Judge.me Review: The Best Free Product Review App for Shopify?

Welcome back! Today, we are reviewing Judge.me Product Reviews, a Shopify app designed to integrate a robust review system into your store.

On my channel, I focus on helping beginners take their Shopify stores to the next level—often without needing to know how to code. While I usually share copy-paste code blocks for custom features, today we are diving deep into an app review because reviews are critical for the success of any e-commerce business.

Why Social Proof is Non-Negotiable

I cannot stress this enough: reviews are vital for building social proof. When you run an independent e-commerce site, you are competing against giants like Amazon and Walmart. Customers trust those platforms; they know the shipping quality and product standards.

Your site, however, is likely unknown to new visitors. Shoppers are often wary of being scammed by unfamiliar sites. Reviews bridge this trust gap by providing evidence that others have had positive experiences.

According to a study by BigCommerce:

• 69% of online shoppers want more reviews from e-commerce sites.
• 77% of customers read product reviews before making a purchase.

Reviews also open a line of communication with your customers, helping you understand what is working with your products and what isn't.

Why I Recommend Judge.me

If you search for "reviews" in the Shopify App Store, Judge.me is often the first non-ad result. It boasts over 4,300 reviews with a 5-star average. Generally, when an app has that much volume and maintains a perfect rating, it is a safe bet.

The Free Plan vs. The Awesome Plan

One of the main reasons for its popularity is that Judge.me offers a completely free plan that is actually usable. It includes features that really should be native to Shopify at this point.

The Free Plan includes:

• Unlimited product review requests.
• Photos and videos in reviews.
• In-email reviews.
• SEO rich snippets.

The Awesome Plan ($15/month) adds:

• Site reviews (in addition to product reviews).
• Custom coupons to incentivize reviews.
• Removal of Judge.me branding from emails and widgets.

I personally use the Awesome plan on my live site to maintain brand consistency, but the free plan is fantastic for getting started.

How to Install Judge.me on Shopify

Installation is straightforward. Once you click Add App in the Shopify store, follow these steps:

1. Click Start Installation.
2. Select your preferred widgets. I recommend enabling all three:
   • Review Widget (on the product page).
   • Preview Badge (star rating on the product page).
   • Preview Badge (on collection pages).
3. The app will automatically install the code into your current live theme.

Once installed, you can check your store. If you don't have reviews yet, you will see a "No reviews yet" message, and a form for customers to submit their feedback.

Configuring Key Settings

The Judge.me settings dashboard is massive and can be slightly overwhelming. Here are the specific areas you should focus on to get the most out of the app.

1. The Reviews Dashboard

Navigate to the Reviews tab to manage incoming feedback. When a customer submits a review, it appears here.

• Transparency: You have the option to hide reviews. While I recommend keeping all reviews published for transparency, the "Hide" feature is useful if you are being spam-attacked by bots or receiving disingenuous 1-star ratings.
• Q&A: You can also manage customer questions and answers in this section.

2. The Review Carousel (High Impact Feature)

One of the best features for increasing conversion rates is the Reviews Carousel. This allows you to highlight your best reviews on your homepage.

To add the carousel to your theme:

1. Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize.
2. Scroll down to Add Section.
3. Select Featured Review Carousel.
4. Save your changes.

Troubleshooting Tip: If the text in the carousel looks cut off, go back to the Judge.me app settings under Other Widgets > Reviews Carousel and increase the Carousel Height setting.

3. Automating Review Requests

To automate the process of gathering reviews, navigate to Requests > Settings. You want to send emails at the exact moment a customer is most likely to be happy with their product.

Timing is everything:

• Do not send the request immediately after purchase.
• Set the trigger to send after the order is fulfilled.
• Domestic Orders: I recommend a delay of 14 to 21 days (depending on shipping times).
• International Orders: Set a longer delay, such as 30 days.

This ensures the customer has actually received and used the product before you ask them for feedback.

4. Email Templates

Under Requests > Email Templates, you can customize the message your customers receive. Even on the free plan, the default template is effective. It shows the customer the specific item they bought and allows them to click a button to leave a review immediately.

Final Verdict

I give Judge.me 5 out of 5 stars. I use it on my live store (where I sell coffee), and it effectively prompts customers to leave reviews and return to the site to purchase again.

If you aren't using a review app yet, you need to start. Whether it is Judge.me or another solution, the data shows that social proof is essential for e-commerce survival.