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Podium vs Runner

Podium is an all-in-one lead management and communication platform, and its AI Reputation Specialist “intelligently crafts review invites and replies”. Runner has a reply ready for each review, in its own language and your voice, and leaves the hard ones to you.

Build my team See them side by side

Pick a plan, then turn on Reviews for each location in one tap. Already on Runner? Turn on Reviews in Plan & add-ons.

In one line

Podium

Reviews inside one platform for leads, texts, calls and payments, with AI that writes review invites and replies.

Runner

Your reviews in one list, Google by name and the rest by screenshot, each with a reply ready in its own language and your voice. Copy it and open Google in one tap.

Side by side

How Podium and Runner handle your reviews
Your question	Podium	Runner
How do my reviews come in?	Its inbox lets you “Consolidate all of your review sites” in one place.	Type your business's name and pick yours: your Google rating, how many reviews you have and the reviews Google shows, with nothing to connect. Drop in a screenshot or paste the rest.
Which sites?	Google, Facebook and other review sites, as its pricing page lists them.	Google, Naver, Kakao Map, Baemin, Coupang Eats, Yogiyo, CatchTable, OpenTable, Yelp, Tripadvisor, Facebook, Trustpilot and App Store, or anywhere else your customers write, in one list. Each site keeps its own logo.
Who writes the replies?	AI responses come with Core's “Review Management with AI Responses”, and Pro adds its AI Reputation Specialist.	Runner writes one for each review, in the review's own language, from what it knows about your business. Change any word you like.
Who posts them?	Podium says its AI Employee can “automate textable review invites, and provide instant and personalized responses”.	You do. Copy the reply and open the review on Google in one tap, and post it there. On any other site, copy it and paste it in.
How do I ask for reviews?	By text: “Automatically collect 5-star reviews via text.”	Your Google review link, a counter card with a QR code to print, and an email to the customers who said yes to email, drafted in Campaigns, which checks consent and suppression before it goes.
Can I see each location?	Advanced multi-location management, on its Signature plan.	Yes. Each location shows the average stars of the reviews it keeps, the last 30 days against the 30 before, how many are answered, the median time to answer, and how many wait.
What comes with it?	Phones, website chat, one inbox, payments and text marketing, on the same platform.	Your AI growth team. Runner also drafts the posts, ads and emails that bring the next customer in.
What does it cost?	Core, with “Review Management with AI Responses”: $399 per month.	$15 a month per location ($150 a year) on top of your Runner plan.

How do my reviews come in?: Podium
Its inbox lets you “Consolidate all of your review sites” in one place.
Runner
Type your business's name and pick yours: your Google rating, how many reviews you have and the reviews Google shows, with nothing to connect. Drop in a screenshot or paste the rest.
Which sites?: Podium
Google, Facebook and other review sites, as its pricing page lists them.
Runner
Google, Naver, Kakao Map, Baemin, Coupang Eats, Yogiyo, CatchTable, OpenTable, Yelp, Tripadvisor, Facebook, Trustpilot and App Store, or anywhere else your customers write, in one list. Each site keeps its own logo.
Who writes the replies?: Podium
AI responses come with Core's “Review Management with AI Responses”, and Pro adds its AI Reputation Specialist.
Runner
Runner writes one for each review, in the review's own language, from what it knows about your business. Change any word you like.
Who posts them?: Podium
Podium says its AI Employee can “automate textable review invites, and provide instant and personalized responses”.
Runner
You do. Copy the reply and open the review on Google in one tap, and post it there. On any other site, copy it and paste it in.
How do I ask for reviews?: Podium
By text: “Automatically collect 5-star reviews via text.”
Runner
Your Google review link, a counter card with a QR code to print, and an email to the customers who said yes to email, drafted in Campaigns, which checks consent and suppression before it goes.
Can I see each location?: Podium
Advanced multi-location management, on its Signature plan.
Runner
Yes. Each location shows the average stars of the reviews it keeps, the last 30 days against the 30 before, how many are answered, the median time to answer, and how many wait.
What comes with it?: Podium
Phones, website chat, one inbox, payments and text marketing, on the same platform.
Runner
Your AI growth team. Runner also drafts the posts, ads and emails that bring the next customer in.
What does it cost?: Podium
Core, with “Review Management with AI Responses”: $399 per month.
Runner
$15 a month per location ($150 a year) on top of your Runner plan.

What Podium costs

Core: $399 · per month
Pro: $599 · per month
Signature: Custom pricing

Podium lists “Review Management with AI Responses” in Core's plan details.

Read on its maker's page on 10 November 2026: Podium pricing (opens in a new tab)

Who each is for

Podium: A business that runs its leads, texts, phones and payments through one platform and asks for reviews by text.
Runner: An owner who wants a reply ready for each review in their own voice, the hard ones left to them, and a growth team bringing the next customer in.

Already using Podium?

Keep Podium if your leads, texts, calls and payments already run through it, and you ask for reviews by text after a visit.

Add Runner for a reply ready for each review, from Google to Naver and Yelp, in its own language and your voice, with the hard ones left to you and a growth team bringing the next customer in.

What Runner adds

Your reviews in one listYour Google reviews by name, and the rest by screenshot or paste, from Naver to Yelp. Add the same screenshot twice and nothing is added twice.
Your customer's language, your voiceA review in Korean gets a reply in Korean, and one in English a reply in English, each drafted from the replies you've already posted, the ones you edited first.
New reviews, checked dailyOnce a day Runner looks at the reviews Google shows for each location, and tells you in the app, by email and by push when new ones appear.
The hard ones stay with youA review about someone's health, a legal matter or their safety gets no draft. Runner marks it for you to answer personally.
Nothing posted without youYou read every reply and change it if you like. Then copy it and open the review on Google in one tap, and post it yourself.
Ask your customersYour Google review link, a counter card with a QR code to print, and a campaign draft to the customers who said yes to email. Send it to all of them.
Each location at a glanceAverage stars, the last 30 days against the 30 before, how many are answered, the median time to answer and what's waiting. Turn Reviews on or off for each location in one tap; nothing is deleted when it's off.
What customers sayYour growth team reads your reviews for what customers love and what they wish for, and shows you the themes.
A growth team beside itReviews is one part of your AI growth team, which drafts the posts, ads and emails that bring the next customer in.
One price per location$15 a month per location ($150 a year) on top of your Runner plan.

Questions about Podium and Runner

Should I use Podium or Runner?

Podium suits a business that runs its leads, texts, calls and payments through one platform. Runner suits an owner who wants their reviews in one list, from Google to Naver and Yelp, a reply ready in its own language and their voice, and a growth team drafting the posts, ads and emails beside it.

Which sites can I bring reviews in from?

Google, Naver, Kakao Map, Baemin, Coupang Eats, Yogiyo, CatchTable, OpenTable, Yelp, Tripadvisor, Facebook, Trustpilot and App Store, or anywhere else your customers write. Drop in a screenshot or paste the words.

Do I need to connect my Google account?

No. Type your business's name and pick yours. There's nothing to connect and nothing to set up.

Who posts the replies?

You do. Read the reply, change it if you like, then copy it and open the review on Google in one tap, and post it there.

What about a review that says someone got sick?

Runner writes no draft for a review about health, a legal matter or someone's safety. It marks the review so you can answer it personally.

How do I get Reviews?

Pick a Runner plan, then turn Reviews on for each location in one tap: $15 a month per location ($150 a year) on top of your Runner plan. Already on Runner? Turn it on in Plan & add-ons. Early access includes it.

Your reviews in one place, with a reply ready.

Build my teamPick a plan, then turn on Reviews for each location in one tap.Already on Runner? Turn on Reviews in Plan & add-ons.

What this page says about Podium was read from its maker's pages on 10 November 2026:

Podium pricing (opens in a new tab): “Review Management with AI Responses”, “Automatically collect 5-star reviews via text.”
Podium Reviews (opens in a new tab): “intelligently crafts review invites and replies”, “Consolidate all of your review sites”, “automate textable review invites, and provide instant and personalized responses”

Trademarks of their owners. No affiliation or endorsement.