2Perks vs. Podium: Do You Need a $399/Month SMS Platform to Get Reviews?

The bottom line upfront

Podium started as a review solicitation tool but has evolved into a comprehensive SMS-based customer communication platform with its signature AI Employee — a conversational AI that handles selling, scheduling, and customer communication 24/7. It combines review management, messaging, payments (Apple Pay, Google Pay, credit cards), webchat, and text marketing into one system.

It starts at approximately $399/month with 2 locations and 250 bulk messages. The Pro plan with AI features costs $599/month.

2Perks is a focused review management tool built for local businesses that need review gating, QR codes, and reviewer rewards at €5.99–€30/month.

Both platforms help businesses collect more positive reviews.

The key differences:

• Pricing: 2Perks is 66x cheaper at entry level (€5.99 vs. $399/month)
• Core method: Podium uses SMS review requests. 2Perks uses QR codes and direct links.
• Review gating: 2Perks offers review gating (route negative feedback privately). Podium does not.
• Review sites: Podium covers Google and Facebook only (no Yelp). 2Perks covers Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor.
• Payments: Podium includes payment processing. 2Perks does not.
• AI features: Podium's AI Employee handles conversations. 2Perks has no AI.

The fundamental question: Are you buying review management software or an SMS customer engagement platform?

If you need SMS-based customer communication, payments, webchat, and AI-powered conversational selling, and you can justify $4,788–$7,188/year, Podium delivers a full customer engagement suite.

If you just need review collection with QR codes, review gating, and reviewer rewards, and you're watching monthly costs, 2Perks gives you the core functionality at 1.5% of Podium's price.

Pricing comparison: where the 66x gap comes from

Important: Podium does not publish transparent pricing. The $399–$599/month figures come from user reports on G2, Capterra, and Reddit. Actual quotes vary based on:

• Number of locations
• Message volume (SMS costs per message beyond included allowance)
• Payment processing volume (if using Podium Payments)
• Required features (reviews vs. reviews + AI Employee)
• Contract length and sales rep discretion

Why the price gap exists:

Podium is not primarily a review management tool anymore. It's a customer communication and conversion platform that happens to include reviews. The core product is:

1. AI Employee — conversational AI that responds to texts, schedules appointments, answers questions, handles objections, and drives sales 24/7
2. SMS-first messaging — two-way text conversations with customers
3. Payment processing — text-to-pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and credit cards
4. Webchat — website chat widget that converts to SMS
5. Text marketing — bulk messaging campaigns
6. Review management — automated SMS review requests

These are legitimate business tools for businesses that communicate primarily via text (retail, home services, auto dealerships, healthcare). But most small businesses don't need a $400/month SMS platform just to collect reviews.

2Perks strips away the SMS marketing suite and focuses on the core job: collect reviews, gate negative feedback, reward honest opinions.

Review collection: SMS vs. QR codes

Podium's approach

1. Customer interaction completes (purchase, appointment, service completed)
2. Business sends SMS review request via Podium (manually or triggered by integration)
3. Customer receives text with one-tap review link
4. Customer clicks link and is taken to Google or Facebook review page
5. Customer leaves review directly on platform

Advantages:

• 98% open rate — SMS messages are almost always read (vs. 20% for email)
• One-tap simplicity — customer clicks, reviews, done
• Works anywhere — customer doesn't need to be physically present

Disadvantages:

• Requires phone numbers — you need customer phone numbers and opt-in consent
• Costs per message — beyond included allowance, you pay per SMS sent
• No review gating — Podium does not filter negative feedback; everyone goes to public review sites
• Limited review sites — Google and Facebook only; no Yelp integration (major user complaint)

2Perks' approach

1. Customer scans QR code or clicks review link (email, SMS, social media)
2. Lands on branded feedback page: "How was your experience?"
3. Satisfied customers → directed to Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, or chosen platform
4. Dissatisfied customers → invited to share private feedback
5. Customer optionally receives a reward (discount, giveaway entry, partner perk) for participating

Advantages:

• No SMS costs — QR codes are free; share links via any channel
• Review gating — catch negative feedback before it goes public
• Reviewer rewards — increase response rates 2–3x with ethical incentives
• Works in-person — QR codes on receipts, table tents, checkout counters convert while experience is fresh
• Yelp and TripAdvisor support — critical for restaurants, hotels, tour operators

Disadvantages:

• Lower open rates — if sent via email, only ~20% open (vs. 98% for SMS)
• Requires action — customer must scan QR code or click link (vs. Podium's one-tap SMS)

The practical difference:

• Podium works best for follow-up after the fact (customer left your business, you text them 1–3 days later)
• 2Perks works best for in-the-moment collection (customer is at checkout, scans QR code while experience is fresh)

If your business model involves capturing customer phone numbers and following up via text (retail, auto services, healthcare appointments), Podium's SMS approach converts well.

If your customers are physically in your space and you want immediate feedback (restaurant, café, salon, gym), QR codes convert better because the experience is fresh and the barrier is low.

Feature comparison: review management vs. customer engagement suite

Where 2Perks pulls ahead for review management

Review gating is 2Perks' core advantage. Podium sends every customer to public review sites — happy or unhappy. If someone had a bad experience, they leave a 1-star review on Google. With 2Perks, they share private feedback first, giving you a chance to resolve the issue before it becomes public.

Reviewer rewards increase response rates without incentivizing positive reviews. Offer a giveaway entry or discount for feedback (not for reviews), and you'll see 2–3x higher participation. Podium doesn't have this capability.

Yelp and TripAdvisor support matters for restaurants, hotels, salons, and tour operators. Podium's lack of Yelp integration is a consistent user complaint. If Yelp drives bookings for your business, Podium is automatically disqualified.

QR code-first design makes 2Perks faster to deploy. Print QR codes, place them at checkout, and start collecting feedback the same day. No phone number collection, no SMS opt-in, no per-message costs.

Pricing simplicity — €5.99/month, period. No message overages, no payment processing fees, no hidden costs.

Where Podium pulls ahead for customer engagement

AI Employee is Podium's standout feature. It's a conversational AI that:

• Responds to customer texts 24/7
• Answers product questions and provides information
• Handles objections ("Is this covered by insurance?" "Do you offer financing?")
• Schedules appointments and follows up on no-shows
• Sends payment reminders and processes text-to-pay requests
• Qualifies leads and routes to sales team

For businesses that receive 50+ customer inquiries per day via text, AI Employee can replace 0.5–1 FTE worth of administrative work. That justifies Podium's $599/month Pro cost.

Payment processing via text is powerful for service businesses. Send a payment request via SMS, customer pays with Apple Pay or card in 2 taps. No invoices, no chasing payments, no friction.

Two-way SMS messaging creates conversational relationships with customers. Unlike review management (one-way request), Podium enables ongoing text conversations that build loyalty and drive repeat business.

Bulk text campaigns work for promotions, appointment reminders, seasonal offers, and reactivation campaigns. Higher open rates than email (98% vs. 20%).

The Yelp problem: a deal-breaker for many businesses

Podium does not integrate with Yelp.

This is a recurring complaint in user reviews and has been an issue for years with no indication Podium will add it.

For businesses where Yelp drives significant traffic — restaurants, salons, spas, auto repair, home services in major metro areas — this is a disqualifying limitation.

Yelp has 70+ million monthly unique visitors in the US and dominates local search in categories like:

• Restaurants and food (Yelp is often the first search result above Google)
• Salons and beauty services
• Auto repair and automotive services
• Home services (plumbers, electricians, handymen)

If Yelp matters to your business, 2Perks is the better choice. If you only care about Google and Facebook, Podium is viable.

Who should choose 2Perks

You're a better fit for 2Perks if:

• You run a single-location business (restaurant, café, salon, clinic, gym, boutique)
• You want QR codes for in-person review collection (checkout counters, table tents, receipts)
• You need review gating to catch negative feedback before it goes public
• You need Yelp and TripAdvisor coverage
• You value reviewer rewards to increase feedback participation
• Pricing is a constraint and €6/month fits your budget better than $399
• You don't need SMS marketing, payment processing, or conversational AI

Best use cases: Cafés, restaurants, salons, dental clinics, gyms, tour operators, boutique hotels, independent retailers, yoga studios, barbershops, pet grooming, physical therapy clinics.

Who should choose Podium

You're a better fit for Podium if:

• You run a retail or service business with high SMS engagement
• You collect customer phone numbers as part of your workflow
• You need two-way SMS conversations for customer support and sales
• You want payment processing via text to reduce friction
• You need AI Employee to handle 50+ customer inquiries per day
• You want bulk text campaigns for marketing and promotions
• You're willing to pay $399–$599/month for a complete customer engagement platform
• You only care about Google and Facebook reviews (Yelp isn't important to your business)

Best use cases: Auto dealerships, retail stores, healthcare practices, dental offices, home services with appointment-based models, high-volume service businesses.

Note: Podium is particularly strong in automotive, healthcare, and retail where SMS is the primary communication channel and payment processing via text reduces friction.

What users actually say

2Perks users typically say:

• "Set it up in 10 minutes and started collecting reviews the same day"
• "QR code stand at checkout is the easiest system we've tried"
• "Offering a giveaway entry for feedback doubled our response rate"
• "Finally affordable for a single-location business"

Podium users typically say:

• "SMS review requests get way higher response than email"
• "AI Employee handles 70% of our customer inquiries without human intervention"
• "Text-to-pay cut our payment collection time from 15 days to 2 days"
• "Webchat-to-SMS conversion captures leads we would have lost"

Common Podium complaints:

• "No Yelp integration is a deal-breaker for our restaurant" (recurring complaint)
• "Price keeps increasing — started at $299/month, now paying $450/month"
• "SMS message overages add up fast if you're not careful"
• "Review management is basic compared to dedicated review platforms"
• "Contract lock-in makes it hard to leave if it's not working"
• "AI Employee requires significant training and setup to work well"

(Sources: G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, Reddit)

The hidden costs of SMS-based platforms

Podium's pricing includes a base allowance of SMS messages (typically 250 bulk messages on Core plan). Beyond that, you pay per message.

Example cost breakdown:

• You have 500 customers
• You send a monthly promotion via text to all 500 customers
• That's 500 SMS messages
• Included: 250 messages
• Overage: 250 messages at ~$0.05–$0.10 per message = $12.50–$25 extra per campaign
• Run 4 campaigns per month: $50–$100 in SMS overages
• Total monthly cost: $399 (base) + $50–$100 (SMS) = $449–$499

Over a year, SMS overages can add $600–$1,200 to your Podium bill.

2Perks has no per-message costs because it doesn't use SMS. QR codes and direct links are unlimited and free.

What you should actually compare

Don't compare feature lists. Compare workflows and business fit:

1. How do you communicate with customers? (SMS-first = Podium; in-person or email = 2Perks)
2. Do you collect phone numbers? (Yes and have opt-in = Podium; No = 2Perks)
3. Do you need payment processing? (Yes = Podium; No = 2Perks)
4. Do you need AI to handle customer inquiries? (Yes and receive 50+ inquiries/day = Podium; No = 2Perks)
5. Does Yelp matter to your business? (Yes = 2Perks; No = Podium viable)
6. What's your monthly budget? (€6 vs. $399 is a 66x difference)

If you answered "Podium" to 4+ questions, the $399/month cost is justifiable as a customer engagement platform, not just a review tool.

If you answered "2Perks" to 4+ questions, you're paying 66x more than you need to for basic review management.

The simplicity vs. complexity trade-off

2Perks philosophy: Do one thing well. Collect reviews, gate negative feedback, reward honest opinions. Simple, affordable, focused.

Podium philosophy: All-in-one customer engagement. Reviews, messaging, payments, AI, webchat, marketing. Powerful but complex.

The question: Do you need an all-in-one platform, or are you paying for features you'll never use?

Most single-location businesses don't need:

• Two-way SMS conversations (email and phone work fine)
• Payment processing via text (you already have a payment system)
• AI Employee (you answer customer questions yourself)
• Bulk text campaigns (email marketing is cheaper)

If you don't need these features, Podium's $399/month is feature bloat, not value.

Final recommendation

Choose 2Perks if you want simple, affordable review management with QR codes, review gating, Yelp/TripAdvisor support, and reviewer rewards — and you run a single-location business where cost and simplicity matter more than SMS engagement.

Choose Podium if you need a comprehensive SMS-based customer engagement platform with two-way messaging, payment processing, AI Employee, and bulk text campaigns — and you can justify $4,788–$7,188/year for a complete communication suite.

Don't choose Podium just for reviews. At $399/month, you're paying for SMS marketing, payments, and AI — not review management. If all you need is review collection, you're overpaying by 66x.

Don't choose 2Perks if SMS is your primary channel. If your customers expect to text you and you're already building an SMS-first business, Podium's integration makes sense. But if you're just collecting reviews, 2Perks is sufficient.

Try 2Perks free for 30 days

See how QR codes, review gating, and reviewer rewards work for your business — without SMS costs, contracts, or complexity.

Start your free trial — no credit card required.

Want to see how other platforms compare? Read our guides on 2Perks vs. Cloutly, 2Perks vs. NiceJob, and 2Perks vs. Birdeye.