Why trust Real Reviews?
Fake reviews, paid reviews and AI-written reviews are everywhere — and they all look five stars. We built Real Reviews around one simple idea: show you what verified customers say, separately from everyone else.
One listing, two scores
Every business, product and service on Real Reviews carries two independent ratings. Most review sites blend everything into a single number — which is exactly where fake reviews hide.
Only reviews from verified customers count here — people who proved who they are and backed their review with evidence like a receipt, invoice or photos of the product they actually bought.
Everything else lands here — honest opinions from unverified accounts, but also where any review-bombing or astroturfing would end up. We publish it, but we never let it contaminate the Real Rating.
The journey of every review
No review goes straight to a score. Each one travels the same path — and where it ends up depends on what its author can prove.
submitted
verified
checked
moderation
The gap between the scores tells a story
Comparing the two numbers gives you something no single score can:
Scores agree
The crowd and the verified customers see it the same way. You can take the rating at face value.
Real Rating higher
Actual customers are happy, but the public score is being dragged down — a sign of review-bombing or competitor pile-ons.
Unverified higher
The public score looks rosy but verified customers disagree — a classic fingerprint of padded or purchased reviews.
How a review earns the "Real" badge
-
1
A real, verified person
Reviewers verify their email, and can verify their identity with us. Anonymous burner accounts never reach the Real Rating.
-
2
Evidence of a genuine purchase
Receipts, invoices or photos of the product or service — proof the reviewer is an actual customer, not a bot or a rival.
-
3
Human moderation
Every review is checked by a person before it's published. Reviews that pass the full bar are classified as Real; the rest stay in the unverified pool.
-
4
Enough volume to be meaningful
We don't show a Real Rating until a listing has multiple verified reviews, so one glowing (or furious) customer can't define a business.
Good for consumers. Good for businesses.
A rating that can't be bought changes behaviour on both sides of the counter.
For consumers
The only way a business can lift its Real Rating is to earn verified reviews — and that means looking after the customers it already has. Following up after a sale, fixing problems quickly, and giving happy customers a reason to vouch for them.
- Scores that reflect actual customers, not marketing budgets
- Businesses compete on service, because service is what gets verified
- The score gap warns you before you spend, not after
For businesses
Your Real Rating is built only from verified customers — so it can't be torn down by a coordinated pile-on, a competitor, or someone lashing out over a dispute who was never a customer in the first place. Those reviews land in the unverified pool, clearly separated, while the score that matters stays in the hands of the people you actually served.
- The Real Rating can't be review-bombed
- One bad-faith reviewer can't undo years of good work
- Genuine praise carries the weight it deserves
Our commitments to you
- Businesses can't pay to remove reviews. There is no "reputation management" package. Negative verified reviews stay up.
- Businesses can't edit ratings. The two scores are computed from published reviews — nobody's hand is on the scale.
- Same rules for everyone. A one-person plumber and a big-four bank go through identical verification.
- We show our working. Both scores sit side by side on every listing. We'd rather show you an awkward gap than hide it.
Help make reviews trustworthy again
Had a genuine experience with a business, product or service? Your verified review makes the Real Rating stronger for the next person.