TL;DR: BrightLocal still documents location-tier prices in its help center (Track from $41/month for 1 location). Grade.us publishes Small Business at $99/month for 1 location and Multi-Location from $60/month per location. Podium and Birdeye sell review suites primarily through quotes (third-party write-ups still cite Podium Core around $399/month—treat that as unverified unless Podium shows it on an official page). Order follows public $0 / published price first, quote-led last.
Review management software requests reviews, monitors Google and other profiles, and helps teams reply at scale. It is not a full social suite and it is not local SEO by itself, though BrightLocal packages rank tracking and citations beside review tools.
Every entry uses the same fields: published pricing, free plan or trial, core focus, and the main limitation. The order below is not a quality ranking. Public $0 / published price first, quote-led last.
Review management software compared at a glance
| Provider | Published pricing | Billable unit | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BrightLocal | Help-center tables (checked 1 Oct 2026): Track 1 location $41/mo or $369/year; Manage $54/mo or $485/year; Grow $65/mo or $584/year. Location bands scale up. 14-day trial common. Marketing site sometimes hides the same figures behind a form—use the help article as the public source. | Active location | Agencies and local SEO teams that also need citations and rank tracking | Visit → |
| Grade.us | Official plans page: Small Business $99/month for 1 location, 14-day trial. Multi-Location from $60/month per location (2–10 band, higher bands listed). Agency white-label is a separate commercial path. Save 20% annual advertised. | Location / seat | Single-location operators and agencies that want white-label review workflows | Visit → |
| Podium | Official commercial motion is sales-assisted. No durable starter dollar on the current public pricing surface used for this check. Treat third-party $399/$599 tables as unofficial. | Location / suite quote | Local service businesses that want reviews plus messaging and payments in one inbox | Visit → |
| Birdeye | Official pricing page is a location-band form (“GET PRICING”). Quote-led. No list price published on birdeye.com/pricing. | Locations deployed | Multi-location brands that want reputation plus listings and AI coworkers on one contract | Visit → |
BrightLocal help-center tables, Grade.us plans, Podium and Birdeye commercial pages were reviewed on 1 October 2026. If a marketing page hides numbers, the dated help article is cited instead of a guessed list price.
Location count—not seat count—usually drives the bill. Map every GBP and satellite page before you request a quote.
How review software is bought in 2026
Agencies buy location packs they can resell or white-label. Single-location shops buy a published SMB row. Multi-location brands buy quote-led platforms that also sync listings, messaging, and AI replies. The commercial fork is public location math versus an outcomes-priced suite.
The 4 providers in detail
1. BrightLocal
Best for: Local SEO and agency teams that want documented location prices and review tools next to citations and rank tracking.
| Published pricing | Track / Manage / Grow by location band. 1-location monthly: $41 / $54 / $65. Annual: $369 / $485 / $584. Bands continue to 91–100 locations on the same help article. |
| Free plan / trial | Trial advertised; Citation Builder also sold pay-as-you-go |
| Core focus | Local SEO + listings + review monitoring/campaigns on Grow |
| Main limitation | The public marketing price page has flickered between list prices and “on request”—always re-read the help article |
- Help center states prices start from the Track row and that annual billing is discounted versus month-to-month.
- Review monitoring and campaigns sit on Grow in BrightLocal’s own plan story—not on Track.
- Citation Builder is a separate one-off / credit product; do not fold it into the SaaS row without asking.
View BrightLocal cost article →
2. Grade.us
Best for: Operators who want a published $99 single-location row or agencies that white-label review funnels.
| Published pricing | Small Business $99/month (1 location). Multi-Location from $60/month per location. Agency path quoted. 20% off annual advertised. |
| Free plan / trial | 14-day trial on the Small Business card |
| Core focus | Review generation, monitoring, white-label agency dashboards |
| Main limitation | Per-location math gets expensive before enterprise negotiation; SMS and extra seats can add lines |
- Official plans page separates SMB, multi-location bands, and agency white-label.
- White Label Premium is listed at $440 annually (complimentary at 100 seats) on the same page.
- Confirm current review-request caps on the live plan card; they are the usual overage trap.
3. Podium
Best for: Local businesses that want reviews inside a broader messaging and payments inbox and will sit through a sales call.
| Published pricing | Quote-led on the official site at check time. Do not treat blog “$399 Core / $599 Pro” tables as vendor list prices. |
| Free plan / trial | Demo-led |
| Core focus | Reviews, webchat/SMS inbox, payments, optional AI employees |
| Main limitation | Contract term, message overages, and extra locations are settled in the quote |
- Podium is a conversation platform with review workflows—not a pure reputation dashboard.
- Ask for users, locations, bulk-message caps, and 10DLC fees in writing.
- Compare the quote to BrightLocal Grow + a separate inbox if you only need reviews.
4. Birdeye
Best for: Multi-location brands that want one contract for reviews, listings, and AI-assisted local marketing.
| Published pricing | Form by location band (1–3 through 1000+). No dollar figures on birdeye.com/pricing. |
| Free plan / trial | Sales-led pricing request |
| Core focus | Reputation, listings, multi-location marketing, AI coworkers |
| Main limitation | You cannot complete a spreadsheet from the public page |
- Birdeye prices “what you deploy at your locations,” not a generic per-seat SaaS row.
- Regional pricing URLs (UK, AU, SG) use the same form pattern.
- Ask which modules are in the quote—reviews-only versus the full local platform.
Kurums Match: which review tool fits?
Agency local SEO + documented location table — BrightLocal Track/Manage/Grow.
One shop, published $99 row or white-label agency — Grade.us.
Reviews plus SMS inbox and payments — Podium quote.
Multi-location brand suite — Birdeye quote.
Buying tip: Inventory every location that needs a listing and a review pipeline. Then price SMS. A cheap SaaS row plus expensive texting can exceed a bundled inbox quote.
How this comparison was put together
BrightLocal’s official cost article, Grade.us plans, and Podium/Birdeye commercial pages were checked on 1 October 2026. Unofficial third-party dollar figures are labeled as such. No quality ranking badges are applied.
FAQ
Does BrightLocal include review campaigns on every plan?
No. Review monitoring/response and campaigns are described on the Grow row in BrightLocal’s own packaging. Track is the SEO/audit rung.
Is Grade.us only for agencies?
No. Small Business is a 1-location published plan. Agency is a separate white-label path.
Why isn’t a Podium dollar amount in the table?
Because it was not on Podium’s official pricing surface during this check. Repeating a blog number would invent a list price.
Is this the same as a social media suite?
No. Review tools specialize in ratings and listing pages. Social schedulers are a different comparison.
Related: Best Social Media Management Software 2026 · Best Customer Feedback Software 2026 · Best Live Chat Software 2026
Last updated: 1 October 2026. Packaging changes; always verify with the vendor before purchase.
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