Choose by how many locations you run and who answers the reviews. A single-site service business needs simple review requests and quick replies. An agency needs one inbox across clients, and a brand with many branches needs listings, reporting and consistent replies at every location. Settle that first and the shortlist gets short.
A plumber with one van, an agency handling twenty local clients and a brand with branches in every town all say they need review software. They don't mean the same thing at all. Reviewshake aims at agencies and the businesses they serve, with every review in one inbox, AI-drafted replies, review requests and white-label reports. If you're leaving it, the seven alternatives below are in no particular order.
Requests out, replies back
Review tools do two jobs, and it's worth testing each one on its own, because a tool that's great at one isn't always good at the other.
How review requests go out
Most new reviews come from asking at the right moment: just after the job is done, the meal is eaten or the appointment ends. Check how each tool sends that request. Text messages tend to suit trades and clinics, email suits online orders, and some businesses use a QR code at the till. Look at whether the request can trigger automatically from your booking or job system, because a request someone has to remember to send rarely goes out.
How new reviews are routed and answered
The second job is the reply. When a new review lands, who sees it first, and how fast can they answer? An owner-run business may want a phone alert and a suggested reply. An agency needs every client's reviews in one inbox with clear ownership. A brand with many sites needs replies that sound consistent but not robotic. AI-drafted replies save time, but read every one before it goes live: a generic reply to an angry customer does more harm than no reply.
Seven review platforms, A to Z
In no particular order, sorted alphabetically. Each line reflects what the vendor says about its own product.
Birdeye
Best for: Multi-location brands wanting AI assistants to raise visibility in AI search, convert demand and keep customer experience consistent at each branch, per the vendor.
Broadly
Best for: Local service businesses wanting AI to handle review management, capture leads around the clock and book more jobs, as the vendor pitches it.
Chatmeter
Best for: Brands after AI-driven brand intelligence and reputation management; the vendor's homepage says it has joined Alchemer, so confirm the product's direction.
GatherUp
Best for: Local businesses wanting reviews, listings and review protection tools together, aimed at being found in local and AI search, per the vendor.
NiceJob
Best for: Small service firms wanting AI-powered reputation marketing, which the vendor pitches as attracting customers instead of chasing them.
Reputation
Best for: Larger brands turning reviews, listings and surveys into usable insight on one AI-native platform, which the vendor says works at scale.
Trustmary
Best for: Businesses collecting and analysing customer feedback, then showing it on their own site as social proof, per the vendor.
The seven compared
| Tool | Type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Birdeye | AI reputation platform for multi-location brands | Keeping experience consistent across many locations |
| Broadly | AI tools for local service firms | Reviews, round-the-clock lead capture and job booking |
| Chatmeter | Brand intelligence platform | Tracking brand reputation, now part of Alchemer |
| GatherUp | Reviews and listings | Reviews, listings and review protection together |
| NiceJob | AI reputation marketing | AI-powered review marketing for small firms |
| Reputation | Reviews, listings and surveys platform | Turning reviews and surveys into insight at scale |
| Trustmary | Feedback and social proof | Collecting feedback and showing it on your site |
Which size of business each one targets
Single-site and small service businesses
Broadly, NiceJob and GatherUp are pitched at local firms such as trades, clinics and salons. They focus on getting more reviews and making them visible in local search, with AI help on replies and lead capture.
Brands with many locations
Birdeye, Chatmeter and Reputation are built for brands that manage reviews and listings across many sites. Expect more reporting, more user roles and more set-up, which pays off when you've got dozens of profiles and can't check each one by hand to keep consistent.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Social proof on your own site
Trustmary leans towards collecting feedback and showing it on your website, which helps if reviews on your own pages matter as much as reviews on Google.
Advice for local owners and agencies
Buy for the reply, not the dashboard. A busy owner will answer reviews from a phone notification, so test that first. Agencies should test the client hand-off: can a client approve a reply without logging in, and can you report on every location without building each report by hand? For the basics of what to say, my guide on how to reply to Google reviews covers tone and timing.
Remember why this matters beyond star counts. Fresh, answered reviews feed into how local businesses appear on maps, which I cover in how reviews help your local map rankings. And keep an eye on new risks, such as AI chatbots quietly losing you five-star reviews.
Keep the review links you've already sent working
The quiet risk in a switch is broken links. Review request templates, email footers, printed cards and QR codes may point to a short link or landing page the old tool controlled. When the account closes, those links can stop working, and customers who wanted to leave a review hit a dead page.
Before you cancel, list every place a review link appears, from printed receipts to automated texts. Where you can, point new material straight at your Google or industry profile rather than a tool's own short link, so the next switch is painless. Then run one real request through the new tool from start to finish and leave a test review flow open for a few days before you turn the old one off.
Do you make review or reputation management software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
Is it allowed to ask customers for reviews?
Asking is generally fine, but rules on incentives and filtering vary by platform and country. Read each review site's policies and check your local regulator before offering anything in return.
Should I reply to every review?
Replying to most reviews, good and bad, shows you're listening. Prioritise negative and detailed reviews, and keep replies short, specific and polite.
Are AI-drafted review replies a good idea?
They save time, but read each one before it goes live. Edit anything generic, and never let a draft promise a refund or admit fault without a person checking it.
How do I get more reviews without annoying customers?
Ask once, soon after a good experience, with a direct link. A single reminder is fine; repeated chasers usually backfire.
Do I need review software if I only have one location?
Not always. A one-site business can manage with a review link and regular replies. Software helps when requests need sending automatically or several people share the replies.
