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Healthcare · head to head

Medscape vs Zanda Health

Medscape logo

Medscape

Healthcare

Medical information, education, and news for healthcare professionals

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zanda Health logo

Zanda Health

Healthcare

Practice management and clinical notes for allied health clinics, formerly Power Diary

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Medscape has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Medscape medscape is free to use but requires mandatory account registration through profreg.medscape.com and login before content can be viewed; the site describes itself as 'a free resource for physicians', restricting the intended audience to registered healthcare professionals rather than the general public (31 Dec 2020 archive capture).; Zanda Health the 2024 rename from Power Diary means most third party reviews, integration guides and community answers still sit under the old name, so buyers researching Zanda Health find a thin trail and may wrongly conclude it is a new and unproven product.
  • They diverge on capability: Medscape covers Medical News, Zanda Health covers Unlimited admin users.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Medscape and Zanda Health actually diverge.

Attributes where Medscape and Zanda Health differ
AttributeMedscapeZanda Health
Starting priceFree$19/month
Pricing modelfreemiumPer user per month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, MobileWeb, iOS, Android
Founded1996Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Healthcare).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Medscape

  • Medical News
  • Drug Database
  • Medical Calculators
  • CME Courses
  • Disease Information
  • Specialty Content
  • EHR Systems
  • HIPAA

Only in Zanda Health

  • Unlimited admin users
  • Australian funder billing
  • Clinical note templates
  • Two way SMS
  • Telehealth Pro
  • Practitioner rostering
  • Client portal
  • BizzyAI Scribe

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Medscape

  • Patient Carenot Zanda Health
  • Medical Recordsnot Zanda Health
  • Practice Managementnot Zanda Health
  • Telehealthnot Zanda Health

Zanda Health

  • A five physiotherapist clinic in Melbourne that bulk bills Medicare and wants claiming inside the diary rather than a separate portalnot Medscape
  • A psychology group practice with more reception staff than clinicians, where per seat pricing elsewhere would double the billnot Medscape
  • A UK osteopathy practice moving off paper diaries that needs online booking and card payment without an implementation projectnot Medscape
  • A multi site podiatry business that needs room and equipment allocation alongside practitioner availabilitynot Medscape

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Medscape

  • Medscape is free to use but requires mandatory account registration through profreg.medscape.com and login before content can be viewed; the site describes itself as 'a free resource for physicians', restricting the intended audience to registered healthcare professionals rather than the general public (31 Dec 2020 archive capture).

Zanda Health

  • The 2024 rename from Power Diary means most third party reviews, integration guides and community answers still sit under the old name, so buyers researching Zanda Health find a thin trail and may wrongly conclude it is a new and unproven product.
  • North American billing is not properly served: there is no claims clearinghouse and superbill handling is basic, so a United States practice will need a separate revenue cycle tool and will pay for two systems.
  • Pricing is quoted in United States dollars while the company, support hours and product depth are Australian, so buyers outside those two time zones get support with an overnight lag on urgent clinical scheduling problems.
  • SMS is billed per message beyond the plan allowance and a dedicated number is required in the United States and Canada, so a busy clinic sending reminders and follow ups accumulates a variable monthly cost that is not visible in the headline plan price.
  • Reporting is adequate for a single clinic but weak for a group: cross site financial consolidation and practitioner productivity comparison generally end up exported to a spreadsheet, which becomes a monthly manual job as soon as you pass a handful of locations.

Pricing, plan by plan

Medscape

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Medical news
    • Drug database
    • CME

Zanda Health

$19/month
  • Starter$19/month
    • One practitioner
    • One administrative user
    • 1,000 appointments per year
  • Growth$49/month
    • Base fee plus 19 USD per additional practitioner per month
    • Unlimited free administrative users
    • Unlimited appointments
  • Telehealth Pro add-on$9/month
    • Per practitioner
    • Unlimited video consultations
    • Recording and waiting room

Which should you pick?

Choose Medscape if

  • You need medical news.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want drug database.
Medscape review

Choose Zanda Health if

  • You need unlimited admin users.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want australian funder billing.
Zanda Health review

Questions people ask

Is Medscape or Zanda Health better?
Neither clearly leads. Medscape starts at Free and Zanda Health at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Medscape or Zanda Health?
Medscape has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Medscape and $19/month for Zanda Health.
Does Medscape or Zanda Health run on more platforms?
Medscape runs on Web, Mobile. Zanda Health runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Medscape for free?
Yes. Medscape has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Zanda Health starts at $19/month.
What is Medscape best used for?
Medscape is most often used for patient care, medical records, practice management, telehealth. Of those, patient care and medical records are not what Zanda Health is typically brought in for.
What can Medscape do that Zanda Health cannot?
Medscape covers Medical News, Drug Database, Medical Calculators, CME Courses. Zanda Health covers Unlimited admin users, Australian funder billing, Clinical note templates, Two way SMS.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Zanda Health: Is Zanda Health the same as Power Diary?

Yes. Power Diary rebranded to Zanda Health in 2024. Same company, same product line, same data.

Zanda Health: Do receptionists count as paid users?

No. On the Growth plan administrative users are unlimited and free. Only practitioners are charged.

Zanda Health: Does it handle Medicare bulk billing?

Yes, Medicare Online, DVA and bulk billing claims are submitted from within the platform for Australian practices.

Zanda Health: Is it suitable for a United States practice?

Only partly. Charting, scheduling and telehealth work, but there is no claims clearinghouse, so US insurance billing needs a separate system.

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