Kayako vs Podium

Kayako and Podium serve distinctly different business needs despite both handling customer communication. Kayako operates as a traditional customer service platform with help desk functionality, while Podium focuses specifically on local business messaging, review management, and lead conversion through text messaging.

The choice between these platforms depends entirely on your business model: Kayako suits businesses needing comprehensive customer support, while Podium targets local businesses prioritizing customer acquisition and reputation management.

Kayako provides comprehensive help desk functionality with ticket management, knowledge base integration, and multi-channel support including email, chat, and phone. It's designed for ongoing customer service relationships and issue resolution tracking.

Podium specializes in text messaging for local businesses, offering features like review invitations, payment collection via text, and lead capture from website visitors. Its strength lies in converting website traffic into customers through immediate text engagement.

These platforms serve fundamentally different purposes: Kayako handles post-sale support and service, while Podium focuses on pre-sale engagement and local business growth.

Kayako uses traditional per-agent pricing starting at $15/month per agent, making it suitable for teams of any size with predictable support volume.

Podium typically starts around $289/month for small businesses, with pricing based on business size and message volume rather than agent count. This reflects its focus on business growth and lead generation rather than support team scaling.

The pricing models reflect different value propositions: Kayako charges for support capacity, while Podium charges for business growth tools and messaging capabilities.

Choose Kayako if you need a full-featured customer service platform with ticket management and multi-channel support. Choose Podium if you're a local business focused on lead generation, review management, and text-based customer communication.

Choose Kayako if: You need comprehensive customer service capabilities with traditional help desk workflows and multi-channel support for ongoing customer relationships.

Choose Podium if: You're a local business prioritizing lead generation, review management, and customer acquisition through text messaging and don't need extensive support ticketing.

For businesses needing modern customer communication without the complexity of traditional platforms, Converge offers streamlined messaging and support features at $49/month flat rate - providing essential tools without per-agent limitations.