A review API is an interface that lets software read, act on or collect customer reviews in code, instead of a person logging in to each review site. Some review APIs connect to one site, such as Google. Others pull many sites into one standard format and add actions like posting replies, sending review requests and flagging reviews that break a site's rules.
Platforms use review APIs to show reviews inside their own product, alert users to new feedback, reply from one inbox, ask customers for reviews at the right moment and run their own verified review programs.
Every review API answers one or more of four jobs:
Reading is the usual starting point. The other jobs need more permissions, so treat them as separate requirements.
The big review sites publish their own developer APIs. They are the official source, but each one has its own access rules, data limits and display terms. Google, for example, offers two:
Site APIs fit when you need one source and can meet its terms. They get harder to manage with each source you add.
An aggregator connects to many review sites and returns every review in the same structure. Your team writes one integration instead of one per site. The key questions are which sites are covered, how often data refreshes, and whether the provider tells you when reviews change or disappear. Review sites' own display and attribution rules can still apply to what you show your users, so ask each provider how they handle them.
These APIs let your users reply to reviews without leaving your product. Some also draft replies with AI, then post the approved text back to the review site. Posting always needs the business owner's permission on each site, and not every site accepts replies through an API.
Solicitation APIs send review requests by email, SMS or QR code, often triggered by an event in your platform such as a completed job or a purchase. They usually include templates, follow-ups and reporting. Review requests come with rules from review sites and regulators, which we cover in our guide to review solicitation compliance.
Removal APIs submit a request to the review site to take down a review that appears to break its content policy, such as a fake, abusive or off-topic review. Only the review site can remove a review. A good removal API uses each site's own policy reasons and tracks every request to a decision. If you report on removals, read who actually removed that review, since sites also take reviews down on their own.
First-party review APIs let a platform collect and publish reviews inside its own product instead of sending customers to a third-party site. The hard parts are deciding who is eligible to review, verifying that the reviewer is a real customer, and moderating content fairly.
A marketplace connects buyers with providers, so reviews shape who gets booked. Marketplaces use review APIs to show providers' Google and Facebook ratings on profile pages, to run first-party reviews tied to real bookings or completed jobs, and to moderate reviews against a clear content policy.
Vertical software for restaurants, home services, healthcare, auto dealers and similar industries often adds reviews as a feature. Common uses: an in-product review inbox, new-review alerts, AI-drafted replies, review requests after a job closes, and rating and sentiment reports.
A franchisor needs the same view across every location. Review APIs feed one reporting view or data warehouse, compare locations and keep reply tone consistent. For Google-specific setup, see managing Google Business Profile for multiple locations.
Resellers sell review features to their own clients under their own brand. They need an API that supports branding on connection pages and emails, account hierarchies for many clients, and per-location pricing they can mark up.
Use this list when you compare providers, or when you decide whether to build on site APIs directly.
Building directly on site APIs can make sense when you need one or two sources, the workflow is central to your product, and your team can own the maintenance. Every extra source adds its own auth flow, data shape, policy and change log, and the work does not end at launch.
A provider makes sense when you need broad coverage, several workflows (read, reply, request, remove) and a small team that should stay focused on your core product. Either way, you still own permissions, user-facing status and support. We go through the five scoping decisions in before you build review integrations.
Shout About Us is the review management API for marketplaces and platforms. Here is how each API lines up with the types above, plus analysis on top.
Under the hood, it is plain JSON REST with bearer-token auth, pagination and webhooks, documented at docs.shoutaboutus.com. The review feed allows 300 requests per minute per user, and a 429 response comes with a Retry-After header. Pricing is $0.50 to $3.00 per location per month plus usage for the APIs you use, with a free 14-day trial.
It is a way for software to get, reply to, request or manage customer reviews automatically. Your product makes API calls instead of a person logging in to each site.
The Google Places API returns a maximum of 5 reviews per place. The Google Business Profile API can list all reviews of a location, but only for profiles you are authorized to manage, and Google requires an access request. Review aggregators are another route for platforms that serve many businesses.
It depends on the action. With the Shout About Us Review Data API, reading reviews needs only the location's review site URL. Posting replies needs the business owner's permission on each site. Site APIs like Google Business Profile require OAuth access to the profile.
Review management software is an app that people log in to. A review API is the layer underneath, so you can build review features into your own product under your own brand.
Pricing models vary: per location, per request or by plan, and site APIs have their own terms. Shout About Us charges $0.50 to $3.00 per location per month plus usage, and review-data-only setups start at the low end of that range. See pricing for details.
If you are scoping review features for a marketplace or platform, start with the Review Data API and test it on your own locations. Request an API key to try it, or book a demo to talk through coverage and pricing.
The review management API
for marketplaces & platforms
