Aston Watson
What are incentivized reviews?
An incentivized review is a review someone writes after being offered something of value for it, such as a gift card, cash, a discount or a charity donation. The reward can come from the business being reviewed or from the review site itself, and every platform cares most about whether that reward depends on the rating.
Two kinds of reward look alike from the outside but are treated very differently. A reward offered for an honest review, whatever the rating, is allowed on some sites and under US law. A reward offered only for a good review, or one that hints a good review is expected, is banned by every platform that publishes a rule on it and by the FTC.
A rewarded review is also different from a fake one. The person writing it should still be a real user describing their own experience, while a fake review is invented or written by someone who never used the product. Our guide to Trustpilot fake reviews explains how those are found and removed.
Are incentivized reviews allowed on each platform?
The answer depends on the review site, because each one writes its own rule. G2 and Capterra allow a small reward if it is the same for every reviewer, Trustpilot and the HubSpot Marketplace forbid any reward, and SourceForge and SoftwareSuggest pay rewards through their own programs.
The table below sums up what each platform's own pages say, checked in October 2026. Platforms change these rules from time to time, so read the current page before you plan a campaign.
| Platform | Rewards allowed? | Main condition |
|---|---|---|
| G2 | Yes | Never tied to opinion, disclosed to G2, $100 USD maximum |
| Capterra | Yes | Equal for every rating, paid through the Vendor Portal incentive link |
| Trustpilot | No | No discounts, prize draws, refunds, freebies or other benefits |
| SourceForge | Through its own program | SourceForge pays a $20 gift card once a review is published |
| SoftwareSuggest | Through its own program | Rewards only for users with a paid subscription who show proof |
| HubSpot Marketplace | No | Partners may not offer compensation for a review |
Every campaign we run follows the incentive rule of the platform it runs on, and RelikReview reviewers are never paid on any platform. On G2, teams can buy verified G2 reviews from verified users who choose their own rating. Trustpilot bans rewards outright, so our campaigns for teams who want to buy real Trustpilot reviews use verified users who receive nothing for their review. For Capterra, our page on how to get Capterra reviews explains how a campaign runs with a client's customers through Capterra's review link.
The G2 gift card for review: what G2 allows
G2 spells out its incentive rules in detail. G2's community guidelines say G2 will occasionally offer incentives, such as gift cards or a donation, for honest reviews, and that eligibility for an incentive is never based on the reviewer's opinion. The G2 gift card for review is the best-known example, and buyers can see it on the review itself.
The same guidelines set three limits for vendors who reward reviewers:
- No condition on sentiment. G2 lists conditioning incentives on reviews being positive as a banned practice.
- Disclosure to G2. Rewarding reviewers independently without disclosing those incentives to G2 is also banned.
- A $100 cap. G2 limits any incentive to $100 USD, covering cash, gift cards and non-cash items such as swag, tokens, credits and subscriptions.
G2 also marks these reviews so buyers can weigh them. Reviews confirmed as incentivized are tagged, and the label explains that a nominal incentive was offered in exchange for the review. Our guide to the G2 review guidelines covers the other checks a review passes before G2 publishes it.
The tag is visible to every buyer who reads the review, so the reward is never hidden. Some teams accept that trade, while others prefer plain requests sent to every customer at fixed points such as day 30 or day 90, with no reward attached.
Capterra review incentives and the Reviews Collection Program
Capterra also allows rewards, with tighter control over how they are paid. Capterra's community guidelines, last updated on 4 May 2026, say reviewers may be offered nominal incentives in line with applicable laws. Failing to disclose those incentives properly can lead to an incentivization notice or removal of the review.
The vendor rules for the Reviews Collection Program add the detail. Incentives must be offered equally to all eligible participants, regardless of the rating, and must not exceed nominal value as defined by applicable law. Vendors must use the incentive link provided in the Vendor Portal, and Capterra sends gift cards only to a set number of unique published reviewers.
Capterra also expects fairness in who gets asked. Vendors must request feedback from a broad cross-section of their users, accept every verified review an incentivized campaign brings in, and avoid third-party services that generate large volumes of unverified submissions. Rewards offered outside the approved process are not allowed.
Why Trustpilot bans every reward
Trustpilot takes the strictest line of the six. Trustpilot's guidelines for businesses (version 7.3, September 2026) say Trustpilot does not allow rewarded reviews, and that invitations must be fair, neutral and unbiased with no incentives offered.
The ban covers far more than cash. Discounts, promo codes, prize draw entries, refunds, freebies and any other benefit connected with your business are all off limits in connection with writing or editing a review. Even a small thank-you discount promised for a review breaks the rule.
Trustpilot treats biased or unfair review collection as misuse and can block access to or suspend features for businesses that do it. The safe approach is to invite every customer the same way, and our guide on how to get Trustpilot reviews walks through invitations that fit these rules.
SourceForge, SoftwareSuggest and HubSpot rules
These three sites publish less about rewards than G2 or Capterra. This section states only what their own pages say, checked in October 2026, and points out where no rule is published.
SourceForge
SourceForge's vendor documentation on reviews describes an incentivized reviews campaign that SourceForge pays for itself. When a customer's review of your product is published, SourceForge emails them a digital gift card worth $20 USD or equivalent, and vendors can see how many cards they have left.
The page does not say the card depends on the rating. It also sets no rules for rewards that vendors fund themselves, so check with SourceForge before you add one.
SoftwareSuggest
SoftwareSuggest's terms of use say only users with a paid subscription to the software can claim a reward for a review, and reviewers verify this with an invoice or a billing screenshot. The same terms say vendors may not collect reviews for the site, write reviews for customers or contact reviewers about their reviews.
We found no published rule on rewards that vendors offer themselves. Ask SoftwareSuggest before you plan one.
HubSpot Marketplace
The HubSpot Marketplace Reviews Policy is a flat ban. Technology Partners, Solutions Partners and Content Providers may not offer compensation or financial reward for a review of their own product or a competitor's. Reviewers may not post a review in exchange for compensation of any kind, including free or discounted products, refunds or reimbursements.
Breaking the policy can lead to removal of the review or of the product listing itself. For HubSpot apps, the only safe request is a plain one with no reward attached.
What US law says about incentivized reviews
In the US, the FTC's Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials went into effect on 21 October 2024. Section 465.4 of the FTC rule covers buying positive or negative consumer reviews. It bans offering payment or other incentives for reviews when the incentive is conditioned, expressly or by implication, on the review expressing a particular sentiment, good or bad.
The FTC's questions and answers on the rule make the line clearer. The rule does not ban incentives for reviews as long as there is no express or implied requirement that the review has a particular sentiment, and a business cannot suggest that a review must be positive to earn the reward. Simply expecting that a rewarded review will be positive does not break the rule.
The section applies whether the review appears on your website or on a third-party review platform, and courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations. The FTC also warns that failing to disclose an incentive could break the FTC Act, which is where disclosure comes in.
Rewards tied to a good review still happen. In BrightLocal's 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey of 1,002 US consumers, 11% of consumers were offered an incentive to write a positive review, which is exactly the kind of offer the rule bans.
How to disclose review incentives and stay within the rules
Disclosure means the reader can see that a reward was offered. On G2, you tell G2 about any incentive so it can tag the review, and on Capterra you run the reward through the incentive link in the Vendor Portal. Capterra says reviews without proper disclosure may get an incentivization notice or be removed.
Before you add any reward to a review request, check five things:
- The platform allows it. Trustpilot and the HubSpot Marketplace do not, so no reward goes into those requests.
- Every reviewer gets the same reward. A low rating earns exactly what a high rating earns.
- The wording is neutral. Ask for an honest review, never a good one, and avoid hints such as "if you loved us".
- The platform knows. Disclose the reward to G2, and use Capterra's own incentive link.
- Everyone is asked. Send the request to every customer at a fixed point, such as day 30 or day 90, so the reward never becomes a way to pick happy customers.
If any of these is hard to meet, leave the reward out. A plain request sent to every customer at the same point works on every platform in this guide, and it keeps you clear of both the platform rules and the FTC rule.
Prefer reviews with no rewards at all?
Our RelikReview review policy sets out how every campaign works, with unpaid reviewers who choose their own rating.
G2 review service
Get G2 reviews the right way with RelikReview
RelikReview runs G2 campaigns inside every rule in this guide. Our G2 review service uses verified users who are never paid, write in their own words and choose their own rating, with the plan and price in writing first.
- No rewardsReviewers receive no gift card, cash or discount.
- Paced to look naturalReviews arrive steadily, with no sudden spikes.
- Free replacementIf G2 removes a review, we replace it at no cost.
Choosing a safe approach to review rewards
Incentivized reviews are allowed on G2 and Capterra when the reward is small, equal for every rating and disclosed, and they are banned outright on Trustpilot and the HubSpot Marketplace. SourceForge and SoftwareSuggest run their own reward programs, and US law forbids any reward tied to a positive or negative review.
The simplest rule is to ask every customer the same way and never link a reward to the rating. If you would rather hand that work to a team that follows each platform's rule, talk to the RelikReview team about your next review campaign.
FAQs about review incentives
Is it legal to offer a gift card for a review?
Yes, US law allows a gift card for a review as long as the reward does not depend on the review being positive or negative. The FTC's rule bans incentives conditioned on sentiment, expressly or by implication. Each review site also has its own rule, and Trustpilot and the HubSpot Marketplace ban rewards altogether.
Does G2 label reviews that received a reward?
Yes, G2 tags reviews it confirms as incentivized, and the label says a nominal incentive was offered in exchange for the review. Buyers can tap the tag to learn more. Vendors must disclose any incentive they run to G2, keep it at $100 USD or less and never tie it to a positive review.
Can I offer a discount for a Trustpilot review?
No, Trustpilot does not allow any reward for a review. Its guidelines for businesses list discounts, promo codes, prize draw entries, refunds, freebies and any other benefit connected with your business. Invitations must be fair, neutral and unbiased, and Trustpilot can block access to or suspend features for businesses that collect reviews unfairly.
Do I have to disclose a review incentive?
Yes, you should disclose any review incentive. The FTC warns that failing to disclose an incentive could violate the FTC Act, G2 bans incentives that are kept from it, and Capterra may add an incentivization notice or remove reviews without proper disclosure. On Capterra, rewards must also go through the Vendor Portal incentive link.
Can a reward depend on a five-star rating?
No, a reward that depends on a five-star rating breaks US law and the rules of G2 and Capterra. The FTC's rule bans incentives conditioned on a positive or negative review, even by implication. G2 lists conditioning incentives on positive reviews as a banned practice, and Capterra requires the same reward regardless of the rating given.
Are RelikReview reviewers paid?
No, RelikReview reviewers are never paid and receive no gift card, cash or discount for a review. They choose their own rating and write in their own words. On G2, Trustpilot, SourceForge and SoftwareSuggest our campaigns use verified users, and on Capterra and HubSpot they run with the client's customers through the platform's review link.
