Birdeye vs Podium
We give Birdeye and Podium the same GPA: 2.0 out of 4.0. Birdeye grades higher on value for money and features. Podium grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Birdeye
Review management and AI agents for multi-location local businesses
Paid
Podium
Google review requests by text, plus a lead inbox for local businesses
From $399/mo
How we grade them
| 2.0GPABirdeyeFair | 2.0GPAPodiumFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published: the pricing page asks for your number of locations and contact details before you get a quote, and Birdeye prices by the products deployed at each location, not by seats. With nothing to compare, it sits at C, the grade for no stated price. | DCore is $399 a month, and Podium doesn't show whether that's billed monthly or yearly; it says the final cost depends on industry, integrations, volume and carrier fees, plus $5 a month for 10DLC. Set against its listed rivals, that's the dear end, though it buys a lead inbox and texting too. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial on record. You ask for a quote and sign a contract, so there's no way to look around for free first. | FNo free plan and no trial on record. Plans are bought through Podium's sales team, so there's no way in without a call. |
| Features | BThe whole job and more: AI review requests on the channel most likely to get a reply, AI replies within industry rules, every site's reviews in one inbox with a score per location, competitor benchmarks, and good reviews turned into branded posts. | CText review requests to Google, Facebook and industry sites, reminders, a leaderboard and AI drafted replies, which post on their own from Pro. That's the basics: no website review widgets or wider review monitoring are on record, and most of the money goes on the inbox, texting and phones. |
| Ease of use | C4.32 from 508 App Store ratings, which is middling. There's a lot of platform to set up across locations, and you start with a sales quote rather than a sign-up. | A4.74 from about 31,800 App Store ratings, the best score in this category by far. Sending a review link by text is about as simple as asking gets. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Salesforce, HubSpot, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber, QuickBooks Online, Square and Dentrix. No desktop app is listed, which keeps it off an A. | BWeb, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, with Google, Facebook and Instagram. That's a short list of connections, and there's no desktop app, which keeps it off an A. |
| Best for | reviews for brands with many locations | Google reviews by text, inside a lead inbox |
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: Birdeye and Podium. How we grade
Where they differ
- Only Podium lists a browser extension.
- Birdeye also covers surveys, reports and chatbots.
- Podium also covers live chat, business phone line, business texting and sMS marketing.
In commonWebiOSAndroidAI agentsReview collection
At a glance
| Birdeye | Podium | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | $399 per month; billing basis not shown |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Birdeye Inc | Podium Corp Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | podium.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Birdeye
- Brands and franchises with many locations to manage
- Healthcare, dental, automotive and home service businesses
- Teams that want reviews, listings and social posting under one contract
Podium
- Car dealers, home services and med spas that work by text
- Local businesses that want more Google reviews from a text link
- Teams that want leads, reviews and payments in one inbox
Worth knowing
Birdeye
- No prices are published: the pricing page asks for the number of locations and contact details before giving a quote.
- Birdeye says it prices by the products deployed at each location under one contract, not by seats.
- It is aimed at multi-location businesses; the pricing form starts at 1 to 3 locations and runs past 1,000.
Podium
- Plans are bought through sales; Podium says the final monthly cost depends on industry, integrations, volume and carrier fees.
- Bulk texts are capped at 250 credits a month on Core and 500 on Pro, and US locations pay a $5 monthly 10DLC carrier fee.
- Phone seats cost extra: $30 per user a month for 1 to 4 users, $25 for 5 or more.
- Automatic AI review replies, review response templates and surveys start at Pro.
Key features
Birdeye
- Review requests at the right moment
- An AI agent asks each customer for a review on the channel most likely to get a reply and prompts for detail in the review.
- AI review replies
- Writes responses in the brand's voice within industry rules, and either posts them on its own or holds them for approval.
- All review sites in one place
- Gathers ratings and reviews from every site for every location into one inbox, with a reputation score per location over time.
- Reviews turned into posts
- Picks strong reviews and designs branded graphics to post on social media and the business's website, by location.
- Competitor benchmarks
- Compares each location's ratings and visibility against named competitors, location by location.
- Wider platform
- The same contract can add listings, social posting, a chatbot, surveys, ticketing, appointments and reminders by voice, email and text.
Podium
- Review requests by text
- Texts customers a link to review the business on Google, Facebook or industry review sites, with review reminder automations and a reviews leaderboard.
- AI review replies
- Every plan drafts replies to Google and Facebook reviews with AI; Pro posts them automatically, which is an add-on on Core.
- Lead inbox
- Texts, calls, website chat, contact forms, third-party leads and Facebook, Instagram and Google messages arrive in one inbox.
- Text marketing and automations
- Bulk text campaigns with images, plus automations for payment reminders, appointments, referrals, birthdays and after-hours replies.
- Phones
- Podium Phones adds calling from the same number as texts, call routing, phone menus, recordings and AI call summaries.
- AI Employee
- An AI agent called Jerry, added to any plan, that sells, schedules and talks with customers day and night.
Plans
Birdeye
Pricing could not be confirmed. See birdeye.com.
Podium
Core$399
per month; billing basis not shown
Lead inbox, website chat, Google and Facebook review requests with AI replies, 250 bulk message credits and 5 numbers. Sold through sales.
Pro$599
per month; billing basis not shown
Adds automatic AI review replies, review response templates, lead routing, text surveys and 500 bulk credits. Sold through sales.
SignatureCustom
Custom plan with AI scheduler, salesperson and marketer agents, multi-location tools and discounts on phones and bulk messages.
