Owl Practice vs Zanda (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick Zanda: it is third in our ranking of therapy and clinic software, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 2.2.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
Zanda grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Owl Practice
Web-based practice management built for mental health therapists
Zanda
Browser-based practice software for allied health and therapy clinics
Which one is for you
Pick Owl Practice if
- Fits if you see couples, families or groups and want them in one telehealth call
- Works for Canadian practices that need data kept in Canada and support in French
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're on Growth, which stops at 20 sessions a month and has no client online booking
- Pricey if you want secure messaging and clinical measures, which need Professional at CA$100 plus tax
- Watch out: prices are published only in Canadian dollars; the US site shows none and offers a demo
- Skip it if you want a phone app, as none is named on its pages
- Watch out: there are no one-off add-ons, so one feature can mean a whole plan up, and group practices get custom quotes
Pick Zanda if
- Fits if you're a solo practitioner who wants unlimited clients for $19 a month
- Works for allied health and mental health clinics juggling several practitioners and rooms
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a phone app, as Zanda runs only in the browser
- Tight if you stay on Starter: one practitioner, one location and 1,000 appointments; more needs Growth at $49
- Watch out: texts need a dedicated number at $4.99 a month with 35 credits, then 9¢ an SMS
- Pricey if you scribe every session: 4 AI Scribe sessions a month are free, then AI Pro is $19 a user, Telehealth Pro $9
- Watch out: claims carry a $50 enrollment fee, 15¢ a claim and 10¢ an ERA, and Stripe takes 2.9% + 30¢ plus 50¢
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAOwl PracticeFair | 2.6GPAZandaGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CGrowth is CA$60 a month plus tax and stops at 20 sessions. Unlimited sessions and online booking need Advanced at CA$80, and messaging and measures Professional at CA$100. The US edition, Owl Practice Suite, publishes no price. | BStarter is $19 a month for one practitioner with unlimited clients and 1,000 appointments, inside this category's cheaper quarter ($25). Five practitioners on Growth come to $125, or $25 each. Texts, AI Pro and Telehealth Pro are extra. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day trial with no card, and onboarding support during it. There's no free plan. | CA 14-day trial with no card needed, and no free plan, so you're paying from week three. |
| Features | BScheduling with rooms and waitlists, note templates, 85+ self-scoring measures, telehealth for couples, families and groups, a client portal, sliding-scale billing and, in the US, claims to 5,000+ payers. The therapy job is covered. | BScheduling with waitlists and rooms, a booking portal, note templates, body charts, scored forms, invoicing, US claims through a clearing house, telehealth and BizzyAI writing. AI scribing stops at 4 sessions a month without AI Pro. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. Plans decide what you can switch on, and note templates, forms and claims need setting up, with onboarding support in the trial. | CNo App Store rating on record. Rooms, locations, note templates, forms and the clearing house enrollment all need setting up first. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no native mobile apps named, and the listed links are Google Calendar and TELUS eClaims. No API on record. | BIt runs in the browser on computers, tablets and phones, with Stripe, Zoom, Xero, Mailchimp, Google Calendar and Outlook. There are no native apps for any device. |
| Best for | therapists who see couples, families or groups | allied health and therapy clinics in the browser |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Owl Practice and Zanda. How we grade
Where they differ
- Zanda also covers transcription.
At a glance
| Owl Practice | Zanda | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | CA$60 per month plus tax (Growth, up to 20 sessions a month) | $19 per month (Starter, one practitioner) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial with onboarding support, no credit card required | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Owl Practice Inc. | Zanda Health Pty Ltd |
| Price read from | owlpractice.ca | zandahealth.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Owl Practice
- The published prices are the Canadian site's, in CAD plus tax; the US site, Owl Practice Suite, shows no prices and offers a demo or free start.
- Growth stops at 20 sessions a month; online booking needs Advanced, and secure messaging and clinical measures need Professional.
- Features come only with plan tiers, with no one-off add-ons; group practices get custom quotes.
- It runs in the browser; no native mobile apps are named on its pages.
Zanda
- Starter covers one practitioner and 1,000 appointments, with one physical location; unlimited appointments and more locations need Growth.
- Text messages need a dedicated number at $4.99 a month, which includes 35 credits; each further SMS costs $0.09.
- Card payments go through Stripe at 2.9% + 30¢ for domestic cards, plus a 50¢ Stripe Connect fee listed on the pricing page.
- There are no native mobile apps; Zanda runs in the browser on computers, tablets and phones.
Key features
Owl Practice
- Scheduling and online booking
- Rooms, waitlists, recurring sessions, couples and family bookings, and iCal or Google Calendar sync. Client online booking starts on Advanced.
- Notes and clinical measures
- A note template library, custom and handwritten notes, supervision support, and 85+ clinical measures that score themselves, subscales included.
- Telehealth for families and groups
- Video sessions with a waiting room and in-session chat, for individuals, couples, families and groups, with a supervisor able to join.
- Secure messaging and portal
- A client portal for booking, forms and payments; Professional adds secure conversations that clients can start, with read receipts and two-way documents.
- Billing and insurance claims
- Invoices, card and ACH payments, sliding-scale fees and split billing. The US edition files claims to 5,000+ payers and checks benefits with 2,000+.
- Zencare directory (US)
- Owl Practice Suite pairs the EHR with Zencare, a therapist directory and marketing service, plus out-of-network benefit checks and courtesy claims for private-pay clients.
Zanda
- Scheduling and client portal
- A calendar with waitlists, rooms and recurring appointments, and a portal where clients book, pay, fill in forms, share files and join telehealth calls.
- Notes, forms and body charts
- Session note templates and body charts, plus online forms for intake, consent and scored assessments. Note templates can be customized on Growth.
- BizzyAI
- Every plan includes unlimited AI writing, 4 AI Scribe appointments a month and insights across a client's last 3 sessions. AI Pro, $19 per user a month, removes the scribe cap.
- Telehealth
- Built-in HIPAA-compliant video with a free option, Telehealth Pro with unlimited calls at $9 per practitioner a month, or your own Zoom account.
- US insurance claims
- An integrated clearing house with a $50 enrollment fee, $0.15 per claim and $0.10 per ERA. Preparing claims, CMS-1500 forms and eligibility requests are free.
- Practice operations manual
- 100+ policy and procedure templates for writing down how the practice runs, with AI tools for the manual on Growth.
Plans
Owl Practice
GrowthCA$60
per month plus tax, for up to 20 sessions a month
All core features for therapists starting out or working part-time: calendar, notes, telehealth, client portal, payments and free email and SMS reminders.
AdvancedCA$80
per month plus tax
Unlimited sessions, client online booking, circle of care, and customizable intake and consent forms.
ProfessionalCA$100
per month plus tax
Adds shareable video links, secure messaging, couples and family conversations, clinical measures and medication tracking.
Group PlusCustom
Negotiated by number of clinicians, for multi-therapist practices; Group Plus Video adds integrated telehealth.
Zanda
Starter$19
per month for 1 practitioner and 1,000 appointments
Unlimited clients, 1 free admin user, 100 GB storage, reminders, intake forms, progress notes, billing and the booking portal. $9.50 for the first 6 months.
Growth$49
per month, plus $19 per additional practitioner
Unlimited appointments, admin users and storage, multiple locations, rooms, advanced waitlist, custom note templates, team messaging and full reports.
Ways to pay less
Owl Practice
- Other savings
60% off the first 3 months
On the Canadian pricing page, solo plans signed up by October 31 are 60% off for 3 months (Growth CA$24, Advanced CA$32, Professional CA$40), with a free month of Smart Notes.
- Other savings
$100 off for each referred therapist
Owl's Refer a Friend program takes $100 off the subscription for every referred therapist who signs up; partner Canadian associations also offer discounts.
Zanda
- Other savings
50% off the first 6 months for October starts
Practices that start in October pay half for 6 months: Starter $9.50 a month, and Growth $24.50 plus $9.50 per extra practitioner, then the regular price.
- Other savings
No subscription fees until November
An end-of-summer offer on the US pricing page waives subscription fees until November and adds 500 free SMS credits.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Owl Practice or Zanda?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Owl Practice starts at CA$60 per month plus tax (Growth, up to 20 sessions a month), and Zanda starts at $19 per month (Starter, one practitioner).
Which has a free plan, Owl Practice or Zanda?
As of Oct 24, 2026, neither Owl Practice nor Zanda has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.