Reception Star vs Zanda (formerly Power Diary)
Zanda's Starter plan looks like $9.50/month when you sign up. Within a year, you could be paying $64/month. Here's how.
47¢ per appointment on day one.Same price on day 200. No introductory discount that doubles later.
See as many patients as you want.You'll never be forced to a higher plan because your practice is growing. Capped at $67/month regardless.
Zanda charges $19–$49/month before you see a single patient. Pricing is per appointment — quiet months are automatically less.
Patient names, contact details, and clinical notes are encrypted before they reach the database. Not just "encrypted at rest" —genuinely unreadable.
Read and write access to clients, appointments, invoices, and payments. Zanda's API is read-only and still in beta.
Work at two clinics? Switch between them from one account. No duplicate logins, no separate subscriptions.
Based on Capterra, G2, and SoftwareAdvice reviews (2024–2025).
Zanda promotes 50% off for your first 6 months. That's price jump #1 — the Starter plan goes from $9.50/mo to $19/mo when the promo ends. Then Zanda's Starter plan is capped at 1,000 appointments total. A practitioner seeing 25 patients a week hits that cap in about 10 months. That's price jump #2 — you're forced from Starter ($19/mo) to Growth ($49/mo).
Here's what that looks like for a solo practitioner seeing 25 patients a week:
| When | Zanda + SMS | What happened | Reception Star |
|---|---|---|---|
| Months 1–6 | $24.50/mo | 50% promo | $47 |
| Months 7–10 | $34.00/mo | Promo ends — bill jumps 39% | $47 |
| Month 11+ | $64.00/mo | Hit 1,000 cap — forced to Growth | $47 |
All prices AUD. Zanda Starter $19/mo ($9.50 promo), Growth $49/mo. SMS at $0.15/msg. 25 appts/wk = 100/mo. Reception Star: initial $19 one-time + 47¢ per appointment including SMS reminders, capped at $67/month. All prices AUD.
With Reception Star, month 1 looks the same as month 12. $47/month at 25 appointments a week. No jumps.
The Growth plan ($49/mo, or $24.50 during promo) removes the appointment cap. Most practitioners who stay on Zanda end up here. SMS still extra on top.
| Your week | Zanda Growth + SMS | Reception Star |
|---|---|---|
| 5 appointments/wk | $52.00/mo | $9.40 |
| 15 appointments/wk | $58.00/mo | $28.20 |
| 25 appointments/wk | $64.00/mo | $47 |
| 40 appointments/wk | $73.00/mo | $67 (capped) |
Zanda Growth $49/mo + SMS at $0.15/msg. All prices AUD. Reception Star: initial $19 one-time + 47¢ per appointment including SMS reminders, capped at $67/month. All prices AUD.
Automation tools and custom integrations need to read and write your practice data in real time. Zanda's API is read-only and still in beta — you can pull data out, but you can't create appointments, update records, or automate anything meaningful.
Zanda
Reception Star
All features included. 47¢ per appointment, capped at $67/month. Cancel anytime.
Money-back guarantee. No questions asked.
Not sure? That's OK. Zanda is decent software with competitive AUD pricing. We just think solo practitioners deserve a price that doesn't change as their practice grows.