In healthcare the first question is HIPAA. If an email touches protected health information, you need a vendor that will sign a business associate agreement, and most mainstream tools will not. We weighted that reality, then ranked the six tools a practice or health brand can use, flagging which suit protected data and which are for general, non PHI marketing only.
Reviewed by M. HALLORAN·Updated MARCH 2026·How we vet
Tools compared6
Criteria weighted5
Last reviewedJune 2026
Paid placements0
How we ranked the field
Scored on the same five criteria as our main ranking, then reweighted for healthcare: HIPAA support and whether the vendor will sign a BAA, automation, ease of use, deliverability, and support. A high score does not by itself make a tool safe for protected health information. See the full rubric →
HIPAA support and BAA30%
Automation20%
Ease of use20%
Deliverability15%
Support15%
01
RANK
★ Editor’s Choice
ActiveCampaign
Best for HIPAA automation
Among general email platforms, ActiveCampaign is the strongest fit when protected data is involved: it will sign a BAA on its Enterprise plan and pairs that with the deepest automation in the category. Enterprise pricing is steep and onboarding is a real project, so it suits a larger practice or health brand.
For a clinic that wants a business associate agreement without enterprise complexity, Constant Contact will sign a BAA for qualifying healthcare accounts and keeps the editor simple, backed by live phone support. Automation is basic and value slips at higher contact counts.
Brevo is a strong value for general patient communication, with email and SMS on one fair bill. Note clearly that Brevo does not allow protected health information and will not sign a BAA, so keep it to appointment reminders and newsletters that carry no PHI.
A clean editor and low price make MailerLite ideal for a practice newsletter or wellness tips. It does not sign a BAA, so it is for non PHI marketing only. The free tier is thin now and deep automation sits on the higher plan.
Familiar, polished and packed with integrations, Mailchimp suits a health brand sending non PHI content. Intuit does not sign a BAA for Mailchimp, so it must never carry protected data. Costs also climb as your list grows.
Landing pages and built in webinars make GetResponse useful for patient education and class signups. It is for non PHI marketing, not protected data. Some modules feel less refined than a focused rival.