Podium
Google review requests by text, plus a lead inbox for local businesses
Podium report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 18, 2026
Best for Google reviews by text, inside a lead inbox
Podium texts customers a link to leave a Google or Facebook review and drafts replies with AI, all inside a bigger inbox for texts, calls, web chat and payments. Its phone app is rated 4.74 from about 31,800 ratings. The catch is price: Core is $399 a month through sales, and Podium doesn't say how it's billed.
Who Podium is for
- Great if you're a car dealer, med spa or home service firm that works by text
- Handy when you want leads, reviews and payments in one inbox
- Good for teams that answer customers from their phones all day
Who Podium is not for
- 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 your setup
- Tight if you send lots of texts, as Core has 250 bulk credits a month
Why Podium gets a 2.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- DValue for moneyCore 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.
- FFree plan and trialNo free plan and no trial on record. Plans are bought through Podium's sales team, so there's no way in without a call.
- CFeaturesText 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.
- AEase of use4.74 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.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, 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.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Podium's own pages on 18 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/podium#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/podium.svg" alt="Podium: 2.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Podium stands among customer review tools
Podium's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 2 of the 14 other customer review tools we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on ease of use (A, above 14 of 14) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $399 a month, against a middle price of $39.50 for the category: 13 of the 13 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 15 customer review tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Podium’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 14, level with 4
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 14, level with 3
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 14, level with 6
- AEase of useAbove 14 of 14
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 14, level with 14
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 14 customer review tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Podium, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Podium you would be making texts to thousands of numbers, registered with the carriers. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 10 of the 14 other customer review tools grade higher. It costs $4,788 a year.
What you could make
- Review collection: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Texts to thousands of numbers, registered with the carriers.
- Phone numbers and calls carried over the phone network.
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- Texts from a business number, registered with the carriers.
- A chat box on your site that reaches you the moment a customer types.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
What this rests on. Podium’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Podium?
Podium is a customer messaging and lead platform for local businesses such as car dealers, home services, med spas and retailers. Its review tools text customers a link to leave a Google or Facebook review and draft replies with AI, while the rest of the platform handles website chat, a shared text inbox, text marketing, phones and payments. Plans are sold through Podium's sales team.
Podium is a paid product, starting at $399 per month; billing basis not shown. See every plan
Good for
- 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
- 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
- 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.
Podium pricing
- Starts at
- $399 per month; billing basis not shown
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Core | $399per 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 | $599per month; billing basis not shown | Adds automatic AI review replies, review response templates, lead routing, text surveys and 500 bulk credits. Sold through sales. |
| Signature | Custom | Custom plan with AI scheduler, salesperson and marketer agents, multi-location tools and discounts on phones and bulk messages. |
Read from podium.com on Oct 18, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Podium before you buy.
How people rate the Podium app
4.7
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars89%
- 4 stars4%
- 3 stars2%
- 2 stars<1%
- 1 star4%
31,793 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 18, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
Podium alternatives
- Podium vs NiceJob
Free trial · from $75/mo
- Podium vs Broadly
From $79/mo
- Podium vs GatherUp
Free trial · from $99/mo
- Podium vs Grade.us
Free trial · from $99/mo
Common questions
Is Podium free?
No. Podium is a paid product, starting at $399 per month; billing basis not shown.
How much does Podium cost?
Podium lists 3 plans. Core: $399 per month; billing basis not shown. Pro: $599 per month; billing basis not shown. Signature: custom pricing. Prices were read from podium.com on Oct 18, 2026.
What platforms does Podium work on?
Podium is available on Web, iOS and Android. It also has a browser extension.
How is Podium rated?
Podium's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 31,793 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 18, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does Podium have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Podium is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Podium have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Podium is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Podium open source?
Podium is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
What does Podium integrate with?
Podium's listing names Google, Facebook and Instagram. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Podium?
Podium is made by Podium Corp Inc.
What are the alternatives to Podium?
The closest alternatives to Podium in our directory are Birdeye, NiceJob, Broadly, GatherUp and Grade.us. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Podium.
How does Podium compare with other customer review tools?
Podium's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 2 of the 14 other customer review tools we grade, and level with 2. It stands best on ease of use (A, above 14 of 14) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Is Podium good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Podium D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $399 a month, against a middle price of $39.50 for the category: 13 of the 13 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Could I make my own version of Podium?
To replace Podium you would be making texts to thousands of numbers, registered with the carriers. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 10 of the 14 other customer review tools grade higher. It costs $4,788 a year. What you could not make: Texts to thousands of numbers, registered with the carriers. Phone numbers and calls carried over the phone network. An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it. Texts from a business number, registered with the carriers. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 18, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.