App review sites: where to get your app or game reviewed

Short answer: there are three kinds of app review sites. Editorial sites (tech blogs, game sites, YouTube channels) write about apps they choose; they're free to pitch but very selective. Community review sites like TrueLaunch let real people try your app and write reviews on the site, free and open to every app. "Review services" that sell App Store or Google Play ratings break store rules: never use them. Pitch a few editorial sites that cover your niche, list on a community site, and earn store ratings from real users.

This guide is published by TrueLaunch, a community review site for apps and games.

What kinds of app review sites are there?

Editorial review sites and creators

Tech and gaming blogs, newsletters and YouTube or TikTok creators who review apps they find interesting.

• Cost: free to pitch. Some offer paid "expedited" reviews; if they do, the review must be clearly marked as sponsored, and you're paying for attention, not a good score.
• What works: a niche match. A small blog about running apps that covers yours beats a big site that ignores you.
• Reality check: many app review sites from the 2010s have closed or stopped reviewing. Check that a site has published reviews recently before pitching.

Community review sites

Sites where real people try apps and write reviews on the site itself.

• TrueLaunch is free for apps and games: paste a Google Play or App Store link, publish, and people write structured reviews covering what worked, what could be better and which bugs they found. You can reply to every review. Ratings come only from reviews written there; store ratings are never required, rewarded or checked.

Submit your app to get reviewed.

Store ratings and reviews

Your Google Play and App Store ratings matter most for downloads, and they can only come from real users choosing to rate you. Use the stores' own in-app review prompts at a good moment; see how to ask for app reviews the right way.

Which "review" offers should I avoid?

Anything that trades or sells store ratings:

• Paying for App Store or Google Play reviews or ratings.
• Review exchanges where developers rate each other's apps ("rate-for-rate").
• Rewards, coins or features in exchange for a rating or a specific star count.

Both stores forbid these, can remove the ratings and can take action against your account. Why you should never buy app reviews explains the risks.

How do I pitch an app review site?

1. Pick 5 to 10 sites that covered an app like yours recently. Read a couple of their reviews first.
2. Write a short, personal email. Who you are, what the app does in one sentence, why it fits their readers, and a link.
3. Make it easy to try. A store link, a promo code for paid apps, a TestFlight or Google Play test link if it isn't out yet.
4. Attach a small press kit. Icon, 3 to 5 screenshots, a short video and a few facts (price, platforms, release date).
5. Follow up once, a week later. Then move on.

How to get press coverage for your app goes deeper into pitching.

Are free app review sites worth it?

Yes, when the reviews are real and the site has visitors. A free community review gives you honest feedback you can act on and a public page about your app; an editorial review brings a burst of readers. Neither replaces earning store ratings from people who use your app, so treat review sites as a way to find early users and learn what to fix.

What do I do with the reviews I get?

Reply to every one, thank people for specific feedback, and fix what comes up more than once. Negative reviews are the most useful: how to respond to negative app reviews has reply templates.