GBP Reviews vs free Google review widgets
What free ways to show Google reviews on your website can and can't do, and when a paid widget is worth it.
The short version
Free options are fine when you only need a link to your Google reviews or a handful of reviews chosen by Google. If you want to pick which reviews appear, keep them current automatically, and show more than five, you need a tool built on Google's Business Profile API.
| Feature | GBP Reviews | Free options |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews available | Your 50 most recently updated reviews, refreshed daily | Places API: at most 5 reviews per place, sorted by relevance |
| Who picks the reviews | You, for each widget | Google's relevance ranking |
| Setup | Connect your Business Profile and paste two lines of HTML | Google Cloud project, billing account, and API key |
| Storing reviews | Handled for you within Google's 30-day caching rules | Places API content generally can't be stored or cached |
| Screenshots | Live text that stays current | Go out of date, and aren't readable text for search engines or screen readers |
| Cost | $9.99/month for unlimited locations | Free plugin, but the Places API requires a Google Cloud billing account |
The free options
- A link to your Google reviews. Free and always current, but visitors leave your site to read them.
- Plugins that ask for a Place ID or API key. These usually rely on Google's Places API, which returns at most five reviews per place, chosen by relevance. Your Google Cloud account is billed for the requests.
- Screenshots or copied text. No setup, but they go stale, need manual updates, and lose the link back to each review on Google.
When free is enough
- A "Read our reviews on Google" link does the job for your site.
- Five reviews picked by Google are fine, and you're comfortable managing a Google Cloud API key and billing.
Why choose GBP Reviews
- You choose the reviews. Pick and order them per widget, instead of taking Google's top five.
- Always current. Reviews sync daily from Google's Business Profile API, and Google's 30-day caching rules are enforced for you.
- No Google Cloud setup. Connect your profile, publish a widget, and paste the embed code.
Try GBP Reviews free for 14 days
$9.99/month for unlimited locations and widgets after the trial, with no GBP Reviews branding on your widgets. No credit card required to start.
Details were checked on October 7, 2026 and may have changed since. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].