Compare Drift and Podium 
At a Glance
Market Segments
Mid-Market (51.6% of reviews)
Small-Business (60.2% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
Starting at $2,500.00 Per Month
Contact Us Per Month
Drift
Star Rating
(1,256)4.4 out of 5
Market Segments
Mid-Market (51.6% of reviews)
Pros & Cons
Entry-Level Pricing
Starting at $2,500.00 Per Month
Browse all 3 pricing plansPodium
Star Rating
(2,067)4.6 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (60.2% of reviews)
Pros & Cons
Entry-Level Pricing
Contact Us Per Month
Browse all 3 pricing plansSummary
AI Generated Summary
AI-generated. Powered by real user reviews.
- G2 reviewers report that Podium excels in customer communication, with users appreciating its ability to consolidate text messages, reviews, and customer interactions into one platform. This integration allows for quick responses and efficient management of customer feedback, making it a favorite among small businesses.
- Users say that Drift offers impressive AI sales tools, which are highlighted as beneficial for targeted lead generation. Reviewers note that Drift's seamless integration with calendars and customizable features enhance the user experience, particularly for sales professionals looking to optimize their outreach.
- According to verified reviews, Podium's text messaging feature stands out, allowing businesses to reach customers quickly and receive prompt responses. This capability is particularly valued by users who prioritize fast communication and customer engagement.
- Reviewers mention that while Drift has a strong focus on lead generation, it sometimes struggles with meeting specific workflow needs, leading to configuration challenges. This can impact the overall user experience for those who require more tailored solutions.
- G2 reviewers highlight that Podium's simplicity and effectiveness in managing customer interactions save time and streamline processes. Users appreciate how it combines various communication channels, which helps maintain a positive reputation through effective feedback management.
- Users report that Drift's live chat feature is highly rated, providing a robust tool for real-time customer engagement. However, some users feel that its overall performance in conversational support lags behind Podium, which has received higher satisfaction ratings in this area.
Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
Drift
Premium
Starting at $2,500.00
Per Month
For small businesses. The right amount of conversational firepower to keep your business growing.
- * Everything in Free, plus:
- Live Chat
- Meetings
Podium
Core
Contact Us
Per Month
With essential AI features, respond to and convert more leads faster.
- Consolidated Lead Conversion Platform
- Review Management with AI Reponses
- Basic Automations
Free Trial
Drift
Free Trial is available
Podium
No trial information availableRatings
Meets Requirements
8.7
1,019
9.1
1,738
Ease of Use
8.7
1,032
9.3
1,757
Ease of Setup
8.4
508
9.1
1,088
Ease of Admin
8.5
473
9.3
889
Quality of Support
8.8
940
9.0
1,615
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
8.9
472
9.2
907
Product Direction (% positive)
8.9
997
9.0
1,724
Features by Category
Core Conversational Capabilities - AI Chatbots
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Data
Not enough data
8.0
39
Not enough data
8.8
40
Interaction
Not enough data
8.0
41
Not enough data
8.2
40
Not enough data
8.3
40
Not enough data
8.4
40
Not enough data
8.3
39
Task & Flow Management - AI Chatbots
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Learning
Not enough data
8.2
40
Not enough data
7.9
41
Deployment & Embedding - AI Chatbots
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Content Generation
Not enough data
8.1
41
Not enough data
7.9
41
Admin & Configuration - AI Chatbots
Not enough data
Not enough data
System
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.4
41
Not enough data
8.5
40
Not enough data
8.5
39
Agentic AI - AI Chatbots
Not enough data
5.2
8
Not enough data
6.0
8
Not enough data
6.3
8
Not enough data
5.8
8
Not enough data
6.7
8
Not enough data
5.8
8
Not enough data
6.7
8
Monitoring & Improvement - AI Chatbots
Not enough data
Not enough data
Reliability & Safety - AI Chatbots
Not enough data
Not enough data
Messenger
8.5
203
|
Verified
8.3
158
8.2
201
|
Verified
7.6
207
9.1
273
|
Verified
9.1
222
8.5
250
|
Verified
Feature Not Available
Channels
7.9
116
|
Verified
7.9
212
8.9
250
|
Verified
8.6
221
7.7
91
|
Verified
9.3
237
7.6
81
|
Verified
Feature Not Available
7.8
90
|
Verified
8.0
195
Customers
8.6
225
|
Verified
8.2
153
8.4
202
|
Verified
8.4
155
8.1
241
|
Verified
8.5
222
8.7
242
|
Verified
8.3
222
8.5
246
|
Verified
8.5
222
Agentic AI - Conversational Marketing
Not enough data
4.4
13
Not enough data
4.5
13
Not enough data
4.2
13
Not enough data
4.9
13
Not enough data
4.9
13
Not enough data
5.0
13
Not enough data
4.9
13
Lead Facilitation
8.9
315
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.2
309
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.2
288
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.7
305
|
Verified
Not enough data
Organization
8.0
265
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.0
269
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.3
278
|
Verified
Not enough data
Performance Analysis
7.8
241
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.0
261
|
Verified
Not enough data
Sales Analysis
7.5
215
|
Verified
Not enough data
7.7
221
|
Verified
Not enough data
Generative AI
7.5
87
Not enough data
7.6
85
Not enough data
Agentic AI - AI Sales Assistant
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Platform Basics
Not enough data
8.6
65
Not enough data
8.5
64
Not enough data
9.1
65
Platform Data
Not enough data
9.1
65
Not enough data
9.0
65
Platform Additional Functionality
Not enough data
8.5
63
Not enough data
9.1
65
Not enough data
9.3
65
Platform Content
Not enough data
9.0
62
Agentic AI - Automotive Marketing
Not enough data
6.3
9
Not enough data
6.5
9
Not enough data
6.5
9
Not enough data
6.7
9
Not enough data
6.7
9
Not enough data
6.7
9
Not enough data
6.7
9
Text Messaging
Not enough data
8.7
230
|
Verified
Not enough data
9.3
240
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.4
187
Not enough data
8.6
239
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.3
213
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.4
216
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.5
233
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.5
216
|
Verified
SMS Platform
Not enough data
8.5
223
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.6
223
|
Verified
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
7.6
201
|
Verified
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.2
206
|
Verified
Agentic AI - SMS Marketing
Not enough data
5.7
24
Not enough data
6.1
24
Not enough data
6.6
24
Not enough data
6.4
24
Not enough data
5.8
24
Not enough data
5.7
24
Channels
Not enough data
8.2
325
Not enough data
8.1
322
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Design
Not enough data
8.3
338
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.5
373
Not enough data
8.4
364
Not enough data
8.6
337
Generative AI
Not enough data
7.5
234
Not enough data
7.5
229
Responses
Not enough data
9.3
14
Not enough data
9.3
14
Not enough data
8.9
14
Automation - AI Agents
Not enough data
8.5
17
Not enough data
8.9
20
Not enough data
8.5
16
Not enough data
8.8
15
Not enough data
8.9
17
Platform
Not enough data
9.0
14
Not enough data
8.9
16
Not enough data
9.2
14
Autonomy - AI Agents
Not enough data
8.6
14
Not enough data
8.8
14
Not enough data
8.7
15
Not enough data
7.9
14
Generative AI
Not enough data
8.6
15
Not enough data
8.7
14
Responses
8.2
280
8.7
33
8.3
268
8.4
33
8.4
303
8.9
33
8.1
273
Feature Not Available
8.0
228
8.2
32
Platform
8.9
309
Feature Not Available
8.4
291
Feature Not Available
8.4
275
8.5
31
8.1
281
8.4
32
7.9
240
Feature Not Available
8.4
261
8.8
32
8.2
286
8.9
31
Generative AI
7.7
84
8.1
32
7.7
82
8.1
31
Conversational Platform
8.6
167
8.7
296
8.4
117
8.4
253
8.7
128
8.3
166
8.6
92
8.5
182
Support Automation
Feature Not Available
8.5
258
8.4
147
8.3
166
8.7
138
8.7
168
8.4
92
8.1
174
Generative AI
7.9
31
7.5
153
7.7
31
7.5
155
Integrations
7.4
92
Not enough data
7.9
95
Not enough data
7.8
91
Not enough data
7.3
88
Not enough data
8.0
95
Not enough data
Branding & Customizatio
8.2
94
Not enough data
8.3
93
Not enough data
7.9
90
Not enough data
Automatic Rules & Configurations
8.5
96
Not enough data
8.2
90
Not enough data
8.1
93
Not enough data
Agentic AI - Business Scheduling
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Customer Support
7.8
12
Not enough data
7.8
12
Not enough data
8.1
12
Not enough data
Automation
8.2
11
Not enough data
8.3
13
Not enough data
8.3
12
Not enough data
Artificial Intelligence
7.7
13
Not enough data
8.2
13
Not enough data
8.3
14
Not enough data
Generative AI
7.7
31
Not enough data
7.9
30
Not enough data
Agentic AI - Bot Platforms
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Generative AI
7.7
83
7.7
246
7.7
81
7.5
243
7.3
81
Feature Not Available
Communication
9.2
543
|
Verified
9.2
698
|
Verified
8.5
539
|
Verified
9.0
723
|
Verified
7.8
323
|
Verified
8.1
509
8.6
415
|
Verified
9.0
664
|
Verified
7.9
189
7.3
295
Internal Use
8.4
461
|
Verified
8.2
617
|
Verified
8.7
471
|
Verified
8.9
677
|
Verified
8.5
472
|
Verified
8.6
646
|
Verified
8.2
409
|
Verified
8.6
628
|
Verified
8.3
372
|
Verified
8.8
634
|
Verified
8.1
402
|
Verified
8.5
599
|
Verified
Generative AI
7.4
20
Not enough data
Self-Service Experience
8.1
57
Not enough data
8.2
53
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.2
51
Not enough data
8.5
57
Not enough data
Self-Service Platform
8.6
57
Not enough data
8.7
60
Not enough data
8.2
59
Not enough data
8.6
59
Not enough data
Agentic AI - Customer Self-Service
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Platform Basics - VoIP Providers
Not enough data
6.8
11
Not enough data
6.5
11
Not enough data
6.2
10
Not enough data
5.8
11
Not enough data
5.8
10
Not enough data
6.5
10
Basic Communication
Not enough data
8.4
42
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
7.3
37
Agentic AI - VoIP Providers
Not enough data
6.0
7
Not enough data
6.0
7
Not enough data
6.2
7
Not enough data
6.7
7
Access
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Advanced Features
Not enough data
6.7
39
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.1
39
Consumer Intelligence
Not enough data
9.1
631
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.4
518
Not enough data
8.5
559
|
Verified
Reporting
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.4
524
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.9
649
|
Verified
Media Monitoring
Not enough data
8.5
518
Not enough data
7.3
199
Not enough data
8.3
511
In-House Management
Not enough data
8.6
503
Not enough data
8.6
503
|
Verified
Generative AI
Not enough data
7.5
138
Agentic AI - Online Reputation Management
Not enough data
5.2
11
Not enough data
5.3
11
Not enough data
5.9
11
Not enough data
5.8
11
Not enough data
5.6
11
Not enough data
5.6
11
Agentic AI - AI Agents
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
Drift and Podium are categorized as Conversational Support, Conversational Marketing, Chatbots, and Live Chat
Unique Categories
Drift is categorized as Business Scheduling, AI Sales Assistant, Bot Platforms, Customer Self-Service, and Customer Service Automation
Podium is categorized as AI Agents For Business Operations, AI Chatbots, Shared Inbox, Customer Communications Management, SMS Marketing, Automotive Marketing, Online Reputation Management, and VoIP Providers
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
Drift
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Podium
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Small-Business
(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market
(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise
(> 1000 emp.)
Reviewers' Industry
Computer Software
32.8%
Information Technology and Services
20.6%
Marketing and Advertising
7.1%
Financial Services
3.2%
Computer & Network Security
3.0%
Other
33.3%
Automotive
19.9%
Retail
13.8%
Consumer Services
9.1%
Construction
7.9%
Furniture
6.2%
Other
43.2%
Discussions
Do I have to completely remove all of my lead capture forms?
2 Comments
Official Response from Drift
Getting started with conversational marketing isn’t an “all or nothing” decision. Rather than ripping all the forms off their site, many companies start by...Read more
How do I measure the effectiveness of conversational marketing?
2 Comments
Official Response from Drift
You can measure your conversational marketing efforts just like you would measure any other marketing channel. Platforms like Drift give you dashboards that...Read more
What types of people are having conversations with businesses?
2 Comments
Official Response from Drift
When we analyzed the data from the 50,000+ businesses using Drift for conversational marketing, we found that people in key decision-making roles are often...Read more
How can I make people interact with the chat feature better?
3 Comments
JJ
Let them know about how easy it is to connect to the company they are using. It's a direct connection between the customer and service techs.Read more
How can online reviews help my business?
2 Comments
VL
In a day and age of online reviews, the majority of the people nowadays are choosing their services/companies based on their online popularity/reviews. Read more
How do I edit my templates ( If this is not a permissions issues )
2 Comments
JP
If it is not a permissions issue then to be honest I am not sure. You can create new templates. When I login to Podium on a computer it tells me that you...Read more
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