Podium vs Aloha (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Podium grades higher than Aloha: 2.0 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Podium grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Podium
Google review requests by text, plus a lead inbox for local businesses
Aloha
Review generation and patient engagement for healthcare practices
Which one is for you
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
Pick Aloha if
- Fits if you run a chiropractic, optometry or audiology practice
- Works for practices that also want scheduling and texting from the same vendor
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you only want reviews: $299 a month on a 6-month term, plus $499 setup
- Watch out: an AI website add-on costs $199 a month extra
- Skip it if you don't want a six-month term, since plans run on one
- Watch out: the product was renamed from ReviewWave to Aloha
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAPodiumFair | 1.6GPAAlohaWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | D$299 a month on a 6-month plan, plus a one-time $499 setup fee. The category's dearest tenth starts at $250. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | FNo free plan or trial is on record for this listing. |
| Features | 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. | CReview automation, scheduling, texting, forms, recalls and an AI receptionist. Reviews are one piece of a wider patient suite. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo rating on record, and a setup fee suggests a guided onboarding. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Reserve With Google. |
| Best for | Google reviews by text, inside a lead inbox | review automation for chiropractic and optometry |
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: Podium and Aloha. How we grade
Price against what you get
Podium starts at $399 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Aloha starts at $299 a month and scores 2.3.
Podium scores higher, and starts $100 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other customer review tools on the chart, none scores higher than Podium for less, and 22 score higher than Aloha for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Podium also covers AI agents, live chat, business phone line and sMS marketing.
- Aloha also covers forms and appointment booking.
At a glance
| Podium | Aloha | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $399 per month; billing basis not shown | $299 per month on a 6-month plan, plus $499 setup |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Podium Corp Inc. | Aloha |
| Price read from | podium.com | getaloha.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Aloha
- Plans are priced on 6-month terms and carry a one-time $499 setup fee.
- An AI website add-on costs $199 a month extra.
- The product was renamed from ReviewWave to Aloha, and its focus is now wider than reviews.
Key features
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.
Aloha
- Review automation
- Sends review requests to patients automatically to build Google reviews, part of every plan.
- Online scheduling
- Patients book online at any hour, and the plans include Reserve With Google.
- Business texting
- Two-way texting with a monthly text allowance that rises by plan.
- Forms and recalls
- Digital intake forms, patient recalls and insurance verification are listed among its solutions.
- AI receptionist
- A voice and texting AI agent that is part of the Dominate plan.
Plans
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.
Aloha
Activate$299
per month, on a 6-month plan paid monthly
Business two-way texting with 10,000 texts a month, review automation, online scheduling, apps and unlimited campaigns.
Elevate$499
per month, on a 6-month plan paid monthly
Activate plus 15,000 texts a month, missed call text, website chat, online forms and a referral engine.
Dominate$699
per month, on a 6-month plan paid monthly
Elevate plus 20,000 texts, CharlieAI Voice with 300 voice AI minutes and a Charlie texting agent.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Podium or Aloha?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Aloha is cheaper to start with: $299 a month, against $399 a month for Podium. Podium starts at $399 per month; billing basis not shown, and Aloha starts at $299 per month on a 6-month plan, plus $499 setup.
Which has a free plan, Podium or Aloha?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Podium nor Aloha has a free plan.
Which platforms do Podium and Aloha run on?
As of Nov 13, 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.