Choosing a review platform is a trust decision. Here's how Signed Reviews compares to Trustpilot — the largest general-purpose review platform — across the dimensions that matter most for businesses that care about review authenticity.
| Capability | Signed Reviews | Trustpilot |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase verification | Required — every review is cryptographically linked to a completed Stripe transaction | Optional — businesses can invite customers, but anyone can leave a review without proof of purchase |
| Fake review prevention | Structural — no purchase = no invitation = no review. Impossible to post a review without a verified transaction. | Reactive — relies on automated detection and manual moderation. Trustpilot removed 2.7M fake reviews in 2022. |
| Review authenticity proof | Cryptographically signed — every review carries a tamper-evident digital signature that can be independently verified | No cryptographic proof — reviews are database records with no external verifiability |
| Stripe integration | Native — one-click OAuth, read-only access, automatic review requests on every charge | No native Stripe integration — requires third-party connectors or manual CSV imports |
| Review gating | Automatic — only paying customers receive invitation links, sent to the email on their Stripe transaction | Manual — businesses must upload customer lists or send invitations themselves |
| Refund handling | Automatic — refunded reviews are hidden from public display immediately via Stripe webhook | Manual — businesses must flag or report reviews from refunded customers |
| API & integrations | REST API, webhooks, delivery webhook, embeddable widget, public page API | Extensive API, 100+ integrations, white-label options on Enterprise |
| Pricing model | Free during beta. Paid plans from $29/mo (Starter) to $199/mo (Scale). Transparent per-invitation pricing. | Free tier available, but paid plans start at $299/mo for the "Growth" tier (as of 2025). Enterprise pricing is opaque. |
| Organic discoverability | Early stage — limited domain authority and no consumer-facing review directory | Established — Trustpilot.com has massive organic traffic and a consumer-facing review search |
| Trust mark / badge | "Verified by Signed Reviews" badge links to cryptographic proof. Included on every plan, including Free. | Trustpilot TrustBox widgets and star ratings. Widely recognized by consumers. |
| Review ownership | Business owns the reviews — Signed Reviews is the processor. Reviews belong to you. | Reviews live on Trustpilot's platform — businesses cannot export and move reviews to another provider. |
When to choose Signed Reviews
If review authenticity is your #1 concern — if you want every review to be provably backed by a real purchase, with cryptographic proof — Signed Reviews is the right choice. It's built for businesses that process payments through Stripe and want a zero-fake-review guarantee by design, not by detection.
When Trustpilot may be a better fit
If you need maximum consumer reach, have a large existing review base, or don't process payments through Stripe, Trustpilot's established brand recognition and consumer-facing directory give it an edge in organic discoverability. Many businesses use both — Trustpilot for breadth, Signed Reviews for verifiable depth.