Best review management software (2026)
Don’t get bundled: review management that stays review management
25 review tools in five groups, compared on price, contracts, AI replies and what AI assistants say about you. Every fact about another company comes from its own website, with the link and the date.
We make Grades.com, and we put it first. Each group says where the other tools go further. Facts about other companies were read on October 27, 2026 and October 30, 2026; methodology and sources are at the end.
Grades.com
Reviews and reputation only, AI first. For businesses that want every review site handled without buying a phone system or signing a 12-month contract.
- Review Agent drafts every reply in your voice; you approve, or it posts on Premium where the site allows.
- AI Reputation: what ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude say about you, with the rating they quote checked against your real one.
- Competitor Map: who AI assistants name next to you (Premium).
- Works in Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor through our MCP server, on every plan.
- A public Grades.com Score, awards and badges for your website.
Not for you if you need a texting inbox, phones, payments, listings or surveys: see groups 2 and 3.
- Starter per location$29/mo
- Pro + $75 per extra location$149/mo
- Premium + $199 per extra location$399/mo
Monthly, no contract. Yearly gives two months free. Lower per-location prices from location 21 and 101. 14-day free trial of Pro, no card needed.
Start free trialAll-in-one business suites
Reviews bundled with texting, phones, web chat, payments or a website: one price for the whole front office.
- Podium
- Birdeye
- Broadly
- Weave
- Thryv
- Swell CX
Why people pick them
- One vendor for phones, texting, chat and payments as well as reviews.
- Review requests go out from the same texts your front desk already sends.
- One login and one support team for the front office.
Where they go further: phones, missed-call text-back, web chat and payments (Podium, Broadly). Birdeye also tracks AI answers and has an MCP server.4567
Why Grades.com fits better, if reviews are the job
- Pay for reviews, not a phone system: Starter is $29 a month per location, Pro $149 and Premium $399 a month, on the page.
- Monthly, no contract. Podium’s terms: “the initial term for any Subscription to the Services is twelve (12) months,” unless the order says otherwise. Birdeye’s terms: renewal unless notice is given “at least 90 days prior to the date of renewal.” Thryv’s pricing page: “an initial subscription period of 6-months.”123
- What four AI assistants say about you on every plan, and your own AI assistant runs it through our MCP server.
| Product | Published price | Billing and contract | AI reply drafts | Tracks what AI says | MCP server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades.com | Yes$29 a month per location; Pro $149, Premium $399 a month | YesMonthly, no contract | YesEvery plan | YesChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude; quoted ratings checked | YesEvery plan; reads and writes, you confirm |
| Podium | NoNot published; “talk to our sales team”4 | Default: 12-month first term that renews; 30 days’ notice1 | YesAI Reputation Specialist8 | Not found | Not found (a REST API you apply for)9 |
| Birdeye | NoNot published; quote by number of locations10 | Renews unless 90 days’ notice; 8% fee on recurring fees at renewal2 | YesReview Response Agent11 | YesChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini6 | YesYes7 |
| Broadly | Yes$799 a month, one package; no setup fee5 | YesMonth to month5 | PartlyAI Reputation Specialist in the package5 | Not found | Not found |
| Weave | Partly“starting from $199 per month”12 | Set by your Order; 30 days’ notice; no refunds on cancellation13 | YesAI Response Assistant replies to reviews14 | Not found | Not found |
| Thryv | YesStarter $99, Signature $399 a month3 | 6-month initial term, then month to month3 | YesAI Review Response: three replies to choose from15 | AEO services; no report of AI answers found15 | Not found |
| Swell CX | NoPer location, not published16 | Default: 12-month term that renews; 30 days’ notice17 | YesAI-drafted replies, one-click approval18 | PartlyAI visibility agent in its Listings product19 | Not found |
Side by side: Grades.com vs Podium · Grades.com vs Broadly · Grades.com vs Weave · Grades.com vs Thryv · Grades.com vs Swell CX
Enterprise reputation platforms
Reviews with listings, surveys and analytics for brands with many locations, mostly priced by quote.
- Reputation
- Yext
- ReviewTrackers
- SOCi
- Chatmeter
Why people pick them
- Built for brands with hundreds of locations, with account teams.
- Surveys, listings and analytics next to reviews.
- Procurement paperwork and security reviews for large buyers.
Where they go further: listings across many publishers (Yext) and customer surveys (Reputation); Yext Scout tracks AI search.262728
Why Grades.com fits better, if reviews are the job
- Prices on the page and a 14-day free trial of Pro, no card needed, no sales call. Yext, SOCi and Chatmeter publish no price for their reviews product.202122
- Monthly or yearly, your choice. Yext’s pricing FAQ says “Billing is annual,” ReviewTrackers prices its plans “per location per month paid annually,” and Chatmeter’s terms set a three-year first term unless the order form says otherwise.232425
- HQ roll-up, location ranks and daily AI checks with alerts on Premium; per-location prices drop from 21 and from 101 locations.
| Product | Published price | Billing and contract | AI reply drafts | Tracks what AI says | MCP server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades.com | Yes$29 a month per location; Pro $149, Premium $399 a month | YesMonthly, no contract | YesEvery plan | YesChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude; quoted ratings checked | YesEvery plan; reads and writes, you confirm |
| Reputation | Yes$80 / $115 / $150 per location a month; Enterprise custom27 | Not stated | YesAI-assisted responses29 | PartlyAI Reputation Manager; no assistant named27 | Not found |
| Yext | NoNot published; “Yext pricing is custom”2023 | Annual billing; multi-year terms “earn more advantageous pricing”23 | Yes“AI drafts. You approve.”20 | YesScout: AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity28 | YesYes, with a subscription to each product30 |
| ReviewTrackers | PartlyPer location per month, paid annually; calculator shows $89 to $15 by location count24 | Initial Term from Order Form; renews unless 30 days’ notice31 | YesAI Review Response2432 | Not found | Not found |
| SOCi | NoNot published; custom quote21 | Term and renewal set in the Order Form33 | YesReputation Agent replies in your brand voice34 | PartlyTracks visibility in “AI-driven discovery”35 | Not found |
| Chatmeter | NoPer location, by quote22 | Default: 3-year first term, 1-year renewals, 60 days’ notice25 | YesGenerative AI replies, templates or custom36 | Not found | Not found |
Side by side: Grades.com vs Reputation · Grades.com vs Yext · Grades.com vs ReviewTrackers · Grades.com vs SOCi · Grades.com vs Chatmeter
Budget and local-SEO tools
Published prices and quick setup. Some are review tools first; some are local SEO or listings tools with reviews added.
- GatherUp
- Reviewshake
- NiceJob
- BrightLocal
- Synup
- LocalClarity
- Localo
Why people pick them
- Low entry prices: Reviewshake from $29 a month, Synup from $49, and Localo from $39 a month billed annually.373839
- Simple review requests and widgets.
- Some bundle local SEO and listings (BrightLocal, Synup, Localo).394041
Their published prices for more locations: GatherUp $60 a month per location for 2 to 10 locations (billed annually), LocalClarity $16 a location a month in its first price table, and Synup $299 a month for up to 10 locations. Grades.com Pro is $149 a month plus $75 a month per extra location, lower from location 21. Synup also tracks ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot.38444546
Why Grades.com fits better, if reviews are the job
- Starter at $29 a month per location includes AI reply drafts and a monthly AI Reputation check.
- We check the rating AI assistants quote against your real one and list the sites they cite.
- Our MCP server reads and writes, with your confirmation. BrightLocal’s is read-only; Localo’s reads and analyzes.4243
| Product | Published price | Billing and contract | AI reply drafts | Tracks what AI says | MCP server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades.com | Yes$29 a month per location; Pro $149, Premium $399 a month | YesMonthly, no contract | YesEvery plan | YesChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude; quoted ratings checked | YesEvery plan; reads and writes, you confirm |
| GatherUp | Yes$99 one location, $60 a location (annual); $124 / $75 month to month44 | Annual, or month to month with no commitment44 | YesDrafts; negative reviews never answered automatically47 | Not found | Listed as “coming soon”47 |
| Reviewshake | Yes$29 / $59 / $99 a month ($23 / $47 / $79 annual)37 | YesNo contracts; cancel any time37 | YesEvery plan37 | Not found | Not found |
| NiceJob | Yes$75 / $125 a month48 | Yes“No contracts”48 | PartlyAI Replies on Pro48 | Not found | Not found |
| BrightLocal | YesGrow $65 a month for 1 location ($49 billed annually)40 | YesMonthly or annual; cancel any time40 | Yes“AI assistance” for replies (Grow plan)49 | YesLocal AI Visibility Tracker (ChatGPT and Google’s AI)50 | PartlyRead-only (actions announced for later)42 |
| Synup | Yes$49 a month for one location; $299 for up to 1038 | YesMonthly; leave at the end of a billing period38 | YesAn agent drafts replies; you approve51 | YesChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot (beta)46 | YesNative MCP4152 |
| LocalClarity | Yes$16 a location a month ($12 yearly); other tables differ45 | Mostly month to month; terms say renews, no early cancel4553 | YesGenerative AI replies a human validates4554 | Not found | Not found |
| Localo | Yes$49 a month + VAT ($39 billed annually)39 | YesCancel any time; renews automatically; 30-day refund window3955 | YesAI replies in the brand’s voice; you reply56 | Not found | PartlyReads and analyzes; never writes to Google43 |
Side by side: Grades.com vs GatherUp · Grades.com vs Reviewshake · Grades.com vs NiceJob · Grades.com vs BrightLocal · Grades.com vs Synup · Grades.com vs LocalClarity · Grades.com vs Localo
Request-and-monitor tools
Built around review requests and a monitoring feed. The pages we read describe no tracking of what AI assistants say.
- Grade.us
- Whitespark
Why people pick them
- Review requests and a monitoring feed, without extra modules to learn.
- White-label plans for agencies at a published price (Grade.us).57
- Per-location pricing on the page (Whitespark, $79 a location).58
Where they go further: Grade.us sells white-label plans for agencies; Whitespark adds Net Promoter Score surveys and TextBack, where customers text a keyword to start.576061
| Product | Published price | Billing and contract | AI reply drafts | Tracks what AI says | MCP server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades.com | Yes$29 a month per location; Pro $149, Premium $399 a month | YesMonthly, no contract | YesEvery plan | YesChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude; quoted ratings checked | YesEvery plan; reads and writes, you confirm |
| Grade.us | Yes$99 one location; $60 a month per location57 | Monthly or annual; “We do not offer refunds”57 | Not mentioned on its review monitoring page59 | Not found | Not found (a Grade.us API)62 |
| Whitespark | Yes$79 a month per location5860 | Prepaid, auto-renews; cancel any time; no refunds63 | YesAI Smart Reply; you edit before submitting64 | Not found | Not found |
Side by side: Grades.com vs Grade.us · Grades.com vs Whitespark
Widgets and review platforms
Show reviews on your website, or collect them on the vendor’s own review site. Lighter on replying and monitoring.
- Trustpilot
- Trustindex
- EmbedSocial
- Elfsight
- REVIEWS.io
Why people pick them
- The cheapest way to show stars on your site; Trustindex, EmbedSocial and Elfsight offer a free tier.656667
- Many widget layouts to choose from.
- Trustpilot hosts reviews on its own well-known review site.68
Where they go further: more widget layouts, and an audience on Trustpilot’s own platform. EmbedSocial also has an MCP server. Trustpilot: “All contracts are a 12-month commitment.”6869
Why Grades.com fits better, if reviews are the job
- Strip, carousel and grid widgets, a review page and badges on every plan.
- Replies, monitoring and AI answers behind the widget, not only display.
- A public grade from every site you are reviewed on, not one platform’s stars.
| Product | Published price | Billing and contract | AI reply drafts | Tracks what AI says | MCP server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades.com | Yes$29 a month per location; Pro $149, Premium $399 a month | YesMonthly, no contract | YesEvery plan | YesChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude; quoted ratings checked | YesEvery plan; reads and writes, you confirm |
| Trustpilot | YesFrom $99 / $319 / $799 a month, billed annually68 | “All contracts are a 12-month commitment”68 | PartlyPremium and Enterprise68 | PartlyHow AI cites your Trustpilot profile70 | Not found (API add-on)68 |
| Trustindex | YesFree; $65 / $125 / $349 a year65 | Yearly, renews; 30-day refund on the first purchase71 | YesAI replies; automatic ones $29 a source a year65 | Not found | Not found |
| EmbedSocial | YesFree; $29 / $49 / $99 a month66 | YesNo contracts; cancel any time66 | PartlyAI Reviews Responder for Google; now at Localith72 | Not found | YesEmbedSocial MCP (Claude, ChatGPT)69 |
| Elfsight | YesFree; $10 / $20 / $40 a month, labelled “Billed yearly”67 | Auto-renews; fees non-refundable (Terms of Service)73 | Not found | Not found | None found for reviews (one exists for its chatbot) |
| REVIEWS.io | Yes$29 to $499 a month, labelled “Billed annually”74 | FAQ: month-to-month. Terms: fees non-refundable7475 | PartlyPlus plan only; you edit and post the draft7476 | Not found | Not found |
Side by side: Grades.com vs Trustpilot · Grades.com vs Trustindex · Grades.com vs EmbedSocial · Grades.com vs Elfsight · Grades.com vs REVIEWS.io
Frequently asked questions
What is review management software?
Software that brings your reviews from Google and other sites into one place, helps you answer them and asks happy customers for more. Some tools add texting, listings or surveys; Grades.com adds what AI assistants say about you.
Which kind of review tool fits a small business?
Usually one from the budget group or Grades.com Starter: published prices, no contract and quick setup. If you also want one tool for texts, phones and payments, an all-in-one suite fits better.
Which fits a business with many locations?
The enterprise platforms are built for hundreds of locations and mostly priced by quote. Grades.com Pro and Premium add a charge per extra location that drops from location 21 and 101, with an HQ roll-up and no annual contract.
Why is Grades.com first on this page?
Because we make it. There are no scores or rankings here: each group says why people pick those tools, where they go further, and when Grades.com fits better.
Where do the facts about other tools come from?
From each company’s own website, read on October 27, 2026 or October 30, 2026, with the page linked in the sources. Prices change, so check them before you buy.
What does Grades.com not do?
Grades.com does not offer a texting inbox, web chat, phones, missed-call text-back, payments, listings management or customer surveys.
How we compared
Sources
- Podium Terms of Service (US), section 8.1 legal.podium.com, read October 27, 2026
- Birdeye Terms of Service, sections 2.3, 5.1 and 6 birdeye.com/terms, read October 27, 2026
- Thryv pricing www.thryv.com/pricing, read October 30, 2026
- Podium pricing www.podium.com/pricing, read October 27, 2026
- Broadly pricing broadly.com/pricing-ai-workforce, read October 30, 2026
- Birdeye AI Search birdeye.com/ai-search, read October 27, 2026
- Birdeye developer docs, MCP server docs.birdeye.com, read October 27, 2026
- Podium reviews www.podium.com/product/reviews, read October 27, 2026
- Podium developer docs, getting started docs.podium.com/docs/getting-started, read October 27, 2026
- Birdeye pricing birdeye.com/pricing, read October 27, 2026
- Birdeye reviews birdeye.com/reviews, read October 27, 2026
- Weave pricing www.getweave.com/pricing, read October 30, 2026
- Weave Terms of Service www.getweave.com/legal/terms, read October 30, 2026
- Weave Reviews www.getweave.com/weave-marketing, read October 30, 2026
- Thryv AI-powered solutions www.thryv.com/features/ai-for-small-businesses, read October 30, 2026
- Swell CX pricing swellcx.com/pricing, read October 30, 2026
- Swell CX Terms and Conditions www.swellcx.com/legal/terms-and-conditions, read October 30, 2026
- Swell CX online reputation management www.swellcx.com/online-reputation, read October 30, 2026
- Swell CX listings www.swellcx.com/listings, read October 30, 2026
- Yext reviews www.yext.com/platform/reviews, read October 30, 2026
- SOCi pricing www.soci.ai/pricing, read October 30, 2026
- Chatmeter pricing www.chatmeter.com/pricing, read October 30, 2026
- Yext pricing FAQ www.yext.com/knowledge-center/yext-faq, read October 30, 2026
- ReviewTrackers plans www.reviewtrackers.com/plans, read October 30, 2026
- Chatmeter terms of service www.chatmeter.com/terms-of-service, read October 30, 2026
- Yext listings www.yext.com/platform/listings, read October 30, 2026
- Reputation pricing www.reputation.com/pricing, read October 27, 2026
- Yext Scout www.yext.com/platform/scout, read October 30, 2026
- Reputation reviews reputation.com/platform/reviews, read October 27, 2026
- Yext release notes, June 2026 www.yext.com/release/2026-june, read October 30, 2026
- ReviewTrackers Master Service Agreement www.reviewtrackers.com/terms-service/master-service-agreement, read October 30, 2026
- ReviewTrackers reputation management www.reviewtrackers.com/reputation-management-software, read October 30, 2026
- SOCi Terms of Service www.soci.ai/terms-of-service, read October 30, 2026
- SOCi Genius Reputation Agent www.soci.ai/genius-reviews, read October 30, 2026
- SOCi Genius Local Search Agent www.soci.ai/genius-search, read October 30, 2026
- Chatmeter reputation management www.chatmeter.com/solutions/reputation, read October 30, 2026
- Reviewshake pricing www.reviewshake.com/pricing, read October 30, 2026
- Synup pricing www.synup.com/pricing, read October 30, 2026
- Localo pricing localo.com/pricing, read October 30, 2026
- BrightLocal pricing www.brightlocal.com/pricing, read October 30, 2026
- Synup home www.synup.com, read October 30, 2026
- BrightLocal MCP server announcement (January 15, 2026) www.brightlocal.com/?p=132321, read October 30, 2026
- Localo MCP localo.com/mcp, read October 30, 2026
- GatherUp pricing gatherup.com/pricing, read October 30, 2026
- LocalClarity pricing www.localclarity.com/pricing, read October 30, 2026
- Synup AEO (AI search visibility) www.synup.com/products/aeo, read October 30, 2026
- GatherUp AI gatherup.com/ai, read October 30, 2026
- NiceJob pricing get.nicejob.com/pricing, read October 27, 2026
- BrightLocal Reputation Manager www.brightlocal.com/reputation-manager, read October 30, 2026
- BrightLocal Local AI Visibility www.brightlocal.com/local-seo-tools/local-ai-visibility, read October 30, 2026
- Synup review monitoring www.synup.com/products/reputation, read October 30, 2026
- Synup MCP server www.synup.com/products/mcp, read October 30, 2026
- LocalClarity terms of service www.localclarity.com/terms/terms-of-service, read October 30, 2026
- LocalClarity AI-powered local SEO www.localclarity.com/distinct/ai-powered-local-seo, read October 30, 2026
- Localo terms and conditions localo.com/regulations, read October 30, 2026
- Localo review management localo.com/local-seo-tool/google-review-management-software, read October 30, 2026
- Grade.us plans www.grade.us/home/plans, read October 27, 2026
- Whitespark pricing whitespark.ca/pricing, read October 30, 2026
- Grade.us review monitoring www.grade.us/home/review-monitoring, read October 27, 2026
- Whitespark Reputation Builder whitespark.ca/reputation-builder, read October 30, 2026
- Whitespark help: TextBack support.whitespark.ca/en/articles/8950224-textback, read October 30, 2026
- Grade.us home www.grade.us, read October 27, 2026
- Whitespark terms of service whitespark.ca/terms, read October 30, 2026
- Whitespark help: Smart Reply support.whitespark.ca/en/articles/9175205-smart-reply, read October 30, 2026
- Trustindex prices www.trustindex.io/prices, read October 30, 2026
- EmbedSocial pricing embedsocial.com/pricing, read October 30, 2026
- Elfsight All-in-One Reviews pricing elfsight.com/all-in-one-reviews-widget/pricing, read October 30, 2026
- Trustpilot Business plans business.trustpilot.com/plans, read October 27, 2026
- EmbedSocial MCP and automations embedsocial.com/automations, read October 30, 2026
- Trustpilot Business: dashboard and analytics business.trustpilot.com/features/dashboard-analytics, read October 27, 2026
- Trustindex Terms of Use www.trustindex.io/terms-of-use, read October 30, 2026
- EmbedSocial AI Reviews Responder embedsocial.com/gbp/ai-reviews-responder, read October 30, 2026
- Elfsight Terms of Service elfsight.com/terms-of-service, read October 30, 2026
- REVIEWS.io pricing www.reviews.io/front/pricingplans, read October 30, 2026
- REVIEWS.io Terms & Conditions www.reviews.io/legal/termsconditions, read October 30, 2026
- REVIEWS.io Support: Auto-Generated Replies support.reviews.io/en/articles/10032414-auto-generated-replies, read October 30, 2026
Found something out of date? Email support@grades.com and we will check it. Grades.com facts come from our pricing page and the product as of October 30, 2026.
Podium, Birdeye, Broadly, Weave, Thryv, Reputation, Yext, ReviewTrackers, SOCi, Chatmeter, GatherUp, Reviewshake, NiceJob, BrightLocal, Synup, LocalClarity, Localo, Grade.us, Whitespark, Swell CX, Trustpilot Business, Trustindex, EmbedSocial, Elfsight and REVIEWS.io are trademarks of their owners. Grades.com is not affiliated with them. We make Grades.com; Grades.com is operated by Melen, LLC.
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