What are your thoughts on app reviews & ratings? How do they influence your decision to try new app?
Kacper Raubo
29 replies
There are several services, such as Capterra, G2A, GetApp, which focus on providing users with as many reviews as possible.
When I look for an application, reviews doesn't work for me because I need to see it in action and assess its appearance on my own. And that's why I do not implement reviews on Services. Instead, I focus on providing the most necessary details about the application.
But what's your opinion? How do ratings and reviews influence your decision to try new software? Would you, and if so — how, replace them with something better? Something that can help other users make better decision?
Replies
RDS@rds1
Tbh nowadays people buy fake reviews. So, What I usually do is to read 1-3 stars review and then decide whether to install the app or not because you can know how much bad that app is by reading those reviews.
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As for me, visiting a website, looking at screenshots or watching promo video lets me make much better decision than after reading ton of (very often fake) reviews, but your technique seems to be really good one. Thanks for sharing your opinion!
@kacperraubo let me tell how I check the original reviews.
I open amazon (or any app) click on product. First I keep my budget in mind.
I search the product and gives the first priority to amazon choice brand to check the reviews first.
First of all, I see reviews by features like they gives ratings to some stuff specific. Then I open customer reviews section and click on most recent also gives priority to reviews with pic/videos posted with it.
I usually read reviews like posted by 1-4 days ago cuz they usually are original. Just to confirm I check keywords like good product. If keywords gets repeated I don’t buy that product and check another one.
And if recent reviews are differ then I usually check whether those are not 1-2 stars with bad reviews. The first 15 recent reviews helps me to confirm if it’s good product or not.
There are some situations where I get mixed reviews so, I open another app like flipkart (in India) and check reviews there.
I just google to guide you more and seems like there is a website named fakespot.com. You can check it but always use my method than app.
Haha lengthy reply ;) but hope it helps :)
They do have influence. Personally, I read them all the time, and although it is true that fake reviews are already a common practice, it is easy to distinguish the real ones from the fake ones or at least only pay attention to the ones that are really substantial.
I think negative reviews carry more weight, but still, it's good when you read a lot of good comments. In my case, it does generate more confidence and encourages me to try the platform.
Reviews have a big impact on my decision to use an app. I go through reviews, check the bad ones, and if the reviews are good enough (more good than bad), I try the app.
@karinagarcia21, and where do you look for them? On app stores or external services like Capterra?
@karinagarcia21, great! For me App Store is perfect when you know what app you want to install. It's not perfect for exploring. And this is why I work on Services (https://www.producthunt.com/prod...) — to make exploring and searching easier. Since you usually use the official app store, that would be great to hear your opinion about this solution!
i guess it depends. if it's something i really need, i'll try it despite some bad reviews. but if comparing multiple options, bad reviews do weigh on my decision.
good reviews only impact me if the person seems to have a very similar problem to me!
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I only refer to the review and decide whether to use it or not after experiencing it in personally.
Find the app you need -> Check reviews and comments -> Download (whether good or bad) -> Continue using if I like, or delete if I don't
@anna_choi, good way! And where do you usually look for apps? Is it official app store or external platform?
But the reason why I started working on Services (https://serwwwices.com), is because I wanted to make the process of searching for new software easier. Would you agree to give it a try? :)
This is a great topic @kacperraubo as many people aren't familiar with buying psychology. Reviews play on preference, which heavily influences buying behavior. You typically read reviews about products you're either consciously or subconsciously considering to use/purchase. Reviews can tip the scale.
Personally, I don't use them a great deal for software because I find they aren't always aligned with the software or the vendor's ability to deliver. What I mean by that is, there are some enterprise applications out there that are market leaders but have a small amount of reviews. There are also less stable and reputable vendors with thousands of reviews, but a high volume of reviews or even a high score doesn't mean the application is a solution to my problems.
Also, in this day and age if you're not trying before you're buying, you're taking a big risk.
Just my 2 cents...
"You typically read reviews about products you're either consciously or subconsciously considering to use/purchase. Reviews can tip the scale." — I totally agree, @josh_edmond! Thanks for sharing your point of view.
Ratings and reviews matter when considering application downloads. Yes, there are many fake reviews too but I think people do check the reviews.
I personally find app reviews and ratings to be quite useful in influencing my decision to try new software. It's important to hear about the experiences of other users and their opinions on the app's functionality. While seeing the application in action is valuable, reviews provide a broader perspective and help me gauge overall user satisfaction. However, I do understand that everyone has different preferences when it comes to assessing an app. It would be interesting to explore alternative methods that can complement or enhance the existing review system to help users make better decisions.