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Acquire vs Podium

Acquire logo

Acquire

Live Chat

Conversational customer engagement platform

From
$50/month
Free plan
No
Podium logo

Podium

Customer Support

Messaging platform for local businesses

From
$249/month
Free plan
No

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Acquire no pricing published on website; Podium no transparent pricing published online
  • They diverge on capability: Acquire covers Live chat, Podium covers Text messaging.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acquire and Podium actually diverge.

Attributes where Acquire and Podium differ
AttributeAcquirePodium
Starting price$50/month$249/month
CategoryLive ChatCustomer Support
Founded20152014

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Acquire

  • Live chat
  • Co-browsing
  • Video chat
  • AI chatbots
  • Screen sharing
  • Knowledge base
  • Zendesk
  • Slack

Only in Podium

  • Text messaging
  • Review management
  • Webchat
  • Payments
  • Team inbox
  • Automation
  • Google
  • Facebook

Both cover

  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • SOC2
  • GDPR
  • PCI DSS
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Acquire

  • Live chat and messaging on a website or appnot Podium
  • Omnichannel support across chat, SMS, email and voicenot Podium
  • Video and cobrowsing sessions with customersnot Podium
  • Routing and SLAs across a support queuenot Podium
  • Call deflection from phone into digital channelsnot Podium

Podium

  • Managing customer messages and reviews for local businessesnot Acquire
  • Converting inbound leads through text and web chatnot Acquire

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Acquire

  • No pricing published on website
  • Requires demo booking or signup to view pricing
  • Plan names mentioned without associated costs

Podium

  • No transparent pricing published online
  • 10DLC base fee amount not specified
  • Bulk Messages credits and limits not quantified

Pricing, plan by plan

Acquire

$50/month
  • Starter$50/month
    • Live chat
    • Basic co-browse
    • Canned responses
  • Professional$100/month
    • Everything in Starter
    • Video chat
    • Chatbots
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom features
    • Dedicated support
    • SLA guarantee

Podium

$249/month
  • Essentials$249/month
    • Inbox
    • Reviews
    • Website chat
  • Standard$449/month
    • Essentials + Campaigns
    • Payments
    • Automation
  • Professional$undefined/month
    • Standard + Advanced analytics
    • Multi-location

Which should you pick?

Choose Acquire if

  • You need live chat.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want co-browsing.

Choose Podium if

  • You need text messaging.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want review management.

Questions people ask

Is Acquire or Podium better?
Neither clearly leads. Acquire starts at $50/month and Podium at $249/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acquire or Podium?
Acquire starts at $50/month and Podium at $249/month.
Does Acquire or Podium run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Acquire best used for?
Acquire is most often used for live chat and messaging on a website or app, omnichannel support across chat, sms, email and voice, video and cobrowsing sessions with customers, routing and slas across a support queue. Of those, live chat and messaging on a website or app and omnichannel support across chat, sms, email and voice are not what Podium is typically brought in for.
What can Acquire do that Podium cannot?
Acquire covers Live chat, Co-browsing, Video chat, AI chatbots. Podium covers Text messaging, Review management, Webchat, Payments. Both handle Salesforce, HubSpot, SOC2, GDPR.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Acquire: What are Acquire's pricing tiers?

Acquire does not display pricing on its public website. The platform offers Self Service and Integrated Solution plans, but costs are only available upon request through booking a demo or contacting the sales team directly.

Source
Podium: How do I find out Podium pricing for my business?

Podium requires contacting their sales team directly at 1-801-438-4425 or visiting http://podium.com/getpricing for a custom quote based on your business needs.

Source
Acquire: Does Acquire offer professional services?

Yes. Acquire offers tailored professional services to create a customer service solution specifically designed for your business needs. Pricing for these services is determined during a custom sales consultation.

Source
Podium: What messaging features might incur additional costs?

10DLC messaging has a base fee (amount unspecified) and Bulk Messages credits are available with limits that are not detailed on their public pricing page.

Source
Podium: Does Podium publish pricing tiers online?

No. Podium states plans are designed to fit specific business needs and requires sales team consultation instead of displaying standard public pricing.

Source
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