Online review management costs in the UK

Key takeaways

Review management service cost in the UK follows the number of reviews you get. Replying takes about 5 to 10 minutes per review, so 20 to 40 reviews a month is roughly 2 to 6 hours. At indicative community rates of £40–£60 an hour, that costs about £80–£360 a month.

• £80–£360 a month covers replies to 20 to 40 reviews, indicatively.
• Each reply takes about 5 to 10 minutes to write well.
• Fake reviews are banned under UK consumer law.
• Asking every customer for a review is fair; filtering who you ask is not.

What does review management include?

Review management is monitoring, replying to and encouraging customer reviews on Google, Facebook and review sites. It includes thank-you replies, careful responses to complaints, flagging reviews that break platform rules and a simple process for asking customers to leave feedback.

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How much does review management cost?

Replying to a review well takes 5 to 10 minutes, longer for complaints. At 20 to 40 reviews a month that is 2 to 6 hours, about £80–£360 at the £40–£60 an hour indicative for UK community management. A review request process adds a one-off set-up. These are indicative figures, not a GBL price list.

• Replies to 20 to 40 reviews a month: indicative £80–£360.
• Review request set-up, one-off: indicative £150–£400.
• Complaint replies: longer and need your input.
• Monthly summary of themes: often included.

What are the UK rules on reviews?

Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, businesses must not write, commission or publish fake reviews, or present reviews in a misleading way. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) guidance also warns against only asking happy customers. Ask everyone, and never pay for positive reviews.

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Which replies should stay with you?

Thank-you replies and routine responses can be handed over easily. Complaints that involve a specific job, a refund or a safety issue need your facts before anyone replies. Agree a rule: the provider drafts, you approve anything negative, and nothing promises compensation without you.

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When is review management not worth paying for?

If you receive a handful of reviews a month, replying yourself takes minutes and keeps the personal touch. Paid review management earns its cost at higher volumes, across several locations or platforms, or when replies keep slipping because nobody owns them.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see with UK trades and clinic clients: good reviews arrive but go unanswered for weeks, and the occasional complaint sits without a reply. Global Bridge Labs (GBL) replies to routine reviews within UK business hours, drafts complaint replies for the owner to approve and sets up a simple request message for every customer.

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Review management checklist

Agree these with whoever handles your reviews.

• Platforms covered and reply time.
• Which replies need your approval.
• How every customer is asked for a review.
• When to report a review to the platform.
• Monthly themes shared with the team.

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Next step

Send us a link to your review profile. We will tell you how much reply time your volume needs.