Should you answer Google reviews yourself, with ChatGPT or with a tool?
Short answer
If you get a few reviews a month, answering them yourself in Google Business Profile works fine. ChatGPT helps with the wording, but you copy every review and every reply by hand. From a few reviews a week, or with several locations, a tool that picks up reviews on its own, replies in your tone and posts the answer saves the most time.
Every business owner with a Google profile reaches the same point: the reviews pile up and replying slips down the list. At that point there are roughly three routes. You do it yourself, you let ChatGPT or another chatbot help, or you use a tool that takes over most of the work.
None of the three is always the best. It depends on how many reviews you get, how many locations you have and how much of your own time you want to spend on it. Below, we set them side by side, honestly.
Why does it matter how you reply?
Because customers read along and expect a reply. According to a BrightLocal survey of 1,002 US consumers (2026), 89% expect business owners to respond to reviews, and 80% say they are likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews.
The same survey also shows the trap: templated or generic responses make 50% of these US consumers unlikely to choose a business. So replying quickly is not enough. The reply also has to show that someone actually read the review. Google itself, in its tips for better review replies, advises against sending everyone the same thank you.
The question is not only how fast you reply, but whether every reply stays personal when things get busy.
Option 1: answering yourself in Google Business Profile
Answering yourself costs nothing and gives you full control. It works well as long as you get few reviews and set aside regular time for them. The downside is that it is the first thing to slide when you get busy, and over time your replies start to sound alike.
- Cost: none, apart from your own time.
- Time: a few minutes per review, more for a tricky complaint.
- Strength: you know the customer and the situation best.
- Weakness: reviews that come in over the weekend or while you are on vacation sit unanswered, and after the twentieth "Thanks for your review!" everything sounds the same.
You can reply in the Google Maps app, in Google Search or in Google Business Profile. If you have more than one profile, also read how to manage reviews for multiple locations.
Option 2: getting help from ChatGPT or another chatbot
A chatbot quickly writes a tidy reply, but it has no access to your Google profile. So you copy every review into the chat, read the reply, adjust it and paste it back into Google. That saves you the thinking, but hardly any of the clicking.
- Cost: free or a fixed subscription, separate from your reviews.
- Time: less writing, but the copying and pasting remains for every review.
- Strength: handy for a tricky complaint when you cannot find the right words.
- Weakness: you have to explain your tone and sign-off again every time, and you only notice new reviews when you go and check.
Also be careful about what you paste into the chat. Do not add customer details that are not in the review itself, especially in healthcare or accounting. More on that in replying to reviews as a dentist.
Option 3: a tool that picks up and answers your reviews
You connect a review tool to your Google profile once. After that it sees every new review, writes a reply in the tone you have set and posts it, either automatically or after you approve it. So you no longer have to check whether something new has come in.
There are two kinds of tools. Large reputation platforms bundle reviews with surveys, messaging and review requests, and often focus on chains. Smaller tools do one thing: answer reviews. ReplyHero belongs to the second kind. It replies in the reviewer's language, first checks whether you have already replied yourself, and lets you choose per location between fully automatic, a 48-hour waiting period or approving each reply yourself.
- Cost: a fixed amount per month. With ReplyHero, free for 3 replies a month or €9 per location per month for Starter.
- Time: after setup, only reviewing replies if you want to.
- Strength: no review is left waiting, not even on the weekend, and every reply is about what the customer wrote.
- Weakness: you hand over some control, so choose a tool that lets you decide yourself what gets posted automatically.
Which option fits your business?
Look mainly at the number of reviews per month and the number of locations. The more of both, the more time the manual work takes and the bigger the chance that reviews go unanswered.
| Situation | Yourself | ChatGPT | Tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 5 reviews a month | Works fine | Handy for a tricky complaint | The free plan is often enough |
| A few reviews a week | Takes time every week | Lots of copying and pasting | Saves the most time |
| Several locations | Hard to keep up with | Manual work per profile | Everything in one place |
| Reviews in other languages | Difficult without language skills | Works, with manual work | Replies in the reviewer's language |
| Sensitive sector (healthcare, accounting) | Full control | Watch what you paste | Choose approve yourself |
How to choose in 4 steps
- Count how many reviews you received over the past three months and how many you answered.
- Look at how long a reply took you on average, and whether reviews sat unanswered during busy weeks.
- Decide what you definitely want to keep doing yourself, for example replies to complaints with one or two stars.
- Try a tool for free with approval as the mode, so you first see how the replies sound before anything goes live automatically.
Whichever route you choose: never reward reviews and do not ask only happy customers for a review. Google prohibits both in its user contributed content policy.
Example replies
Use them as a starting point and make them personal: mention something from the review and sign with your own name.
Negative review: a specific reply instead of a generic one
Waited twenty minutes for a sandwich when it wasn't even busy. Shame, because the bread itself is really good.
Reply
Hi Jake, twenty minutes for a sandwich is too long, especially at a quiet moment. Sorry about that. Glad to hear you enjoyed the bread, though.
This week we are looking at how we can handle orders at the counter faster. If you stop by again, feel free to let us know how it went.
Best, Megan
Mixed review that calls for a concrete answer
Lovely shop and friendly service, but the prices are definitely higher than in town.
Reply
Thanks for your honest review, Priya, and glad you felt well looked after. Our prices are sometimes higher because we work with small, local suppliers.
We understand that won't tip the balance for everyone. We do have a few products on special every week, and you'll find them at the register. Hope to see you again soon!
Positive review without the standard thank you
Ordered a cake last minute for my mom's birthday and it was perfect. Amazing service!
Reply
How lovely to read this, Emily! A last-minute cake is always a little nerve-racking, so we are glad it was just right for your mom.
Please wish her a happy birthday from our whole team, and see you at the next celebration.
ReplyHero for all business owners
ReplyHero reads the reviews on your Google Business Profile and writes a personal reply to every new review, in the tone you choose. For each location you decide how the reply reaches Google:
- Fully automatic: ReplyHero posts the reply right away.
- With a review window: the reply waits for you for 48 hours. If you do nothing, ReplyHero posts it.
- You approve: you read the reply in your portal and post it with one click, or edit it first.
Free forever for one location, or from $9 per location per month. Cancel any month. See pricing.
Start with ReplyHeroFrequently asked questions
Are you allowed to answer Google reviews with AI?
Yes. Google does not prohibit replies written with the help of AI. The same rules apply as for any reply: not promotional, no personal information about the reviewer, and never offering anything in exchange for a review. Always read an AI reply to a complaint before it goes live.
Is ChatGPT enough to answer reviews?
For a few reviews a month, yes. ChatGPT has no access to your Google profile, so you copy every review and paste every reply back yourself. With more reviews or several locations, that manual work quickly takes more time than the writing itself.
What does a tool for answering Google reviews cost?
That varies a lot. Large reputation platforms are often aimed at chains and quote their price on request. Smaller tools charge a fixed amount per location per month. ReplyHero is free for 1 location and 3 replies a month, Starter costs €9 and Pro €19 per location per month, excl. VAT.
Will a tool post replies without me seeing them?
Only if you set it up that way. With ReplyHero you choose per location: fully automatic, a 48-hour waiting period in which you can make changes, or approving every reply yourself first. On the free plan you always approve replies yourself.
Doesn't an AI reply sound impersonal?
That depends on the instructions. A good reply mentions what the customer wrote, uses the reviewer's name and sounds like your business. Set your tone and sign-off once and read the first replies, and you will quickly hear whether it sounds right.
Sources
- BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026
- Google, Tips to write better review replies
- Google, User contributed content policy (prohibited and restricted content)
