Search wordpress.org for "Google reviews" and you get dozens of plugins that look the same: a carousel of five-star cards with a Google logo in the corner. The differences are in the parts the screenshots do not show. Some plugins need a Google API key before they show more than a handful of reviews. Some cap you at one location, and some stop showing the widget once you pass a monthly view limit.
We compared eight options on those points. Six are plugins on wordpress.org, and two (Elfsight and EmbedSocial) are hosted widgets that WordPress sites commonly use. Plugin details come from each plugin's wordpress.org listing, and prices and limits come from each vendor's own pricing page. Everything was checked on October 6, 2026. Shapo is our product, so read that entry with that in mind.
The comparison table
| Plugin | Free tier | Google API key | New reviews | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widgets for Google Reviews (Trustindex) | Up to 10 reviews, 1 widget | Not needed | Automatic refresh on paid plans | $65/year |
| Rich Showcase for Google Reviews | Up to 10 reviews on setup | Only for daily updates | Daily with your own key | $85/year |
| Shapo | Up to 10 reviews, unlimited widgets, no view limit | Not needed | Daily auto-import on Pro | $29/month |
| WP Google Review Slider | Places API, or up to 40 reviews by crawl | Not stated | Daily with the Places API method | $29/year |
| Reviews Feed (Smash Balloon) | 10 latest reviews, 1 business | Only for ongoing updates | Daily with your own key, or on Basic | $49/year (first year) |
| Embedder for Google Reviews | Up to 20 reviews | Not needed | Automatic, interval not stated | $54/year |
| Elfsight | 1 widget, 200 views a month | Not needed | Usually within 72 hours | $5/month billed yearly |
| EmbedSocial | 1 location, 500 views a month | Not needed (connects your Business Profile) | Every 24 hours on Free | €24/month billed yearly |
What to check before you install one
Does it need a Google API key or a Place ID?
Google's official Places API returns at most 5 reviews for a business, and it needs a Google Cloud project with billing turned on. That is why some plugins start with five reviews and ask you for a key. Others run their own fetching service and only need your business name, a Google Maps link or a Place ID. If you do not want to touch Google Cloud, rule out any plugin whose free version needs a key for the thing you care about. If you do need a Place ID, our Place ID and review link tool finds it from your business name.
How many reviews does the free tier really show?
Ten is the common number: Trustindex, Rich Showcase and Smash Balloon all show up to 10 on their free versions. Embedder shows up to 20. Shapo's free plan has unlimited widgets and no view limit. Elfsight and EmbedSocial cap the free plan by views instead, 200 and 500 a month.
How do new reviews arrive?
This is the question most listings answer vaguely. Check whether the free version refreshes at all, how often, and what it needs to do so. Rich Showcase and Smash Balloon refresh daily for free once you add your own API key. EmbedSocial refreshes every 24 hours on its free plan. Trustindex keeps automatic refresh for its paid plans, and Shapo Pro auto-imports new Google reviews once a day.
Do you have more than one location?
Multi-location businesses should check this first, because it is where free tiers differ most. Rich Showcase, WP Google Review Slider and Smash Balloon handle several locations on their free versions. Trustindex allows 1 company on its cheapest plan and 5 on Pro. EmbedSocial counts each location as one source: 1 on Free, 3 on Pro. Embedder's wordpress.org page and its own FAQ disagree on whether more than one location is supported.
Where do the reviews live, and what loads on your page?
Rich Showcase, WP Google Review Slider and Embedder store reviews in your WordPress database, so a page view does not call an outside service. Shapo, Elfsight and EmbedSocial host the widget and load it with a script. Shapo's script is about 10 KB compressed, loads deferred, sets no cookies, and can wait until visitors scroll near it. Whichever you pick, test the page with your caching or speed plugin turned on, since delayed scripts are the most common reason a review widget shows up empty.
Best pick by situation
- You want a free Google-only plugin with no setup: Widgets for Google Reviews by Trustindex, with 10 free reviews and no key.
- You want free updates and do not mind a Google API key: Rich Showcase or Smash Balloon Reviews Feed.
- You have several locations on a budget: WP Google Review Slider or Rich Showcase, both free for multiple locations.
- You want reviews from other sites too, or want to collect testimonials: Shapo, which also imports from 30+ review sites and runs collection forms and surveys.
- You build sites in Elementor, Beaver Builder, Bricks or WPBakery: Shapo, which adds a native element to each.
- You want fast refreshes and can pay monthly: EmbedSocial, which refreshes every 3 hours on Pro.
- You also run Elfsight widgets on the site: Elfsight, but watch the 200-view free limit.
The 8 plugins, one by one
1.Widgets for Google Reviews (Trustindex)
Best for a proven free plugin with no setup- Free plan:
- Up to 10 Google reviews, 1 widget
- Paid from:
- $65/year (Single, 1 company)
- API key:
- Not needed, paste your Google Place URL
Trustindex is the best-known Google reviews plugin on wordpress.org. Setup is a pasted Google Place URL with no API key. The free version shows up to 10 reviews in one widget. Trustindex's own comparison table puts "Automatic review refresh" and "Widget refresh daily" in the paid package only, so on the free version you update reviews by hand. Single costs $65 a year for one company, Pro $125 a year for five, and Ultimate $349 a year for unlimited companies.
- Paid plans add automatic review refresh and daily widget refresh
- 133 review platforms on paid plans
- Pro covers 5 companies for $125/year
2.Rich Showcase for Google Reviews
Best for free daily updates and multiple locations- Free plan:
- Up to 10 reviews on setup, unlimited places
- Paid from:
- $85/year (Business, 1 site)
- API key:
- Only for daily updates
Rich Showcase loads up to 10 Google reviews from a Google Maps URL or Place ID with no key. Add your own Google API key and the free version refreshes daily. Because the Places API returns 5 reviews per request, the list grows as new reviews appear rather than starting large. It handles any number of Google places for free and can mix them in one widget, which makes it the strongest free choice for multi-location businesses. The Business version adds Facebook and Yelp and is listed at $85 a year for one site, next to a summer sale banner that says it ended August 31.
- Reviews stored in your WordPress database, no outside request per page view
- Combine several Google places in one widget for free
- Business adds Facebook and Yelp
3.Shapo
Best for reviews from several sites plus testimonials- Free plan:
- Up to 10 reviews, unlimited widgets, no view limit
- Paid from:
- $29/month (Pro)
- API key:
- Not needed, search your business name
Shapo is our product. The plugin connects WordPress to a Shapo account, where you import Google reviews by searching your business name or pasting its Google Maps link. There is no API key or Google Cloud project. You choose which reviews to keep, with a minimum star rating and an option to skip reviews without text. Back in WordPress, you pick the widget by name in the block editor or your page builder instead of copying code, and you can put a floating review popup on every page from the plugin's settings.
The free plan includes unlimited widgets with the carousel, single review and badge layouts, and no monthly view limit. Pro, at $29 a month, adds the grid, marquee, list and floating popup layouts, auto-imports new Google reviews once a day, and can import up to 1,000 reviews at once.
The reason to choose Shapo over a Google-only plugin is everything around the reviews. The same account brings in reviews from 30+ other sites, such as WooCommerce, Trustpilot, Yelp and Tripadvisor, collects text and video testimonials through forms, and runs NPS and feedback surveys, all placed with the same block.
- Shapo Widget block, plus native elements for Elementor, Beaver Builder, Bricks and WPBakery
- Shortcode for Divi, Oxygen, Breakdance and the classic editor
- Stops WP Rocket, LiteSpeed and Cloudflare Rocket Loader from delaying the widget
4.WP Google Review Slider
Best for service-area businesses and lifetime pricing- Free plan:
- Places API with daily updates, or up to 40 reviews by crawl
- Paid from:
- $29/year, or $99 lifetime (1 site)
- API key:
- Not stated on the listing
WP Google Review Slider offers two ways in: the Google Places API, which keeps reviews updated daily, or a crawl method that downloads up to 40 reviews. You find the business with search terms or a Place ID, and you can add several locations on the free version. It also supports service-area businesses with no street address, which several other plugins do not. Reviews are stored in your database. Pro starts at $29 a year for one site, or $99 once for a lifetime licence, and adds more than 90 other review sites.
- Multiple Google locations on the free version
- Works for service-area businesses without a street address
- Pro adds 90+ review sites and a filter by location
5.Reviews Feed (Smash Balloon)
Best for sites that already use Smash Balloon feeds- Free plan:
- 10 latest reviews for 1 business, Google and Yelp
- Paid from:
- $49/year for the first year (Basic), renews at $98
- API key:
- Only for ongoing updates on the free version
Smash Balloon's free plugin shows the 10 latest reviews for one business without a key once you verify your email. Add your own Google API key and it collects new reviews daily and can mix several businesses in one feed. Its FAQ notes that only Google businesses with a physical address work. Basic is $49 for the first year on introductory pricing and renews at $98, with daily fetching and up to 100 past reviews per source. Its wordpress.org page still describes Pro updates as weekly, while the pricing page says daily on Basic and twice a day on Elite. The pricing page lists removing the "Powered by" line as a Plus feature.
- Basic fetches new reviews daily and pulls up to 100 past reviews per source
- Elite fetches twice a day
- Plus adds Facebook, Trustpilot and WooCommerce
6.Embedder for Google Reviews
Best for a light Google-only plugin with no key- Free plan:
- Up to 20 reviews
- Paid from:
- $54/year (PRO, up to 50 reviews)
- API key:
- Not needed, no Place ID either
Embedder needs neither an API key nor a Place ID: you search for the business by name. The free version pulls up to 20 reviews, more than most free tiers. The wordpress.org page says PRO pulls all reviews, but the vendor's pricing page caps PRO at 50 reviews for $54 a year and PRO Extended at 100 for $87 a year. The two pages also disagree on locations: wordpress.org says any number of businesses, while the vendor FAQ says one location at a time. It only does Google.
- Search by business name, no Google Business Profile access
- PRO Extended shows up to 100 reviews for $87/year
- Google only
7.Elfsight Google Reviews
Best for sites already running other Elfsight widgets- Free plan:
- 1 widget, 200 views a month, Elfsight branding
- Paid from:
- $5/month billed yearly, or $6 monthly
- On WordPress:
- Embed code, or the general Elfsight Blocks plugin
- API key:
- Not needed
Elfsight is a hosted widget rather than a WordPress plugin. There is no dedicated Elfsight Google reviews plugin on wordpress.org: you paste Elfsight's code into a Custom HTML block or use its general Elfsight Blocks plugin, which was last updated in September 2025. Setup needs no API key, and Elfsight says new reviews usually appear within 72 hours. The free plan allows one widget and 200 views a month, where a view is every load of the widget. Basic is $5 a month billed yearly for 3 widgets and 5,000 views. Our Elfsight comparison covers the view limits in more detail.
- Connect with a Place ID, business name or Maps share link
- New reviews usually appear within 72 hours
- All-in-One Reviews widget covers more platforms
8.EmbedSocial
Best for frequent refreshes for business owners- Free plan:
- 1 Google location, up to 500 reviews, 500 views a month
- Paid from:
- €24/month billed yearly, or €29 monthly (Pro)
- On WordPress:
- General EmbedSocial plugin, last updated June 2025
- API key:
- Not needed, you connect your Google Business Profile
EmbedSocial connects to Google through your Business Profile, so you need owner or manager access to the listing. In return it refreshes every 24 hours even on the free plan, and every 3 hours on Pro. Each Google location counts as a source: 1 on Free, 3 on Pro, 15 on Premium. The catch is the view limit. EmbedSocial's pricing page says widgets stop showing until the count resets, and they stop when a paid subscription ends. Its prices were shown to us in euros, so the currency may follow your location.
- Updates every 24 hours on Free, every 3 hours on Pro
- 3 locations on Pro, 15 on Premium
- Widgets stop showing once the monthly view limit is reached
Facts checked on October 6, 2026 on wordpress.org (Trustindex, Rich Showcase, Shapo, WP Google Review Slider, Reviews Feed, Embedder, EmbedSocial, Elfsight Blocks) and on each vendor's pricing page: Trustindex, Rich Plugins, Shapo, WP Review Slider, Smash Balloon, Reviews Embedder, Elfsight and EmbedSocial. Vendors change plans often, so check before you buy.
Also worth a look
Three more plugins came up with Google reviews in their wordpress.org listings: EmbedPress (a general embed plugin that includes Google reviews), WP Social Ninja (social feeds, reviews and chat widgets), and Reviews and Rating - Google Reviews. We did not test their tiers for this comparison.
Plugin or plain embed code?
You do not always need a plugin. Hosted widgets such as Shapo, Elfsight and EmbedSocial give you a short embed code, and pasting it into a Custom HTML block works on any WordPress site that allows that block. For one widget on one page, that is the simplest setup, and it is one less plugin to update.
A plugin earns its place when:
- you have several widgets and want to pick them by name rather than keep track of codes;
- you build pages in Elementor, Beaver Builder, Bricks or WPBakery and want a native element with a preview;
- you run WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache or Cloudflare Rocket Loader, which can delay third-party scripts until a visitor clicks and leave the widget blank;
- you want a popup or a badge on every page without editing your theme.
With Shapo the widget is identical either way, so you can start with the embed code and add the plugin later. Our guide to adding Google reviews to WordPress walks through both methods, and the Google reviews widget page shows a live example. If you only want a small rating badge, the free Google review badge generator makes one without an account.
How to add Google reviews with the Shapo plugin
The whole setup takes a few minutes, and everything below works on the free plan.
1. Install the plugin
In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Add Plugin, search for Shapo, then click Install Now and Activate. WordPress opens the Shapo page, which stays in the admin menu.
2. Connect your Shapo account
On the Shapo page, click Connect with Shapo, sign in or create a free account, and choose the workspace to connect. The connection can only read the names and ids of your widgets, forms and surveys, not your reviews or billing. If you prefer not to connect, you can paste a widget id into the block instead.
3. Import your Google reviews
In your Shapo dashboard, open Testimonials, choose Google, and type your business name as it appears on Google. You can also paste your Google Maps link or Place ID. Pick a minimum star rating, decide whether to translate reviews and whether to skip ones without text, then tick the reviews you want and click Import Reviews. On Pro you can switch on auto-import so new Google reviews arrive every day.
Add testimonials fromGoogle
Brightside Coffee
412 Alder St, Portland, OR
186 reviews ★ 4.8
Select the ones you want to import from the 50 most recent reviews
Maya R.
"Best flat white in the neighbourhood, and the staff remember your order."
★★★★★ Sep 20
Daniel K.
"Great spot to work for a couple of hours. Fast wifi and the banana bread is excellent."
★★★★★ Sep 15
Priya S.
"Ordered a birthday cake with two days notice and it came out exactly like the photo."
★★★★★ Sep 10
4. Create a widget
Still in Shapo, create a widget, choose a layout and match its colours and fonts to your theme. Layouts include the carousel, single review and badge, plus the grid, marquee, list and floating popup on Pro.
5. Add the Shapo Widget block
Edit the page in WordPress, click + and add the Shapo Widget block. Under What to show choose Reviews widget, then pick your widget from the list. The block shows a live preview, so you see the reviews before you publish. In Elementor, Beaver Builder, Bricks or WPBakery, search the elements for Shapo Widget instead. In Divi, Oxygen or Breakdance, use the shortcode [shapo id="WIDGET_ID"].
6. Publish
Click Update or Publish. If the widget sits inside a popup, a tab or content that loads as you scroll, turn on Load the Shapo script on every page on the Shapo settings page so the script is ready when that content appears.