Podium vs Trengo

Podium and Trengo target different aspects of business communication. Podium specializes in local business messaging with strong SMS marketing, review management, and lead generation features, primarily serving retail, automotive, and service industries. Trengo focuses on customer support efficiency through multi-channel messaging consolidation, emphasizing team collaboration and WhatsApp Business integration.

The core difference lies in business focus: Podium drives customer acquisition and retention for local businesses through messaging and reviews, while Trengo optimizes support team productivity across various communication channels.

Podium excels in local business features including SMS marketing campaigns, automated review requests, lead capture from website visitors, and payment collection via text. It integrates with popular local business tools and offers industry-specific templates for automotive, retail, and service businesses.

Trengo specializes in support team efficiency with unified inbox management, WhatsApp Business API integration, Instagram and Facebook Messenger support, team assignment features, and conversation routing. Its strength lies in maintaining conversation context and enabling seamless team collaboration.

Podium wins for local business growth and customer acquisition, while Trengo dominates in support team productivity and multi-channel customer service management.

Podium starts at $289 per month for basic messaging features, with higher tiers reaching $400+ monthly for advanced marketing automation and review management. SMS costs are additional, typically $0.02-0.05 per message, which can add significant monthly expenses.

Trengo begins at €15 per user monthly for basic features, scaling to €25-45 per user for advanced automation and WhatsApp Business API. The per-user model provides predictable costs but can become expensive for larger support teams.

Podium's location-based pricing suits single or few-location businesses, while Trengo's per-user model scales better for growing support teams with consistent messaging volume.

Choose Podium if you're a local business needing SMS marketing, review management, and lead generation capabilities integrated with customer messaging. Choose Trengo if you prioritize customer support efficiency, multi-channel consolidation, and team collaboration over marketing and review features.

Choose Podium if: You're a local business needing SMS marketing, automated review collection, lead generation, and payment processing integrated with customer messaging capabilities.

Choose Trengo if: You need efficient customer support operations, multi-channel message management, strong WhatsApp Business integration, and team collaboration features without marketing overhead.

For businesses seeking straightforward customer communication without specialized local business marketing or complex multi-channel management, Converge offers essential messaging features at $49/month flat rate, providing cost-effective communication tools.