Are Fiverr Reviews Real? (The Truth)

Fiverr reviews page showing 106 positive ratings, with text and an arrow asking if they're real or fake.

Fiverr’s review and rating system is helpful when it comes to deciding whether to work with a particular buyer or seller. But just how reliable are Fiverr reviews?

Reviews on Fiverr are usually real. The platform only allows genuine buyers to review a gig, minimizing the opportunity for bogus reviews. There are also several signs of a fake review you can keep an eye out for.

In this article, we take a closer look at the Fiverr review system, how it works, and how to spot a fake review. First, let’s look at how trustworthy Fiverr is overall.

Can Fiverr Be Trusted?

Fiverr is a trustworthy online marketplace, as long as you conduct all transactions within the platform. Like anything online, there’s a potential for scammers to operate on the site. But Fiverr has several features to reduce the chance of this happening.

Fiverr tries to protect the experience of its users and keep scammers off the platform in several ways including:

  • Holding a buyer’s funds for 14 days after the gig has been completed before releasing them to the seller. This ensures the buyer gets the work they paid for and they haven’t fallen victim to a scammer.
  • Using encrypted transactions when taking card payments from users.
  • Allowing buyers and sellers to securely communicate and share files over its messaging platform. This creates a record of all interactions on the site.
  • Protecting the personal data of account holders, in compliance with data protection laws.

Finally, Fiverr also uses a review and rating system to ensure a quality experience for buyers and sellers.

What Are Fiverr Reviews?

Fiverr’s review system allows buyers and sellers to leave feedback for each other once a gig is complete. Each party can give the other a rating between one and five stars for:

  • Communication
  • Whether the final product matched the gig description
  • Whether the reviewer recommends working with the buyer or seller

Fiverr uses these scores to calculate a final rating which is then displayed on the buyer or seller’s profile and under each gig a seller advertises.

Reviewers can also add a personalized comment to their review.

If you’re considering working with a buyer or seller, take a look at their reviews. They give you an idea of the quality of their work, their reliability, and their ability to complete the gig.

Fiverr search results for logo designers showing a wide variety of numbers of reviews.
Search for any service on Fiverr and you’ll see the number of reviews a seller has below each gig title

Can Fiverr Reviews Be Fake?

Fiverr reviews can be fake, but the majority of reviews on Fiverr are genuine. Occasionally, fake reviews appear but there are ways to tell whether or not a review is legit.

To limit the opportunity for bogus reviews, Fiverr only allows buyers and sellers involved in a completed transaction to leave a review. This makes it hard for people to fake Fiverr reviews. But it’s not impossible.

For example, if a new seller wants to add positive reviews to their account, they could create a separate buyer account and ‘buy’ gigs from themselves to leave reviews. It’s also possible (but rare) for sellers to buy positive Fiverr reviews, similar to users buying Instagram followers.

Can Fiverr Detect Fake Reviews?

As far as we know, Fiverr can’t automatically detect fake reviews. If you come across a review you suspect is fake, you should report it to the Fiverr support team. They can investigate it and take the necessary action if the review is fake.

How To Tell If A Fiverr Review Is Fake

Several signs suggest a review on Fiverr might be fake. Here’s what to look out for.

New Sellers With Lots Of Positive Reviews

It takes time to build up a rating on Fiverr through producing quality work over numerous gigs. If someone has a lot of reviews in a short time, it might raise alarm bells (especially if all the reviews are positive).

Generic Sounding Reviews

Does a seller have lots of reviews with generic feedback that all sound the same? Then they may be fake reviews based on a template. The more details there are about the specifics of a gig, the more likely it is to be a real review.

Negative Reviews Outweighing The Positive

A single positive review in a sea of negative reviews may suggest there’s something fishy about the good review!

There are also several signs that suggest a review (and therefore a seller) is genuine. If the seller has a history of custom offers with positive reviews, then it’s likely their reviews are real. Multiple reviews from the same buyers may also indicate the seller has reoccurring clients – always a good sign.

Fiverr Reviews Are Usually Real, But Stay Vigilant

Overall, you can usually trust the reviews on Fiverr. They’re a good way to figure out whether a seller is right for your gig or whether you want to work with a particular buyer.

Like any freelancing website, there are ways to game the system with fake reviews. But if you keep your eyes out for the signs, you can avoid them!

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