SoftwareGlimpse

ACT! vs Podio

ACT! fits act! by swiftpage — long-standing smb crm for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales; Podio fits flexible work platform often used as a customizable crm, with free (5 users), plus, and premium plans.

Independently recommendedLast updated Sep 24, 20268 evidence sources4 screenshotsHow we compare
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ACT! logo

ACT!

5.6/10

ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).

Best for

  • • ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales
  • • Classic SMB CRM for managing contacts, activities, and sales follow-ups — especially familiar to established small businesses

No free plan

Visit ACT!
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VS

Our verdict

Our verdict

No universal winner

There is no universal winner between ACT! and Podio. Choose based on pipeline depth, automation, email and calling, reporting, and pricing trade-offs.

ACT! is better for

  • ✓ Pipeline management
  • ✓ Email capabilities
  • ✓ Administration

Podio is better for

  • ✓ Sales automation
  • ✓ Reporting
  • ✓ Customization
  • ✓ Integrations

Tie

  • • Ease of use

Choose ACT! if: ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales

Choose Podio if: Flexible work platform often used as a customizable CRM, with Free (5 users), Plus, and Premium plans

See detailed comparison ↓
Podio logo

Podio

6.1/10

Customizable work platform used as CRM; Free (5 users), Plus from $11.20/user/mo annual.

Best for

  • • Flexible work platform often used as a customizable CRM, with Free (5 users), Plus, and Premium plans
  • • Customizable work platform where teams build CRM-like apps, projects, and workflows without rigid CRM lock-in

Starting from $11.20/user/mo

Free plan available

Visit Podio
Read review

Quick verdict

Start here — then dig into the evidence below.

Choose ACT! if…

  • ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales
  • Classic SMB CRM for managing contacts, activities, and sales follow-ups — especially familiar to established small businesses
  • You prioritize pipeline management
  • You prioritize email capabilities

Choose Podio if…

  • Flexible work platform often used as a customizable CRM, with Free (5 users), Plus, and Premium plans
  • Customizable work platform where teams build CRM-like apps, projects, and workflows without rigid CRM lock-in
  • You prioritize sales automation
  • You prioritize reporting

Overall recommendation

There is no universal winner between ACT! and Podio. Choose based on pipeline depth, automation, email and calling, reporting, and pricing trade-offs.

Key trade-off

ACT! trades toward pipeline management; Podio trades toward sales automation.

Winner by category

Only dimensions with researched evidence for this pair.

DimensionWinnerWhy
Ease of useTieACT! and Podio are close on ease of use (6/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
SalesACT! winsStronger pipeline management availability
AutomationPodio winsPodio leads on sales automation (5/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Email capabilitiesACT! winsACT! leads on email capabilities (6/10 vs 5/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
ReportingPodio winsStronger reporting availability
CustomizationPodio winsPodio leads on customization (6/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
IntegrationsPodio winsPodio leads on integrations (5/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
AdministrationACT! winsACT! leads on administration (6/10 vs 5/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Enterprise suitabilityPodio winsPodio leads on scalability (5/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
ValuePodio winsPodio leads on value for money (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.

Side-by-side feature matrix

Normalized availability from product research — empty rows are not shown.

Core CRM

FeatureACT!Podio
Contact managementStrongStrong
Lead managementStrongStrong
Pipeline managementStrongModerate
Deal managementStrongModerate

Sales engagement

FeatureACT!Podio
Email syncStrongStrong
Email trackingStrongModerate
Workflow automationModerateStrong
Sales automationStrongStrong

Reporting

FeatureACT!Podio
ReportingModerateStrong

Platform

FeatureACT!Podio
IntegrationsStrongStrong
Custom fieldsStrongStrong
Custom pipelinesModerateStrong
Mobile appStrongStrong
AI assistanceNot evidencedNot evidenced

Pricing comparison

Pricing evidence last checked Aug 16, 2026.

ACT! logo

ACT!

No free planFree trial available
  • ACT! (contact sales)Custom
Podio logo

Podio

From $11.20/user/mo

Free plan availableNo free trial evidenced
  • Free$0.00/user/mo
  • Plus$11.20/user/mo
  • Premium$19.20/user/mo

Seat-count estimates

Labeled estimates from verified starting per-seat pricing — not invoices.

SeatsACT!Podio
5—~$56.00/mo (Plus × 5)
10—~$112.00/mo (Plus × 10)
25—~$280.00/mo (Plus × 25)
50—~$560.00/mo (Plus × 50)

Estimate from verified starting per-seat pricing — actual total depends on plan, annual discounts, and add-ons.

Pricing notes use verified research when available for ACT! and Podio. Confirm live vendor pricing before buying.

Open cost calculator →

Best for

Scenario picks from researched strengths — not a universal ranking.

  • → ACT!

    Best for pipeline management

    Stronger pipeline management availability

  • → ACT!

    Best for email capabilities

    ACT! leads on email capabilities (6/10 vs 5/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.

  • → ACT!

    Best for administration

    ACT! leads on administration (6/10 vs 5/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.

  • → Podio

    Best for sales automation

    Podio leads on sales automation (5/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.

  • → Podio

    Best for reporting

    Stronger reporting availability

  • → Podio

    Best for customization

    Podio leads on customization (6/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.

The differences that actually matter

Pair-specific analysis for ACT! vs Podio — not generic category copy.

  • Pipeline management

    ACT! ahead

    On pipeline management, ACT! is ahead. ACT!: Stronger pipeline management availability. Podio: Trails ACT! on this criterion. Feature evidence also diverges on Pipeline management (ACT!: Strong; Podio: Moderate); Deal management (ACT!: Strong; Podio: Moderate); Email tracking (ACT!: Strong; Podio: Moderate).

  • Email capabilities

    ACT! ahead

    On email capabilities, ACT! is ahead. ACT!: ACT! leads on email capabilities (6/10 vs 5/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.. Podio: Trails ACT! on this criterion.

  • Sales automation

    Podio ahead

    On sales automation, Podio is ahead. ACT!: Trails Podio on this criterion. Podio: Podio leads on sales automation (5/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing..

  • Reporting

    Podio ahead

    On reporting, Podio is ahead. ACT!: Trails Podio on this criterion. Podio: Stronger reporting availability.

  • Value for money

    Podio ahead

    On value for money, Podio is ahead. ACT!: Trails Podio on this criterion. Podio: Podio leads on value for money (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing..

Pros and cons

Product-specific for this pair — derived from researched outcomes and editorial notes.

ACT! logo

ACT!

Pros

  • Stronger on pipeline management
  • Stronger on email capabilities
  • Stronger on administration

Cons

  • Trails on sales automation
  • Trails on reporting
  • Trails on customization
Podio logo

Podio

Pros

  • Stronger on sales automation
  • Stronger on reporting
  • Stronger on customization
  • Stronger on integrations

Cons

  • Trails on pipeline management
  • Trails on email capabilities
  • Trails on administration

Implementation & learning curve

Based on researched setup / ease criteria for this pair.

ACT!

  • Comparable ease of use to Podio
  • Stronger on administration: ACT! leads on administration (6/10 vs 5/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.

Podio

  • Comparable ease of use to ACT!
  • Trails on administration relative to ACT!

Integrations

Overlaps and exclusives from product integration data when available.

ACT!: Strong. Podio: Strong.

Who should not choose each product

Decision quality improves when we say who should walk away.

Don't choose ACT! if…

  • You need Podio's stronger sales automation more than ACT!'s strengths
  • You need Podio's stronger reporting more than ACT!'s strengths
  • You need Podio's stronger customization more than ACT!'s strengths
  • Your primary fit looks closer to: Flexible work platform often used as a customizable CRM, with Free (5 users), Plus, and Premium plans

Don't choose Podio if…

  • You need ACT!'s stronger pipeline management more than Podio's strengths
  • You need ACT!'s stronger email capabilities more than Podio's strengths
  • You need ACT!'s stronger administration more than Podio's strengths
  • Your primary fit looks closer to: ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales

Alternatives worth considering

When neither product is the right fit.

  • HubSpot logoHubSpot

    AI-powered customer platform with free forever CRM, plus paid Smart CRM seats and Sales/Marketing/Service hubs for growing teams.

  • Pipedrive logoPipedrive

    Pipeline-first sales CRM for visual deal management, activity-based selling, and growing sales teams.

  • Capsule CRM logoCapsule

    Simple small-business CRM for contacts, sales pipelines, tasks, and lightweight automation without enterprise complexity.

  • Freshworks logoFreshsales

    Freshworks sales CRM for lead management and pipeline workflows.

Final verdict

Scenario-level close — not a repeat of the intro.

ACT! wins when…

ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales

Podio wins when…

Flexible work platform often used as a customizable CRM, with Free (5 users), Plus, and Premium plans

  • Best for pipeline managementACT!
  • Best for email capabilitiesACT!
  • Best for administrationACT!
  • Best for sales automationPodio

Which one should you choose?

Choose ACT! if:

  • ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales
  • Classic SMB CRM for managing contacts, activities, and sales follow-ups — especially familiar to established small businesses

Choose Podio if:

  • Flexible work platform often used as a customizable CRM, with Free (5 users), Plus, and Premium plans
  • Customizable work platform where teams build CRM-like apps, projects, and workflows without rigid CRM lock-in

Product screenshots

Real product UI from our media library — no placeholders.

FAQ

Is ACT! better than Podio?
There is no universal winner between ACT! and Podio. Choose based on pipeline depth, automation, email and calling, reporting, and pricing trade-offs.
Which CRM fits which team?
ACT!: ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales Podio: Flexible work platform often used as a customizable CRM, with Free (5 users), Plus, and Premium plans
Which is stronger for sales automation?
Podio leads on sales automation (5/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Does ACT! or Podio have a free plan?
ACT!: No free plan. Podio: Free plan available.
How does ACT! vs Podio pricing compare?
Podio starts from $11.20/user/mo. Confirm live vendor pricing before purchasing.
How did SoftwareGlimpse compare these products?
We map both products to the same category criteria, then evaluate trade-offs using verified product, pricing and feature evidence. Affiliate relationships never change outcomes.

Still deciding between ACT! and Podio?

Use Find My CRM for a shortlist matched to your priorities, or build another side-by-side comparison.

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  • Affiliate links never change winners

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Affiliate disclosure: some links may be affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rankings and scores are never based on commission. Full disclosure

Methodology disclosure: scores and recommendations follow SoftwareGlimpse evaluation criteria (version 1.0.0). Affiliate relationships do not determine rankings.

How we recommend: product claims are tied to recorded research where available.

AI-assisted disclosure: drafts may be AI-assisted from approved facts and assessments. Humans approve publishable editorial judgments. AI does not invent live prices or claim hands-on testing.

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