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Cinquo vs Podium

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors. Cinquo publishes a starting price ($54); Podium does not. Only Cinquo has a free tier. Only Podium ships a public API.

CinquoGoogle review tracker for local businesses, renamed from LocalBoss in January 2026.PodiumAI agent that answers and books inbound leads for local businesses

Side by side

FactCinquoPodium
CategoryCustomer Feedback & ReviewsLive Chat & Messaging
Pricing modelFreemiumContact
Starts at$54 year—
Public APINoYes
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb, API
CompanyCinquoPodium Corp Inc.
Launched—2014
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

Cinquo

Priced by review volume rather than per location, which is genuinely fairer for a business with five small sites than the per-location norm, and the free band up to 50 reviews covers a new shop outright. Showing the unrounded rating is a small idea that changes behaviour. The rebrand is the practical risk: bookmarks, app listings and old documentation still say LocalBoss.

Pros

  • Shows the true unrounded Google rating instead of the rounded star figure
  • Priced by total review volume rather than per location
  • Free band up to 50 reviews, which covers a newly opened business
  • iOS, Android and a web panel all synced on one subscription
  • Review requests collected via QR codes and messaging links

Cons

  • Google reviews only - no other review platform is covered
  • Prices are quoted in euros, so the dollar cost moves with the exchange rate
  • No API or CRM integration described
  • Renamed from LocalBoss in January 2026, so older links, listings and guides are stale
  • No legal entity or registered address published on the site

Podium

Built for local businesses that quietly lose money to unanswered texts after hours, not for software teams. If your revenue genuinely depends on replying to a lead within a minute, this is the category leader; if it does not, you are overpaying for a shared inbox.

Pros

  • vertical-specific AI configurations outperform generic chatbots on booking intent
  • genuinely unifies SMS, webchat, reviews and payment collection rather than bolting on one channel
  • operating since 2014 with a documented developer platform at developer.podium.com
  • review generation and lead response in one system removes a second vendor

Cons

  • zero published pricing, so evaluation starts with a sales conversation
  • the AI agent is an add-on on top of an already substantial platform fee
  • third-party analyses put realistic all-in monthly cost well above the headline plan price once compliance fees and extra numbers stack up
  • annual contracts across every tier make a bad fit expensive to unwind

Which one fits

Choose Cinquo if you need

  • Independent shops, restaurants and clinics managing Google reviews from a phone
  • Small multi-location businesses penalised by per-location pricing elsewhere
  • Owners who want review requests sent by QR code or WhatsApp

Choose Podium if you need

  • auto dealerships, home services, clinics and salons with heavy inbound text volume
  • businesses where the front desk is the bottleneck on booking
  • consolidating SMS, webchat, reviews and payments into a single thread per customer
  • operators who already do business over text and want it automated after hours

More comparisons

Browse all Customer Feedback & Reviews →