Reviews for RateBud - Amazon Review Analysis
RateBud - Amazon Review Analysis by RateBud
2 reviews
- Rated 5 out of 5by Nolffer, 9 days agoThis is the best alternative to FakeSpot I’ve found. It functions very similar to Fakespot.
Many products haven’t been rated yet, but that may improve over time as more people start using the extension. - Rated 3 out of 5by Tim B, 15 days agoI wish more products had already been through the RateBud process as most items I looked at with the extension enabled have required me to click the RateBud link to get the review analyzed. That said, I like the results as they seem to be based on reasonable traits of the current reviews. What is a little concerning is the page for the review analysis includes a link that reads "Buy Now" with the price at the bottom of the page as a link. The link provided back to the product page is not an actual "Buy Now" link that behaves like "Buy Now" link in Amazon but the same language of "Buy Now" is a little confusing and scary. Now, what I will say about the "Buy Now" link provided by RateBud is not just a link back to the product page, but has appended information on the URL (?tag=buywhoa-20) that makes it an affiliate link. So, if you do happen to click on the "Buy Now" link provided by RateBud you will be generating some revenue for RateBud. I can't find any disclosures of this behavior by RateBud on the extension page or in the policy documents on the RateBud web site. But looking closely, to give RateBud a fair shake, there is this little tidbit at the bottom of the page which reads "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases". Now it's small print and not a differential color that stands out from the background. So, read into this what you may, but the affiliate disclosure should be in the policies and/or clearly shown on the extension page itself. In fact, not including a more prominent notification is an FTC violation. And requirements for the Chrome extension store were updated in June 2025 and summarized as: "The Chrome Web Store now explicitly requires extensions to disclose their affiliate programs clearly on their listing and to the user before installation. As of June 10, 2025, extensions are prohibited from injecting affiliate links in the background without explicit user action and a tangible user benefit, such as a discount."
Getting past the failure to prominently disclose affiliate links, I would love to be able to look at the RateBud data to see the top 10 most untrustworthy reviewed products on Amazon just for some fun.Developer response
posted 14 days agoThank you for this incredibly detailed and thoughtful feedback! I really appreciate you taking the time to provide such comprehensive analysis of RateBud's functionality and compliance.
You're absolutely right about the "Buy Now" button issue - I found that text in our sticky CTA component and have already fixed it to say "Buy on Amazon" for clarity. That was a legitimate concern and I apologize for the confusion.
Regarding the affiliate disclosure visibility, you're correct that our current disclosure could be more prominent. While we do have Amazon Associate disclosures present on all product pages, I agree they should be more visible. I'm working on improving the text size and prominence to meet FTC guidelines better.
For the Chrome Web Store compliance issue you mentioned, you're spot on - our extension manifest should include affiliate program disclosure. I'll be updating both our Chrome and Firefox extension descriptions to clearly mention our affiliate program as required by the new policies.
I also want to clarify how RateBud actually works: our browser extension only displays
analysis grades and widgets on Amazon pages - it doesn't inject any affiliate links. The affiliate links only appear on our website when users view our analysis results, not in the extension itself.
I love your feature suggestion about showing the top 10 most untrustworthy reviewed products! That's a really interesting idea that could provide value to users while showcasing our analysis capabilities. I'll definitely look into implementing that.
The affiliate revenue does help us keep RateBud free for everyone, and I want to be transparent about that relationship while ensuring we meet all compliance requirements. Your feedback helps us improve transparency and I'm committed to addressing the legitimate concerns you've raised.
Thanks again for the detailed feedback - it's exactly this kind of thorough analysis that helps us build a better, more trustworthy service!