Number of Seats/Users: Zahara offers discounts based on the number of users or seats. A higher volume typically leads to a better discount structure, especially for enterprise-level usage.

Commitment to a Long-Term Contract: Discounts are often provided to companies that commit to using the service for a longer period (e.g., 1-year or 3-year contracts). A longer commitment shows Zahara that the company is serious and willing to invest in the platform long-term.

No Active Discounts: Companies that are not already receiving other active discounts may have a better chance of qualifying for additional discounts from Zahara. Zahara reserves discounts for new customers or those not currently under promotional pricing.

Volume or Usage Commitment: Zahara offers discounts if you agree to a minimum amount of usage or transaction volume. This could be based on data storage, transactions, or other metrics tied to how much you will use the platform.

Enterprise-Level Negotiation: Companies that qualify as “enterprise” due to their size or complexity (e.g., having large teams, multiple departments, or geographical presence) may be eligible for additional discounts from Zahara. Such companies are often in a position to negotiate for better pricing.

Early Renewal or Prepayment: Zahara often offers discounts if you renew early or prepay for the entire contract period. This is a common approach to securing a lower price.

Here at Spendbase our internal data shows that Zahara performs very strongly for growing, service-based companies that want better spend control without enterprise-level pricing.

From what Spendbase clients tell us, the main strengths are:

• Ease of use & adoption
• Simple, clean interface – “click click done”
• Non-finance staff can raise and approve POs quickly

• Works well for multiple departments, projects, and sites

• Approvals & workflows

• Multi-step approval chains with different authorisation levels
• Clear audit trail, document history, and visibility of who approved what

• Strong fit for construction, care, and other project-based teams

• AP automation & integrations

• PO–invoice matching and GRN support
• Direct integrations with Sage 50, Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB, etc.

• Big time savings vs manual email or paper-based processes

• Cost control & visibility

• Budgets by project/site; better visibility of spend before it happens
• Helpful reporting and visuals for finance and auditors

• Often described as “a fraction of the price” of high-end tools

• Support & vendor attitude

• Many clients highlight fast, personal support and openness to feature ideas
• Regular product updates and continuous improvement are noticed and valued

Our internal data also flags consistent friction points:

• Setup and learning curve
• Implementation can be labour-intensive, especially with complex approvals

• Some would prefer more focused, end-to-end training sessions

• Performance and usability gaps

• Occasional slowness and minor bugs
• Invoice OCR sometimes misreads multi-page invoices or matches the wrong PO

• Missing at-a-glance info in some screens (e.g., PO contents, GRN icons)

• Integration and finance quirks

• Historical pain around Xero integration (largely improved now)
• Sage 50 Cloud / Sage Drive limitations and VAT rounding/decimal mismatches

• No duplicate check inside Xero itself; must enforce process discipline

• Mobile and reporting

• Mobile app still limited (e.g., invoice approval not fully covered in some cases)
• Reporting often exports as CSV; some teams want cleaner, ready-made PDFs

From a Spendbase savings perspective, Zahara tends to deliver:

• Reduced manual processing time for POs and invoices
• Stronger pre-spend control and budget adherence
• Good value for money, especially for multi-site and project-heavy operations

When we negotiate or optimise Zahara spend for clients, we usually focus on aligning licence tiers and rollout scope with these strengths, while pushing for concessions or roadmap commitments around integrations, training, and invoice automation accuracy.