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3 best places to get more customer reviews
Short answer: for most local businesses the realistic choice is Google first, then one secondary platform your customers actually read. The tool you use to collect those reviews matters less than whether you ask at the right moment — but it decides how much you pay and how much control you keep. Of the four platforms we score, Birdeye and Podium tie on the overall Caliber Score (77/100), with ReviewNetwork one point behind at 76 and the only pay-per-review option.
Disclosure: ReviewCaliber is operated by Alpha Marketing Group, which also owns ReviewNetwork. That relationship does not change how points are awarded — the framework is published in full and ReviewNetwork is scored against the same nine categories. It currently ranks third overall. Read the full disclosure.
Where to actually get customer reviews
Before choosing software, choose the destination. Google is non-negotiable for any business with a physical location or service area — it is the review surface that appears in Maps and in the local pack. After that, pick based on where your buyers verify you: Trustpilot for ecommerce and online services, Yelp for restaurants and consumer services in dense metros, and the BBB where trust and complaint history carry weight, such as home services and finance.
Spreading thin across five platforms is the most common mistake. Two platforms with steady, recent reviews beat five that each look abandoned.
The three best places to get more customer reviews
ReviewNetwork
Best for paying per review without a subscription
Caliber Score 76/100 · Credit-based review campaigns across Google, Trustpilot, Yelp and BBB.
ReviewNetwork scores highest of the four on pricing and flexibility (14/15), ease of setup (13/15) and campaign controls (13/15). Credits are bought outright with no recurring commitment, which is the deciding factor if you collect reviews in bursts rather than continuously. It is weakest on integrations (3/10) and support depth (3/5).
Pricing: Starter 10 credits $87 · Growth 25 credits $215 · Scale 50 credits $420 · Enterprise 75 credits $615
Free trial: No free trial; free account and free tools, credits purchased separately · Contract: None — credits are bought outright
Checked 2026-07-25 · pricing source
Advantages
- Pay-per-review credit model with no subscription or contract
- Credits are platform-agnostic — assign them to Google, Trustpilot, Yelp or BBB after purchase
- Draft-level control: edit copy and set the star rating before anything launches
- Free tools (review link generator, request generator) usable without an account
Limitations
- No published integrations, API or CRM connectors
- Reporting is dashboard-only with no export surfaced publicly
- Four platforms only — no Facebook or industry-specific directories
- No published support SLA, phone support or public help centre
- Newer product with a smaller public footprint than established suites
Birdeye
Best for multi-location and broad platform coverage
Caliber Score 77/100 · Established reputation and customer-experience platform aimed at multi-location brands.
Birdeye takes the top overall Caliber Score (77/100) on the strength of platform coverage (14/15), integrations (9/10) and multi-business support (9/10). The trade-off is pricing transparency — it scores 6/15 because there is no public price list.
Pricing: Not publicly disclosed — pricing is presented via a demo/quote request rather than a public price list
Free trial: Not publicly disclosed · Contract: Not publicly disclosed — typically annual for suite products, not publicly confirmed
Checked 2026-07-25 · pricing source
Advantages
- Broad platform and directory coverage beyond the four major review sites
- Public integrations directory covering CRM and vertical systems
- Built for multi-location roll-ups and enterprise reporting
- Suite breadth — listings, messaging and surveys alongside reviews
Limitations
- No public pricing — requires a sales conversation to get a number
- Subscription commitment is a poor fit for occasional or low-volume needs
- Suite breadth means more product to configure than a single-purpose tool
- Contract terms not publicly disclosed
Podium
Best if you already run customer conversations over SMS
Caliber Score 77/100 · Messaging-first platform where review requests sit alongside texting, payments and lead inbox.
Podium ties Birdeye at 77/100 and is the stronger pick when review requests should live in the same inbox as customer texting. It publishes subscription tiers publicly, which is why it scores 9/15 on pricing against Birdeye's 6.
Pricing: Vendor publishes named subscription tiers on its pricing page; exact figures change and should be read at the source before quoting.
Free trial: Free trial advertised on vendor pricing page at time of check · Contract: Not publicly disclosed
Checked 2026-07-25 · pricing source
Advantages
- Publishes subscription tiers publicly rather than quote-only
- Review requests live in the same inbox as customer texting
- Free trial advertised at time of check
- Strong fit for local businesses already communicating by SMS
Limitations
- Recurring subscription regardless of how many reviews you actually collect
- Directory coverage less emphasised than dedicated listings suites
- Contract terms not publicly disclosed
- Messaging breadth may be more product than a review-only buyer needs
All four platforms scored
| Platform | Caliber Score | Pricing model | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birdeye | 77/100 | Subscription (quote-based) | Multi-location organisations that need reputation, listings, messaging and surveys in one suite. |
| Podium | 77/100 | Subscription (published tiers) | Local businesses that want customer texting and review requests handled in the same inbox. |
| ReviewNetwork our product | 76/100 | One-time credit packages | Businesses that want to pay per review rather than commit to a monthly subscription. |
| NiceJob | 70/100 | Subscription (published tiers) | Small service businesses that want automated review collection without a broad suite. |
Scores come from the Caliber Score framework: nine weighted categories totalling 100 points, judged against documented public evidence. We have not run hands-on trials of third-party products and do not claim to have. Where a vendor does not publish something, we record “Not publicly disclosed” rather than guess.
How to choose in one minute
- You collect reviews in bursts, not continuously — a credit model avoids paying monthly for idle periods. Explore the credit-based option.
- You run several locations — prioritise coverage, roll-up reporting and integrations; Birdeye scores highest there.
- You already text your customers — Podium keeps requests in the existing inbox.
- You are a single small service business — NiceJob is the narrowest and simplest, at 70/100.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best platform to get customer reviews on?
Google, for almost every local business — it feeds Maps and the local pack. Add one secondary platform your buyers actually read rather than spreading across five.
How is the Caliber Score calculated?
Nine weighted categories totalling 100 points, each scored against documented public evidence with the source and check date shown. The full framework is published on the methodology page.
Do you test these products yourself?
We have not run hands-on trials of the third-party products and do not claim to. Scores reflect documented public evidence. Where a vendor does not publish something we mark it as not publicly disclosed.
Does ReviewCaliber own any of the products it compares?
Yes. ReviewCaliber is operated by Alpha Marketing Group, which also owns ReviewNetwork. ReviewNetwork is scored on the same framework and currently ranks third of four.