Halaxy vs Zanda (formerly Power Diary): Which allied health platform wins in 2026?

Key takeaways

Power Diary rebranded as Zanda in November 2024, so this guide compares Halaxy with Zanda (formerly Power Diary).

Halaxy is free for solo practitioners with transaction fees on payments, while Zanda starts at AUD $29 a month for one practitioner.

Both platforms now offer native Medicare and DVA claiming, so the real trade-off is scheduling polish and note templates versus a free entry point.

Zanda holds 4.6 out of 5 on Capterra and 4.7 out of 5 on G2, while Halaxy currently has no verifiable third-party rating.

Pabau is worth considering for multi-location, UK-based, or aesthetics-adjacent practices that need a broader platform than AU-specific allied health tools.

Halaxy vs Zanda is the comparison most Australian and New Zealand allied health practitioners end up making. Both platforms are cloud-native, both built specifically for psychology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and related disciplines, and both have loyal user bases.

The decision usually comes down to three things: billing automation needs, budget, and how much you value scheduling UX over billing depth. Among the broader set of Pabau vs Zanda Health options for allied health, these two are the most frequently shortlisted by AU-based practitioners.

This guide covers pricing, scheduling, clinical notes, billing, telehealth, integrations, support, and data compliance, then delivers a persona-specific verdict. Ratings are pulled from live vendor listings on Capterra and G2, and pricing reflects each vendor’s current published rates.

Halaxy vs Zanda: Quick comparison at a glance

The table below shows where each platform stands on the dimensions that matter most for allied health practices.

Platform overview: What each one does

What is Halaxy?

Halaxy is an Australian cloud-based practice management platform built for allied health and mental health practitioners. Its standout differentiator is a genuinely free plan: solo practitioners pay no monthly subscription, with transaction fees applying instead.

Halaxy’s core strength is deep integration with Australian government billing systems. Medicare bulk billing and DVA claim processing are native to the platform, not bolt-ons. That makes it particularly compelling for psychology, physiotherapy, and speech therapy practices where government-funded sessions are a significant proportion of caseload.

Halaxy does not currently have a verifiable star rating on Capterra or G2: at time of writing, its Capterra listing shows no published reviews. Third-party comparison sites have historically cited a 4.4/5 figure. That number could not be confirmed against a live listing, so it has been left out of this comparison rather than restated as fact.

What is Zanda?

Power Diary rebranded as Zanda in November 2024, following the same ownership, team, and product roadmap under a new name and logo. Zanda is also an Australian cloud-based practice management system, with strong adoption across the AU and NZ allied health market.

Where Halaxy wins on price, Zanda wins on scheduling UX and clinical note flexibility. Its calendar interface is consistently praised as one of the most intuitive in the category. Its note template library covers psychology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy with profession-specific formats.

Zanda holds a 4.6 out of 5 rating on Capterra from 205 verified reviews. It also holds around 4.7 out of 5 on G2 from roughly 270 reviews. Reviewers consistently highlight customer support responsiveness as a standout, while the main negative cited is higher cost for solo practitioners than free alternatives like Halaxy.

Halaxy vs Zanda: Pricing comparison

Pricing is where the Halaxy vs Zanda decision often starts. Halaxy’s free plan is genuinely distinctive in this market: solo practitioners can run their entire practice without a monthly subscription.

Transaction fees apply on payments processed through the platform, so the cost model shifts from fixed overhead to variable cost per session. For low-volume or newly launched practitioners, this is a meaningful financial advantage.

Zanda’s subscription model becomes more cost-competitive as a practice grows. Per-practitioner pricing is easier to forecast for payroll than Halaxy’s variable transaction model.

A busy five-practitioner practice processing high volumes of private-pay clients may find Zanda’s fixed cost predictable and worthwhile. A solo practitioner running 15 sessions a week on a mix of Medicare and private billing is the sweet spot for Halaxy’s free tier.

Halaxy vs Zanda: Scheduling and calendar management

Scheduling is a daily-use feature, so small friction differences compound quickly. Zanda has built its reputation here. Reviewers consistently describe its calendar as clean, responsive, and easy to navigate for both practitioners and admin staff. Recurring appointments, multi-practitioner views, and client self-booking all work smoothly, with SMS and email reminders automated off the appointment workflow.

Halaxy’s scheduling is functional: online booking, appointment reminders, and calendar management are all present. The criticism from reviewers is UX-related rather than feature-related. The interface reflects an older design generation, which some practitioners find less intuitive when moving from more modern tools.

Halaxy vs Zanda: Clinical notes and client management

For psychologists and allied health practitioners, clinical notes are clinical-grade documentation. Zanda’s note template library is one of its most praised features. Templates are customisable by profession, so practitioners can build their own formats for progress notes, assessments, treatment plans, and discharge summaries. This is particularly valued by psychologists who need standardised note formats aligned with professional guidelines.

Halaxy provides clinical note functionality, but reviewers consistently flag that customisation options are more limited, particularly on the free plan. Client records, document storage, and intake form management are present on both platforms.

• Zanda advantage: profession-specific note templates, high flexibility for psychologists and physiotherapists building custom assessment formats
• Halaxy limitation: note templates less customisable on the free tier; document management is functional but not a standout feature
• Both platforms: support client record storage, appointment history, and basic intake form management

Halaxy vs Zanda: Billing, invoicing and Medicare/DVA support

This dimension used to separate the two platforms sharply, but the gap has narrowed. Halaxy was built with Medicare and DVA billing at its core. Bulk billing, DVA claim submission, and Medicare Online integration are native features, not third-party add-ons. For a psychology practice where 60-70% of sessions are Medicare-funded, this represents meaningful time savings on claim processing each week.

According to Services Australia, healthcare providers must submit Medicare claims through approved claiming channels. Halaxy’s government billing integration covers this workflow natively. Zanda has also built native Medicare claiming into every plan at no extra cost. Both platforms support DVA claims, so the practical difference for most practices is smaller than older comparisons suggest.

Halaxy vs Zanda: Telehealth capabilities

Telehealth became a permanent fixture in allied health delivery post-2020. Zanda has built-in video sessions, so practitioners can run telehealth appointments from within the platform. A free option and a paid Telehealth Pro tier for unlimited calls are both available. This matters for workflow continuity; practitioners don’t need to context-switch between platforms during a busy clinical day.

Halaxy also has native telehealth built into the platform, branded as Halaxy Telehealth, rather than relying solely on third-party video tools. Both platforms now let practitioners run virtual appointments without leaving the software. The meaningful difference is Zanda’s tiered free-versus-paid call options against Halaxy’s single built-in offering.

For practices offering integrated telehealth as a core delivery channel, either platform’s native video removes friction compared to tools needing a separate video app.

Integrations

Zanda’s integration ecosystem is practice-growth focused. Confirmed integrations include Xero for accounting, Stripe for payment processing, and Mailchimp for practice marketing. Zanda also connects to referral platforms and supports API-based connections for practices with custom workflow needs.

Halaxy integrates with Xero for accounting and has deep connections to Australian government health system infrastructure for Medicare and DVA. Its integration set is narrower on the practice-growth side but broader on the government-billing side.

• Zanda: Xero, Stripe, Mailchimp, referral platforms, API access
• Halaxy: Medicare Online, DVA systems, Xero, payment gateway

Customer support and resources

Support quality is a meaningful differentiator in practice management software, where a billing error or scheduling outage has immediate clinical and financial consequences.

Zanda is consistently praised by reviewers for support responsiveness. Live chat, email, and phone support are available on all plans, alongside a well-regarded knowledge base, free data migration, and onboarding resources. Capterra reviewers frequently cite support quality as a reason for their rating, with the onboarding experience described as hands-on compared to self-serve alternatives.

Halaxy offers email and phone support alongside online guides and help documentation, though practitioners should confirm current support hours directly on Halaxy’s support page. Given that Halaxy’s free plan is often the entry point, self-serve documentation is particularly important for new users.

Data security and compliance

Most Halaxy vs Zanda comparisons undercover this dimension, and it matters more than it gets credit for. Both platforms operate under the Australian Privacy Act 1988, which governs how health information is collected, stored, and disclosed. Practitioners working with sensitive mental health records have specific obligations around data storage location, access controls, and breach notification.

Zanda operates a dedicated UK entity and publishes UK-specific security and GDPR documentation, including a UK data hosting option. UK-based practitioners have a clearer compliance path than older comparisons suggest. Halaxy remains primarily AU-focused, with data infrastructure oriented toward Australian health system requirements. UK practitioners should verify data hosting region and GDPR compliance directly with Halaxy before onboarding.

• Australian Privacy Act 1988: both platforms built for AU compliance; verify current data hosting region with each vendor
• GDPR (UK practitioners): Zanda publishes UK-specific compliance documentation; confirm Halaxy’s current position directly with the vendor
• Encryption and access controls: verify current security documentation on each platform’s security/compliance page
• AHPRA obligations: both platforms are used by AHPRA-registered practitioners; neither substitutes for practitioner-level compliance obligations

Running a multi-location or aesthetics-adjacent practice?

Pabau is built for practices that have outgrown AU-specific allied health tools. Multi-location scheduling, automated billing workflows, integrated telehealth, and CRM-grade patient engagement, all in one platform.

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Halaxy pros and cons

What Halaxy does well

• Genuinely free plan for solo practitioners, removing the subscription cost barrier for new practices
• Native Medicare and DVA bulk billing: one of the deepest government billing integrations in this comparison
• Easy initial setup for small practices getting started quickly
• Reliable online booking that works without configuration overhead

Where Halaxy falls short

• Interface design feels dated compared to newer platforms, which can slow onboarding for less tech-confident practitioners
• Clinical note customisation is limited, particularly on the free tier
• No current independent star rating on Capterra or G2, making it harder to benchmark against alternatives
• Reporting features are basic; practices needing detailed analytics will find the out-of-box reporting insufficient

According to Capterra reviewers, the free plan is the reason practitioners most often cite for choosing Halaxy. The dated interface and limited reporting are the most common reasons they look elsewhere.

Zanda pros and cons

What Zanda does well

• Scheduling UX is best-in-class for the AU allied health segment: calendar management is intuitive for both admin staff and practitioners
• Flexible, profession-specific clinical note templates that psychologists and physiotherapists can customise to their documentation requirements
• Consistently high support ratings: live chat, phone, and email support with praised onboarding experience
• Built-in telehealth, with a free tier and a paid Telehealth Pro option for unlimited calls

Where Zanda falls short

• Higher cost than Halaxy for solo practitioners or small practices with tight margins
• Per-practitioner pricing means costs climb faster than Halaxy’s free tier as a practice adds clinicians
• Some users report occasional calendar sync issues
• Mobile app has limitations compared to the desktop experience

Reviewers on Capterra and G2 cite support quality and scheduling UX most frequently as strengths. Higher pricing relative to Halaxy’s free tier is the most common comparative criticism.

Halaxy vs Zanda: Feature comparison table

Halaxy vs Zanda: Which is better for psychologists?

The Halaxy vs Zanda question looks different depending on the type of psychology or allied health practice involved. This is where most comparison pages stop at a single verdict. Three distinct practice profiles emerge from reviewing user feedback and platform capabilities.

Solo psychology practitioner, Medicare-heavy caseload

Halaxy is the more logical choice. The free plan removes subscription overhead, and native Medicare and DVA billing automation handles the most time-consuming admin task in an AU psychology practice. The dated interface is a trade-off, but for a solo practitioner who processes 25-30 Medicare sessions per week, the cost saving outweighs UX polish.

Group practice or practice with multiple disciplines

Zanda’s strength in scheduling UX and note template flexibility becomes more valuable at this scale. Admin staff managing multiple practitioners benefit from an intuitive calendar. Psychologists, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists working in the same practice can each use profession-specific note formats. For practices researching therapy practice management software across multiple disciplines, Zanda’s flexibility justifies the subscription cost.

Telehealth-first or UK-based practitioners

Both platforms now offer native telehealth, so this matters less than it once did. Zanda’s tiered free-versus-paid call options give it a slight edge for high-volume video caseloads. For UK-based practitioners, Zanda’s dedicated UK entity and published GDPR documentation make it the more straightforward option. Halaxy remains AU-focused, so verify its UK data hosting directly before committing.

Why some allied health practices consider Pabau instead

Halaxy and Zanda are both purpose-built for the AU/NZ allied health market. That’s a genuine strength for practices deeply embedded in Australian government billing workflows. It becomes a limitation once a practice’s needs extend beyond that scope: multi-location management, UK or global operation, aesthetics integration, or patient engagement tools.

Pabau is an all-in-one practice management system used by aesthetics practices, multi-disciplinary wellness providers, and allied health practitioners in the UK, US, and internationally. It holds 4.7 out of 5 on Capterra from 650 verified reviews.

Where Halaxy and Zanda serve Australian-specific government billing workflows, Pabau serves practices needing a broader platform. That includes scheduling, billing, digital forms, before-and-after photo management, and automated marketing workflows. Every Pabau subscription plan includes the same full feature set.

For AU-based allied health practices with a primarily Medicare/DVA caseload, Halaxy or Zanda will be the better fit. For practices that have outgrown AU-specific tools or operate across multiple practice types, Pabau is worth evaluating alongside them. You can also compare Pabau vs Cliniko if Cliniko is on your shortlist.

Verdict: Which platform should you choose?

The right answer in the Halaxy vs Zanda comparison depends on what your practice prioritises most.

Neither platform is objectively better. Halaxy wins on price for Australian government workflows. Zanda wins on UX, note flexibility, and support quality. The Halaxy vs Zanda decision is genuinely a trade-off between cost and workflow polish. What matters more, a free entry point or scheduling experience, depends on your practice’s daily operations.

Conclusion

The Halaxy vs Zanda comparison comes down to one core trade-off: cost versus scheduling experience. Halaxy’s free plan and native Medicare and DVA integration make it the rational choice for cost-conscious solo practitioners with billing-heavy caseloads. Zanda’s scheduling UX, note flexibility, and support quality make it the better fit for group practices prioritising day-to-day usability over a free entry point.

If your practice has outgrown either platform, Pabau offers a broader practice management system: multi-location scheduling, digital forms, automated workflows, and a global footprint. See how Pabau handles multi-location allied health operations to decide whether it belongs on your shortlist.

Continue your research

Evaluating other AU/NZ-adjacent platforms? Pabau vs Zanda Health covers how Pabau compares to another allied health-focused system with strong AU roots.

Looking beyond Jane App? Jane App alternatives for allied health rounds up other platforms worth shortlisting alongside Halaxy and Zanda.

Comparing Pabau to Cliniko? Pabau vs Cliniko breaks down how both platforms handle allied health workflows, pricing, and clinical documentation.

Frequently asked questions