Signed Reviews vs SiteJabber

In November 2024, the FTC issued a formal order against SiteJabber for publishing reviews from people who had never received the products they reviewed. SiteJabber's system allowed businesses to collect reviews at the point of sale — before the customer ever received the product. The FTC found this deceptive. Here's how Signed Reviews compares — and why our model structurally can't have the problem that got SiteJabber in trouble.

Capability	Signed Reviews	SiteJabber
FTC compliance	FTC-compliant by construction — every review requires an independently verified Stripe charge. The purchase is confirmed by a third-party payment processor before a review can exist.	FTC Order (Nov 2024) — found to have misrepresented that reviews came from customers who'd received products. SiteJabber allowed point-of-sale collection before product receipt.
Verification method	Processor-attested (Level 4) — Stripe independently confirms the charge, and refunds auto-hide reviews.	Email + optional receipt (Level 1–2) — reviewers self-attest. SiteJabber's system did not verify product receipt at all.
Review timing	After purchase — reviews are only possible after a Stripe charge succeeds. Configurable delay for shipped products.	Point-of-sale — SiteJabber's model encouraged reviews at checkout, before the customer had the product. The FTC found this deceptive.
Fake review prevention	Structural — impossible to post a review without a verified Stripe transaction backing it.	Reactive — reviews are open to anyone with an email address. Optional receipt verification is self-attested.
Regulatory standing	Clean — launched after the FTC's 2024 rule took effect. Designed for compliance from day one.	Under FTC order — required to change practices and stop misrepresenting review authenticity.
Stripe integration	Native — one-click OAuth, read-only. Automatic on every charge.	No Stripe integration. Reviews are collected independently of payment processing.
Pricing	Free plan + $29–$199/mo. Transparent, self-serve.	Custom pricing — not publicly listed. Typically requires a sales conversation.
Review ownership	Business owns the reviews. Exportable, portable via API.	Business owns the reviews.

Why this matters beyond SiteJabber

The SiteJabber FTC order established a precedent: the FTC will act against platforms whose review collection practices mislead consumers about authenticity. Any platform that allows reviews without independently verified proof of purchase — or that collects reviews before the customer has the product — is exposed to the same regulatory risk. Signed Reviews was designed after this precedent to be structurally compliant: no purchase verification, no review, no exceptions.

When SiteJabber may still be relevant

SiteJabber has a large existing review base and established consumer brand recognition. For businesses already listed there with legitimate reviews, maintaining that presence has value. But as a primary review collection platform, the FTC order raises questions about both compliance risk and consumer trust that newer, structurally compliant alternatives don't face.

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