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Customer Support · head to head

Podium vs Freshservice

Podium logo

Podium

Customer Support

Messaging platform for local businesses

From
$249/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Freshservice logo

Freshservice

Customer Support

Modern IT service management

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Podium no monthly price, contact limit or message allowance is published anywhere on the pricing page; Freshservice change, problem and release management require the Pro plan at $99 per agent per month, so core ITIL processes sit two tiers up
  • They diverge on capability: Podium covers Text messaging, Freshservice covers Incident management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Podium and Freshservice actually diverge.

Attributes where Podium and Freshservice differ
AttributePodiumFreshservice
Starting price$249/month$19/month
Founded20142010

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

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 Podium

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

Only in Freshservice

  • Incident management
  • Asset management
  • Change management
  • Knowledge base
  • Reporting
  • Slack
  • Microsoft Teams
  • AWS

Both cover

  • Automation
  • SOC2
  • GDPR
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Podium

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

Freshservice

  • IT service management and internal help desk ticketingnot Podium
  • Asset management and change control for IT teamsnot Podium

Where each one falls short

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

Podium

  • No monthly price, contact limit or message allowance is published anywhere on the pricing page
  • The page carries a heading asking what Podium costs monthly and does not answer it
  • The AI Employee is an add on across all tiers rather than being included

Freshservice

  • Change, problem and release management require the Pro plan at $99 per agent per month, so core ITIL processes sit two tiers up
  • Every plan includes only 100 ITAM asset units, with more sold separately regardless of tier
  • Orchestration transactions are metered monthly, from 1,000 on Starter to 20,000 on Enterprise, with extra packs at $250 per 1,000
  • The Freddy AI copilot is a $29 per agent per month add on on top of Pro or Enterprise
  • Sandbox and audit logs are Enterprise only, which carries no published price

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Freshservice

$19/month
  • Starter$19/month
    • Incident management
    • Knowledge base
    • Self-service portal
  • Growth$49/month
    • Asset management
    • Approval workflows
    • SLA management
  • Pro$95/month
    • Problem management
    • Change management
    • Release management
  • Enterprise$119/month
    • Freddy AI
    • Audit logs
    • Custom SSL

Which should you pick?

Choose Podium if

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

Choose Freshservice if

  • You need incident management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want asset management.
Freshservice review

Questions people ask

Is Podium or Freshservice better?
Neither clearly leads. Podium starts at $249/month and Freshservice at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Podium or Freshservice?
Podium starts at $249/month and Freshservice at $19/month.
Does Podium or Freshservice run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Podium best used for?
Podium is most often used for managing customer messages and reviews for local businesses, converting inbound leads through text and web chat. Of those, managing customer messages and reviews for local businesses and converting inbound leads through text and web chat are not what Freshservice is typically brought in for.
What can Podium do that Freshservice cannot?
Podium covers Text messaging, Review management, Webchat, Payments. Freshservice covers Incident management, Asset management, Change management, Knowledge base. Both handle Automation, SOC2, GDPR, Web support.
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