Pick Podium if
you want texting, phones with missed-call text-back, website chat and payments in one platform, with reviews as one part of it.
Where Podium goes further
Compare
Grades.com vs Podium
Podium sells an AI platform for local businesses: an AI employee that answers leads, texting, phones, website chat, payments and reviews.1 Grades.com brings your reviews from 54 sites into one inbox, drafts every reply in your voice, gives you a public grade and checks what ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude say about you.
Facts about Podium come from its own website, read on October 27, 2026. Each one links to its source below.
The short version
Pick Grades.com if
reviews are the job: every review site in one inbox, replies drafted for you, what AI assistants say about you, and prices you can see before you sign up.
What Grades.com does not do
- No texting inbox, web chat, phones, missed-call text-back or payments
- No listings management or customer surveys
- Review request campaigns are on Premium only
Feature by feature
Grades.com’s side is the product today. Podium’s side is what its own pages say, with a source for each fact.
| Feature | Grades.com | Podium |
|---|---|---|
| Published prices | YesYes. Starter $29 a month per location, Pro $149 and Premium $399 a month per business. | NoNot published. Its pricing page says to talk to its sales team.1 |
| Billing and contract | YesMonthly, no contract. Yearly billing is optional and gives two months free. | A 12-month first term that renews for equal periods unless either side gives 30 days’ notice.5 |
| Free trial | Yes14 days of Pro, no card needed. | Not foundNot found on the pages we read. |
| Review sites monitored | Yes54 sites. Google on Starter, all 54 on Pro and Premium. | No count published. Its reviews page names Google, Facebook and DealerRater.2 |
| AI reply drafts | YesEvery plan. 10 a month on Starter, up to 50 per location on Pro. Unlimited AI drafts on Premium. | YesAI Reputation Specialist “crafts review invites and replies.”2 |
| Replies posted for you | PartlyPremium, where a site allows it. Hard reviews wait for you. | Not foundNot stated on its reviews page. |
| Review generation | PartlyA review page and QR code that show every site, on every plan. Email campaigns on Premium (text messages coming soon). | YesReview invites by text message.2 |
| What AI assistants say about you | YesChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude. Monthly on Starter, weekly on Pro, daily with alerts on Premium. | Not foundNot found on the pages we read. |
| Competitor tracking | PartlyCompetitor Map on Premium. Who AI names next to you, ranked. | Not foundNot found on the pages we read. |
| Public grade, awards and badges | YesA Grades.com Score from A+ to F on reviews.grades.com, seasonal awards and badges for your website. | Not foundNot found on the pages we read. |
| API and MCP server | YesREST API and MCP server on every plan. | PartlyA REST API you apply to use. No MCP server found.4 |
| Texting, web chat, phones or payments | NoNot offered. | YesYes. Phones with missed-call text-back, website chat, payments and text marketing.13 |
| Listings management | NoNot offered. | Not foundNot found on the pages we read. |
| Customer surveys | NoNot offered. | Not foundNot found on the pages we read. |
Not found means the Podium pages we read on October 27, 2026 did not describe it. It may still be offered: ask Podium. Numbers point to the sources at the end of this page.
Pricing side by side
Prices as each company publishes them, on October 27, 2026.
Grades.com
- Starter$29 a month per location
- Pro$149 a month, first location included
- Premium$399 a month, first location included
Pro and Premium add a charge per extra location, lower from location 21 and 101. Monthly with no contract, or yearly with two months free. 14-day free trial of Pro, no card needed.
Compare Grades.com plans →Podium
Prices are not published. The pricing page says plans are “designed to fit your specific business needs, talk to our sales team for details.”1
The Terms of Service set a 12-month first term that renews automatically; you give notice at least 30 days before the end of a term to stop it.5
AI answers
What AI says about you
More customers ask an AI assistant before they choose a business. Grades.com asks too, on every plan.
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini
Claude
- Whether each one mentions you, and in what tone
- The ratings it quotes, checked against your real ones
- The review sites its answers lean on
- Monthly on Starter, weekly on Pro, daily with alerts on Premium
Podium
We found no feature on the Podium pages we read that reports what AI assistants say about a business.
Frequently asked questions
Is Grades.com an alternative to Podium?
For reviews, yes: reviews from 54 sites in one inbox, reply drafts in your voice, a public grade and what four AI assistants say about you. Grades.com does not do texting, phones, web chat or payments, so if you rely on those, Podium covers more.
How much does Podium cost?
Podium does not publish prices; its pricing page asks you to talk to its sales team (read on October 27, 2026). Grades.com costs $29 a month per location on Starter, $149 a month on Pro and $399 a month on Premium.
Does Podium have a contract?
Podium’s Terms of Service set a 12-month first term that renews for equal periods unless either side gives notice at least 30 days before the term ends. Grades.com bills monthly with no contract.
Where do the facts about Podium come from?
From Podium’s own website, read on October 27, 2026. Each fact links to its page in the sources below. Products and prices change, so check those pages before you decide.
What does Grades.com not do?
Grades.com does not offer a texting inbox, web chat, phones, missed-call text-back, payments, listings management or customer surveys.
Sources
- Podium pricing www.podium.com/pricing, read October 27, 2026
- Podium reviews www.podium.com/product/reviews, read October 27, 2026
- Podium phones www.podium.com/product/phones, read October 27, 2026
- Podium developer docs, getting started docs.podium.com/docs/getting-started, read October 27, 2026
- Podium Terms of Service (US), section 8.1 legal.podium.com, read October 27, 2026
Grades.com facts come from our pricing page and the product as of October 27, 2026. Podium is a trademark of its owner. Grades.com is not affiliated with Podium. Compare Grades.com with other review tools.
See your reviews, and what AI says, in one place
14-day free trial of Pro, no card needed.
Product names and logos are trademarks of their owners; no endorsement implied.