Podium vs Weave (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Podium grades higher than Weave: 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
Weave
Phones, texting, reviews and payments 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 Weave if
- Fits if you run a dental, medical, optometry or vet practice that needs a phone system too
- Works for practices that want one vendor for phones, texts and reviews
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you only want reviews: plans start from $199 a month
- Watch out: each plan's price is given on request, so you won't see it up front
- Skip it if you want a reviews tool alone, since reviews are one product in a larger platform
- Watch out: some features depend on practice type, such as insurance verification for dental only
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAPodiumFair | 1.6GPAWeaveWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | DFrom $199 a month, far above the category's middle of $29 and past its dearer quarter at $95. Individual plan prices aren't shown. |
| 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. | CReviews, phones, texting, scheduling, forms and payments. Reviews are one piece of a platform for practices. |
| 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 phone system needs setting up. |
| 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 apps; no desktop app or API listed. |
| Best for | Google reviews by text, inside a lead inbox | practice phones, texting and review requests |
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 Weave. 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. Weave starts at $199 a month and scores 2.3.
Podium scores higher, and starts $200 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 21 score higher than Weave 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 and sMS marketing.
- Weave also covers email campaigns, online fax and appointment booking.
At a glance
| Podium | Weave | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $399 per month; billing basis not shown | $199 per month and up |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Podium Corp Inc. | Weave Communications, Inc. |
| Price read from | podium.com | getweave.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.
Weave
- Individual plan prices are not shown; only a starting price of $199 per month.
- Reviews are one product within a larger platform that includes phones.
- Some features are limited by practice type, such as insurance verification for dental only.
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.
Weave
- Reviews
- Requests reviews from patients, with an AI Response Assistant that can draft replies to them.
- VoIP phones
- Phones with a phone tree, call queues, call analytics and a call pop-up showing patient details.
- Texting and reminders
- Two-way texting, appointment reminders, confirmations and missed-call texting.
- Scheduling, forms and payments
- Online scheduling, digital forms, text to pay, collections lists and buy now pay over time.
- Practice-specific tools
- Insurance verification and analytics for dental, eyewear notifications for optometry and vaccine reminders for veterinary.
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.
Weave
ProCustom
Entry plan with 1,500 bulk text messages a month, reminders, two-way texting and reviews; price given on request.
EliteCustom
Marked most popular; 3,000 bulk messages a month, with more products than Pro. Price given on request.
UltimateCustom
Up to 15 phones, 15,000 bulk messages a month, quarterly one-on-one training and premium analytics. Price on request.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Podium or Weave?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Weave is cheaper to start with: $199 a month, against $399 a month for Podium. Podium starts at $399 per month; billing basis not shown, and Weave starts at $199 per month and up.
Which has a free plan, Podium or Weave?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Podium nor Weave has a free plan.
Which platforms do Podium and Weave 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.