Celo

Celo is a collaboration platform for healthcare teams communicating and coordinating patient care. It includes one-to-one and group messaging, notifications, read receipts, delivery status, and sharing for photos, videos, and documents. Shared media is kept in a library separate from a user's personal gallery. Teams can use patient-specific case files and secure external chats with patients, families, and other stakeholders. Celo AI Scribe records patient conversations, creates clinical notes, and lets users review and share them with their team; the Free plan includes an AI Scribe trial, while paid plans list it as an add-on. Celo Connect is in beta and lets patients, families, and referrers start a HIPAA-compliant conversation from a team homepage. The platform is available on Android, iOS, and the web. Celo says patient information is encrypted and not stored permanently on a user's device, and describes its service as HIPAA and HITECH compliant and compliant with GDPR standards. The Free plan supports up to 10 users; paid plans list up to 20 or 30 users, while Enterprise lists unlimited workspaces and requires contacting sales for pricing.

Celo combines team messaging, patient collaboration, and clinical note support across mobile and web. The free tier is capped at 10 users, and larger teams may need a paid plan or an Enterprise quote.

Celo is intended for healthcare teams of different sizes that need to coordinate patient care. Its patient case files and external chat also suit teams communicating with patients, families, and other stakeholders.

Overview

Celo is a healthcare collaboration platform for teams coordinating patient care through messaging, shared files and patient-specific case work. It is best suited to care teams that need dedicated clinical communication on mobile and web. Its main appeal is the combination of patient collaboration and clinical note support; the free plan’s 10-user ceiling and paid tiers’ rising costs make team size and required features central to the choice.

Key features

One-to-one and group messaging includes notifications, read receipts and delivery status, giving teams visibility into whether messages have reached colleagues. Users can share photos, videos and documents securely, with shared media kept in a library separate from a personal gallery. That organization is useful when care teams need patient-related material kept distinct from personal files.

Patient-specific case files support collaboration around individual cases. Celo also supports secure external chat with patients, families and other stakeholders, but that capability appears in Business Pro, so teams that need routine outside communication face a meaningful jump in cost. Celo Connect is in beta and lets patients, families and referrers start a HIPAA-compliant conversation from a team homepage.

AI Scribe records patient conversations, generates clinical notes, and lets users review and share those notes with their team. On Free, it is available only as a trial; Growth and higher plans offer it as an add-on, so teams should account for an extra cost if it is central to their workflow. Celo says it supports EHR integration through FHIR or HL7 and RESTful APIs, with authentication options including API keys, mutual SSL and IP restrictions. That integration is an Enterprise feature, limiting its relevance to teams prepared for custom pricing.

Celo says patient information is encrypted and not stored permanently on a user's device. It states that it is HIPAA and HITECH compliant and complies with GDPR standards, and describes Azure storage, encryption at rest, extra encryption for patient-data fields and geo-replication. End-to-end encryption is not offered, a distinction security-conscious teams should weigh alongside the stated protections. Guest access, file sharing and audit logs are supported.

Pricing

Celo has a free tier and a 14-day trial. The published paid prices are billed annually, despite being expressed as monthly amounts:

The price steps are substantial: Growth more than doubles the listed monthly amount from Business? No—Business costs more than Growth, and Business Pro costs more again. The Free cap is 10 users; Growth raises it to 20, while Business and Business Pro include 30 before per-user charges apply. Teams needing more than 30 users should compare those additional-user charges with an Enterprise quote. Calling and external chat are absent from the listed lower tiers, while EHR integration requires Enterprise.

Platforms

Celo is available on Android, iOS and the web, covering mobile and browser-based access. That combination suits teams that need to coordinate across phones and desktop browsers.

Who it's for

Celo says it serves healthcare teams of all sizes and is used by more than 500 healthcare organizations. The strongest fit is a team that needs patient-centered messaging and case collaboration, and can make use of clinical note generation. Smaller teams can begin on Free, while teams requiring calls or external chat need Business Pro. Organizations that need EHR integration or unlimited workspaces should consider Enterprise and its custom pricing.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Patient-specific case files, secure media sharing and clinical note generation bring several care coordination tasks into one platform.
• Pros: Android, iOS and web access supports communication across mobile and browser users.
• Pros: The free plan supports up to 10 users and includes messaging basics and a secure photo and video library.
• Cons: Free is capped at 10 users and AI Scribe is trial-only, so teams may need to move to a paid plan quickly.
• Cons: Secure calling and external chat require the $199-per-month annual-billing tier, while EHR integration requires Enterprise custom pricing.
• Cons: Celo does not offer end-to-end encryption.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see Secure Team Chat Software. Consider 8seats if a free plan for up to 10 employees, unlimited guests and 365-day message history is a better fit. Crypho offers a free personal-use plan with encrypted calls and video calls, suited to readers prioritizing those capabilities. Rocket.Chat is another freemium option, with a Starter plan for 50 users. Wire may suit readers who prioritize open-source software. Eleven for Business offers a free plan with up to three spaces and 1 GB of files per space. Secretly for Teams includes encrypted chats, files and one-to-one calls on its free plan. Troop Messenger has a free plan for 1–50 users with 50 GB of storage. LockChat is another option for teams considering a 14-day trial through its Enterprise plan.

Verdict

Celo is a strong choice for healthcare teams that need patient-focused collaboration, clinical messaging and a route to AI-assisted notes across mobile and web. The free tier makes a small team’s first step accessible, but the 10-user limit, paid add-on for AI Scribe and higher cost for calling and external chat can narrow its appeal. Teams that need EHR integration should be ready to seek an Enterprise quote; those that do not need healthcare-specific case work may prefer a broader team chat tool.