Groove HQ vs Podium
Converge Team
Side-by-side comparison for 2026
| Feature | Groove HQ | Podium |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $20/seat/mo | From $399/mo |
| Best For | Small businesses needing simple email-based customer support | Local businesses needing integrated messaging and payments |
| Standout Feature | Collision detection to prevent duplicate responses | Integrated payment collection through messaging |
| Free Plan | ✗ | ✗ |
| G2 Rating | 4.5 | 4.3 |
Groove HQ and Podium represent fundamentally different approaches to customer communication. Groove HQ focuses on traditional email support with shared inbox workflows, while Podium specializes in text messaging and local business customer engagement through SMS and webchat.
This comparison highlights how their distinct channel focuses and target markets influence which platform better serves your customer communication needs.
Feature Comparison
Groove HQ excels in email management with shared inboxes, collision detection, and team collaboration features. It provides excellent email threading, knowledge base integration, and workflow automation for email-centric support.
Podium focuses on text messaging with features like SMS campaigns, review management, and local business tools. It offers webchat that converts to SMS and specializes in lead capture and customer retention for brick-and-mortar businesses.
Groove HQ provides superior email workflow management, while Podium offers unique SMS-first engagement tools designed for local business customer relationships.
Pricing Comparison
Groove HQ uses straightforward per-user pricing at $16/user/month, including all core email support features without usage-based charges or message limits.
Podium pricing starts around $289/month for basic plans but includes SMS message costs and varies significantly based on message volume and features used.
Groove HQ offers more predictable costs for email support, while Podium's pricing reflects its SMS infrastructure and local business focus.
Groove HQ
Pros
- ✓ Simple, clean interface
- ✓ Good for small teams
- ✓ Affordable entry-level pricing
Cons
- ✗ Limited advanced features
- ✗ No modern messaging integrations
- ✗ Basic automation capabilities
Podium
Pros
- ✓ Strong local business focus
- ✓ Integrated payment processing
- ✓ Comprehensive review management
Cons
- ✗ Expensive pricing structure
- ✗ Limited international messaging
- ✗ Complex setup process
Verdict
Choose Groove HQ if email support and shared inbox collaboration are your priorities. Choose Podium if you're a local business needing SMS-first customer engagement and lead generation tools.
Choose Groove HQ if: Your support strategy centers on email, you need excellent team collaboration in shared inboxes, and want predictable per-user pricing.
Choose Podium if: You're a local business prioritizing SMS engagement, need review management tools, and want to convert website visitors to text conversations.
For businesses seeking comprehensive communication across email, chat, and messaging without usage-based pricing, Converge provides unified customer engagement at $49/month flat rate.
Looking for more options? Browse all 750+ platform comparisons, or see all Groove HQ comparisons and all Podium comparisons.