The short answer
On a free plan, the number that decides whether a reviews widget is any use is the monthly view limit, not the design. Elfsight's free plan allows 200 views a month and then switches the widget off. EmbedSocial stops at 500 and SociableKIT at 2,000. Featurable and WeWidget do not cap views on their free plans. Once the view question is settled, compare how many reviews each one shows and how often it fetches new ones.
The free plans side by side
Everything below was read on each vendor's own pricing page on 25 October 2026. Plans change, so open the page again before you choose. Where a page does not say something, the table says "not stated".
| Widget | Views a month | Widgets | Reviews shown | Refresh | Vendor branding | When the limit runs out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elfsight | 200 | 1 | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | The widget is switched off until the limit resets |
| EmbedSocial | 500 | Unlimited, from 1 source | Not stated | Every 24 hours | Not stated | Widgets stop showing until the 1st of next month |
| SociableKIT | 2,000 | 1 | Not stated | Manual refresh only | Yes | May stop displaying until the limit resets |
| Featurable | Unlimited, may be rate limited | 1 | 15 | Not stated | Yes | You are asked to upgrade if you keep hitting the rate limit |
| GR Widget | Not stated | 3, on one domain | 10 | Monthly | Yes, on web embeds | Not stated |
| WeWidget | Unlimited | 2 | 5 | Not stated for the free plan | Yes | No limit to run out |
Trustindex is not in the table. Its pricing page lists features under "free forever" but does not say which limits apply to the free plan, so there was nothing to put in the cells.
What a view limit means for a small business
A view is usually counted each time a page with the widget loads. 200 views a month is about seven page loads a day. A restaurant that puts its reviews on the home page can use that up in the first week, and for the rest of the month the space where the reviews were sits empty. That is the worst moment to lose them: the people opening your site are the ones deciding whether to come.
You do not know your own number? Most site builders show visits in their dashboard, and Google Search Console shows how often your pages appear and get clicked. Look at a normal month, then add a margin for the busy one. If you cannot find the number at all, choose a plan without a cap.
Five questions to ask before you paste the code
- What happens on the day the limit is reached? Some widgets switch off, some keep a cached copy, some only send you an email. The pricing page or the FAQ usually says it in one line.
- How many reviews does it show? Google shares a small batch of reviews per listing through its official interface, so every widget starts from a handful. Ask whether it keeps the old ones as new ones arrive, or replaces them.
- How often does it fetch new reviews? Daily, weekly, monthly or only when you press a button. It matters if you are actively collecting reviews and want them on the site soon.
- Does it show your real rating and total count? A widget that shows only five hand-picked reviews and no overall rating looks nice, but a visitor cannot check it against Google.
- What does the branding link look like? Almost every free plan adds a small "powered by" line. That is fair for a free product. Just check it is small and sits under the widget, not on top of your reviews.
Which kind of plan suits which business
- A small site with few visitors, for a trial. A capped plan is fine. Expect it to stop if a local article or a busy season sends you traffic.
- A restaurant, hotel or shop with steady traffic. Take a plan with no view cap. The widget is most useful exactly when traffic is high.
- You collect reviews with a QR code at the counter. Refresh frequency matters more, because you want the new reviews to appear while they are fresh.
Our own widget, and where it is the weaker pick
Full disclosure: this site sells a Google reviews widget, so here is where it loses. It collects new reviews every ten days, so a plan that refreshes every 24 hours will show this morning's review sooner. It starts from the five reviews Google shares and keeps each new batch, so the list grows but is short on day one. The free plan has two layouts, badge and carousel. It shows Google reviews only.
Where it is strong is the question this whole page is about. ReviewQR has no view limit on the free plan or on the paid one, and it shows your real Google rating and total review count. You can see it with your own reviews before creating anything: type your business name in the live preview on the home page. No account and no card are needed.
Sources
Source: Elfsight pricing, read 25 October 2026.
Source: EmbedSocial pricing, read 25 October 2026.
Source: SociableKIT pricing, read 25 October 2026.
Source: Featurable pricing, read 25 October 2026.
Source: GR Widget pricing, read 25 October 2026.
Source: WeWidget pricing, read 25 October 2026.
Source: Trustindex prices, read 25 October 2026.