How to choose a Shopify review app: a five-question test
Five questions about your orders, video, channels, wider plans and exit route. Your answers pick the review app. Includes a decision tree and a printable checklist.
Choosing a review app feels like a feature comparison. It is mostly a billing decision. The features overlap more each year. The bills do not. Five questions about your store settle it. Answer them before you open a single listing.
In this article
The big review apps now collect photos and video, send request emails and sync to Google. The differences sit in three places. What the bill counts. What hides behind the paywall. What else the vendor wants to sell you. Each question below tests one of those.
Question 1: how many orders do you take at your busiest?
Review apps bill in two shapes. Some charge a flat monthly fee. Judge.me's paid plan is $15 a month at any order volume. Others charge by orders. Loox's Convert plan starts at $49.99 a month for 300 orders. Each further 300 orders adds $50, up to a cap. Okendo prices by monthly order bands. Use your peak month, such as November, for the maths. A bill that fits in March can triple in December.
| App | What the bill counts | Free plan |
|---|---|---|
| Judge.me | Nothing: Awesome is a flat $15 a month | Yes, with photo and video |
| Loox | Orders a month, from 300 on Convert | Yes, until 500 orders in total |
| Okendo | Monthly order bands, per product | Check the live listing |
| Yotpo | Orders a month | Yes, up to 50 orders a month |
Question 2: do you need video reviews?
Video reviews show fit, texture and size better than text. Their cost varies by app. Judge.me collects photo and video on its free plan. Loox collects photos on every plan and video from Convert. Okendo collects both and transcribes video with AI. If your product moves, folds or fits a body, plan for video from day one.
Question 3: where must your reviews appear?
Reviews on your product page are the start. Most stores also want star ratings in Google Shopping. That needs a Merchant Center account and, for Judge.me and Loox, at least 50 reviews. Judge.me offers it on its paid plan and Loox on Convert. Okendo is a Google Reviews Partner. TikTok Shop takes verified reviews only. Write your channel list down. Then strike any app that gates it above your budget.
Question 4: do you want loyalty from the same vendor?
Okendo sells reviews, loyalty, referrals, quizzes and surveys as one suite. That suits a brand buying them together. If you already run a loyalty app, the suite matters less. Judge.me adds coupons and referrals. Loox adds referrals and a post-purchase upsell. Buy for the job you have today.
Question 5: how easily can you leave?
Judge.me, Loox and Okendo are Shopify-only. Judge.me closed its other platforms between October 2025 and January 2026. All three import from each other, and all three export. Imported reviews may lose their verified badge. Ask two things before you sign. Can I export every review with its photos? Will my next app import that file?
Your answers, your app
Start here
What matters most for your store right now?
- Low cost as orders grow
Judge.me
Photo and video free. One flat paid plan.
- Need Google Shopping stars: Paid plan, after 50 reviews
- The best-looking photo galleries
Loox
Polished visual widgets. Free until 500 total orders.
- Need video or syndication: Budget for Convert, billed by orders
- Reviews plus loyalty from one vendor
Okendo
Five connected products, priced by order bands.
- Already run a loyalty app: Compare Judge.me first
The checklist
- 1Peak orders: write your busiest month's order count.
- 2Bill at peak: price each shortlisted app at that number.
- 3Video: note which plan collects video reviews.
- 4Channels: list Google Shopping, Shop app, Meta and TikTok Shop needs.
- 5Review count: check you can reach 50 reviews for Google stars.
- 6Suite: decide if loyalty must come from the same vendor.
- 7Export: confirm a full export with photos and video.
- 8Import: confirm your current reviews import cleanly.
The review app checklist (PDF)
The five questions, the decision tree and the eight checks on one printable page.
Where Idukki fits (ours)
We make Idukki. It is a display tool and works with whichever review app you choose. Judge.me is a built-in import, alongside Google, Trustpilot and TripAdvisor. Idukki shows those reviews as shoppable galleries, next to customer posts from social. Products are tagged to the cart, and rights are recorded per post. The full comparison is in Judge.me vs Loox vs Okendo.
Questions store owners ask
Which Shopify review app is cheapest?
Judge.me has a free plan with photo and video reviews. Its paid plan is a flat $15 a month at any order volume.
Do I need a paid plan for Google Shopping stars?
For Judge.me and Loox, yes. Both also need at least 50 reviews and a Merchant Center account.
Can I switch review apps later?
Yes. Judge.me, Loox and Okendo import from each other and all export. Imported reviews may lose their verified badge.
Does a review app work outside Shopify?
Judge.me, Loox and Okendo are Shopify-only now. Plan the export route if you might move platforms.
Sources
- 1Judge.me pricing · Free and Awesome plans.
- 2Judge.me: sunsetting non-Shopify platforms · Dates by platform.
- 3Judge.me: Google Shopping · Requirements.
- 4Loox: Convert plan · Order-based pricing.
- 5Loox: Beginner plan · Free until 500 total orders.
- 6Loox: video reviews · Plan availability.
- 7Okendo pricing · Order bands; from $19 a month.
- 8Okendo platform · Five-product suite.
- 9Yotpo: free plan · Up to 50 orders a month.
Continue reading
1 piece in this clusterThese long-form pieces on the Idukki blog link back to this article, go deeper on the cluster.
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