Nearby Now vs Podium (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Nearby Now and Podium share a 2.0 GPA, neither has a free plan, and Nearby Now starts cheaper, at $155 a month against $399 a month.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
Nearby Now grades higher on the free plan. Podium grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Nearby Now
Job check-ins and review requests that build local rankings
Podium
Google review requests by text, plus a lead inbox for local businesses
Which one is for you
Pick Nearby Now if
- Fits if you run a plumbing, HVAC or roofing firm serving many towns
- Works for field teams that want reviews and job photos captured on site
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're a small firm, as it starts at $155 a month and the pages don't say if that's per location
- Watch out: GeoGrids, keyword rank tracking and AI visibility tracking are add-ons
- Tight if you're on SEO Pro, as video check-ins, AI, Spot-On routing, Zapier and Mailchimp need Master at $239
- Watch out: the Premium API is $99 a month and dispatch integrations $100 to $125 a month
- Skip it if you're outside the US, Canada, UK and Australia, where full support doesn't reach
Pick Podium if
- Fits if you're a car dealer, med spa or home service firm that works by text
- Works for teams that want leads, reviews and payments in one inbox and answer from their phones
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you only want reviews, as Core is $399 a month with an inbox you may not need
- Skip it if you want a set price up front, as the final cost depends on industry, volume and carrier fees
- Tight if you send lots of texts or want replies posted automatically: Core has 250 bulk credits, and auto-replies start at Pro, $599
- Watch out: phone seats are $30 a user a month, $25 at 5 or more, and US locations pay a $5 monthly 10DLC fee
- Not for you if you want to try it first, as there's no free plan or trial and you buy through sales
How we grade them
| 2.0GPANearby NowFair | 2.0GPAPodiumFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DSEO Pro is $155 a month, month-to-month, in this category's dearest tenth ($99 and up), and the pages don't say whether that's per location. AI and Zapier need Master at $239, and GeoGrids, the $99 API and $100 to $125 dispatch links are add-ons. | 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 | CNo free plan, but a 14-day trial with full product access and no setup fee. The pages read don't mention a card. | 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 | CJob check-ins with photos and location schema, review requests by text, email, QR code or call, city pages, call tracking and lead texting. The gaps are in the listing: grid and keyword rank tracking and AI visibility tracking are add-ons. | 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 | CNo rating on record. Field staff use the phone app on every job, and the check-ins and city pages have to be built into your own website. | A4.74 from about 31,800 App Store ratings, the highest on record in this category. A review request is one text with a link. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with no desktop app. It connects to ServiceTitan, FieldEdge, Jobber, Housecall Pro, Google Business Profile, Facebook, Zapier and Mailchimp, with an API as an add-on. | 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 | job check-ins and reviews for trades | 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: Nearby Now and Podium. How we grade
Where they differ
- Nearby Now also covers rank tracking and call tracking.
- Podium also covers AI agents, live chat, business phone line and sMS marketing.
At a glance
| Nearby Now | Podium | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $155 per month, month-to-month | $399 per month; billing basis not shown |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial with full product access, no contract or setup fee | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Nearby Now, LLC | Podium Corp Inc. |
| Price read from | nearbynow.co | podium.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Nearby Now
- There is no free plan, only the 14-day trial; plans are month-to-month with no setup fee and unlimited users.
- GeoGrids, keyword rank tracking and AI visibility tracking are add-ons; the Premium API is $99 a month and dispatch-software integrations $100 to $125 a month.
- Video check-ins, Nearby Now AI, Spot-On routing, Zapier and Mailchimp need SEO Master at $239 a month.
- Full product support covers the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
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
Nearby Now
- Job check-ins
- A technician taps in on arrival to capture a photo, a short description and a GPS pin; each check-in carries location schema so it reads as local content.
- Review requests and routing
- Ask for reviews by text, email, QR code or voice call with automatic reminders; Spot-On on SEO Master sends reviewers to the nearest Google Business Profile.
- City pages
- Unlimited pages for each city and neighborhood served, hosted on the business's own domain and filled with its real reviews and job media.
- GeoGrids and rank tracking
- Grid-based Google Maps rank tracking across the whole service area and keyword rank tracking, both sold as add-ons.
- Call tracking and LeadSMS
- Dedicated phone numbers by source show which channel made the phone ring, and a website widget lets visitors start a text conversation with the team.
- Nearby Now AI
- On SEO Master, it rewrites short tech notes into fuller check-ins, tags photos, blurs faces and plates, scores review sentiment and drafts replies.
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
Nearby Now
Self-serve SEO Pro$155
per month, month-to-month; per-location basis not stated
Unlimited check-ins with photos and geo-schema, SMS and email review requests, 27+ review sites, unlimited city pages, call tracking and unlimited users.
Self-serve SEO Master$239
per month, month-to-month; per-location basis not stated
Adds video check-ins, audio reviews, custom SMS numbers, Spot-On routing to the nearest Google profile, Nearby Now AI, Zapier and Mailchimp.
Agency-supportedCustom
SEO Pro or Master delivered by a partner agency that handles setup, website integration and training, at a rate the agency sets.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Nearby Now or Podium?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Nearby Now is cheaper to start with: $155 a month, against $399 a month for Podium. Nearby Now starts at $155 per month, month-to-month, and Podium starts at $399 per month; billing basis not shown.
Which has a free plan, Nearby Now or Podium?
As of Oct 23, 2026, neither Nearby Now nor Podium has a free plan. Nearby Now has a free trial.
Which platforms do Nearby Now and Podium run on?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only Podium lists a browser extension. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.