Askback and Podium solve the same problem from opposite directions: one is source-available software you can own outright for $34, the other is a subscription at $289+/mo run entirely on someone else's servers.
Head to head
| Askback | Podium | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $34 once | $289+/mo |
| SMS costs | Twilio direct (~$0.008/msg) | Bundled + marked up |
| Review requests + smart routing | Yes | Yes |
| Private feedback inbox | Yes | Yes |
| Follow-up reminders | Yes | Yes |
| Your data | Your SQLite file | Their cloud |
| Self-hosted / offline | Yes | No |
| Contract | None, MIT source | Annual |
What Askback does well
- SMS + email review requests — Bring your own Twilio and/or SMTP so you pay Twilio's roughly $0.008/SMS directly instead of a platform markup, on your own sender reputation.
- Smart routing — 4-5 star ratings go to your Google review page with click-through tracked, while 1-3 star ratings go to a private feedback form in your inbox.
- Customer import — Add customers manually or import a CSV from your booking or invoicing tool, with common header aliases accepted.
- Templates with merge fields — Separate initial and follow-up templates per channel using name, business, link and job-ref placeholders.
What Podium still does better
There's a real reason Podium costs what it does: a bigger team, broader integrations and dedicated support behind it. If that ecosystem is genuinely what you need, it's worth paying for.
Which one should you pick
If your workflow depends on Podium's specific integrations or you'd rather not run anything yourself, stay put — that's a legitimate call. If you're comfortable owning the tool and want to stop paying $289+/mo for a job your own hardware can do, Askback pays for itself and then some: if you only need the review engine, Askback pays for itself in about four days versus Podium.
Try Askback — $34, once
SMS and email review requests with smart routing, on your own Twilio and SMTP.