RetentionTek vs Podium
RetentionTek vs Podium
Podium is a local-business messaging and reputation platform: unified inbox, review requests, text payments. It is good at getting stars and carrying a message. It does not measure whether a customer came back. RetentionTek is a $199 published retention layer that scores return behaviour and drafts the follow-up. Different jobs, and Podium costs more to leave.
Where they are strong
Where Podium is strong
- Review-request automation is the core of the product, and it works. Stars are the reason most buyers stay.
- One inbox across text, web chat and social DMs. RetentionTek does email only.
- An AI reply agent answers inbound messages. Our agent is read-only by design.
- Brand recognition in local services, and 2,066 G2 reviews against our zero today.
- Text payments and a phone-number product. We do not process payments.
Where we differ
Where RetentionTek differs
- The price is published: $199 a month. Podium routes to a quote form, and third-party analyses report roughly $399 to $599 a month before add-ons.
- Monthly, cancel any time. Podium is reported to run an annual term, and "difficult cancellation process" is 100% negative across 26 Capterra reviews.
- 10,000 emails a month included, and email stops there with no overage charge. Podium Core is reported to cap bulk SMS at 250 a month with no metered overage, so one extra send forces the next tier.
- No setup fee to start. Podium setup is reported at around $500. Ours is $0 until you turn on texting, when the one-time registration is $99.
- A Retention Score built from completed visits, withheld below 30 mature customers rather than shown as a confident zero.
Side by side
The differences that decide it
| Axis | Podium | RetentionTek |
|---|---|---|
| Published price | Not published; ~$399 to $599/mo reported | $199/mo, published |
| Contract | Annual, reported | Monthly, cancel any time |
| Message ceiling | 250 bulk SMS/mo on Core, no overage | 10,000 emails/mo included, no overage charge |
| Setup fee | ~$500 reported | $0 to start |
| Retention measurement | None native; it is a messaging inbox | Retention Score from completed visits |
| Leaving | Top complaint; porting complaints | Cancel in product, port-out PIN, no exit fee |
Price reality
What the ceiling costs at one location
Podium prices per location on a tier ladder, and the tier is set by message volume rather than by seats. Reported Core is around $399 a month with a 250-message bulk cap.
- One location on reported Core: about $399/mo, before the $5 A2P fee, extra numbers, or the $99/mo AI reply add-on.
- A 400-client win-back campaign is 400 messages. On a 250 cap that is a tier jump, reported at roughly $200/mo more.
- Three locations: the per-location price applies three times, plus $50/mo per extra location reported.
- RetentionTek: $199 for one location, 10,000 emails included, $99/mo per extra location.
The arithmetic is the argument. If you send more than 250 messages in a month, the ceiling is the price. We publish the whole schedule, including what happens past 10,000 emails: email stops, with no overage charge and no tier jump.
See the whole price scheduleKeep your booking system
Podium is not the thing you replace
If you already run Podium for reviews and texting, keep it. RetentionTek imports a completed-visit export and answers a question Podium does not ask: who was due back and did not come. The overlap is email, so check whether Podium already covers the follow-up you want before adding a second sender.
Frequently asked questions
Practical answers
Does RetentionTek replace Podium?
No. Podium is a messaging and reputation platform. RetentionTek is a retention layer over imported visit history. If you want one inbox for text, chat and DMs, Podium is the better fit. If you want to know who is overdue and why, that is us.
Is Podium really on an annual contract?
Third-party 2026 analyses report an annual term on its tiers. Podium does not publish the term on its pricing page, which routes to a quote form. Get the term in writing before you sign, and check the cancellation clause specifically.
What happens if I go over 250 messages on Podium?
Reported behaviour is that there is no metered overage: the account is moved to the next tier, which analyses put at roughly $200 a month more. That is a cliff, not a rate. RetentionTek includes 10,000 emails a month and stops there, with no overage charge, so the step is a stop rather than a tier.
Can I keep my phone number if I leave Podium?
Number porting is the most emotional complaint in the category, so treat it as a contract question rather than a product one. RetentionTek does not own your number today because we do not sell telephony. When texting ships, the plan is a port-out PIN and no exit fee.
Does RetentionTek send texts?
Not yet. SMS is not active in the current release. When you turn it on there is a one-time $99 managed registration, charged then and non-refundable, and carrier approval usually takes 7 to 14 days. Email delivery runs through a connected Google or Microsoft mailbox today.
How does RetentionTek get my data out of Podium?
Export a completed-visit file and import the CSV or XLSX. The import maps customer identifiers, visit dates, attendance, location and service, up to 2 MiB, 5,000 rows and 80 columns. An arbitrary contact export is not enough; you need visit history.
Keep reading
Related comparisons
Add the layer it does not have
Start your 14-day free trial
Import completed visits. Get your Retention Score. See who is overdue. Draft your first win-back message.
$199 a month after the trial, one location included. Card required, monthly, cancel any time.
Sources
Podium pricing, add-ons and the 250-message cap are reported by third-party 2026 analyses, not published by Podium. Review counts and sub-scores are from Capterra, G2 and Trustpilot, captured 28 October 2026.
Podium is a trademark of its owner. RetentionTek is not affiliated with Podium and does not claim endorsement. Vendor features and prices are described from dated public sources and third-party analyses captured 28 October 2026; confirm current plans and terms with the vendor before deciding.