Podium

Manage customer interactions, reviews, payments, and communication.

Podium Overview

Updated September 22, 2025

Podium is a customer relationship management platform designed to help retail businesses strengthen connections with customers. It provides tools for managing reviews, handling payments, and improving communication through messaging channels.

With its focus on simplifying engagement, Podium enables businesses to gather feedback, boost online visibility, and create better customer experiences. The platform is especially valuable for retail teams seeking to streamline interactions and build lasting loyalty.

Key Features

Messaging Hub: A single inbox for text, web chat, and social messages that helps teams reply faster and improves customer satisfaction.
Online Reviews: A tool that collects and manages customer reviews across platforms to boost reputation and increase visibility.
Payments Integration: A feature that enables secure text-to-pay and in-person payments while simplifying billing and reducing delays.
AI Tools: Smart solutions that provide instant answers, review responses, and call summaries to save time and enhance communication.
Analytics and Reporting: Dashboards that deliver insights into customer activity and staff performance for better decisions and growth.

Price

Plan	Price	Key Inclusions
Core	Not officially posted	Consolidated lead conversion (forms, texts, calls, emails), AI response suggestions, basic automations/reporting/customization, mobile app, 200+ integrations, optional phone systems add-on, dedicated customer success manager, chat/phone/email support, 1:1 onboarding.
Pro	Not officially posted	Everything in Core, plus AI Instant Answers, AI Review Responses, AI Phone Call Summaries, automatic lead routing, advanced automations, lead-capture forms, hosted surveys, text-based surveys, text marketing with images/GIFs, advanced segmentation, high-volume carrier-verified messaging, lower payment processing fees.
Signature	Not officially posted	Everything in Pro, plus advanced multi-location management, advanced reporting add-on, advanced branding/customization, discounts on phone plans, desk phones, POS hardware, high-volume bulk messaging, comprehensive account migration, quarterly business reviews, personalized account plans, priority phone plan support, proactive fraud alerts, custom billing, custom processing rates (eligibility pending).

Pros

Competitor	Pros of Podium
Birdeye	Podium offers a unified messaging inbox and smoother text-to-pay options that simplify daily communication tasks more easily.
HubSpot CRM	Podium is more intuitive and user-friendly, and it handles reviews and payments in its messaging suite better than HubSpot.
Zendesk Sell	Podium combines messaging, review requests, and payments in one platform, which makes customer engagement more seamless.
Keap	Podium delivers real-time texting tools and review features that feel more direct and responsive compared to Keap’s marketing focus.
Apptivo CRM	Podium focuses on modern communication like text-based payments and review management, and it feels more contemporary overall.

Cons

Competitor	Cons of Podium
Birdeye	Podium may lack Birdeye’s advanced multi-location review analytics and the ability to manage reputation at scale as easily.
HubSpot CRM	Podium does not offer a free tier or inbound marketing tools like HubSpot, and it lacks robust lead nurturing and landing page features.
Zendesk Sell	Podium does not match Zendesk Sell’s deep sales pipeline customization or strong mobile sales features like geolocation tracking.
Keap	Podium has less mature marketing automation and workflow builder tools compared to Keap’s intuitive automation engine.
Apptivo CRM	Podium lacks the wide modular app ecosystem and extensive customization options that Apptivo provides at affordable pricing.

Customers' Reviews From Reliable Websites

G2 Review
Gartner Review
Trustpilot Review
Reddit Review