09/05/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/05/2024 12:14
Published: September 05, 2024
Would you make a major purchase without first checking the reviews? In today's digital age, visiting review sites has become a natural part of our buying process. Reviews give us insight into the quality and reliability of a product based on the experiences of others, which allows us to make more informed buying decisions. We navigate to review sites in hopes of finding transparent feedback that will help lead us to a satisfying purchase.
Whether I'm shopping for a new office chair or booking a hotel, I always check the reviews prior to completing a purchase. My buying journey for software was no exception. When it came time for me to find an NPS survey vendor for my company, I naturally set out to research software options and read the reviews.
If you also check reviews prior to purchasing, you're in good company. According to TrustPilot, 89% of global consumers check online reviews as part of their online buying journey. And in the software industry specifically, 86% of buyers say reviews are important or very important to evaluate software before making a purchase.
So, which review sites are the best, and are they really all that different from each other? I've compiled a list of some of the top SaaS review sites as of 2024 (and a few non-SaaS ones as well). We'll look at what each review site offers and what makes them stand out. In this article we'll cover:
Table of Contents
A software review site is a website that collects and publishes unbiased reviews for software vendors. Users can search for a company or software solution and find things like product comparisons, pricing information, key features, experience with onboarding and support, and more.
Purchasing a new software tool is a major decision, and reviews play a critical role in the buying journey. In fact, the majority of software buyers will read up to 10 reviews before making a decision, and qualitative commentary is the most important factor in the review.
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Using a software review site in your buying process allows you to gain first-hand insight into what it's like to use a product or service. One of the biggest benefits of reviews is that you're hearing directly from the users of the software, without any marketing or fluff in between.
Many software review sites organize their results into buying-centric categories such as the tools' ease of use, overall pros and cons, user satisfaction, and available integrations. This allows you to easily search for the information you're looking for about a product, and makes prioritizing your own criteria around the software much easier. Looking for a certain integration? Have a concern about whether a certain feature is robust enough for your needs? This is where you can find out.
Software review sites often offer great side-by-side product comparisons, which I recommend taking advantage of. Sometimes, all you need to see is a grid that clearly shows features and specs for two different products. Suddenly it's a whole lot easier to make an informed decision.
Here are my top five software review sites and why I think they're worth visiting.
Chances are you've heard about G2.com or even received a request to review a software tool on their site. Founded in 2012, their site says they're "building trust by showcasing the authentic voice of millions of software buyers," and they list that over 60% of Forbes Cloud 100 are G2 customers.
So what makes their review site so great?
What I think sets them apart:
My takeaways:
Gartner is no stranger to data and research, so it doesn't surprise me to find that they've built a software review site. Here's what it's about:
What I think sets them apart:
My takeaways:
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I wanted to include this one because it's new to me and I was eager to check it out for myself. GetApp's site says they've been recommending software for 14 years, and they host over 37,000 software profiles with over 2 million reviews. They offer objective, independent research and verified user reviews. Here's what I found:
What I think sets them apart:
My takeaways:
Capterra has been providing purchasing insights to buyers since 1999, and they currently host an impressive 2 million verified reviews from real users. Their mission is to "provide you with insights needed to find the best solution for your business based on your industry, size, budget and specific requirements." They not only offer software reviews, but they have a section for service reviews as well. We'll focus on the software review section here.
Let's take a look at what they offer:
What I think sets them apart:
My takeaways:
SourceForge not only provides B2B software comparison and reviews, but it's also an open source software directory. Their site states, "Together, our business software comparison platform and open source software directory makes SourceForge the most complete software review, comparison, and discovery platform in the world." They have a software directory of over 97,000 software titles to review.
For the sake of this review, we'll focus on their Business Software Review offering.
What I think sets them apart:
My takeaways:
These are just a few of the many software review sites that are out there. If you're looking for even more options, check out Trust Radius, TrustPilot, and PeerSpot.
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Much like with purchasing software, when it comes to major consumer purchases (or even travel and vacation planning), reading reviews can give you a sense of what to expect with a product or experience.
Research shows that 8 out of 10 shoppers check product reviews on their smartphones while shopping in person at a store, and 91% of online shoppers read reviews regularly before making their purchase. Whether you're shopping in-store or online, having access to product reviews can help you feel more confident in your buying decision.
Here are a few consumer review sites (in no particular order) to keep handy. These sites include both direct customer reviews and editorial reviews.
Trust Pilot lets you easily explore categories like banks, stores, companies, and services. The results are automatically sorted by the highest rated companies.
Best for: Finding a new company - like a new insurance agency, bank, electric company, etc. (They do not do reviews for products.)
Consumer Reports hosts reviews for consumer goods. You're given free access to see the overview and ratings/reliability for a product, but if you want to see the "recommended" section (results of being tested, reviewed, and rated by Consumer Reports themselves) you'll need to sign up for a paid membership. You can also access a free buying guide for products to help you with your decision.
Best for: Any physical item that you're considering purchasing - from cars to toaster ovens, you can find reviews for it here.
The Verge is a little different in that they don't host public reviews, but they test new tech gear and give their professional reviews of the product. They also share deals on products they have personally tested and recommend. Plus, they include buying guides to make your research easy.
Best for: Technology purchases. The Verge specializes in reviews and buying advice for tech gear. I liked that they have not only buying guides but gift guides as well.
Similar to The Verge, these reviews are crafted by the Good Housekeeping editors who independently research and test products. They may not host public reviews, but their write-ups reference public reviews of the products (Example: "This item has 4.5 star rating on Amazon"), so you don't have to go out and do the digging yourself.
Best for: Household items like appliances, kitchenware, vacuums, and more.
Wirecutter independently tests and reviews thousands of products a year, and they only post recommendations for products if their team actually thinks it's the best. You can find their professional recommendations for a multitude of categories like home & garden, kitchen, baby gear, tech, and more.
Best for: Anything you want a more research-focused opinion on. I was impressed that each write-up comes with a "Why you should trust us" section and talks about the research process that each editor does (including talking to professionals in the field).
Honest Product Reviews researches other first-hand customer reviews from websites to create a list of the top five products in a specific category. They include their opinion on each as well as pros and cons, a link to check the price, and an explainer on how they did their research and selected their recommendations.
Best for: If you want to know the top 3-5 items in a specific category, or you have no idea where to begin with your search, this site can give you a starting point.
What can't ChatGPT do? I asked ChatGPT, "What is the best office chair out there?" and it not only gave me some buying criteria to consider, but it populated a nice list of seven options with their pros and cons. It also asked me if I wanted more information on any of the options listed or advice tailored to my specific needs.
I know, I know... but I would be remiss not to include them. They carry almost everything and customer reviews are a key part of their platform. I like to filter the reviews by most recent (they automatically default to the highest review), and their newer AI overview in the review section is helpful in pulling out key decision factors and highlighting pros and cons.
There are obviously many more customer review sites, like Google and Yelp.
Pro tip: If you're a business looking to gain more online reviews, check out these tips and tricks to ask for (and get) good customer reviews.
As someone who tends to do obsessive research before I make a major purchase, I'm thrilled to know there are so many different review site options out there - and that you can find review sites that cater to a specific category.
My favorite SaaS review site was a tie between G2 and GetApp. In my opinion, G2 and Getapp have created review criteria that not only cater to the initial purchase but also give insights into whether or not customers will see value in the tool and want to renew.
Being able to search for specific topics on G2 and seeing the "value for your money" rating on GetApp allows buyers to do comprehensive research on whether this could be a long-term tool in their tech stack.
In fact, I'd love to see one review site with both of those features combined!
Add in the ability to share the review information or download it and you've got the supreme SaaS review site offering.
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