Bring customer conversations, websites, funnels and follow-through together with Zapla. A$399/month + GST, with unlimited users and a month-to-month subscription after launch.
One flat software subscription. Required setup agreed before you commit.
Why choose Zapla?
Bring more of the work into one system.
Websites & funnels, Forms, bookings, pipelines, quotes and invoices are included in Follow-Through. Keep the enquiry and its next step together.
Pay less for the compared subscription.
Follow-Through is A$399/month + GST versus Podium Professional’s published A$699/month equivalent ex GST. That is A$300/month less before setup, usage and optional services.
Keep your ongoing commitment flexible.
Zapla is month-to-month after launch. Podium’s standard agreement is 12 months. Guided Launch gets your agreed first workflows configured, tested and handed over.
Customer record
Mia Thompson
Enquiry
Website form
Quote
Sent by email
Owner
Ben Walker
Conversation
Automated quote follow-up
Hi Mia, did you have any questions about the quote?
Mia replied
Can we book a time to discuss it?
Your team sees the reply with the enquiry and quote history.
Podium Professional compared with Zapla Follow-Through.
Features
Follow-Through
PodiumProfessional
Unlimited users
ZaplaIncluded
PodiumIncluded
Unlimited contacts
ZaplaIncluded
PodiumIncluded
Automated FAQ replies
ZaplaIncluded
PodiumIncluded
Automation workflows
ZaplaIncludedUnlimited
PodiumIncludedAutomations & routing
Built-in business phone
ZaplaIncludedIncluded¹
PodiumNot included in the compared package or stated allowancePaid add-on
Subscription commitment
ZaplaMonth-to-month
Podium12 months
Shared inbox
ZaplaIncluded
PodiumIncluded
Two-way SMS
ZaplaIncludedIncluded¹
PodiumIncludedIncluded¹
Review management
ZaplaIncluded
PodiumIncluded
Dedicated database per account
ZaplaIncluded
PodiumNot included in the compared package or stated allowance
Data residency & sovereignty
ZaplaIncluded
PodiumNot included in the compared package or stated allowance
✓ Included in the compared package. × Not included in the compared package or stated allowance. Integrations and paid extras are labelled; their costs vary. ¹ Phone numbers and communications usage are extra unless included in the stated allowance.
Podium Professional includes 500 bulk messaging credits/month.
AI Receptionist is an optional paid service; setup and usage terms are separate. See pricing ↗
Feature details and plan notes
Unlimited users
Podium: Professional includes unlimited platform team members. Licensed Phones users are charged separately.
Zapla: Unlimited users are included in Follow-Through.
Unlimited contacts
Podium: Professional advertises unlimited contacts. Messaging allowances remain separate.
Zapla: Unlimited stored contacts are subject to fair use. Included WhatsApp messaging supports eight connected numbers with no separate WhatsApp contact-band fee. Messaging usage is extra; initial setup is scoped.
Automated FAQ replies
Podium: Professional includes personalised automated FAQs. This does not include every Podium AI Employee or industry-specific AI product.
Zapla: Automatically answer configured frequently asked questions. Initial configuration is scoped; messaging and AI usage are separate. This is not the optional AI Receptionist voice service.
Automation workflows
Podium: Professional includes one-click automations, scheduled messages, personalised automated FAQs and round-robin lead routing. Automation-message allowances are measured in segments, separately from workflow count.
Zapla: Unlimited workflow count is included. Sending, execution conditions and implementation scope are separate; Guided Launch covers the agreed initial workflows.
Built-in business phone
Podium: Podium’s Australian Phones service requires both a platform subscription and a separate Phones subscription. Licensed-user bundles and service terms apply.
Zapla: Business phone access is included. Numbers and calling usage are extra.
Subscription commitment
Podium: Default initial term is 12 months unless the order states otherwise. Default payment is annual upfront, with automatic renewal and at least 30 days’ written non-renewal notice. Monthly instalments do not create a monthly contract.
Zapla: Month-to-month after launch, with cancellation effective at the end of the current paid billing period. Required Guided Launch is separately priced.
Shared inbox
Podium: Professional includes Inbox and a customer database for managing customer conversations.
Zapla: Customer conversations and records are available to your team in a shared inbox. Supported channels must be connected.
Two-way SMS
Podium: Individual messaging is distinct from Bulk Messages credits and automation usage.
Zapla: Two-way SMS is included. Phone numbers and message usage are separate; bulk campaigns require Growth.
Review management
Podium: Professional includes Reviews, automated review invitations and AI-powered review-response suggestions.
Zapla: Review management is included in Follow-Through.
Dedicated database per account
Podium: A dedicated database per account is not included in the compared package. This row compares database architecture, not security quality.
Zapla: Each account has its own physically separate database. This does not mean a dedicated server.
Data residency & sovereignty
Podium: Podium’s Privacy Policy, section 11, states that its services are primarily hosted in the United States. This row compares Australian storage of account data and backups, not whether either platform has security controls.
Zapla: This row compares Australian storage of account data and backups. Zapla’s Australian region stores these in Sydney. Connected services may process data overseas; this is not a claim that all processing stays in Australia.
Bulk SMS campaigns
Podium: Professional’s published allowance is up to 500 per month. Bulk messaging uses credits: longer messages and special characters can consume more. Credits do not roll over; Australian capacity increases use an annual Bulk Messages plan.
Zapla: Bulk SMS and WhatsApp campaign tools are included in Growth, with sending usage charged separately.
Compare the software subscriptions. Launch, usage and optional services are separate.
Zapla Follow-Through
A$399/month + GST
Month-to-month after launch
Podium Professional
A$699/month equivalent, ex GST
12-month agreement. Annual upfront.
A$300/month lower software subscription at the published rates shown.
Required Zapla Guided Launch is additional, from A$1,997 + GST. Usage and optional services are separate.
Package, billing & pricing notes
Professional includes personalised automated FAQs and round-robin lead routing. Standard is a cheaper alternative at a published A$499/month equivalent ex GST when those features are not needed.
Podium’s default terms require annual payment upfront: A$8,388 ex GST at this Professional rate, unless the order specifies otherwise. Monthly instalments do not mean a monthly contract.
These are subscription comparisons, not total-cost savings. Confirm the package, AUD currency, tax and payment schedule in Podium’s quote. Phone numbers, communications usage and payment-provider fees are extra unless included in an allowance. Phones, AI Employee and industry-specific packages are not added to this subscription.
Podium includes personalised onboarding. Confirm any additional service charges in its quote.
For multiple locations or a different Podium package, compare a tailored quote. No location multiplier is assumed here.
See annual subscription comparisons
Twelve months of the named software subscriptions. Setup, usage and optional services are disclosed separately.
Australian reference amounts, excluding GST, setup and usage.
Subscription
Zapla Follow-Through
Podium Professional
12 months at the displayed rate
Zapla Follow-ThroughA$4,788
Podium ProfessionalA$8,388
Podium’s default terms require annual payment upfront: A$8,388 ex GST at the displayed Professional rate, unless the order specifies otherwise. Required Zapla Guided Launch is additional, from A$1,997 + GST. Usage and optional services are separate.
Zapla’s subscription is A$4,788 + GST for 12 months at today’s price, before usage and extras.
What does Guided Launch cover?
Guided Launch turns the software into an agreed setup for your business. It is required and priced separately from the subscription.
Agree the process. Choose the enquiries, quotes and bookings to follow up, and agree what to move or connect.
Build and connect. Configure your workspace and user access, connect business email and inbox, arrange a new business number or call forwarding, import up to 5,000 clean contacts, and configure up to two pipelines, three forms, two calendars and three agreed follow-through automations.
Test and train. Test the agreed setup, run one training session and take the first version live. These are initial setup quantities, not software capacity limits.
Zapla communications usage, phone numbers, optional services and payment-provider fees are extra.
Which fits the way you work?
Zapla
Customer conversations and the work that follows
Choose Zapla when you want websites, funnels, enquiries, pipelines, Forms, bookings, quotes and invoices in one system, with help configuring the first workflows.
Podium
Messaging, reviews and an established industry setup
Podium Professional may suit you when messaging, reviews, automated FAQs and routing are your priorities, and your existing business tools already work well together.
A few practical questions.
Is Zapla cheaper than Podium?
Follow-Through is A$300/month below Podium Professional’s published Australian subscription reference: A$399 versus A$699, excluding GST. Twelve months comes to A$4,788 versus A$8,388. Required Zapla Guided Launch starts at A$1,997 + GST and is additional. Usage, optional services and the final Podium quote determine total cost.
Why compare Podium Professional?
Professional includes personalised automated FAQs and round-robin lead routing. We compare it because automated FAQ replies are part of the requirement. Standard’s published A$499/month equivalent ex GST is a cheaper alternative for messaging, reviews and one-click automations. Phones, AI Employee and industry-specific packages are separate considerations.
Are both subscriptions month-to-month?
Zapla is month-to-month after launch, with cancellation effective at the end of the current paid billing period. Podium’s published Professional package has a 12-month agreement. Its default terms include automatic renewal and require at least 30 days’ written non-renewal notice, unless the order specifies otherwise.
Can I keep my existing website?
Yes. Use Zapla for customer conversations, bookings, pipelines and follow-through alongside your existing website. Guided Launch agrees which tools to keep and which connections to configure before work starts.
Which Zapla plan includes marketing and WhatsApp?
Follow-Through includes WhatsApp messaging with eight connected numbers and no separate WhatsApp contact-band fee. Growth adds database reactivation, email campaigns, bulk SMS and WhatsApp campaigns, social scheduling, and campaign attribution and conversion tracking. Growth is A$699/month + GST total. Messaging usage is extra.
Is AI Receptionist included?
No. Zapla AI Receptionist is an optional service at A$199/month + GST, with setup from A$997 + GST and voice usage quoted separately. Podium also offers AI products; request the Australian package, included allowances and overage rates in its quote.
What happens if I’m moving from Podium?
We agree which tools to keep, connections to check and data to move before you commit. Guided Launch includes the stated clean-contact import and initial setup quantities. Conversation history, phone-number transfers and existing automations need individual assessment. We agree the migration scope and price before work starts.
Comparison details & sources
Checked 20 October 2026. Based on official vendor documentation and Zapla’s current offer.
This comparison uses Podium Professional’s published Australian package and Zapla Follow-Through. Professional is selected for automated FAQ replies, not as Podium’s cheapest plan. Standard’s published reference is A$499/month equivalent ex GST. Rates are published references, not negotiated quotes. Subscription totals exclude setup, usage, optional products and industry packages. Both packages include unlimited platform users. Growth and AI Receptionist are separate Zapla offers. Features and allowances differ.
Each Zapla account uses a physically separate database. This does not mean a dedicated server or establish superior security or speed.
Australian account data and backups
Australian-region account data and backups are stored in Australia. Messaging, voice, AI and other connected services may process data overseas.
Podium data handling
Podium’s Privacy Policy states that its services are primarily hosted in the United States. For applicable HIPAA-regulated customers, its terms provide a Business Associate Agreement; HIPAA is not a Zapla-only advantage.
Customer record