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REsimpli vs Podio + Add-Ons: Simplifying Your Tech Stack

UPDATED June 25, 2025 | 3 MIN READ
Sharad Mehta
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Sharad Mehta
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Podio has long been a go-to CRM for real estate investors, but it often comes with a hidden cost: complexity. While it offers flexibility, you end up stitching together multiple apps, integrations, and automations just to make it usable for real estate deals.

REsimpli is the alternative that was built to solve that problem. If you are tired of managing a tech stack held together by Zapier and spreadsheets, this guide breaks down exactly how REsimpli compares to Podio, plus all its required add-ons.

People often find themselves asking the questions:

  • Do I want something ultra-custom like Podio? It gets very costly and overwhelming
  • Do I want to pay fixed monthly prices for REsimpli, which provides everything out of the box?

While Podio can be customized exactly to your needs, issues arise with you needing to consistently upgrade the technology and optimize it, whereas REsimpli is less customizable, but is built to be optimized for real estate investors.

What Is Podio?

Podio is a project management tool by Citrix that many real estate investors customize into a CRM. The keyword here is customize. It is not built for real estate, so users rely on third-party developers or build their own structure to make it work.

To make Podio CRM-ready, you often need:

  • Globiflow (now Citrix PWA) for automation
  • Zapier for external integrations
  • CallRail or smartphone integrations
  • Email connectors
  • Google Sheets for KPI tracking
  • DocuSign or HelloSign for contracts

That is a lot of tools just to close one deal.

What Is REsimpli?

REsimpli is an all-in-one CRM built specifically for real estate investors. It eliminates the need for external integrations by offering built-in tools for every part of your business.

With REsimpli, you get:

  • Lead management and scoring
  • Skip tracing and list pulling
  • Drip campaigns (SMS, email, RVM, direct mail)
  • In-app calling and texting
  • AI Agents for marketing
  • Offer and contract templates with e-signature
  • Pipeline dashboards and KPI reporting
  • Full accounting suite

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

FeaturePodio (with Add-Ons)REsimpli
Lead CRMCustom-builtBuilt-in
Drip CampaignsExternal tool requiredIncluded
In-App Calling and SMSCallRail + IntegrationBuilt-in
Lead Source TrackingManual setupBuilt-in
KPI DashboardGoogle Sheets or a custom appBuilt-in, real-time
Mobile AppLimited usabilityFully functional mobile app
Repair Estimate ToolBuilt-in
List Pulling + StackingBuilt-in
E-signature SupportRequires DocuSignBuilt-in
PriceLow base + multiple add-onsFlat monthly pricing

The Real Cost of Podio

Podio seems affordable at first, but the true cost includes:

  • Paying a developer to build or maintain your system
  • Monthly fees for multiple tools like Zapier, CallRail, DocuSign
  • Wasted hours managing bugs, syncing issues, and workarounds
  • Onboarding complexity for new team members

REsimpli reduces costs not just in dollars, but in time and mental overhead.

Speed to Lead: REsimpli’s Advantage

Podio requires setup to trigger notifications when a lead comes in. In REsimpli, leads flow directly from your web forms or marketing campaigns, triggering:

  • Instant SMS
  • Push notification
  • Auto-assigned follow-up task
  • Workflow automation without code

This alone saves hours every week and ensures no lead falls through the cracks.

Setup Time Comparison

Podio Setup

  • 20 to 60 hours of developer time
  • Learning curve for flows and automation
  • Trial and error with integrations

REsimpli Setup

  • 1 to 3 hours to import data and configure pipelines
  • No coding or integrations needed
  • Support team available for onboarding calls
  • Live chat, emails, and live Zoom calls are available for customer support

When Podio Makes Sense

Podio might still be a good fit if:

  • You love building systems from scratch
  • You want something ultra-custom
  • You already have a developer team in-house

But for most real estate investors, especially those scaling up, it is too much tech for too little payoff.

Why REsimpli Is a Better Podio Alternative

REsimpli was designed by a real estate investor who got tired of juggling third-party software and missing leads.

Here is what makes it a better option:

  • It works out of the box
  • You do not need to hire anyone to build it
  • It includes everything from marketing to closing
  • It saves you money and time in the long term
  • It is constantly updated based on what real investors need

Conclusion

If you are using Podio with a patchwork of add-ons, ask yourself: is it saving you time, or costing you more of it?

REsimpli gives you the power of a custom system with none of the complexity. It is everything Podio tries to be, without the glue and duct tape. If simplicity, speed, and results matter to your business, REsimpli is the Podio alternative built for you.

FAQS

Podio is highly customizable, which attracts investors who want to build their own CRM system from scratch, but it comes with complexity and reliance on add-ons.

You’ll often need multiple tools (Globiflow, Zapier, CallRail, Google Sheets) and developer time to get basic CRM functionality. It’s costly in time and overhead.

REsimpli is an all-in-one platform built for real estate investors. It offers built-in lead management, skip tracing, automation, mobile tools, and full marketing, no integrations needed.

Yes. REsimpli offers white-glove onboarding, free data import, and support for porting phone numbers, tags, and contact history.

While Podio has a low base price, you’ll likely pay for 4-6 other tools. REsimpli is flat-rate with no extra integration costs or developer fees.

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