Reception Star vs Zanda (formerly Power Diary)
Zanda’s public pricing (Sep 2026) is in USD: Starter from US$19/mo (US$9.50 for the first six months on the promo we saw), Growth from US$49/mo for one practitioner, SMS about US$0.09 each. Reception Star is 97¢ per appointment in AUD: no monthly seat, no plan ladder, no appointment cap.
97¢ per appointment on day one.Same rate on day 200. No six-month half-price that doubles when the promo ends.
Busy weeks do not force a higherplan tier. You pay for appointments you run, not a seat that jumps when you grow.
Zanda bills a monthly base in USD before the first client that month. Quiet month on Reception Star → $0 in Reception Star fees.
Sensitive client fields and clinical content are encrypted before storage, not only a disk lock. We hold the application keys (not end-to-end). Client first/last names stay searchable today. Security.
Read and write clients, appointments, invoices, and payments. Real-time webhooks included. Confirm Zanda’s current API scope in their docs if automation is a must.
Work across separate practices from one account. Switch without a second login stack.
Themes from public reviews (Capterra, G2, SoftwareAdvice) plus structural pricing facts from Zanda’s site. Review complaints vary by year. Treat as themes, not a census.
Zanda promotes 50% off for six months on the pricing page we checked. Move 1: Starter goes from US$9.50/mo to US$19/mo when the promo ends. Move 2: Starter is capped around 1,000 appointments. A solo at 25 appointments/week (~100/month) can burn that cap in about ten months, then Growth list is about US$49/mo for one practitioner before SMS.
Illustration for 25 appointments/week (~100/month), one reminder SMS per appointment at US$0.09:
| When | Zanda + SMS (USD) | What changed | Reception Star (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Months 1-6 | ~US$18.50/mo | Starter promo US$9.50 + SMS | $97 |
| Months 7-10 | ~US$28.00/mo | Promo ends. Starter US$19 + SMS | $97 |
| After Starter cap | ~US$58.00/mo | Growth US$49 + SMS | $97 |
Zanda figures from zandahealth.com/pricing (Sep 2026), USD, ~1 SMS/appointment. Promo and caps change. Verify on their site. Reception Star: 97¢ per appointment, no monthly fee, no seat fee, no per-SMS fee from us (reminders sit inside the appointment fee). All prices AUD. Card processors bill separately when used.
Reception Star stays 97¢ × appointments. At 25/week that is about $97 AUD/month. Often more than Zanda’s USD base after FX. You are not buying “always cheaper.” You are buying no promo cliff, no appointment-cap upgrade, quiet-month $0, AUD, and a private fee product shape without claiming tools.
Growth removes the Starter appointment cap. SMS still extra. Figures are USD list + SMS vs AUD Reception Star fees, not the same currency; use for shape, not a fake 1:1.
| Your week | Zanda Growth + SMS (USD) | Reception Star (AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 appointments/wk | US$50.80/mo | $19.40 |
| 15 appointments/wk | US$54.40/mo | $58.20 |
| 25 appointments/wk | US$58.00/mo | $97 |
| 40 appointments/wk | US$63.40/mo | $155.20 |
Growth US$49 + US$0.09 SMS × appointments (4-week month). Starter full-price + SMS for the same weeks is roughly US$20.80/mo … US$33.40/mo before the 1,000-appointment cap. Reception Star: 97¢ per appointment, no monthly fee, no seat fee, no per-SMS fee from us (reminders sit inside the appointment fee). All prices AUD. Card processors bill separately when used.
If you automate from practice events, you need read/write APIs and ideally webhooks. Reception Star includes REST + webhooks on the main plan. Zanda’s API surface has changed over time. Check their current developer docs before you assume read-only or missing webhooks.
Zanda
Reception Star
No monthly fee. No per-SMS fee. Open a sample week with your email.
90-day refund of Reception Star fees if it is not right for you.
Zanda is strong software for many clinics. Choose Reception Star when private fee rhythm, AUD usage pricing, no promo cliff, and honest encryption limits matter more than a USD seat.