Nika

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:

  1. Which platform do you usually use to look up product reviews?

  2. 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.

645 views

Add a comment

Replies

Best
Nitin Joshi

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.

Nika

@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.

Nitin Joshi

@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.

Nika

@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.

Nitin Joshi

@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.

Piotr Kusiak

Probably Reddit for some social proof, then I like to test it myself, sometimes it's about user preference.

Nika

@k_piotr are those Reddit opinions accurate?

Nika

@k_piotr I mean... people are quite harsh there :D

Ash Grover
Reddit mostly actually. Other website are hard to trust. Atleast I can search for multiple threads and see what people are saying instead of relying on one thread.
Nika

@ash_grover The conclusion: The most harsh website is the most honest :D

Ran

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.

Nika

@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)

Vijay Chauhan
For me its a free demo 😅 But uf its a service then clutch or friend and if its product then youtube
Nika

@vijay_chauhan22 Yes, for me as well :D and then boom – paywall 🤣

Jinson Johny
I mix and match. Esp while buying electronics. Since it’s expensive, I usually check some YouTube videos from famous to less popular ones. Also, I read some thoughts on Reddit and take the decision.
Nika

@jinsoncjohny Electronics – videos too. + Ask people in Facebook groups related to the product or brand :D

Sig Eternal

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.

Nika

@sig_eternal True, the biggest challenge is to write on Reddit such way that you (or your review/opinion) will not be banned :D

Kuldeep Kulshreshtha
Honestly speaking, there is none. They all might give an indication but nothing you can blindly trust. I’m super sensitive and careful while reading reviews, almost like Sherlock Holmes. There is a gap in the market to fill where people can reach out for trusted reviews.
Nika

@kuldeep_kulshreshtha It is still good to be cautious (like I am) :D

Kerem Can

I would have to say reddit. You get a lot more of a nuanced review section compared to most other sites, in my opinion.

Nika

@keremcan01 The more time I spent on that platform, the most honest seems to me :D

Kerem Can

@busmark_w_nika Exactly, however I have also noticed that reddit sometimes creators echo chambers, so its still valuable to cross reference from a couple other review sites.

Oksana Chyketa
Hah, great insight about Facebook! Personally, when I'm looking at SaaS tools, I tend to use G2. I know there won't be all positive reviews, and if there are, that's a red flag. So I focus on the negative ones to see if I can deal with the issues or not.
Nika

@oksana_ch Where else is your company registered among these sites so you can gather reviews/testimonials on your product?

Oksana Chyketa
@busmark_w_nika it's on tons of platforms. But when it comes to reviews that we value a lot and monitor constantly, then these ones: G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, TrustRadius
Nika

@oksana_ch G2, Trustpilot – same for me :)