Which platform do you consider trustworthy when reading product reviews?
Whenever I’m about to buy something (especially something more expensive), I can be easily influenced by recommendations from people I trust and know. That might be well-known accounts on X or suggestions from friends.
Or, I go and read the reviews.
That’s what I’m curious about:
Which platform do you usually use to look up product reviews?
And are there any others you know of besides the ones I mention below?
For me personally, it’s:
Google Reviews
TrustPilot
G2
(And you’d be surprised, but sometimes even Facebook helps – some businesses forget to delete bad reviews from their “old, abandoned Facebook pages,” and thanks to that, I’ve managed to avoid a few scams.)
P.S. When we talk about this topic, Google Chrome just added AI-powered store summaries to help US shoppers.
Replies
Honestly, I mostly like to try products myself.
If we’re talking about software, I take into account the opinions of a few people on Twitter.
If we’re talking about products on Amazon, I look for items rated above 4.5+ with as many votes as possible.
@byalexai @busmark_w_nika if its a late stage product then first prefernce is G2, Capterra or Gartner Peer review or App store reviews but for early ones I prefer PH or some known peer review (WhatsApp or Slack or F&F). Either ways better to actually try the freemium to get a sense of product capabilities before committing.
@byalexai @shashwat_ghosh_gtm I totally forgot about Capterra and Gartner Peer, TY! But F&F is new to me. What is it?
@byalexai @busmark_w_nika Friends and Family
@byalexai If the price of the software is not so high, I am okay to pay, but first I need to identify those who are scammers anyway, because it can happen that there will not be a way to disconnect/cancel the service – have that experience too :D
Platforms with verified buyers and transparent moderation, like Amazon or Wirecutter, tend to be most reliable. I also cross-check multiple sources before trusting a review.
@denis_eckblad this is the way. I do tend though to only buy brands I know, if not it has to hit those 4.5 stars...
@denis_eckblad That one (Wirecutter) is new to me, but probably more used in the US. (I reckon)
I always go to Reddit first and read the reviews and discussions there. Then g2 and if a product is available on AppSumo, I check it out there as well.
@sunny_k_s AppSumo is a little bit controversial – I have heard that people are quite toxic there :D
😄 Well, it's somewhat true. Still, you get the idea of the product.
@sunny_k_s Hope so. But Reddit is more honest :D
@busmark_w_nika Yeah!
UXArmy
it depends on the product. If it's a software: G2, Capterra, Trustpilot.
Reddit is also a good choice.
Google reviews I use rarely and more for personal needs: like what place to vists or where to eat. :)
@tetiana_hryshmanovska Ohhhhh, I totally forgot about Reddit :D it is the first keyword I write after the search term :D
I do my best to just evaluate on my own without relying on reviews. Look at their website, look at the LinkedIn profiles of the founders, see how 'legit' they are across social media platforms, & look up competitors to do side by side.
My first job was at Gartner on the high-tech team, so I kind of put those lenses back on. Usually those steps do the trick to gut-check if it's worth investing time and resources into.
If I'm getting any red flags after that, then I'll use review site + Reddit + YouTube to suss out critical concerns.
@mattopmistro, the thing is: are those valid? E.g. YouTube or websites? Because, the least, I would trust websites – you can create beautiful fake reviews there. YouTube – I know a company that turned out to be a scam, but paid quite popular YouTubers to record a review.
@busmark_w_nika I think they can be — it depends on how you approach watching the videos. I'm not using it to watch reviews in the "here's what I think about <platform>" sense, but instead demonstrations of the product. So find videos of specific product features How to do <xyz> in <platform. Then, going one layer deeper, I also evaluate the YouTube channel doing the review. Do they seem like someone who's just reviewing products or an actual practitioner? I eliminate the first category and only lean on the second.
But the thing is: it's evaluating the totality of everything I mentioned. Their website, their linkedIn, their socials, their competitors, etc. If any one of those things misses the mark, it can be either be an orange flag – or a total DNQ.
@mattopmistro My opinion on this is that a real creator admits that the show is sponsored by someone and doesn't hide it. It feels more honest and transparent.
I usually rely on G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot since they verify reviewers and filter fake feedback. They provide balanced, experience-based insights rather than just rating.
@enyi_bassey I thought as well, but you would be surprised how many people beg to give them a fake G2 review. I was approached by many, and they were like: "We give you texts and you will publish them from your account."
YourGPT
I usually check Google Reviews, G2, and sometimes Reddit for unfiltered opinions.
@neha_8 true true, I totally forgot on Reddit, lately it is one of my fave places to spend (waste) my time :D
I like looking at Google Reviews as it's the most accessible, then head to TikTok to see if anyone's posted about it. Reddit is a good platform too, you can get really honest reviews there.
@ricalgmn I haven't been thinking about TikTok... is it a relevant source?
@busmark_w_nika Hi Nika, I would say yes to that. TikTok's actually become a surprisingly rich source of real user reviews, not just for affiliate marketing anymore but for tools/apps too.
@ricalgmn I noticed they pushed a positive version (TikTok Pro) to Europe, oriented to positive content.
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-launches-tiktok-pro-positive-charity-app-europe/756402/
How about @Product Hunt? :o)
@fmerian TBH, I have never thought about Product Hunt as a platform for reviews. 😅 Feedback for features yes, but more for discovering new tech :)
If I am buying some casual, inexpensive items, I consider the basics, reading the product description and comparing it with other related brands. I try to find anything missing in the product description that I should know, especially if it's important from the perspective of buying that product.
For example, if I’m buying a cooler, I will check the motor wattage, RPM, air throw per square meter, and other specifications that help me decide whether the product is worth the price.
@nitin_joshi That's what I like to do and like about Apple page – they enable you to compare more devices (on UI, there are one next to another one). Similarly, it is done at https://www.heureka.sk/ – our national site where we can compare products.
@busmark_w_nika Ohh thats is a good initiative. Although Now day I use Chatgpt to compare data of 2 product and analysis and it work better.
@nitin_joshi I hope it will remain trustworthy. I am still a little bit skeptic about AI review summaries because I like to filter and read specific comments (pros and cons) given by humans.
@busmark_w_nika Yes chatgpt or any AI tool do the same. it review it for me. these fetch the data from the URL you provide and give you one and one comparison. at least you get an overview of it.
DocsHound
Probably Reddit for some social proof, then I like to test it myself, sometimes it's about user preference.
@k_piotr are those Reddit opinions accurate?
@k_piotr I mean... people are quite harsh there :D
@ash_grover The conclusion: The most harsh website is the most honest :D
Great picks! I usually cross-reference a bunch of platforms depending on what I’m buying. For software or B2B tools, I check G2, Capterra, GetApp, TrustRadius, and Software Advice.
For more general or consumer products, my top picks would be Google Reviews, Amazon (even for non-Amazon purchases, just to gauge feedback), Reddit (especially for honest, unfiltered takes), YouTube (deep-dive reviews or comparisons), App Store / Google Play (for mobile products). Sometimes I’ll even skim Hacker News or Twitter/X threads if it’s something technical. I've amazed myself by how much context I've gotten just by triangulating across a few sources. Absolutely recommend.
@a11yexpert Google Play is not always the best solution – some developers put the product into the Beta testing even if it is not in the testing so users have a limited option to give feedback (better said, people cannot see reviews in such case)
@nithya_kumaran AI summarising will be another trend of the next few months – then common thing.
@vijay_chauhan22 Yes, for me as well :D and then boom – paywall 🤣
@jinsoncjohny Electronics – videos too. + Ask people in Facebook groups related to the product or brand :D
Eternal AI
For me, it's mostly Reddit. Lots of real, unbiased opinions there, especially in smaller subreddits.
I also peek at Threads sometimes. There are some pretty critical discussions and topics there, though it’s not as common for product reviews. Feels like a mix of opinions but still worth checking out.
@sig_eternal True, the biggest challenge is to write on Reddit such way that you (or your review/opinion) will not be banned :D
UXArmy