Review Generation Software: 7 Tools Compared, Plus the Free Route
Review generation software sends review requests by text and email so every customer gets asked. Here are seven tools compared from their own pages, September 2026 prices, and the rules to follow.
By Editorial Team
9 min read
Review generation software automates asking customers for reviews. It sends a text or email after each sale or job, follows up if the customer doesn’t respond, and points them to Google, Facebook, Trustpilot or another review site. As of September 2026, published prices for one location range from Trustpilot’s free plan and NiceJob at $75 a month up to quote-only platforms such as Birdeye and Podium. Before you buy, know that asking every customer the same way is free, and software only earns its fee when volume makes the manual routine break down.
This list covers review request tools across platforms and business types. If Google is the only site you care about, our guide to Google review software goes deeper on that. Every fact here comes from each company’s own pricing, product and policy pages, checked in September 2026. Prices change, so check each company’s pricing page before you buy. We haven’t used these tools hands-on; this comparison is research-based.
How we compared
We looked only at public information on each company’s own site:
- Request channels: text, email, QR code or in-store.
- Where requests point: Google only, several sites, or the vendor’s own review platform.
- Published pricing: whether prices are listed, and what drives them (locations, domains, invitations).
- Contract and trial terms, where the company states them.
- Who it’s built for: trades, multi-location brands, agencies or online stores.
We don’t give star ratings or scores to any tool, including our own.
Review generation software compared (as of September 2026)
| Tool | Published price | Request channels | Trial or free plan | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NiceJob | Starter $75 a month; Pro $125 a month | SMS and email, sent when a job is marked done | 14-day trial; “no contracts” | Home services and trades |
| GatherUp | $99 a month billed annually ($124 monthly) for one location; $60 a location a month billed annually ($75 monthly) for 2 to 10 locations | SMS and email (up to 300 SMS and 3,000 email credits per location a month), QR codes | 14-day trial | Small and multi-location businesses |
| Grade.us | $99 a month billed annually, or $124 monthly, for one location | Review request email campaigns and integrations | 14-day trial, no credit card | Marketing agencies |
| BrightLocal (Grow plan) | $65 a month billed monthly, or $584 a year billed annually, for one location (figures in our BrightLocal pricing guide) | Email, SMS and in-store campaigns | 14-day trial, no credit card | Local SEO plus reviews |
| Trustpilot | Free plan; Starter from $99 a month, billed upfront annually; Plus from $319 per domain | Automated invitations to your Trustpilot profile | Free plan (50 invitations a month); 14-day trial on Plus | Online stores and service brands |
| Birdeye | Quote-based, by number of locations | Review generation agent across channels | Not stated | Multi-location brands |
| Podium | Quote-based (“talk to our sales team”) | Automated text review invites and reminders | Not stated | Local businesses that sell by text and phone |
Prices are in US dollars as published in September 2026. Check each company’s pricing page for current prices and terms.
The tools, one by one
NiceJob
NiceJob sends a personalized SMS or email review request when a job is marked done, with automated follow-ups. Starter ($75 a month) includes review requests, website widgets, social sharing, a team leaderboard and a reviews microsite. Pro ($125 a month) adds AI replies, referrals, rebooking reminders, email broadcasts, gifts, NPS surveys and competitor tracking. NiceJob says “no contracts” and “cancel anytime”, with a 14-day trial. It suits trades that already run jobs through field service software. Our NiceJob review has the details.
GatherUp
GatherUp lists $99 a month for one location billed annually, or $124 billed monthly (“Save 20% on Annual”), and prices multi-location plans per location, from $60 a location a month billed annually ($75 monthly) for 2 to 10. Every plan includes up to 300 SMS and 3,000 email credits per location a month, monitoring across 100+ review sites, NPS and surveys, QR codes, integrations through its API, Zapier and webhooks, AI reply features and review widgets. Agencies get a white-label plan by quote. See our GatherUp review.
Grade.us
Grade.us publishes the same price table as GatherUp: $99 a month billed annually or $124 monthly for one location, and per-location bands above that. It’s built for agencies, with white labeling included and an agency plan for ten or more seats. Its 14-day trial gives three seats, review monitoring and review request email campaigns, with no credit card. Grade.us mentions setting up a “review funnel”; if you use one, make sure every customer still gets a direct route to leave a public review (more on that below).
BrightLocal
BrightLocal is mainly a local SEO platform. Its Grow plan adds review monitoring and replies across multiple sites, review requests by email, SMS and in-store campaigns, and a review widget for your website. BrightLocal offers a 14-day trial with no credit card. Its prices load by script and didn’t show to our request this month. As of September 2026, our BrightLocal pricing guide records Grow at $65 a month billed monthly, or $584 a year billed annually, for one location. Check BrightLocal’s pricing page for current prices.
Trustpilot
Trustpilot is different: requests go to your Trustpilot profile rather than to Google. Its free plan includes 50 review invitations a month with no credit card. Starter is from $99 a month, billed upfront annually, with 100 invitations a month, for businesses with up to $5M revenue and new customers only. Plus is from $319 a month per domain with 300 invitations and a 14-day trial, and Premium is from $799 with 1,000. Trustpilot says every paid contract is a 12-month commitment and each domain is priced separately. Our Trustpilot pricing guide covers renewal terms.
Birdeye
Birdeye describes its platform as a set of AI agents. Its reviews product includes a review generation agent, a review response agent that can post on its own or hold replies for your approval, and a review marketing agent. Pricing isn’t published: the pricing page asks for your number of locations and a mobile number. See our Birdeye review and Birdeye alternatives.
Podium
Podium automates text review invites and reminders and gathers Google and Facebook reviews in one place, alongside its messaging, phone and payments tools. Its pricing page says plans are designed to fit your business and to talk to its sales team for details. Our Podium review covers the contract terms Podium publishes.
Rules that apply whatever tool you pick
- No review gating. Don’t send only happy customers to the public site and route unhappy ones to a private form. Our guide to review gating explains why it backfires.
- No incentives tied to reviews. Trustpilot lists discounts, promo codes, prize draw entries, refunds and freebies as examples of incentives you can’t offer. Our guide to the FTC fake review rule covers the federal side.
- Never ask for Yelp reviews. Yelp tells businesses not to ask customers to write reviews, so leave Yelp out of any automated request.
- Keep text messages compliant. Only text customers who agreed to hear from you, and include an opt-out. Our review request text templates and review request email templates give neutral wording.
A worked example
This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client.
A three-location physical therapy group gets steady Google reviews at one clinic and almost none at the other two. The difference is one front desk manager who asks every patient at checkout.
- First, they copy her routine: a printed QR code at every desk and the same neutral ask for every patient. Reviews improve, but staff forget on busy days.
- They shortlist tools that price per location and connect to their scheduling software, and trial one for 14 days.
- They set requests to go to every patient after each visit, with one reminder, and turn off any sentiment filter.
- They keep replies manual, because a careless reply could confirm someone is a patient.
After the trial they compare the monthly fee against the staff time saved and the steadier flow across all three clinics, then decide.
Not sure where to start?
Get a free audit of your search results and review profiles, with a prioritized fix list.
Get a free auditFree options, including ours
You can run review generation for free with a routine: your Google review link and QR code, one neutral text or email after each sale, and a weekly check for new reviews. Trustpilot’s free plan also sends 50 automated invitations a month. Our guide on how to get more Google reviews sets out the manual version.
To be clear about our own product: our free platform (123 Reputation Management) does not send review requests. It isn’t review generation software. It tags every page-one result for your name as positive, neutral or negative; watches for new reviews and mentions and alerts you when one needs a reply; tracks every result as owned pages climb and old ones slip; and reports back every month in plain English. It’s free, and it’s ours. It pairs well with a free request routine or any of the tools above.
If you’d rather have people run requests and replies for you, see our review management service, or start with a free reputation audit.
How to choose review generation software
- Pick the destination first. Google for local businesses, Trustpilot or product reviews for online stores, industry sites where they allow requests.
- Match the trigger. The best setups send requests automatically from the software you already use. Confirm the integration exists before you sign.
- Count locations and volume. Per-location and per-domain pricing adds up fast. A single location with modest volume may not need software at all.
- Read the contract. Monthly with no contract is lower risk than a 12-month prepaid commitment. Ask how renewals and cancellations work.
- Check compliance in writing. Ask whether every customer gets the same request and whether any feature filters by sentiment.
Our guide to choosing review management software has a fuller checklist, and our reputation monitoring tools list covers tools that watch reviews rather than request them.
Frequently asked questions
What is review generation software?
It’s software that automatically asks customers for reviews, usually by text or email after a purchase or job, with follow-up reminders, and points them to sites such as Google, Facebook or Trustpilot. Many tools also add a review inbox, reply help and website widgets.
How much does review generation software cost?
As of September 2026, published prices for one location include NiceJob at $75 or $125 a month, GatherUp and Grade.us at $99 a month billed annually ($124 monthly), BrightLocal Grow at $65 a month billed monthly, and Trustpilot from a free plan to $99 a month and up. Birdeye and Podium are quote-based. Check each pricing page for current prices.
Is it legal to use software to ask for reviews?
Yes, asking for honest reviews is allowed. What platforms and regulators prohibit is fake or bought reviews, incentives conditioned on positive reviews, and selectively asking only happy customers. Yelp also tells businesses not to ask for reviews at all.
Does 123 Reputation Management send review requests?
No. Our free platform watches for new reviews and mentions and alerts you when one needs a reply, tags your search results and reports monthly. It doesn’t send review requests, so you’d pair it with a free routine or a paid tool.
