Wix holds a clear lead for building HIPAA-compliant websites with patient engagement tools. WordPress is the usual answer when buyers seek extensive customization paired with specialized compliant hosting.
My recommendation: use WordPress with HIPAA-appropriate hosting if you need a flexible healthcare website that collects patient information. If you want something simpler and more hands-off, compare healthcare-specific website services or check whether Wix's newly reported HIPAA features meet your needs.
The most important distinction is that a website can look professional and have SSL encryption without being suitable for protected health information (PHI). You need the right vendor agreements, security safeguards, and configuration—not just a website builder. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services explains the importance of a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) when a cloud provider handles electronic PHI.
Best for clinics, healthcare businesses, and custom patient-facing websites. You get extensive design options and control over your site, but the hosting, plugins, forms, backups, and other services must be configured appropriately.
A potential choice if you want a visual drag-and-drop editor rather than managing WordPress. A 2026 industry report says Wix introduced conditional HIPAA support in March 2026, subject to eligible plans and PHI Protection settings. Verify the current terms and obtain the applicable BAA directly from Wix before using it for patient information.
Best for therapists and counseling practices that want a professionally designed website without building everything themselves. It is specifically focused on therapy practices and offers HIPAA-oriented options. Confirm which services and patient-data workflows are covered by its BAA.
Best for a polished marketing website if patient data is kept out of the website's standard forms. Squarespace explicitly limits its HIPAA-related coverage to Acuity Scheduling on eligible plans; its ordinary website forms are not covered.
If your website only features basic public marketing (hours, services, location) and never collects, processes, or stores Protected Health Information (PHI), standard website builders are fine. However, the moment a user submits health details, intake data, or patient messages, you need a specialized approach.[](https://www.keragon.com/blog/hipaa-compliant-website-builder)
The two main ways to build a HIPAA-compliant web presence depend on your needs:
Option 1: A Standard Marketing Website + Embedded HIPAA-Compliant Forms
This is the most cost-effective and practical setup for most practices. You build your public-facing site on any modern platform (like WordPress, Webflow, or Squarespace), but use an isolated, HIPAA-compliant third-party tool for any intake or medical data.[](https://webflow.com/blog/hipaa-compliant-form-builders)
How it works: Your main website handles branding and pages. When a patient needs to fill out a form, schedule an appointment, or send secure data, you embed or link to a specialized tool that will sign a BAA.
Top HIPAA Form/Intake Tools:
Jotform : Offers a dedicated HIPAA-compliant tier (starting on their Gold/Enterprise plans) that signs a BAA and secures form submissions.
Option 2: Full-Stack Healthcare Platforms or Specialized CMS Builders
If your platform needs to handle robust backend data, patient portals, or internal workflows, consumer website builders won't work. You must use low-code database builders or specialized medical platforms that secure the entire infrastructure:
Healthcare-Specific Builders (e.g., PatientGain): All-in-one vertical solutions built strictly for medical/dental practices that bundle secure hosting, HIPAA compliance, and CRM features (though these come at a much higher enterprise cost).[]()
Key Requirements Checklist
Whichever route you take, ensure your setup meets these absolute rules:
Signed BAA: The vendor must legally sign a Business Associate Agreement.
Encryption: Data must be encrypted both in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest.
Audit Logs & Access Controls: The platform must track who accesses data and restrict it via role-based permissions.
