# Lumion vs Podium

> Published pricing, outbound journeys, your CRM or ours, and payment plans serviced for you.

Last updated November 13, 2026. Page: https://lumion.ai/compare/lumion-vs-podium

**In short.** Lumion publishes its pricing (from $495 a month, AI credits included), runs outbound journeys that move leads to the next step, works as your CRM or connects to Salesforce, HubSpot or LeadSquared, and services payment plans, including interest-bearing ones. Podium sells an AI Employee for local businesses in auto, home services, aesthetics and retail; its plans and AI add-on are priced through sales.

## Where Lumion wins

### Pricing you can see

- Lumion: Core $495, Plus $795 and Pro $1,995 a month, with AI credits included.
- Podium: Podium's plans and its AI Employee add-on are quoted by its sales team; listed fees include $5 a month per location for text registration and a $500 per-location phones network fee. [5]

### Journeys that move leads forward

- Lumion: Customer Journeys follow up for you: outbound journeys that drive the next step and re-engage cold leads on Plus, unlimited custom journeys on Pro.
- Podium: Podium runs automations such as missed-call texts and reminders, credit-based bulk messages and AI that re-engages past customers. [1, 5]

### Your CRM, or ours

- Lumion: Lumion connects to Salesforce, HubSpot or LeadSquared on every plan, or runs as your CRM.
- Podium: Podium has built-in contacts and 200+ integrations, such as CDK for auto dealers. [5, 9]

### Payment plans serviced for you

- Lumion: Lumion Payments services payment plans for you, including interest-bearing ones, under NMLS licensing in 48 states, plus employer payments and checkout.
- Podium: Podium Payments offers text-to-pay, card readers, tap to pay, recurring payments and buy-now-pay-later financing. [6]

## Lumion vs Podium at a glance

| | Lumion | Podium |
|---|---|---|
| **The AI, 24/7** | | |
| Answers phone calls | Yes, 24/7, on every plan | Yes: Voice AI, listed for home services and auto, with warm transfers [2, 8, 10] |
| Answers texts | Yes, 24/7, on every plan | Yes [2] |
| Answers website chat | Yes, 24/7, on every plan | Yes [2] |
| Answers email | Yes, 24/7, on every plan | Yes [2] |
| Answers Instagram, Facebook and TikTok DMs | Yes, 24/7, on every plan | Facebook, Google and Instagram messages [3] |
| **One system** | | |
| One inbox for every channel | Yes: phone, SMS, email, mail, website chat and Instagram, Facebook and TikTok DMs, plus iPhone and Android apps | Yes: chats, texts, calls and social messages [4] |
| Follow-up journeys | Customer Journeys: inbound on Core; outbound and re-engagement on Plus; unlimited custom journeys on Pro | Automations, credit-based bulk messages and AI that re-engages past customers [1, 5] |
| Your CRM, or ours | Connects to Salesforce, HubSpot or LeadSquared on every plan, or runs as your CRM; API included | Built-in contacts and 200+ integrations [5] |
| Phone system | 1 number on Core and Plus; a full phone system with 25 numbers and porting on Pro | Podium Phones (VoIP), with a $500 network fee per location [5, 7] |
| Payments and payment plans | $250 a month on any plan: payment plans, including interest-bearing ones serviced under NMLS licensing in 48 states, plus invoices, employer payments, POS terminals and checkout | Text-to-pay, card readers, tap to pay, recurring payments and buy-now-pay-later [6] |
| **What you pay** | | |
| Published pricing | Yes: Core $495, Plus $795 and Pro $1,995 a month; 10% less paid annually | No: plans and the AI Employee add-on are quoted by sales [5] |
| AI and messaging in the price | Yes: 250 to 4,000 AI credits a month, plus team calls, texts and emails (Core: 2,000 minutes and 5,000 texts and emails) | No: AI Employee is an add-on; text registration is $5 a month per location [5] |
| Dedicated customer success manager | Yes, on every plan | Dedicated customer success managers [5] |

## Pricing (as published, checked November 13, 2026)

**Lumion**

- Core: $495 / mo
- Plus: $795 / mo
- Pro: $1,995 / mo
- Enterprise: Custom
- Paid annually: 10% less
- AI credits included: 250 to 4,000 / mo
- Extra AI credits: 100 for $39
- Payments add-on: $250 / mo

Every plan is a 12-month agreement, billed monthly or paid annually up front.

**Podium**

- Plans: Quoted by sales
- AI Employee: Add-on, price not published
- Text registration (10DLC): $5 / mo per location
- Phones network fee: $500 per location

Podium's pricing page says the monthly cost varies with your business. [5]

## Who each one is for

**Choose Lumion if**

- You want published pricing with AI credits included.
- You want outbound journeys that move leads to the next step.
- You want a CRM, or a connection to Salesforce, HubSpot or LeadSquared.
- You need payment plans, including interest-bearing ones.

**Choose Podium if**

- You're a local auto, home services, aesthetics or retail business that wants messaging and payments in one app.

## Switching from Podium to Lumion

Bring your channels and contacts into Lumion, or connect the CRM you already use.

1. **Connect your CRM.** Lumion links to Salesforce, HubSpot or LeadSquared on every plan, or it can be your CRM.
2. **Bring your channels.** Point your phone line, texting, website chat and Instagram, Facebook and TikTok accounts at Lumion. Pro adds a full phone system and number porting.
3. **Train your AI agent.** Give it your knowledge, rules and skills, and test it before it talks to a lead.
4. **Turn on journeys.** Start with the inbound journey on Core. Plus adds outbound and re-engagement journeys.

A dedicated customer success manager works through it with you on every plan.

## From a Lumion customer

**4** follow-ups per student, every one sent by Lumion's AI. Arclabs Welding School put 1,249 interviewed-but-not-enrolled students from Salesforce into a Lumion journey. In the first 3 weeks, Lumion's AI reached 1,151 of them by text and phone.

_Median touches per student reached, Sep 21–Oct 12, 2026. Touches are delivered texts plus AI calls that were answered or reached voicemail. Lumion data._

## Questions, answered

### Is Lumion a good alternative to Podium?

Yes, especially if you want published pricing, outbound journeys and payment plans. Lumion's AI answers calls, texts, chat, email and Instagram, Facebook and TikTok DMs 24/7 from $495 a month with AI credits included; Podium's plans and AI Employee add-on are quoted through sales. [5]

### How much does Podium cost?

Podium doesn't publish plan prices. Its pricing page says to talk to its sales team and that the AI Employee can be added to any plan. It does list some fees, such as $5 a month per location for text registration (10DLC). Checked November 13, 2026. [5]

### How much does Lumion cost?

Core $495, Plus $795 and Pro $1,995 a month, on a 12-month agreement; paying the year up front takes 10% off. Enterprise is custom. Every plan includes AI credits (250, 1,000 or 4,000 a month), and Payments is $250 a month on any plan.

### Does Podium's AI answer phone calls?

Yes. Podium's release notes describe Voice AI for home services and auto, with up to 10 languages and, since October 2026, warm transfers to your team. Lumion's AI answers calls on every plan. [8, 10]

### Does Podium offer payment plans?

Podium Payments lists text-to-pay, card readers, tap to pay, recurring payments and buy-now-pay-later financing. Lumion Payments services payment plans for you, including interest-bearing ones, under NMLS licensing in 48 states. [6]

## Sources

Every Podium fact comes from Podium's own website, help center or announcements, checked November 13, 2026. "Not listed" or "not described" means we didn't find it on the pages named, that day.

1. [Podium homepage](https://www.podium.com/): AI Employee for local businesses; industries; AI that re-engages past customers. Page date: not shown.
2. [Podium AI Employee](https://www.podium.com/product/ai-employee): Calls, text, webchat, email and social; responds 24/7; books on your calendar; industries. Page date: not shown.
3. [Podium channels](https://www.podium.com/product/channels): Facebook, Google and Instagram messages in one inbox. Page date: not shown.
4. [Podium inbox](https://www.podium.com/product/inbox): Chats, texts, calls and social messages in one inbox. Page date: not shown.
5. [Podium pricing](https://www.podium.com/pricing): Plans through sales; AI Employee add-on; $5 a month per location 10DLC fee; $500 phones network fee per location; automations; credit-based bulk messages; 200+ integrations; dedicated customer success managers. Page date: not shown.
6. [Podium Payments](https://www.podium.com/product/payments): Text to pay, card readers, tap to pay, recurring payments, buy-now-pay-later financing. Page date: not shown.
7. [Podium Phones](https://www.podium.com/product/phones): VoIP phone system with call recording and transcription. Page date: not shown.
8. [Release 26.7](https://www.podium.com/whats-new/26-7): Voice AI for home services and auto; up to 10 languages. Page date: Jul 2026.
9. [Release 26.9](https://www.podium.com/whats-new/26-9): Service AI and Voice AI book into CDK. Page date: Sep 2026.
10. [Release 26.10](https://www.podium.com/whats-new/podium-release-26-10): Voice AI warm transfers. Page date: Oct 2026.
- L1. [Lumion pricing](https://lumion.ai/pricing): Every Lumion fact on this page: plans, prices, AI credits, channels, integrations, Payments and compliance.
- L2. Lumion customer data, Arclabs Welding School: The follow-up figures under “From a Lumion customer” (Sep 21–Oct 12, 2026).

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