Elfsight alternative for reviews: GoldStarred compared

At a glance

Sources: Elfsight pricing, Elfsight Google Reviews widget, Elfsight help: subscribing to a paid plan, GoldStarred plans. GoldStarred prices are the same number in every currency (£ in the UK, $ elsewhere) and exclude VAT and sales tax.

Where the reviews come from

Elfsight's Google Reviews widget connects to your Google Business Profile: "Once connected, your website will automatically display reviews from your company's listing on Google", and "Reviews are fetched automatically through a simple connection using your Google Place ID" (Elfsight). Its All-in-One Reviews app can "Show reviews from Google, Facebook, Amazon, and 20+ other platforms". In both cases the reviews are collected somewhere else, and you need reviews there first.

GoldStarred is where the reviews are collected. You invite customers by email, one at a time or by CSV, or share an unlimited review link and QR code; customers leave a review without creating an account. Each review then carries a label: Verified when you supplied an order reference, otherwise Unverified, then Invited, Organic or Imported, and Incentivised if a reward was involved (how we verify reviews).

The free plans compared

Elfsight's Free plan lists "Unlimited websites", "200 views", "1 widget", "Only bug fixes" and "Elfsight Branding". A view "is the number of times a widget loads on a webpage or via a share link", and "Exceeding this monthly limit will temporarily deactivate your app" (Elfsight pricing). On a page with steady traffic, 200 loads can go quickly.

GoldStarred's Free plan includes reviews of your business, a public profile and badge, a verified domain, honest review labels, 75 review invites a month, an unlimited review link and QR code, replies and flagging (GoldStarred plans). The limit is on invites you send, not on how many people see your badge.

Showing every review, or only the good ones

Elfsight's FAQ answers "Can I show only positive reviews?" with: "Yes, you can filter reviews by rating and show only positive feedback, such as 4- and 5-star reviews" (Elfsight). Using that filter is your decision, and in the UK it carries a risk: the DMCC Act lists "giving greater prominence to positive consumer reviews over negative ones" as publishing reviews in a misleading way (Schedule 20).

GoldStarred has no rating filter. "We never hide, delay or reorder a review because of payment, plan or rating. Reviews are shown newest first" (how we verify reviews). A business can reply to any review and flag one for checking, on every plan (moderation).

Stars in Google search

Showing reviews of your business on your own site does not earn stars in search, whichever widget you use. Google's guidelines say that when an entity controls the reviews about itself, its pages using LocalBusiness or Organization markup "are ineligible for star review feature", and its example names "an embedded third-party widget (for example, Google Business reviews or Facebook reviews widget)" (Google). Elfsight's Google Reviews page does not mention review markup.

GoldStarred adds two things here. Your public profile is a page Google can list once it holds 3 published reviews. And on Growth and Pro, each product and app gets its own review page that carries the Google markup that makes it eligible for star ratings; Google decides whether they show.

A link back to your site

When you verify your domain with a meta tag or a DNS record, your GoldStarred profile links visitors straight to your own site, and that link stays followed while your badge stays installed. The link is earned by verifying, never sold.

Where Elfsight is the better choice

• You already have plenty of Google reviews and only want them on your site, with no new place for customers to review you.
• You want many kinds of widget from one vendor. Its pack plans include "All 96 Elfsight apps + upcoming apps" (Elfsight pricing).
• You want reviews from several sites in one feed, which its All-in-One Reviews app offers.

Where GoldStarred is the better choice

• You need more reviews, not just a place to show them. Invites, a review link and a QR code are on every plan, the Free plan included.
• You want a free badge that does not switch off on a busy month. Plans are limited by invites, not views.
• You want every review shown. Newest first, with no filter by rating, on every plan.
• You want readers to see how each review arrived. Every review carries a label.
• You want reviews for each product. Growth covers up to 25 products, apps or courses, each with its own widget and review page, at $17 a month; Pro makes them unlimited at $37 a month.
• You want a public page Google can list and a link back to your site. Both come with the Free plan.

Using both

Nothing stops you running both: Google reviews on your contact page through a display widget, and GoldStarred collecting and showing reviews of your business and products elsewhere. For other options, see Yotpo alternatives for product reviews, Birdeye alternative for review management, and Trustpilot vs Google reviews.