--- title: "Patch Retention review: is it worth it for a local venue’s text marketing and in-person sign-ups?" url: "https://eaiservice.com/reviews/patch-retention/" markdown: "https://eaiservice.com/reviews/patch-retention/index.md" publisher: "Evaluate AI Service" owner: "Midwest AI Solution Inc." editor: "Peter Chen" datePublished: "2026-10-24" dateModified: "2026-10-24" relationship: null data: "https://eaiservice.com/data/reviews.json" corrections: "corrections@eaiservice.com" --- [SMS marketing](https://eaiservice.com/best/sms-marketing/) # Patch Retention review: is it worth it for a local venue’s text marketing and in-person sign-ups? Evidence score 2.6 / 5 (from public pages and pricing, October 22, 2026; 6 of 6 criteria; not tried hands-on). [How we score](https://eaiservice.com/methodology/#scores) Patch Retention, formerly CityGro, is SMS and email marketing software for local venues such as trampoline parks, golf clubs and gyms. Guests sign up at an iPad check-in kiosk running its app, and its Agency Services team can plan, build and send your campaigns. It publishes no venue prices; every start is a demo. By [Peter Chen](https://eaiservice.com/authors/editor/) Published October 24, 2026 · Updated October 24, 2026 · Prices and features last checked October 22, 2026 Our verdict **Best for:** A venue, club or attraction that wants phone numbers captured at the front desk and will pay a team to run its texts **Not for:** A restaurant that wants a published price and a self-serve start **Patch Retention at a glance** | | | | --- | --- | | Starting price | $395 a month (Shopify app plan, read October 22, 2026) | | Free plan or trial | No | | Standout feature | Check-in at an iPad kiosk can trigger a text while the guest is still on site | | Maker | Patch Retention, Inc. | ## Who is Patch Retention for? Patch Retention suits a venue that checks guests in at a front desk, such as a trampoline park, golf club or gym. Guests type their number into an iPad running its kiosk app, and a text can go out while they are still on site. If you would rather not run the texts yourself, its Agency Services team can plan, build and send them. Skip it if you run a restaurant and want a price before you talk to anyone. Its pages name venues and clubs, not restaurants, and the only published price is for its Shopify app. Its pages name no supplied iPad, and its terms make you responsible for your equipment. ## Pros and cons ### Pros - In-person sign-up: an iPad check-in kiosk, a texted link or a QR code puts each guest’s phone number straight into its CRM - A done-for-you option: Agency Services plans, builds and sends your email and SMS campaigns, with a named retention strategist - Check-in can trigger a text while the guest is still on site ### Cons - No pricing page; the venue product and Agency Services are sold through a demo - The kiosk is software on an iPad; no supplied device is named, and its terms make you responsible for your equipment - The current site names venues, clubs and attractions, not restaurants - The only published price is for its Shopify app ## How much does Patch Retention cost? **Patch Retention plans and prices** | Plan | Price | Charged per | Main limit | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Shopify app | $395 a month | — | $0.02 per SMS on top. This is the price for the Shopify online-store install; the venue product is sold through a demo. | - Patch Retention Shopify app: the Shopify App Store listing shows $395 a month plus $0.02 per SMS, billed every 30 days, with no free trial listed. - Patch Retention venues: patchretention.com has no pricing page; the venue product and Agency Services are sold through a demo, with no published price. As read on October 22, 2026 from [https://apps.shopify.com/patch-customer-retention](https://apps.shopify.com/patch-customer-retention). ## Did we sign up for Patch Retention? Not tested hands-on. This review is based on Patch Retention's public pages; we have not signed up, because Patch Retention has no self-serve free plan or trial. ## How it scored **Patch Retention evidence by criterion** | Criterion | Weight | Score (1-5) | Evidence | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Core job | 25% | 3 | SMS campaigns, two-way texting, automated journeys and kiosk check-in are described; no first-hand check. [\[source 1\]](https://patchretention.com/sms-campaigns) [\[source 2\]](https://patchretention.com/kiosk-checkins) [\[source 3\]](https://patchretention.com/agency-services) | | Fit for the category's buyer | 20% | 3 | Names local venues, not restaurants; done-for-you is a separate Agency Services offer bought through a demo, and the kiosk is its app on an iPad, with no supplied device named. [\[source 1\]](https://patchretention.com/) [\[source 2\]](https://patchretention.com/agency-services) [\[source 3\]](https://patchretention.com/kiosk-checkins) [\[source 4\]](https://patchretention.com/terms-and-conditions) | | Pricing transparency | 20% | 2 | No pricing page on the vendor site; only its Shopify app lists a price, $395 a month plus $0.02 per SMS. [\[source 1\]](https://apps.shopify.com/patch-customer-retention) [\[source 2\]](https://patchretention.com/) | | Setup and time to first result | 15% | 2 | The venue product is sold through a demo; a self-serve install exists only for Shopify stores. [\[source 1\]](https://patchretention.com/) [\[source 2\]](https://apps.shopify.com/patch-customer-retention) [\[source 3\]](https://help.patchretention.com/) | | Integrations and data portability | 10% | 3 | The help centre documents Square and Smartwaiver integrations; REST APIs and webhooks are claimed, with no public API reference found. [\[source 1\]](https://help.patchretention.com/) [\[source 2\]](https://patchretention.com/data-integration) | | Trust, security and support | 10% | 2 | SOC 2 is claimed, but there is no trust page or report; support is a ticket form and email, and a DPA is listed. [\[source 1\]](https://patchretention.com/data-integration) [\[source 2\]](https://help.patchretention.com/) [\[source 3\]](https://patchretention.com/terms-and-conditions) | 6 of 6 criteria had published evidence. Evidence score total: 2.6 / 5 (weighted over the known criteria). ## What do Reddit users say about Patch Retention? We have not searched Reddit for Patch Retention yet, so this review quotes no Reddit users. [See how we pick quotes.](https://eaiservice.com/methodology/#reddit) ## What are the best alternatives to Patch Retention? - [Textmunication review](https://eaiservice.com/reviews/textmunication/): Self-serve texting with a restaurant page, from $29 a month, and a 30-day free trial. - [EZ Texting review](https://eaiservice.com/reviews/ez-texting/): Self-serve texting with every plan priced, from $25 a month, and a 14-day free trial. - [Sendsational review](https://eaiservice.com/reviews/sendsational/): A done-for-you service that writes, sends and tracks your text offers and can provide and brand a sign-up kiosk for your location, sold by flat quote. ## Where Patch Retention is ranked and compared Ranked in: [Best SMS marketing (tied 4 of 5)](https://eaiservice.com/best/sms-marketing/) ## Frequently asked questions ### Is CityGro still around? CityGro is now Patch Retention. CityGro announced the change on August 24, 2022, and citygro.com now redirects to patchretention.com. ### Does Patch Retention supply the kiosk tablet? Its pages name no supplied device. The kiosk is its check-in app running on an iPad in kiosk mode, and its terms make the client responsible for the equipment it uses. ### Will Patch Retention write and send my text campaigns for me? Yes, through Agency Services, which plans, builds and sends your email and SMS campaigns with a named retention strategist. No price is published for it. ### Does Patch Retention work for restaurants? Its current site names trampoline parks, family entertainment centers, water parks, golf clubs, gyms and racquet clubs. It does not name restaurants. ## Sources - [Patch Retention home page (citygro.com redirects here)](https://patchretention.com/) (read October 22, 2026) - [Patch Retention kiosk check-ins](https://patchretention.com/kiosk-checkins) (read October 22, 2026) - [Patch Retention Agency Services](https://patchretention.com/agency-services) (read October 22, 2026) - [Patch Retention SMS campaigns](https://patchretention.com/sms-campaigns) (read October 22, 2026) - [Patch Retention data integration](https://patchretention.com/data-integration) (read October 22, 2026) - [Patch Retention terms of service](https://patchretention.com/terms-and-conditions) (read October 22, 2026) - [Patch Retention help centre](https://help.patchretention.com/) (read October 22, 2026) - [Patch Retention on the Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/patch-customer-retention) (read October 22, 2026) - [CityGro is now Patch (archived CityGro post)](https://web.archive.org/web/20250114132928/https://citygro.com/citygro-by-patch/) (read October 22, 2026) ## Changelog - October 24, 2026: First published, written from Patch Retention's own pages and its Shopify App Store listing, read on October 22, 2026. CityGro, the name it used until 2022, now redirects to patchretention.com. Not tested hands-on, and Reddit was not searched. ## Categories - [Cold email](https://eaiservice.com/best/cold-email/) - [AI voice agents](https://eaiservice.com/best/ai-voice-agents/) - [Influencer marketing](https://eaiservice.com/best/influencer-marketing/) - [Restaurant marketing](https://eaiservice.com/best/restaurant-marketing/) - [SMS marketing](https://eaiservice.com/best/sms-marketing/) ## Reviews - [All reviews](https://eaiservice.com/reviews/) - [Compare](https://eaiservice.com/compare/) - [Prices](https://eaiservice.com/prices/) - [Blog](https://eaiservice.com/blog/) ## About the site - [About](https://eaiservice.com/about/) - [Ownership](https://eaiservice.com/ownership/) - [Advertising](https://eaiservice.com/advertising/) - [Methodology](https://eaiservice.com/methodology/) - [Editors](https://eaiservice.com/authors/editor/) - [Contact](https://eaiservice.com/contact/) - [Corrections](mailto:corrections@eaiservice.com) - [Privacy](https://eaiservice.com/privacy/) - [Cookie settings](https://eaiservice.com/privacy/#analytics) ## For machines - [RSS](https://eaiservice.com/rss.xml) - [llms.txt](https://eaiservice.com/llms.txt) - [llms-full.txt](https://eaiservice.com/llms-full.txt) - [Dataset](https://eaiservice.com/data/) - [Sitemap](https://eaiservice.com/sitemap-index.xml) [Evaluate AI Service](https://eaiservice.com/) Published by Midwest AI Solution Inc., which also makes CreatoRain. 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