as your main driver.

Google Meet is viable if you are already in Google Workspace, but it is the least specialized for healthcare and does not have native AI scribe integration.

For new practices or those switching, Doxy.me + Scriber is the modern, efficient choice.

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Related: Doxy.me and AI scribes: best practices · State-by-state telehealth privacy