We’ll provide insights into the price and potential add-ons, and how Podium compares to alternative vendors. Then, find out how Vertice can help you achieve the lowest Podium pricing by negotiating on your behalf, with our direct negotiation and targeted procurement strategy.

What Podium can do for you 

Podium is a multifaceted business communications and customer experience management vendor targeting localized SMBs. The platform leverages AI and machine learning to optimize online reputation management, lead generation and conversion, payment processing, unified business communications, and marketing analytics. 

Gartner recognizes Podium as a leading online reputation management provider, but the vendor’s cloud-based toolset goes above and beyond basic review solicitation and response. 

Local businesses can access sophisticated lead conversion tools — including AI-powered website chats and social media messaging — alongside unique features like a dedicated Podium Payments hub and top-spec mobile app (rated 4.8 out of 5 with over 25,000 App Store reviews).  

The Podium platform is built around four core capabilities: 

• Online reputation management – Podium helps local SMBs enhance their online reputation with automated review requests on Google, Facebook, and other platforms. The vendor also provides sentiment analysis tools to help businesses understand customer feedback and generate targeted responses accordingly.  
• Lead generation and conversion – The vendor offers a comprehensive toolkit for lead generation and conversion, helping SMBs maximize revenue with a multi-pronged approach. The Podium price includes real-time website chat functionality, unified social media messaging, instant AI-generated responses, and a consolidated customer call and message inbox. Businesses can also leverage the highly-rated Podium mobile app, ensuring potential lead conversion opportunities never go amiss. 
• Payment processing – Podium approaches payment processing from a lead conversion perspective, helping local SMBs streamline their payments and maximize their customers. The vendor offers chat-based transaction requests and receipts alongside subscriptions, price estimates, and Buy Now Pay Later functionality. Podium Payments can also transform smartphones into card readers, giving businesses on the ground far more flexibility for taking payments. 
• Surveys and analytics – Podium goes beyond simply facilitating communication, offering data-driven insights to optimize customer experiences and marketing strategies. The vendor takes a novel approach to surveys, sending direct text messages to customers rather than emails or external survey links. As a result, businesses get quicker feedback while reducing the burden on the customer. The idea is to make surveys feel more like conversations, allowing businesses to receive valuable insight at each stage of the customer journey. 

Podium pricing structures and tiers

Podium pricing is split into three main tiers — Core, Pro, and Signature. Additionally, businesses can leverage several free tools to get a taste of Podium’s widespread capabilities: 

• Online Reputation Grader;
• Business Valuation Grader; 
• Google Review Link Generator; 
• AI Response Generator;
• Texting Templates;
• Test Drive Webchat.

Check below for a comprehensive breakdown of the Podium pricing tiers and features.  

Podium pricing – Core 

Cost: $399 per month

Podium pricing at the Core level unlocks the vendor’s multifaceted functionality, delivering extensive options across lead capture and conversion, communication channels, customer support, Podium Phones, and payment processing. This is a great place to start for smaller businesses, providing an affordable way to leverage Podium’s broad customer relationship management and sales capabilities. 

Some of the standout features include: 

• Consolidated lead conversion platform;
• Customer database;
• 200+ integrations;
• Text marketing;
• Social media messaging;
• Dynamic content fields;
• After-hours call routing; 
• AI phone call summaries;
• Referral automation.

The Core Podium pricing plan is particularly suited to businesses leveraging Podium Phones, as the Pro and Signature plans don’t offer any additional features other than a hardware discount. 

However, businesses wanting extensive AI tools should consider the Pro or Signature tiers for the most powerful experience. While Core does offer exhaustive automation capabilities, more advanced AI features are reserved for the more expensive tiers.

Additionally, Podium pricing at Core limits bulk messages to 250 per month and businesses are limited to five phone numbers. 

Podium pricing – Pro 

Cost: $599 per month 

The Pro Podium pricing tier ups the ante, specifically boosting the AI and lead capture/conversion features when compared to Core. This plan is best for businesses requiring sustained lead conversion and analytics. 

Although the Pro tier is $200 more per month, the additional functionality can significantly enhance ROI via larger sales volumes and more streamlined workflows. Some of the main additions compared to the Core tier include: 

• Advanced website widget branding; 
• Automatic lead routing;
• Text-based surveys; 
• AI instant answers;
• AI text marketing generator;
• Customer loyalty automation. 

Podium pricing at Pro level also unlocks up to 200,000 daily text messages for marketing, payments, and surveys. Combined with the text-based and hosted survey additions, this can significantly enhance lead capture and conversion while simultaneously optimizing online reputation management. 

Podium pricing – Signature 

Cost: contact sales

The Podium cost at the Signature level is offered per quote, which is where negotiation tactics can make a vital difference. Vertice data shows a low discount possibility, although we regularly find vendors are more open to negotiation at the highest subscription levels. 

Our direct negotiation and granular SaaS reporting can help you find the best value, particularly for custom priced features like high-volume carrier-verified messaging, bulk messages, and phone numbers. 

Signature is worth considering for businesses sending large text message volumes or using numerous Podium Desk Phones (which come with a discount at this tier). 

The advanced reporting add-on is an eye-catching feature only available with this Podium pricing plan. Businesses can leverage custom graphs and reports tailored to specific needs, creating a targeted approach with broad data-driven insights for better lead capture and conversion. 

Additionally, the Signature plan comes with custom automation potential. Podium specialists can create automated workflows between integrations and the Podium platform, specifically tailored to particular business requirements. This streamlines internal workflows and external customer relationship processes, contributing to greater profitability. 

Podium’s Signature plan also comes with priority phone support, quarterly business reviews, and personalized account plans, helping businesses get maximum value out of the service.  

Additional Podium costs to consider 

Businesses must consider a few extra costs on top of the Podium pricing plans: 

• AI Employee – An AI assistant engaging in sales, scheduling, and communication with a distinctly human touch. Prices available on request. 
• Additional Phone Numbers – Businesses can purchase extra phone numbers for $5/month. 
• Podium Phones Seats – The Podium Phones service costs $30/month per user for 1–4 seats and $25/month per user for 5+ seats. Signature users can negotiate discounts. 
• Podium Payments Processing Rates – Businesses leveraging Podium Payments must pay small fees and percentages for payment processing. For example, $5 for bank transfers. 

Other vendors offering lead conversion and online reputation management 

Podium cannot be pigeonholed as solely an online reputation management or lead conversion platform — the vendor goes beyond both these titles, offering far broader capabilities. With that said, you should always consider alternatives as part of a strong SaaS procurement process. Here are three alternatives that may provide a similarly multifaceted service.

Podium pricing vs Reputation 

Reputation focuses squarely on online reputation management, providing review monitoring, sentiment analysis, social listening, and more. The vendor also offers competitor analysis, an eye-catching selling point compared to Podium. However, Reputation cannot match its lead generation, customer communication, and payment processing capabilities.

Reputation pricing is available on request from the vendor. 

Podium pricing vs Birdeye

Birdeye pricing is similar to Podium, but features more add-ons that can ultimately drive the cost up. Birdeye may be a better alternative to Podium for larger enterprises, although it doesn't include payment processing. 

Quotes depend on location and industry, but here’s a taster: 

• Standard – $360/month 
• Professional – $450/month 
• Premium – custom

Podium pricing vs Intercom 

Intercom delivers a comprehensive customer experience management platform, offering a more targeted approach with in-app messaging and user engagement. It could be a better option for businesses mainly looking to upgrade customer service, although Podium offers a more holistic package for overall sales and relationship management. 

Here are the basics of Intercom pricing: 

• Essential – $39/month per seat 
• Advanced – $99/month per seat 
• Expert – $139/month per seat 

Podium pricing – the Vertice verdict 

Podium offers an eye-catching blend of customer experience and online reputation management alongside lead generation and conversion. The mobile app and Podium Payments feature are two unique selling points, helping local SMBs at all stages of the customer journey. 

As far as SaaS vendors go, Podium pricing is rather transparent. Vertice data shows 78/100 transparency — a laudable characteristic compared to many SaaS vendors with obscured pricing. 

Even still, don’t overlook the possibility of discounts during the procurement negotiation stage, particularly at Signature level. Not sure where to start? The Vertice platform can handle negotiations directly using our pricing benchmarks to secure the best possible price. 

Our Saas Purchasing Platform also provides data-driven insights into your organization’s software footprint, helping your business optimize spending and reduce waste. Get in contact to see how we can help.