Trustpilot vs Google reviews: which is better for a local business?

Trustpilot or Google reviews: which matters more for a local business?

The question usually comes up after a Trustpilot sales call, or after spotting a competitor’s green-star badge. Both platforms are legitimate, but they serve different needs. The real question is not “which is better” but “where do my future customers read reviews before they choose me?”.

This guide compares the two review platforms. If you are comparing review management software instead, see Voxtya vs Trustpilot.

Where do Google and Trustpilot reviews appear?

Google’s Business Profile Help says reviews show next to your profile in Maps and Search. For a local business that settles it: when someone types “barber” or “plumber near me” on their phone, the map, the profiles and their Google stars come first, ahead of any third-party site.

What do Google and Trustpilot cost a small business in the UK?

Getting and replying to Google reviews is free: all you need is a free Google Business Profile. Trustpilot has a free plan and paid plans. Prices on Trustpilot’s UK plans page, checked on 18 October 2026:

Prices differ by country (the euro page lists Starter from €79/month per domain) and can change, so check Trustpilot’s own page for your market before deciding. Google charges nothing for reviews; only time-saving tools for collecting and replying are paid, and they are optional.

What are the rules for inviting customers to review?

The two platforms are strikingly similar, and UK law now points the same way:

In the UK, since 6 April 2025 the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 also bans fake reviews and concealed incentivised reviews, as the CMA’s fake reviews guidance (CMA208) explains. Our guide on online review laws covers the detail.

When is Trustpilot the right choice?

Trustpilot has real strengths in some situations:

• You mostly sell online (an e-commerce shop, a remote service): customers never pass a Google Maps profile but do read reviews on your site
• You run Google Ads for an online shop: Trustpilot is one of the partners whose reviews can feed Google’s seller ratings (see below)
• You handle a high volume of orders and want automatic invitations after each purchase, with widgets on product pages
• Your customers are spread across countries and already know the Trustpilot name

For a business that lives off local customers, those strengths matter less: people compare on Maps, and your Google stars are the first thing they see.

Trustpilot and star ratings on Google Ads: what is the link?

Seller ratings, now called store ratings, are the stars that can appear under a Google Ads text ad or a Shopping listing for an online shop. According to Google Ads Help, they draw on Google Customer Reviews (a free Merchant Center programme) and on review partners, Trustpilot among them.

• Google needs enough unique reviews for the country within the last 24 months; most merchants get a rating after collecting 100 or more eligible reviews.
• A rating of 3.5 or above is needed to show it on text ads.

This is about e-commerce. For a café or salon with no online shop, what counts in local search is the reviews on your Google Business Profile.

Google or Trustpilot: the right choice by type of business

More by trade: Google reviews for restaurants, for tradespeople and for retail shops.

Can you use both at the same time?

Yes, with one rule: one link per request. An email offering “Google, Trustpilot or Facebook” makes people hesitate and click nothing. If you have two audiences (walk-in customers and online buyers), send each the link that fits:

• walk-in customer: the direct link to your Google review form (our article on the Google review link shows where to find it);
• online buyer: a Trustpilot or Google Customer Reviews invitation.

Either way, invite every customer in the same channel in the same way. Our review request email templates are ready to copy.

How do you show your reviews on your own website?

Trustpilot offers widgets (how many depends on the plan). For Google reviews there are options from a simple “read our reviews” link to a block showing your latest reviews. Our guide on displaying Google reviews on your website compares them and covers the rules: do not present a selection as the full picture, and say where reviews come from.

Where should you start this week?

If Google is your main platform, five steps get you going:

1. Check your profile: opening hours, category, photos and website link up to date (see our Google Business Profile guide).
2. Copy your direct review link from the profile.
3. Pick one channel per type of customer: a QR code at the till, an email after the booking, a card handed over with the invoice.
4. Ask every customer in the same way for a month.
5. Reply to every review within a few days, good or bad.

If you also sell online, you can then open a free Trustpilot account for your orders and move to a paid plan only if your volume justifies it. Remember the free plan caps invitations at 50 a month, which is plenty for most independents testing the water.

• One link per request
• No incentives of any kind
• Every customer invited, not just the regulars you know are happy
• A reply to every review

Running a pub, salon or trade business in Ireland? The same logic applies: Irish customers find local businesses on Google Maps just as UK customers do; if you look at Trustpilot, check the prices shown for your own country, as they differ by market.

This guide for your trade

• Restaurant
• Pub, bar and café
• Hair salon
• Tradesperson
• Retail shop

Go further

• Voxtya vs Trustpilot
• Get more Google reviews
• Display Google reviews on your website
• Review request email templates
• Free Yelp for Business alternatives
• How to ask for a Google review