Texts for a local shop,
or an agent for your online store?
Podium is built for local businesses: texting, Google review invites, payments, phones and an AI Employee in one inbox. Concierge answers calls, texts, chat, WhatsApp and email with AI that acts on Shopify orders, and SmartyTap sends your text and email campaigns.Published prices. Built for Shopify.
Self-serve software or help with setup and migration.
Side by side
See exactly what you get with each one.
Who each one is best for. Choose Podium if you run a local, in-person business and want texting, Google review invites, text-to-pay and card readers from one vendor. Choose Concierge if you sell online on Shopify and want AI that answers calls and texts with orders and subscriptions in hand, plus text and email campaigns with SmartyTap, at published prices.
Checked October 18, 2026. Podium facts come from Podium pricing, Podium Reviews and Podium Payments. “Not listed” means those pages didn’t name the feature when we checked, not that Podium can’t do it.
| Feature | Podium | Chargezen |
|---|---|---|
| Texting customers Two-way business texts | Included | Included |
| Text marketing campaigns Send texts to a list | Included | With SmartyTap |
| Review invites by text Ask customers for Google reviews | Included | Not included |
| Text to pay and card readers Invoice links by text, in-person payments | Included | Not included |
| Phone calls Make and take calls | Included | Included |
| AI that answers AI replies to customers | AI Employee, an add-on to any plan | Included in credits |
| Website chat Live chat on your site | Included | Included |
| Shopify orders and subscriptions Look up orders, start returns, change subscriptions | Shopify listed as an integration | Included |
| Pricing How it is billed | Through sales | Published; Starter from $20/mo |
Podium
- Texting customers
- Included
- Text marketing campaigns
- Included
- Review invites by text
- Included
- Text to pay and card readers
- Included
- Phone calls
- Included
- AI that answers
- AI Employee, an add-on to any plan
- Website chat
- Included
- Shopify orders and subscriptions
- Shopify listed as an integration
- Pricing
- Through sales
Chargezen
- Texting customers
- Included
- Text marketing campaigns
- With SmartyTap
- Review invites by text
- Not included
- Text to pay and card readers
- Not included
- Phone calls
- Included
- AI that answers
- Included in credits
- Website chat
- Included
- Shopify orders and subscriptions
- Included
- Pricing
- Published; Starter from $20/mo
What you’d really pay
Podium prices its plans through sales. Concierge and SmartyTap publish their prices.
Podium
- Plans
- Talk to sales
- AI Employee
- Add-on to any plan
- Payment processing
- Not published
Estimated Annual Cost
Not published
Podium’s pricing page asks you to talk to sales for plan prices. Confirm plans, 10DLC fees and payment processing rates with Podium. Podium pricing, checked October 18, 2026.
Chargezen
- Concierge Starter
- $20/mo with 20,000 credits
- Seats
- No per-seat fees
- More credits
- $1 per 1,000
- Texts
- 2¢ per message part
- Calls
- Billed as you use them
- SmartyTap for campaigns
- Starter $20/mo; Pro $199/mo
Annual Cost
$240/year + usage
Concierge Starter is $20/month with 20,000 credits; Pro is $199/month, or $1,990/year, with 199,000 credits a month. Credits pay for the work Concierge does, like answering a customer or handling a task. More credits are $1 per 1,000. Texts are 2¢ per message part; calls are billed as you use them. No per-seat fees. Chargezen pricing.
Plan your move from Podium
Check your data, billing dates and launch plan before you switch.
Talk through your move- 01
Get a number or bring yours
Pick a local or toll-free US number in Chargezen, or move the number customers already text.
- 02
Register it for texting
Chargezen fills in the 10DLC or toll-free registration from your store details and tracks it.
- 03
Teach it your store
Concierge learns from your website, help docs and store.
- 04
Move your campaigns
Import your opted-in contacts into SmartyTap and rebuild your text campaigns there.
Why brands switch to Chargezen
Unified Platform
Run AI agents, texts and email, upsells, creators and subscriptions from one place.
AI-Powered
AI agents answer customers, follow up and handle everyday busywork for your team.
Clear Pricing
See prices and usage costs, billed monthly or yearly.
Ready to switch from Podium?
See the products, prices and setup help that fit your brand.
Common questions
Podium doesn’t publish plan prices; its pricing page asks you to talk to sales, and the AI Employee is an add-on (checked October 18, 2026). Concierge Starter is $20/month with 20,000 credits and Pro is $199/month, with texts at 2¢ per message part. SmartyTap for text and email campaigns is $20/month on Starter and $199/month on Pro.
No. Podium sends Google review invites by text and takes payments with Text to Pay, card readers and Tap to Pay (checked October 18, 2026). Chargezen doesn’t offer review-invite or text-to-pay tools. Your customers pay through your Shopify checkout, and Concierge answers their questions about those orders.
