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Compare Podium and Sonar 
Featured Products
At a Glance
Market Segments
Small-Business (60.3% of reviews)
Enterprise (64.0% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
Contact Us Per Month
Contact Us Per Month
Podium
Star Rating
(2,046)4.6 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (60.3% of reviews)
Pros & Cons
Entry-Level Pricing
Contact Us Per Month
Browse all 3 pricing plansSonar
Star Rating
(111)4.2 out of 5
Market Segments
Enterprise (64.0% of reviews)
Pros & Cons
Not enough data
Entry-Level Pricing
Contact Us Per Month
Browse all 2 pricing plansSummary
AI Generated Summary
AI-generated. Powered by real user reviews.
- G2 reviewers report that Podium excels in overall user satisfaction, boasting a significantly higher G2 Score compared to Sonar. Users appreciate features like the ability to consolidate messages from various platforms into a single feed, making communication management much simpler.
- Users say that Podium's user interface is clear and intuitive, which contributes to its high ratings for ease of use. In contrast, while Sonar is also noted for being user-friendly, it doesn't quite match the level of satisfaction that Podium users express, particularly regarding the integration of multiple communication channels.
- Reviewers mention that Podium's Text-to-Pay feature is a standout, allowing customers to make payments easily via SMS. This feature has been highlighted as a game-changer for businesses looking to streamline their payment processes, whereas Sonar, while offering MMS capabilities, lacks similar standout payment features.
- According to verified reviews, Podium's reputation management tools are highly praised, with users noting the automatic sending of review invitations after service. This functionality helps businesses enhance their online presence effectively, a feature that Sonar does not emphasize as strongly.
- Users highlight that Podium's quality of support is rated highly, with many appreciating the responsiveness and helpfulness of the support team. Sonar also receives positive feedback for its support, but Podium's overall ratings in this area are notably higher, indicating a more robust support experience.
- Reviewers indicate that while both platforms are effective, Podium's comprehensive approach to customer messaging and payment solutions gives it a competitive edge in the small business market. Sonar, primarily serving enterprise clients, may not cater as effectively to the needs of smaller businesses looking for integrated communication solutions.
Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
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
Sonar
Marchex Sonar Core
Contact Us
Per Month
Our standard package for sales, marketers, operations and support.
- Mass message campaigns
- CRM integrations
- Canned responses
Free Trial
Podium
No trial information availableSonar
No trial information availableRatings
Meets Requirements
9.1
1,727
8.7
101
Ease of Use
9.3
1,746
8.9
101
Ease of Setup
9.1
1,079
9.1
35
Ease of Admin
9.3
881
9.2
35
Quality of Support
9.0
1,605
8.8
87
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
9.2
898
9.2
38
Product Direction (% positive)
9.0
1,713
8.6
100
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
8.0
39
Not enough data
8.8
40
Not enough data
Interaction
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
Not enough data
Task & Flow Management - AI Chatbots
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Learning
8.2
40
Not enough data
7.9
41
Not enough data
Deployment & Embedding - AI Chatbots
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Content Generation
8.1
41
Not enough data
7.9
41
Not enough data
Admin & Configuration - AI Chatbots
Not enough data
Not enough data
System
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.4
41
Not enough data
8.5
40
Not enough data
8.5
39
Not enough data
Agentic AI - AI Chatbots
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
Not enough data
Monitoring & Improvement - AI Chatbots
Not enough data
Not enough data
Reliability & Safety - AI Chatbots
Not enough data
Not enough data
Messenger
8.3
158
8.3
26
|
Verified
7.6
207
8.3
22
|
Verified
9.1
222
8.6
25
|
Verified
Feature Not Available
8.1
26
|
Verified
Channels
7.9
211
8.0
21
|
Verified
8.6
220
8.0
24
|
Verified
9.3
236
9.0
32
|
Verified
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.0
195
8.3
19
|
Verified
Customers
8.2
152
8.8
25
|
Verified
8.4
154
8.1
25
|
Verified
8.5
221
8.1
23
|
Verified
8.3
221
8.2
21
|
Verified
8.5
222
8.9
28
|
Verified
Agentic AI - Conversational Marketing
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
Not enough data
Lead Generation
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
Integrated Workflows
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
Repeatability and Reportability
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
AI and Automation
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
Not enough data
Not enough data
Agentic AI - Sales Engagement
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
8.6
65
Not enough data
8.5
64
Not enough data
9.1
65
Not enough data
Platform Data
9.1
65
Not enough data
9.0
65
Not enough data
Platform Additional Functionality
8.5
63
Not enough data
9.1
65
Not enough data
9.3
65
Not enough data
Platform Content
9.0
62
Not enough data
Agentic AI - Automotive Marketing
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
Not enough data
Text Messaging
8.7
228
|
Verified
9.1
27
|
Verified
9.3
238
|
Verified
9.3
32
|
Verified
8.4
186
9.2
24
|
Verified
8.6
237
|
Verified
9.1
23
|
Verified
8.3
213
|
Verified
8.8
22
|
Verified
8.4
214
|
Verified
9.1
20
|
Verified
8.5
232
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.5
216
|
Verified
Not enough data
SMS Platform
8.5
223
|
Verified
8.5
24
|
Verified
8.6
223
|
Verified
9.3
20
|
Verified
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
7.6
201
|
Verified
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.2
206
|
Verified
Not enough data
Agentic AI - SMS Marketing
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
Not enough data
Channels
8.2
322
Not enough data
8.1
322
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Design
8.3
337
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.5
372
Not enough data
8.4
363
Not enough data
8.6
337
Not enough data
Generative AI
7.5
234
Not enough data
7.5
229
Not enough data
Responses
9.3
14
Not enough data
9.3
14
Not enough data
8.9
14
Not enough data
Automation - AI Agents
8.6
14
Not enough data
8.7
17
Not enough data
8.5
16
Not enough data
8.8
15
Not enough data
8.9
16
Not enough data
Platform
9.0
14
Not enough data
8.8
15
Not enough data
9.2
14
Not enough data
Autonomy - AI Agents
8.6
14
Not enough data
8.8
14
Not enough data
8.7
15
Not enough data
7.9
14
Not enough data
Generative AI
8.6
15
Not enough data
8.7
14
Not enough data
Responses
8.9
32
Not enough data
8.4
33
Not enough data
8.9
33
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.2
32
Not enough data
Platform
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.5
31
Not enough data
8.5
31
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.8
32
Not enough data
8.9
31
Not enough data
Generative AI
8.1
32
Not enough data
8.1
31
Not enough data
Lead Monitoring
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Agentic AI - Lead Capture
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Data Capture
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Analytics
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Customization
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Conversational Platform
8.7
294
Not enough data
8.4
252
Not enough data
8.3
165
Not enough data
8.5
179
Not enough data
Support Automation
8.5
257
Not enough data
8.3
165
Not enough data
8.7
167
Not enough data
8.1
173
Not enough data
Generative AI
7.5
152
Not enough data
7.5
154
Not enough data
Generative AI
7.7
246
Not enough data
7.5
243
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Communication
9.2
698
|
Verified
Not enough data
9.0
723
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.1
509
Not enough data
9.0
664
|
Verified
Not enough data
7.3
295
Not enough data
Internal Use
8.2
616
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.9
677
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.6
646
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.6
628
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.8
634
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.5
599
|
Verified
Not enough data
Platform Basics - VoIP Providers
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
Not enough data
Basic Communication
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
Not enough data
Agentic AI - VoIP Providers
6.0
7
Not enough data
6.0
7
Not enough data
6.2
7
Not enough data
6.7
7
Not enough data
Access
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Advanced Features
6.7
39
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.1
39
Not enough data
Consumer Intelligence
9.1
628
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.4
518
Not enough data
8.5
558
|
Verified
Not enough data
Reporting
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.4
523
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.9
646
|
Verified
Not enough data
Media Monitoring
8.5
517
Not enough data
7.3
198
Not enough data
8.3
510
Not enough data
In-House Management
8.6
503
Not enough data
8.6
503
|
Verified
Not enough data
Generative AI
7.5
138
Not enough data
Agentic AI - Online Reputation Management
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
Not enough data
Analysis
Not enough data
8.2
17
Not enough data
8.4
17
|
Verified
Not enough data
9.0
13
Not enough data
7.6
15
Campaigns
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
8.4
20
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.6
16
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.7
21
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
7.9
18
Engagement
Not enough data
8.2
17
Platform
Not enough data
9.0
19
Not enough data
8.1
16
|
Verified
Not enough data
8.8
16
Agentic AI - Mobile Marketing
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
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
Podium and Sonar are categorized as SMS Marketing and Conversational Marketing
Unique Categories
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
Podium
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Sonar
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
Automotive
19.9%
Retail
13.8%
Consumer Services
9.1%
Construction
7.9%
Furniture
6.2%
Other
43.0%
Real Estate
47.7%
Transportation/Trucking/Railroad
13.5%
Marketing and Advertising
7.2%
Internet
7.2%
Retail
3.6%
Other
20.7%
Alternatives
Discussions
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
how can I setup the auto response txt .
1 Comment
NB
Hello Tajmah - We offer a wide range of abilities to create and schedule automated texts. Happy to help learn more about your specific use and help provide a...Read more
How do I create Sonar pop up notifications?
1 Comment
NB
Hello Michael!
To enable desktop notifications once you log in to Sonar click the Main Menu > Settings > My Account option. From there you will see a...Read more
How do i stop seeing other co-workers texts? What is the maximum number of texts can be added?
1 Comment
NB
Hello Tiffany!
Your team's set up so that you should only see the 'Mine' column. If you are not seeing just that inbox you might want to do a hard...Read more
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