Podium started as a fantastic Reputation Management software for organizations of all sizes. They pioneered high-touch digital interaction management for companies to manage their online reputation from a single platform positively.
These days are long gone now. Podium is still a good tool, but not good enough to stop people from looking at its alternatives. And this article is about 10 such Podium alternatives, along with the need for online reputation management tools in 2022 and beyond.
You don’t want to wait longer, do you? Well, let’s get directly to the point, then.
But to ensure you have all the information before you choose the right Podium alternative, I’ll give you a rundown of these 3 sections that you need to cover for more clarity, just in case. Please get on it and read for further information. It’s all about getting the full picture before making your decision. Hope it helps.
- Why Should You Look for a Podium Alternative?
- What to Look for in a Podium Alternative?
- Why SurveySparrow is a Better Podium Alternative?
For everyone else, it’s time to let the cat out of the bag here. 10 Podium alternatives are coming your way!
Top 10 Podium Alternatives For 2024
#1 SurveySparrow
Best For: User-friendly interface and robust analytics tools
93% of customers read online reviews before making a purchase decision. As such, the more positive reviews, the better it is for your brand. Podium lets you collect reviews but is extremely pricey. Meet SurveySparrow — an all-around Podium alternative.
This reputation management software finds your customers where they are and lets you join the conversation without missing anything. Here’s why SurveySparrow is one of the best Podium alternatives out there:
Generate new reviews: Turn customers into online promoters by automatically sending loyal customers review invitations, ensuring your top feedback always gets a spotlight.
Monitor all reviews from one place: Show customers you care by engaging with web and social media reviews. Get new customer feedback, respond, manage customer interactions and promote it globally, all from one dashboard using SurveySparrow’s reputation management solution.
Ticket-out customer feedback: Act on reviews and close the feedback loop by assigning tickets to the right person or team. Individual case management helps improve customer service by eliminating unresponsive communications through tailored workflows and alerts.
Respond directly: Respond to feedback directly from SurveySparrow. Get all-in-one access to reviews and ratings across different platforms in a single reputation software.
Analyze trends with comprehensive reports: Monitor and analyze your brand’s reputation with in-depth insights that enable better business decisions. Keep tabs on sentiments and patterns to see how your reputation grows or decreases. Sort reviews by Rating, Platform, Time, and Location to stay above the competition.
Show off your best reviews: Make your customers your biggest fans using this reputation management tool. Let your followers know how great you are by embedding customer reviews on your site.
Boost online presence: Amplify your online presence by ensuring people only find a page with good reviews when searching for your brand. Higher search rankings will turn browsers into website visitors.
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14-Day Free Trial • No Credit Card Required • No Strings Attached
Price
You get all these and more features at… well, that’s a surprise (a good one!) for you. Talk to our team about the price and demo and get started.
#2 BirdEye
Best For: Real-time chat for instant customer engagement.
Next on our list is BirdEye. This legendary customer experience company focuses on customer-driven marketing to improve its customer’s online reputation. Like SurveySparrow, BirdEye is a direct alternative to Podium and a far better one also.
It is a cloud-based customer experience platform providing services like reputation management and improved customer experience and loyalty using customer feedback. The company currently processes over 1 million reviews for customers like TD Ameritrade, Zendesk, and AT&T.
Some of its prime features are;
- BirdEye comes with a fully-featured real-time live chat functionality.
- Using BirdEye, customers share feedback via multiple review sites, like Yelp, Foursquare, TripAdvisor, etc., not just through Google and Facebook.
- It has better and more in-depth reporting features compared to Podium.
- Enabled with a larger bulk messaging SMS functionality.
- Has better listing management features.
- A far better and more rounded feedback collection tool with clear and simple-to-use features.
Price
BirdEye requires some basic information to generate a customized quote for all its 3 plans – Standard, Professional, and Premium.
#3 ReviewPush
Best For: Simplifies managing reviews across multiple locations.
ReviewPush is one of the best Podium alternatives that monitors your business reviews across the web. With ReviewPush, you get to monitor, engage and respond to customer reviews on all major review sites, like Yelp, Google, and Facebook, with complete ease.
ReviewPush helps you manage new reviews and social mentions while letting you reply to customer queries posted on the website.
The key features of this reputation management tool are;
- Instant email alert on new reviews that never falter!
- 10 locations or 100, ReviewPush makes it super easy to manage all online reviews.
- If you have multiple stores, then compare them against each other with ReviewPush’s custom ranking system.
- Add as many users as you need with no additional cost.
- Comes with a fully-equipped competitor monitoring system.
- This tool scans the web to find which profile has incomplete information.
Price
It comes with a 21-day free trial, post which the monthly plan starts from $99 per location per month. That’s it. They work on a single-price model. Cool, isn’t it?
#4 Swell
Best For: Exceptional value and personalization in customer feedback
“Get more customers. Keep more customers. Spend less time doing it.”
That’s what you first read on Swell’s website, and they fully abide by it. Swell helps prospects find your business through online reviews and offers solutions to turn customer interactions into revenue. Once you’ve started using this reputation management tool, chances are less that you’ll remember Podium.
Some of the key features of Swell are;
- People using Swell call it a tool that offers great value for money.
- Their customer teams are always working to deliver solutions based on specific use cases. So hyper-personalization is key for them.
- Swell is an integration-heavy reputation management platform which is always a good thing.
- Swell is a complete reputation management tool that comes with review, insight, webchat, message, schedule, survey, and payment features. Phew…
- Minimalistic UI with a jargon-free platform.
Price
You have to contact the Swell team to get the price of a single as well as a multi-location plan.
#5 Review Tool
Best For: Competitor analysis and robust security features
One of the cheapest and feature-heavy Podium alternatives is the Review Tool. Whatever Podium can’t do or does at extremely high prices, Review Tool does it with ease for its customers. Things like a 12-month agreement, setup fee, and opaque pricing are not something you’ll find with this reputation management software.
With loads of features, here are the few that stand out;
- Review Tool automatically discovers your competitors and discover their reviews and ratings.
- They provide login security via 2FA, something that Podium doesn’t offer.
- Offers great support via their 24/7 live chat app.
- Comes with white-label solutions for custom pricing.
- Incorporates Google and Facebook reviews. Working on incorporating reviews from other platforms.
Price
You can use all of Review Tool’s plans in the 7-day free trial period. After that, the plans start at $69 per month with an “anytime cancel” policy.
#6 NiceJob
Best For: Transparent pricing with strong customer story promotion
NiceJob is one of the best Podium competitors around that is a scalable, user-friendly platform and is more transparently priced. As a business, you should definitely try this tool out.
Some of its key features are;
- In-depth FAQs, knowledge base, and forums for supporting and implementing ideas.
- Quality video demos and documentation are needed for smooth functioning.
- Powerful social media analytics tools.
- Overall, support teams receive more care and hand-holding than Podium.
Price
NiceJob offers a customer-based pricing plan with breakpoints for 1-2500 customers, 2501-5000 customers, 5001-9999 customers, and finally, a tier for 10,000+ customers.
#7 Feefo
Best For: Verified purchase feedback for authentic customer insights
Feefo is a review service that collects genuine customer feedback for its clients. It’s a completely transparent tool, providing only verified customer reviews and helping businesses build trust through honest reviews while collecting insights to improve customer experience and drive sales.
The key features of this reputation management tool are;
- Create better feedback campaigns and personalized customer communications using Feefo.
- Uncover future sales opportunities with its insight-driven reporting.
- Get 4 different solutions for 4 different business requirements with Feefo.
- Feefo works with all leading marketing platforms to display your stars in more useful places.
Price
They offer 4 different plans starting from $79 per month, excluding VAT. And all 4 plans come with a free trial. So, choose the suited to you and talk to Feefo’s team to find exact pricing.
#8 Meltwater
Best For:Businesses seeking comprehensive media intelligence to shape public relations and marketing strategies.
One of the smartest Podium alternatives is Meltwater. Its AI-powered media intelligence and social listening suite is a class on its own. This software makes pulling and integrating data from social media, online reviews, blogs, and other channels a cakewalk. Plus, the depth of information Meltwater offers allows businesses to make data-driven decisions.
Some of its quality features include;
- We liked its spike alerts, that allow brands to proactively manage their online reputations ahead of any potential PR emergencies.
- Meltwater gives businesses a more comprehensive overview of their reputation, not just on good reviews.
- Meltwater comes with a social media engagement platform named ‘Engage’ to let businesses manage and handle all social media functions remotely with razor-sharp precision.
Price
Request them for a demo, and based on your requirements, they’ll offer a custom price.
#9 Cision
Best For: Media relations and analytics-driven press outreach
Cision is a cloud-based reputation and media management solution for both online and offline channels. The Cision system curates data from customer interactions on social profiles and other online channels to identify factors driving brand reputation. It’s a great platform for businesses, new and old.
Key features of this reputation management tool are;
- Cision enables users to track competitor performance by comparing social media posts on competitor channels.
- Users can track competitor metrics such as brand-specific tone and product positioning.
- Cision allows users to capture leads from social media mentions and track performance metrics across all social accounts.
- It also allows users to publish content to Facebook and Twitter from its user-friendly platform.
Price
You have to request a demo to get the know-how on its pricing.
#10 GradeUs
Best For: Flexible for agencies with white-label options
Last but not least, GradeUs is one of the best Podium alternatives you can use in 2022. It is designed for businesses of all sizes while giving special attention to the needs of a new one. It’s a well-rounded reputation management tool offering feedback collection, multi-channel management, and campaign management within a suite of products.
The key features include;
- The ability to collect customer reviews from multiple channels, such as emails and SMS campaigns.
- Create drip campaigns for review acquisition with GradeUs.
- Its review streamlining feature lets users select and publish reviews on social media sites.
- GradeUs’ review reporting tools allow users to track recently published reviews on third-party websites.
Price
This Podium competitor offers a 14-day free trial. The prices after that start from $110 per seat per month.
Why Should You Look for a Podium Alternative?
Surprisingly, there are quite many drawbacks associated with Podium, and it is present in almost every area we can think of. Like we’ve said at the start, Podium is a good tool that revolutionized online reputation management, but some serious drawbacks have found their way lately, starting with;
Over-the-top Pricing
Where do we even start here? In Podium, to get unlimited reviews, you’d have to shell out at least $449 per month. And even then, you’ll spend on their hefty add-ons to properly make use of the selected plan. Plus, there’s sometimes a setup fee that Podium charges to set up your dashboard for smooth functioning.
Compare this to the 10 alternatives, and you’ll get similar features without any add-ons or setup fees for an average price of not more than $250. So, this over-the-top pricing from Podium bamboozles a lot of its users, and rightly so.
The 12-month Agreements
If the super-high prices weren’t enough, there are year-long agreements that Podium make its users sign if they’ve opted for the annual plan. There are reviews highlighting just how impossible it is to cancel this agreement if you’re not liking the platform and want to end your association.
We’ve never seen anything like this anywhere. Podium proves to be an exemption here!
Not A Merry Ride!
The problem here is that Podium is not an easy platform to use and master. It takes time for a team or an individual to understand all its features and functions. But then, there’s always some glitch with the software. Sometimes, there are no notifications for new messages and other times, there are problems with its analytics and reporting tool.
Weak Support
Another reason why the experience of using Podium ain’t merry is their weak customer support. It’s very normal for their team to resolve your issues (even a single issue!) in a week! Can you imagine? They take an entire week to resolve queries, and that too… unsatisfactorily.
The reason we found this was the lack of knowledge of their customer support reps. See, Podium is doing a good job of hiring people in their support staff to reduce the issue resolution time, but the training is not adequate, resulting in weak overall support.
Lacks Omnichannel Review Collection
Podium only collects reviews from Facebook pages and Google Maps, leaving customers’ reviews on Yelp or other social media platforms. An online reputation can’t be formed based on just two platforms, can it? And Podium can’t help here.
What to Look for in a Podium Alternative?
Choosing the right Podium alternative depends on what you liked (or disliked) about Podium. Here are some key factors to consider:
Must-Have Features:
Communication Channels: Does it offer business texting, VoIP calls, and online reviews management, just like Podium?
Review Management: Does it allow you to monitor reviews across platforms, respond to them easily, and analyze customer sentiment?
Integrations: Does it integrate with your existing business tools like CRM or scheduling software?
Beyond the Basics:
Additional Features: Consider extras you might find valuable, like appointment scheduling, social media listening, or analytics dashboards.
- Industry Specificity: Do some alternatives cater to your specific industry, like healthcare or restaurants?
- Pricing and Scalability: Does the pricing model fit your budget and allow you to grow with your business?
- Ease of Use: Is the platform user-friendly for both you and your team?
- Customer Support: How responsive and helpful is their customer support team?
Here’s a tip: Make a list of your priorities and compare different Podium alternatives to see which one checks the most boxes for you.
Why SurveySparrow is a Better Podium Alternative?
SurveySparrow could be considered a better Podium alternative for several reasons, depending on your specific needs:
- Versatility in Survey Types: SurveySparrow offers a wide range of survey types, including NPS, employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and more. This versatility allows for a more tailored approach to gathering feedback across different areas of your business.
- Engaging User Interface: The platform is known for its user-friendly and engaging interface, making it easier for businesses to create and send surveys that get higher response rates.
- Advanced Analytics: SurveySparrow provides robust analytics and reporting tools, enabling you to dive deep into the data you collect and gain insightful analytics, helping make informed decisions.
- Automation Features: With features like workflow automation, SurveySparrow can help automate the process of sending surveys and following up on them, saving time and effort.
- Customization and Branding: The platform allows for a high degree of customization, letting businesses tailor surveys to match their brand identity closely.
- Integration Capabilities: SurveySparrow offers integration with a wide array of tools and platforms, facilitating smoother workflows and data sharing across different business tools.
- Pricing Flexibility: For businesses sensitive to cost, SurveySparrow may offer more flexible pricing plans that can fit a variety of budgets and needs better than Podium.
- Customer Support: The company places a strong emphasis on customer service, providing timely and helpful support, which can be crucial for businesses relying on the platform for critical feedback gathering.
It’s important to evaluate these aspects in the context of your specific business needs, as the “better” alternative is highly subjective and depends on what criteria are most important to you and your organization.
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The Podium Alternative You Need!
Online Reputation Management Tools. Why The Need?
As we’ve discussed, Podium is an online reputation management tool with many drawbacks. You have the 10 Podium alternatives for it, but why are such tools needed? How exactly do they help your brand’s overall reputation?
These reasons are the answer;
Media Coverage
The entire point of reputation management stemmed from the need for positive media coverage of a brand. So, let’s say a prominent media house wishes to cover your company. Where will they go first to learn more about the business and your offerings? Google. Yes, they’ll Google and read all the reviews, listing information, and user testimonials.
They’ll contact you for a story only when they’re satisfied with your brand’s reliability. Such positive media coverage can greatly influence your brand’s growth story. Managing your online reputation using reputation management tools is the key to that.
Reliable, Consistent Info.
A simple question: You wish to have reliable online information about your business, right?
We say online because people use Google for the smallest things, and SEO greatly ranks higher for relevant categories. Consistent and reliable information throughout the web using a tool like SurveySparrow is a surefire way to improve these SEO scores, thereby ranking higher and building more trust.
Soaring Brand Identity
As a decision-maker, you always have a vision for your brand. You talk about it with your team and colleagues and consistently want to work towards it.
Well, online reputation management tools are the best way of doing that in 2022 and beyond. Sure, it takes longer to show results, but has a far better ROI than paid marketing efforts in most cases. Using such tools that work on the concept of customer-driver marketing, you’re slowly instilling the right narrative about your brand.
Big Savings!
Podium, due to its exorbitant price, is an exception here. The 10 alternatives to it are all pocket-friendly, and that’s how online reputation management tools are. Plus, you tend to spend less on ads and big-ticket campaigns using these tools, which are a massive cost-saver.
Think about it, brands spend a fortune making themselves visible and generating trust among the target audience. But when you’re getting positive reviews, giving prompt replies on social media callouts, and staying consistent with all online information, that trust is automatically built. And that saves a lot of money!
Time For A Change, Eh?
There you have it. Podium, its alternatives, drawbacks, and the pressing need for a reputation management tool in 2022 and beyond.
Every one of these 10 alternatives is a way better option than Podium, but SurveySparrow is in a different league! It has a sleek platform, a single-interface functioning, powerful analytics and comparison, and so much more. This Podium alternative offers a wealth of options.
Talk to us then, and let us take care of your online reputation in the right manner at the right price. Ciao.
