Reception Star vs Zanda (formerly Power Diary)

Our price stays the same. No surprises.

Zanda (formerly Power Diary) offers competitive pricing in AUD — but the headline number isn't always the number you end up paying. Here's an honest comparison for solo allied health practitioners in Australia.

The promo pricing trap

Zanda promotes 50% off for your first 6 months. That $19 Starter plan is actually $9.50/mo when you sign up. The $49 Growth plan looks like $24.50. Then month 7 arrives and your bill doubles. We've heard directly from practitioners who felt blindsided when this happened. With Reception Star, the price on day one is the price on day 200.

Your week	Zanda Starterpromo + SMS (months 1–6)	Zanda Starterreal price + SMS (month 7+)	Reception Star
5 appointments/wk	~$11/mo	~$21/mo	~$6.60
15 appointments/wk	~$14/mo	~$24/mo	~$20
25 appointments/wk	~$18/mo	~$28/mo	~$33
40 appointments/wk	~$23/mo	~$33/mo	~$53

Zanda Starter: $19/mo (or $9.50 during promo) + SMS on top. Capped at 1,000 appointments total. Reception Star: initial $19 one-time + 33¢ per appointment including SMS reminders. All prices AUD.

Cost comparison: Zanda Growth plan + SMS

The Growth plan ($49/mo, or $24.50 during promo) removes the 1,000 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	~$51/mo	~$6.60
15 appointments/wk	~$54/mo	~$20
25 appointments/wk	~$58/mo	~$33
40 appointments/wk	~$63/mo	~$53

Zanda $49/mo Growth + SMS on top. Reception Star: initial $19 one-time + 33¢ per appointment including SMS reminders. All prices AUD.

What Zanda does well

●Priced in AUD — no currency conversion fees.
●Starter plan at $19/mo is competitively priced for the AU market.
●Telehealth included (basic free, Pro at $9/mo extra).
●AI-powered note-taking (BizzyAI) included.
●Good multi-location and multi-practitioner support.
●Insurance claiming integration available.

Common frustrations with Zanda

Based on Capterra, G2, and SoftwareAdvice reviews (2024–2025).

×The 50% promotional discount for your first 6 months means the price you sign up at isn't the price you'll pay. Practitioners report feeling blindsided when the bill doubles.
×Starter plan capped at 1,000 appointments — growing practices hit the limit and must upgrade to $49/mo.
×SMS is pay-as-you-go on top of the subscription — adds up and is hard to predict.
×Insurance claiming requires a separate $50 setup fee plus per-claim charges on top of everything else.
×Feature complexity can be overwhelming for solo practitioners who need simple scheduling and invoicing.
×Rebranded from Power Diary to Zanda — some practitioners find the transition confusing.

API & automation

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

×Read-only API — cannot create or update records
×Still in beta with no public timeline for full release
×No webhooks — no way to react to events in real time

Reception Star

✓Full REST API — read and write clients, appointments, invoices, payments
✓Real-time webhooks — get notified instantly when data changes
✓Included at no extra cost — no add-on, no credits, no separate subscription

How Reception Star is different

No monthly fee

Initial $19 one-time activation. Then 33¢ per appointment. Your costs match your actual patient load — not a fixed bill every month.

All features from day one

Scheduling, invoicing, SMS reminders, online booking, bank reconciliation, case notes. No tiers, no add-ons, nothing held back.

Unlimited users and locations

Add practitioners, reception staff, and bookkeepers — no per-user fees. Set up as many locations as you need — clinics, home visits, telehealth.

Encrypted-in-use

Patient data is encrypted before it's stored — not just at rest. We can't see your data even when troubleshooting.

Priced in AUD

No USD billing. No exchange rate surprises. What you see is what you pay.

Full API and webhooks included

REST API and real-time webhooks at no extra cost. Automate workflows, connect third-party tools, or build custom integrations — your practice data is yours to use.

$19 to get started. No monthly fee.

All features included. 33¢ per appointment. Cancel anytime.

Get started — $19

Money-back guarantee. No questions asked.

Not sure? That's OK. Zanda is decent software with fair AUD pricing. We just think solo practitioners deserve upfront pricing that doesn't change after 6 months.