---
title: "Widgets for Google Reviews"
description: "Widgets for Google Reviews (Trustindex): free version limits, subscription pricing, GDPR mode, recommended settings and patched vulnerabilities."
language: "en"
locale: "en-US"
type: "plugin-sheet"
canonical: "https://www.wp-masquerade.com/features/camouflaged-plugins/widgets-for-google-reviews/"
published: "2026-11-04T08:00:00+00:00"
modified: "2026-11-05T21:27:19+00:00"
translations:
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  es-ES: "https://www.wp-masquerade.com/es/funcionalidades/plugins-camuflados/widgets-for-google-reviews/index.md"
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---

# Widgets for Google Reviews

Widgets for Google Reviews, the Trustindex plugin, shows your Google Business Profile reviews on WordPress with no API key. What the free version covers, what the subscription adds, the GDPR settings to turn on and the vulnerabilities already patched.

## The essentials

- Best for local businesses that want to show their Google reviews with no API key and no subscription.
- Main caveat: 10 reviews from one profile, refreshed by hand every 10 days at most.
- Free; Trustindex Single at $65 a year adds automatic updates and 133 review platforms.

## What Widgets for Google Reviews does on your site

Widgets for Google Reviews, built by Trustindex, shows the reviews from your Google Business Profile on your pages as a slider, grid, list, badge or floating bar. You look up your business by name (or paste its Google Maps URL), the plugin pulls the public reviews through the Trustindex service, with no Google API key, and hands you a shortcode to paste into a page, a post or any page builder.

Reviews are stored in tables in your WordPress database, and the widget stylesheet is saved in the `uploads` folder. The widget is rendered as HTML in the page, not in an iframe, so search engines can read the review text. Out of the box, though, your visitors’ browsers load the widget script and images from `cdn.trustindex.io`; the “GDPR mode” on the Advanced tab serves those files from your own server instead.

The plugin is free with no time limit, but it also works as a gateway to Trustindex, a paid online service (reviews from 133 platforms, automatic updates, structured data). A Trustindex account is optional: the free version works without signing up.

![Diagram: Widgets for Google Reviews (Trustindex) works on visitors and bots, wordpress, external services. Public traces: folder name (hidden with Pro); tag IDs (hidden with Pro); generated-file folders (hidden with Pro); CSS classes (still visible); files served by the vendor (still visible).](https://www.wp-masquerade.com/media/wpm-sheets/trustindex/diagram-en.svg?v=8dbb30a0)

## Which sites Widgets for Google Reviews suits

The plugin is aimed at local businesses whose Google profile already holds most of their customer reviews:

- **Contractors, practices and neighborhood shops**: one location and a handful of recent reviews to show on the homepage or contact page, with no subscription.
- **Hotels, restaurants and tour operators**: a badge or slider reassures visitors right before they book.
- **Freelancers and agencies building brochure sites**: setup takes a few minutes and the shortcode drops into Gutenberg, Elementor, Divi or WPBakery.

It is the wrong pick if you run several locations, want Google mixed with Facebook or Tripadvisor in one widget, or need reviews to refresh on their own: all of that takes a Trustindex subscription. If you want a feed of posts rather than reviews, look at [Smash Balloon Instagram Feed](https://www.wp-masquerade.com/features/camouflaged-plugins/smash-balloon-instagram-feed/).

## Widgets for Google Reviews strengths and limitations

### Strengths

- **No Google API key.** No Google Cloud project or billing account to set up: the business name is enough.
- **Reviews stored on your site.** They live in your WordPress database, so loading a page sends no request to Google.
- **Real control over what shows.** Star filter, hiding or deleting a review, owner replies, reviewer name format.
- **Built-in GDPR mode.** Script, styles, fonts and photos can be served from your server rather than the Trustindex CDN.
- **Clean uninstall.** Deleting the plugin removes its tables, options and files.

### Limitations

- **Ten reviews, one widget, one profile.** The free version shows at most 10 Google reviews from a single business, in a single widget.
- **No automatic updates.** On the free plan you download new reviews by hand, no more than once every 10 days.
- **Structured data and photos cost extra.** Rich snippets and photos attached to reviews are part of the paid Trustindex plan.
- **A sales-heavy admin.** A “Get more Features” tab, promos for the vendor’s other plugins and grayed-out options marked as paid.
- **No AMP on the free plan.** The free widget does not display on pages served by the AMP plugin.

## The Widgets for Google Reviews settings we recommend

Widget settings live under the Trustindex.io admin menu, on the “Free Widget Configurator” tab; technical options are on the “Advanced” tab.

| Setting | Recommended value | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **GDPR mode**  Trustindex.io > Advanced | Enabled, then check the widget still displays | Off by default: visitors’ browsers stop contacting Trustindex and Google. A security or caching plugin can block “trustindex-asset” requests, so test it. |
| **Select name format**  Trustindex.io > Free Widget Configurator | First name and last initial | By default the reviewer’s full name shows; an initial publishes less personal data without hurting credibility. |
| **Filter your ratings**  Same screen | “Show all”, or 4 and 5 stars with the condition shown | A hidden filter paints a flattering picture; if you filter, tick “Show minimum review filter condition” so visitors can see it. |
| **Hide reviews without comments**  Same screen | Enabled | A bare star rating tells readers nothing and takes the slot of a written review among the 10 shown. |
| **Show review reply**  Same screen | Enabled if you reply to reviews | Showing your replies, especially to critical reviews, builds more trust than a wall of five stars. |
| **Use site’s font**  Same screen | Enabled | The widget picks up your theme’s typography instead of its own font. |
| **Automatic updates**  Plugins > Installed Plugins | Enabled | The plugin’s own Advanced tab recommends it, and several vulnerabilities have been patched since 2023. |

- After turning on GDPR mode, purge your page cache, then search the source of a page with the widget for `cdn.trustindex.io`.
- Open that page in a private window: the widget should render in full, with stars and photos.
- Put a reminder in your calendar to click “Download new reviews” on the “My Reviews” tab roughly every 10 days.
- Mention the Google reviews and their authors’ names in your privacy policy (see our article on GDPR and WordPress security).

## Patched vulnerabilities in Widgets for Google Reviews

Most published flaws are stored [XSS vulnerabilities](https://www.wp-masquerade.com/glossary/xss/). The most serious one could start from a single booby-trapped review posted on Google, with no account on your site at all:

- **CVE-2023-48275, fixed in 11.1**: dangerous file upload by an Editor account (CVSS 8.0).
- **CVE-2025-9436, versions up to 13.2.1**: stored XSS through the `trustindex` shortcode attributes, with a Contributor account (CVSS 6.4).
- **CVE-2025-12510, versions up to 13.2.4**: unauthenticated stored XSS through the content of an imported Google review, running in the admin and sometimes on the front end (CVSS 7.2).
- **CVE-2026-11591, versions up to 13.3**: stored XSS by an Editor account through the Fomo widget texts, only on multisite or when `unfiltered_html` is disabled (CVSS 4.4).

All of them are fixed in the current version. The useful habit is still automatic updates (see our guide to automatic plugin updates), plus keeping Editor and Contributor accounts for people who need them, since the plugin opens its settings to the Editor role. WP Masquerade Pro removes the folder and script handles that name the plugin in your pages, but the `ti-widget` classes stay visible: it slows down bots that fingerprint plugins, without replacing updates.

## Widgets for Google Reviews FAQ

**Do I need a Trustindex account to use the plugin?**

No. You connect your Google profile, pick a layout and paste the shortcode without creating an account. A Trustindex account is only needed for the paid features.

**How much does the paid Trustindex plan cost?**

The Trustindex pricing page lists $65 per year for Single (one company, unlimited websites), $125 for Pro (five companies) and $349 for Ultimate (unlimited companies). There is a 7-day free trial and a 30-day refund window.

**Will my reviews show as stars in Google search results?**

Not with the free version: structured data (rich snippets) is part of the paid plan. The review text is still readable by search engines, because the widget is plain HTML in the page. And [structured data](https://www.wp-masquerade.com/glossary/structured-data/) never guarantees that stars will appear anyway.

**Can I remove a negative review from the widget?**

Yes: the “My Reviews” tab lets you hide a review or delete it from your site for good, and the star filter leaves out low ratings. The review stays on Google, of course, and a widget that is filtered without saying so can cost you visitors’ trust.

## Key facts

- Category: Newsletter, pop-ups and sharing
- Vendor: Trustindex.io
- Price: Free; Trustindex Single subscription at $65 per year for one company, unlimited websites
- Active installations (wordpress.org): 1 000 000+
- Version: 14.3
- Official page: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-reviews-plugin-for-google/

## What WP Masquerade hides

- Handled by WP Masquerade Pro only
- With Pro: folder name, tag IDs, generated-file folders
- Still visible: CSS classes, files served by the vendor