Side by side
What each one does.
How to read this. BIZ Assist prices are the plan prices on our pricing page. Two things on our side are add-ons, and we list them instead of hiding them: the website chat responder is +$75/mo, and Google listing setup is $150 one-time. Podium's prices are the base plan; their add-ons and fees are noted in each cell.
✓ includedAdd-on costs extra— not offered
| Feature | Podium Core$399/mo base | Podium Pro$599/mo base | BIZ AssistComplete $297/mo · Signature $497/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business number that texts | ✓Makes your landline textable; 5 numbers. A full phone system is the Phones add-on: $500 per location plus $30 per user per month. | ✓Same, with 15 numbers. Phones add-on priced the same. | ✓Included from Pro ($217) up. One number for calls and texts, on your truck, your site and your Google listing. |
| Missed-call text-back | Add-onListed under Podium Phones, so it comes with the Phones fees above. | Add-onSame: part of the Phones add-on. | ✓Included from Pro up. A missed call gets a text back in seconds, from your number. No per-seat or setup fee. |
| Website chat | ✓Chat bubble that continues by text. AI answers are an add-on; booking needs the AI Employee add-on (price not published). | ✓AI answers included. Booking still needs the AI Employee add-on. | Add-onChat that answers questions and books: +$75/mo on any plan. It knows your hours, prices and services; anything unsure goes to you. |
| Review invites | ✓Text invites and reminders for Google and Facebook. Automatic AI replies are an add-on. | ✓Included, with AI replies. | ✓Complete and up. Every happy customer gets one ask for a Google review, never twice. |
| One inbox | ✓Texts, Facebook, Instagram, Google messages and form leads in one inbox. | ✓Same, plus lead routing. | ✓Texts and messages in one simple app. Facebook and Instagram messages are not in it. |
| Campaigns | ✓Text only. 250 bulk credits a month; they expire monthly. | ✓Text only. 500 bulk credits a month. | ✓Complete and up. One-click text and email campaigns to your customers. Ask us about volume; we don't print a cap we haven't set. |
| Website | —Nothing. Assumes you already have a site. | —Same. | ✓Every plan. Built by hand and kept up to date. Complete: 10–20 pages. Signature: fully hand-coded, a page for every service and city. |
| Found-on-Google work | —Connects your Google profile for reviews and messages only. No listing setup, photos, hours or ranking work. | —Same. | ✓Listing set up right, with photos, hours and the right category; better Google ranking on every page from Complete up. Listing setup is $150 one-time where it isn't already in your plan. |
| Custom dashboard and database | ✓Customer database and basic reporting on leads, reviews, payments and bulk sends. | ✓Same. | ✓Your customers and your money numbers in one place, on your phone: what came in this month. Complete adds a monthly report. Different, not better: Podium has more out-of-the-box reports. |
| Custom-built helpers | —"Custom automations" are built by Podium staff, inside Podium. | —Same. | ✓An assistant for the office: drafts replies, sends reminders, organizes the money numbers, keeps the to-do list. It drafts, you decide. |
| Contract | 12 monthsAuto-renews for another 12. Written notice at least a month before the end. | 12 monthsSame terms. | Month to monthNo contracts. No tricks. |
| Price | $399/moPlus a $5/mo messaging fee per location. HVAC businesses are told to "contact sales for applicable pricing." Phones and AI Employee are extra. | $599/moPlus the same $5/mo fee. Phones and AI Employee are extra. | $297 / $497Complete $297/mo. Signature $497/mo. Add-ons listed above. Pro is $217/mo and Starter (site only) is $150/mo. |
Where Podium wins
Four things Podium has that we don't.
- Payments. Text-to-pay, card readers, estimates by text. BIZ Assist doesn't take payments.
- An AI that answers the phone. Podium's AI Employee picks up calls (add-on, price not published). With us, calls still ring your phone; our chat is on the website.
- A full phone system. Menus, extensions, call recording and transcripts, as a paid add-on. We give you a business number that texts, not a switchboard.
- Facebook, Instagram and Google messages in one inbox. Ours is texts and messages from your site.
If you need any of those four, Podium is the better tool for that job.
The three biggest gaps
What Podium leaves you to pay someone else for.
- The website itself. Podium bolts onto a site you already pay for. Our lowest plan is the site, built by hand and kept up to date.
- Being found on Google. Podium collects reviews from your Google profile. It never sets the listing up, fixes the category, or builds the pages for your cities.
- The contract. Twelve months, renewing for twelve more, is the most repeated complaint about Podium on review sites. We're month to month.
The contract
Twelve months, then twelve more.
From Podium's Terms of Service, version 6.3, effective June 17, 2025, section 8.1:
"the initial term for any Subscription to the Services is twelve (12) months and will automatically renew for subsequent periods of equal duration, unless either party gives written notice of non-renewal at least one (1) month before the end of the then-current Subscription Term."
So the window to leave is one month, in writing, once a year. BIZ Assist is month to month. If it isn't working, you stop.
Good questions
Three things people ask.
Do we have to cancel Podium first?
No. The website, the Google listing work and the review asks can start while Podium is still running. Check your renewal date first: Podium needs written notice at least a month before the term ends.
Does BIZ Assist take payments?
No. Keep whatever you use to get paid today. We do the site, the number, the texts, the reviews, and your customers and money numbers in one place.
Will texts still come from one number?
Yes. One business number for calls and texts, the one on your truck, your site and your Google listing. Nothing goes out that you didn't approve.