Review platforms at a glance
Last updated on 5 July 2026
Online reviews have become almost indispensable for consumers and businesses alike. But not every review platform works the same way: some require proof of an actual customer interaction, others accept any review without further checks. This page gives an overview of the most important review platforms that reviewfinder has examined in detail – including a profile, strengths, weaknesses and practical tips for each one.
Why online reviews matter so much today
Experiences that used to be shared only by word of mouth are now visible to everyone online and permanently documented. For consumers, reviews are often the first point of reference before they decide on a business, a product or a service. For businesses, in turn, reviews are a central factor for visibility, trust and, ultimately, commercial success. The rise of artificial intelligence amplifies this effect further: AI-powered search systems increasingly assess automatically how a business is rated online and use these signals for recommendations.
How do review platforms differ from one another?
The most important difference between review platforms lies in verification: some portals require proof that a customer interaction actually took place, others accept reviews from a simple user account without any further check. The deletability of reviews, the platform’s business model and additional checks such as a trustworthiness assessment also differ significantly. The overview below introduces the most important platforms with their respective characteristics.
The review platforms reviewfinder analyses
1. reviewfinder
reviewfinder is the review platform with proof of visit: every review requires the user to prove that they were actually on-site or made use of the service. In addition, reviewfinder bundles reviews from multiple sources such as Google into a single review seal and complements them with a legitimacy check of the business.
Learn more about reviewfinder →
2. Airbnb
Airbnb uses a closed, two-way review system: only guests with a completed booking can leave a review, and hosts and guests review each other within 14 days after check-out.
Learn more about Airbnb →
3. Amazon
Amazon is the largest e-commerce platform in the world with a huge product review database. Purchases that were actually made through Amazon receive the „Verified Purchase“ label, but unverified reviews are also possible.
Learn more about Amazon →
4. Anwalt.de
Anwalt.de is the largest German lawyer portal with client reviews. In the event of a dispute, actual client contact must be proven, but having unjustified reviews removed costs a fee starting at 49 €.
Learn more about Anwalt.de →
5. AUSGEZEICHNET.org
AUSGEZEICHNET.org is a German review platform founded in 2011 that offers businesses review links, QR codes and NFC badges for collecting customer opinions. The „Verified“ label applies only to invited or manually checked reviews, not to all contributions.
Learn more about AUSGEZEICHNET.org →
6. Booking.com
Booking.com only allows reviews from guests who have actually booked and stayed via the platform. Despite this strict verification principle, there is criticism of the handling of negative reviews.
Learn more about Booking.com →
7. CHECK24
CHECK24 is Germany’s largest comparison portal. For customer reviews, CHECK24 does not rely on its own system but on the independent external providers eKomi and Trustpilot, where only actual completed customers can leave a review.
Learn more about CHECK24 →
8. eKomi
eKomi is a certification service for online reviews in which a review requires a completed contract between customer and business. Every review is checked manually before publication, whereby the reviewed business is at the same time a paying customer of eKomi.
Learn more about eKomi →
9. Glassdoor
Glassdoor is an internationally known employer review platform with strict anonymity protection for users and email verification on registration, but without any check of the actual employment relationship.
Learn more about Glassdoor →
10. GoLocal
GoLocal is a German business directory founded in 2007 with an integrated review portal for local providers from gastronomy, retail and services, with more than 9 million reviews without mandatory verification.
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11. Google Bewertungen
Google Reviews are the best-known form of business reviews and appear directly in Google Search and on Google Maps. A Google account is enough to leave a review; proof of an actual customer contact is not required. That means huge reach but limited verification.
Learn more about Google Bewertungen →
12. HolidayCheck
HolidayCheck is a German review portal for hotels and travel. Reviews can be marked with the note „verified stay“, and if there are doubts about authenticity, HolidayCheck can require the reviewer to provide proof of the stay.
Learn more about HolidayCheck →
13. idealo
idealo is a large German price comparison portal with integrated merchant reviews. According to user reports, negative merchant reviews have at times not been published in the past, as idealo reserves the right under its own terms to carry out a legal review without any obligation to publish.
Learn more about idealo →
14. ImmobilienScout24
ImmobilienScout24 was the first German real estate portal with a dedicated agent review. Prospective renters and buyers rate, among other things, availability, advisory quality and how well the property matched the listing.
Learn more about ImmobilienScout24 →
15. Jameda
Jameda is the largest German doctor review portal. Reviews can be submitted without mandatory verification of an actual doctor-patient contact, which has led to numerous deletion disputes in the past.
Learn more about Jameda →
16. Klinikbewertungen.de
Klinikbewertungen.de is an independent portal where patients and relatives can rate hospitals. Reviews are in part marked with the label „verified“, but studies point to paid add-on offers at several hospital portals.
Learn more about Klinikbewertungen.de →
17. Kununu
Kununu is the largest employer review platform in the German-speaking region. Reviews can be submitted anonymously and without automatic verification, but recent case law strengthens the position of employers when there are doubts about authenticity.
Learn more about Kununu →
18. OpenTable
OpenTable is an international restaurant reservation platform where reviews can only be left after an actual restaurant visit. According to its own figures, OpenTable records more than 155 million verified reviews worldwide.
Learn more about OpenTable →
19. ProvenExpert
ProvenExpert is a review portal popular in the German-speaking region for service providers and freelancers that can also bundle external sources such as Google reviews. A mandatory proof check of customer contact does not take place in every case.
Learn more about ProvenExpert →
20. Sanego
Sanego is a German doctor-review portal with free doctor verification and a two-stage review procedure: contested reviews are first hidden until proof of treatment is provided.
Learn more about Sanego →
21. Shopvote
Shopvote is a German review portal for online shops and an official Google Shopping partner for seller reviews. Reviews with a demonstrable purchase are marked with the „Verified Purchase“ label.
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22. TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor is a globally large travel portal for hotels, restaurants and attractions. Around 9 % of reviews were identified as fake in 2024, and TripAdvisor removed over 2.7 million fake reviews in the same year.
Learn more about TripAdvisor →
23. Trusted Shops
Trusted Shops is a trust mark for online shops with attached buyer protection. Verified reviews are, for business members, coupled to genuine orders, but the system works exclusively for connected online shops with a paid membership.
Learn more about Trusted Shops →
24. Trustpilot
Trustpilot is an internationally known review platform on which businesses can actively invite customers to leave a review, but where organic reviews without proof of purchase are also possible. Trustpilot has repeatedly been criticised over fake reviews and misleading advertising claims.
Learn more about Trustpilot →
25. Verivox
Verivox is a German comparison portal for electricity, gas, mobile telephony and finance. Customer reviews are collected exclusively from users who have actually switched provider via Verivox – including a follow-up review after one year.
Learn more about Verivox →
26. Weisse Liste
The Weisse Liste is a non-profit project of the Bertelsmann Stiftung for finding doctors and hospitals based on scientific quality data instead of anonymous user reviews. The independent hospital search was discontinued at the end of March 2024 when the Hospital Transparency Act came into force.
Learn more about Weisse Liste →
27. Yelp
Yelp is a platform for local reviews that is widespread above all in the USA, where a user account is enough to leave a review. A controversial filter algorithm sorts out supposedly unreliable reviews, which has led to numerous court cases in Germany.
Learn more about Yelp →Frequently asked questions about online reviews
How do I recognise fake reviews?
Warning signs include extremely positive or extremely negative reviews without concrete details, a conspicuous number of reviews in a short time, profiles that review only one specific business, and identical text fragments appearing across several platforms. Original photos of the visit or product, on the other hand, usually point to a genuine review.
Are businesses allowed to reward customers for a review?
On most major platforms such as Google this is explicitly forbidden. Incentives such as payments, discounts or free products in exchange for a review are considered manipulative and can lead to the removal of the reviews as well as legal consequences.
Can a business have a negative review deleted?
As a rule only if the review demonstrably violates the respective platform’s guidelines, for example in the case of insults, untrue statements of fact or a missing customer interaction. A genuine but merely negative review cannot simply be removed on most open portals.
How important are online reviews for the purchase decision?
Very important: for many consumers, reviews are the first point of reference before they decide on a business or product. As AI-powered search systems are used more and more, the importance of a good online reputation continues to grow.
What is the difference between verified and unverified reviews?
Verified reviews are tied to a proven customer interaction, for example through a purchase receipt or on-site proof. Unverified reviews, on the other hand, can often be submitted without such proof, which opens the door to fake reviews.
Do review portals have to remove fake reviews?
Unlawful reviews, for example with insulting content or untrue statements of fact, must generally be removed by platforms. When it comes to detecting and removing pure fake reviews without a genuine customer interaction, however, platforms differ greatly in their diligence and reliability.
Verified reviews instead of contestable star ratings
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