Community Guidelines

G2 works hard to earn your trust. Below are some of the principles we operate by to ensure G2 is the most valued and trusted source of information to find and select business software, services, and hardware. G2 may change these Community Guidelines from time to time by updating the website. Your use of the G2 Community and website is subject to these Community Guidelines. You must review and follow these Community Guidelines.

We strive to keep our ratings authentic.

We require the use of a LinkedIn™ account or verified business email address to validate a G2 reviewer’s identity and current employer. We also validate reviewers by partnering with sellers and organizations to securely authenticate users through select platforms. We do not allow users to leave reviews for their current employers, former employers, or competitors.

    • No pay-to-play. Sellers cannot influence ratings, placement, sort order, etc.
    • Review moderation. After our automatic filtering process removes reviews that do not meet our minimum submission requirements, our team manually checks each review. All reviews must pass our moderation process before they are published.
      • The “Validated Reviewer” label denotes how the reviewer was authenticated.
      • The "Verified Current User" label only appears for software reviews and indicates that the review includes an approved screenshot of the reviewer logged into the software.
    • Authenticity. At G2, we have always believed in bringing greater trust and transparency to the reviews ecosystem, and encourage all sellers and reviewers to read the Federal Trade Commission’s expanded guidelines and reference them regularly when using G2 including but not limited to the following:
      • Featuring Online Customer Reviews: A Guide for Platforms.
      • Soliciting and Paying for Online Reviews: A Guide for Marketers
      • What companies – and platforms – can do to help stop fake post-for-pay reviews
      • Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
    • Our algorithms. G2 satisfaction ratings, market presence scores, and index scores are determined algorithmically in real time based on reviews gathered from our user community, as well as data aggregated from publicly available online sources and social networks. G2 ratings only include data from verified reviewers and public sources. Our algorithms are the same for all categories. Read more about our algorithm
    • Business partners. Users who have a business relationship with a seller, such as resellers, can often provide valuable insight and are not restricted from leaving reviews on G2. However, because of the potential bias of such relationships, business partner reviews do not count toward the G2 score and are flagged with a "Business Partner" label on the review.
    • Guest User Reviews. Users who have been invited to use a software outside of their organization or use the software for a one-time or occasional purpose are not restricted from leaving reviews on G2. Guest user reviews do not count toward the G2 score, and are flagged with a "Guest User" label on the review.
      • This policy change is effective for review submissions from June 2024. Any previously submitted reviews that could be tagged as guest user reviews will be considered on a case-by-case basis at G2’s discretion, based on whether guest user reviews are having a significant impact on a category.
      • Evaluations to determine whether review designations should be changed to guest user or business user will be conducted at a category level, meaning all products in the category would have their reviews evaluated at the same time and using the same criteria.
    • Objective data. G2 does not add any subjective input to ratings, Grid® placement, or review summaries. We do not, under any circumstances, edit the content of any review.
    • Rejected reviews. We reserve the right to remove reviews that do not meet minimum quality standards, including, but not limited to, those that have been copied from other sources, contain responses unrelated to the questions asked, include defamatory comments, or indicate non-professional use or have been generated, in any capacity, by an AI language model except for language translators. We also reserve the right to remove any reviews, comments, or other content contributed by a user when the user’s G2 or LinkedIn™ profile is missing critical identifying information.
    • Trial/Evaluation reviews. We welcome users to submit trial or evaluation experience reviews. We believe these insights are valuable for our community. However, if we find that the user's experience with the product is too limited, our moderation team may return it, requesting users to come back when they have gained a more comprehensive understanding of the software.
    • Editing reviews. Users can always edit their review to reflect changing opinions or to ensure that the review meets our quality standards. Edited reviews go back through our moderation process once changes are submitted.
    • Incentives. G2 will occasionally offer incentives for honest reviews to help us gather a full and accurate data set. These incentives are offered as thank-yous for approved reviews; eligibility to receive an incentive is never based on the opinions, positive or negative, of the review.
    • Buyer Alerts. If we discover attempts by sellers to manipulate their reviews, we may issue alerts to warn users about this behavior. Actions that trigger these alerts include, but are not limited to, soliciting only positive reviews, discouraging negative reviews, threatening users to remove negative reviews, and writing fake reviews from a shared IP address.

We protect our users’ privacy.

      • Account privacy. We do not share your data with outside sources for any reason without your express permission. While we do ask contributing users to sign in via their LinkedIn™ profiles, a verified business email, or other select platforms, this information is used strictly to validate reviewer identity and user authenticity.
      • LinkedIn™ connections. If you grant G2 access to your LinkedIn™ connections, we do not access your connections' contact information. By granting access to your LinkedIn™ connections, you are able to see reviews written by your first-degree connections; this empowers you to then reach out to your connections for more information on the technology they use.
      • Social sharing. We will not post to any social network on your behalf for any reason.
      • Unattributed reviews. We understand that business relationships between customers and sellers may require discretion. G2 gives users the option to have any of their reviews posted without identifying information (their name, photo, company) accompanying the review. The G2 team still validates these reviews using the information provided by the user, but an “unattributed” review will display only the user’s current job category and industry. G2 will not share the user's information with the public or the company whose software, service, or hardware the user reviewed.

Tips for leaving reviews.

      • Review for the reader. Your review could help someone choose a new software, service, or hardware. In your review, include details you would be looking for if you were in need of the same type of solution. The more informative the review, the more attention it attracts and the more credible you appear. Your unique insights will be more helpful than the opinions of an analyst or consultant because you have firsthand experience in a business environment.
      • Aim for balance. Even if you love what you’re reviewing, it’s probably not perfect. Your review can include glowing recommendations and commentary on favorite aspects, but be sure to mention anything that could use improvement. People are likely to place less trust in overwhelmingly positive (or overwhelmingly negative) reviews because they do not present a balanced and realistic account of the user experience.
      • Be real. Along with being balanced, it’s also best to accurately present yourself and your level of experience with the software, service, or hardware. Reviews that speak to specific situations and use cases are much more relevant and valuable than those that do not.
        • For software, mention the level of experience you have with the tool, any integrations you use in conjunction, or any unique use-cases you’re addressing with the tool you’re reviewing.
        • For hardware, mention your set-up and what other systems the product interacts with at your company.
        • For services, mention the length of your engagement, the level of interaction, or anything else you think would help others evaluating similar providers.
      • Stay current. If you haven’t used a software, service, or hardware in more than two years, we request that you refrain from submitting a review of it. B2B technology can change drastically in a relatively short amount of time.

Tips for participating in the G2 community.

We work to keep our conversations useful, transparent, and safe for the whole community. Violating these guidelines may result in the removal of content or a user being permanently banned from contributing to the G2 community.

      • Use your real identity. Use your real name and identity when posting to ensure you’re credited for your expertise!
      • Your content is enough. Anything taken from another source must be properly attributed and legally yours to share.
      • Respect each other. By using this platform, you are agreeing to treat other users with respect. We have no tolerance for content that harasses an individual or group based on race, gender, religion, nationality, ethnicity, political group, sexual orientation or other characteristics. Abusive behavior will not be tolerated.
      • Respect the platform. Users who do not post meaningful content, use deceptive means to generate traffic, post unsolicited promotions, or manipulate content will be banned.
      • Talk it out. We encourage different opinions. If someone has answered a question and you have a different solution, please feel free to share it! Engaging in respectful dialogue makes the entire community better.
      • Tell the story. When participating in conversation, it’s helpful to share the background behind why you are asking something, or how you came to find an answer. The more you expand on your questions and responses, the better your peers will be able to understand where you’re coming from.
      • Editing Posts. Users can always edit their posts to reflect changing circumstances or understanding.
      • Removed Posts. We reserve the right to remove posts and discussions that do not meet minimum quality standards. This includes, but is not limited to, those that have been copied from another source or posts which include gibberish, or posts which include defamatory comments.

Tips for sellers.

      • Get involved. All sellers have an equal opportunity to take advantage of being part of G2’s community. They can be listed on the site and update profile details, screenshots, and more about their offering.
      • Gather reviews. Gather reviews. We encourage all sellers to ask their customers to leave reviews with authentic, unbiased feedback. If G2 finds evidence of a seller soliciting only positive reviews, we will remove the reviews. To assist sellers with outreach to their customers, G2 offers tools and services to help them gather authentic reviews.
      • Start conversations. We encourage sellers to engage in a dialogue with users and we provide them with the opportunity to respond publicly to discussions on their profile. If a post contains inaccurate or negative commentary, we invite sellers to provide their perspective and address the user’s comments in this forum.
      • Keep us honest. All G2 users have the ability to report a concern on a review; when this occurs, a G2 team member will investigate and provide a response. We do not edit or remove reviews at a seller’s request or act as fact-finders to facilitate disputes between sellers and G2 users; however, we do encourage all users to submit concerns for reviews that seem fake, out of place, or to come from a biased source.
        • Review concerns can be submitted under a review by clicking the “Report a Concern” button. Providing as much relevant information as possible will help us respond thoroughly and accurately.
        • Keep in mind. We respect the freedom of expression through slang and strong language unless it attacks individuals or groups based on race, gender, religion, nationality, ethnicity, political group, sexual orientation, or other characteristics.
        • Review concerns are typically addressed within two business days.

At G2, we aim to enable customers to collect authentic reviews. Reviews are an important part of the buying process, and we understand the value they provide to both our customers and buyers. To ensure the value is retained, it's important to ensure that reviews are authentic. G2 aims to provide collection tools and a moderation process that prevents inauthentic reviews, but customers also should be mindful to collect reviews in a responsible and ethical manner.

A landing page is a unique web page created by G2 to lead users to submit a review for a specific product on G2.

Below we will outline best practices for sharing landing pages for review collection campaigns in ways that help protect inauthentic and fraudulent reviews. These best practices will help ensure that reviews are collected in a way that is fair, ethical, and secure.

Best Practices:

      • Share landing pages in closed forums or communities: One of the best ways to share landing pages is through closed forums or communities that are accessible only to customers. These forums can be a great way to engage with your customers and get them to leave reviews. By sharing the landing pages in a closed environment, you can ensure that only customers have access to them, and you can ensure that the reviews are from legitimate users.
      • Share landing pages directly with customers through email or direct messages: Another way to share landing pages is by sending them directly to customers through email or direct messages. This can be a good way to personalize the message and get customers to leave reviews. By sending the landing pages directly, you can also verify that the reviews are from legitimate users.
      • Share landing pages in private social media groups: If you have a private social media group that is accessible only to customers, you can share the landing pages there. This can be a good way to engage with your customers and build a community around your product or service. By sharing the landing pages in a private group, you can verify that the reviews are from legitimate users.
      • Share landing pages with partners and affiliates: You can also share the landing pages with your partners and affiliates who can then share them with their customers. This can be a good way to expand your reach and get more reviews. However, it's important to ensure that your partners and affiliates are sharing the landing pages in a secure and responsible manner.

It's important to emphasize that sharing landing pages publicly can lead to them becoming compromised.  Compromised in this sense means they become targets of users or groups looking to exploit them for gift cards that are offered. They can trigger non-customers leaving reviews with malicious intent, which can harm your reputation. Therefore, it's crucial to only share the landing pages in secure and closed environments where  only customers can have access. Additionally, violating these best practices can lead to disabling of the landing page by G2’s moderation team.

Prohibited Activities

The content and information on this Site (including, but not limited to, messages, data, information, text, music, sound, photos, graphics, video, maps, icons, software, code, or other material), as well as the infrastructure used to provide such content and information, is proprietary to us, except as expressly provided in these Terms. You agree not to otherwise modify, copy, distribute, transmit, display, perform, reproduce, publish, license, create derivative works from, transfer, or sell or re-sell any such content or information obtained from or through this Site.

        Additionally, you agree not to:
      • use this Site or its contents for any commercial purpose without our express written permission;
      • access, monitor, or copy any content or information of this Site using any robot, spider, scraper, or other automated means or any manual process for any purpose without our express written permission;
      • republish reviews posted on another seller’s G2 profile;
      • republish the aggregated Star Rating of another seller’s products or services;
      • republish, in whole or in part, any G2 Report without a license;
      • violate the restrictions in any robot exclusion headers on this Site or bypass or circumvent other measures employed to prevent or limit access to this Site;
      • take any action that imposes, or may impose, in our discretion, an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our infrastructure;
      • deep-link to any portion of this Site for any purpose without our express written permission;
      • "frame”, “mirror”, or otherwise incorporate any part of this Site into any other website or mobile application without our prior written authorization;
      • attempt to modify, translate, adapt, edit, decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer any software programs used by G2 in connection with this Site or the content we provide;
      • post reviews on products or services offered by your current employer or by direct competitors of your current employer;
      • log in using an alias that masks your true identity, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the G2 Community and/or website;
      • collect and disclose any private information of any person within the G2 Community;
      • post job postings, solicitations, or other advertisements, without our express written permission;
      • collect reviews by any method that segments out potentially negative reviews or exclusively targets positive reviews;
      • condition incentives on reviews being positive or discourage negative reviews of your product or service; or
      • violate the G2 Community Guidelines and Terms of Use.

Use of G2's Content

      • Badges: If you have earned a G2 Badge, you may republish the badge, provided that all such digital republicationa backlink to the G2 page for your applicable product or service. However, you may not alter,, or otherwise modify the badge in any manner. For example, you may not alter the colors of the badge to match its brand guidelines.
      • Star Rating: You may republish and share the aggregated Star Rating of your applicable product(s) and/or service(s) on the G2 Site, provided you provide a backlink to the applicable profile page on G2.com and attribute the Star Rating to G2 as follows: “Source: G2.com, Inc.”
      • Reports: You may not republish, alter, abridge, or otherwise modify any of G2 Reports without a license. This includes any Grid® Reports, Compare Reports, and/or Index Reports. If you have licensed a G2 Report, you must attribute the report and any underlying data to G2. In your attribution, you must include the season, Category, and report type. For example, if you have licensed a Summer 2019 Small Business Grid® Report for CRM, you would be required to include the relevant season, company size, and Category name.

Except as expressly permitted herein, G2 grants no license or right to you to republish, share, duplicate, abridge or otherwise modify any G2 Content. “G2 Content” means the website(s) owned and operated by G2, reviews, reports, derivative works, and anything provided by G2 in connection with the Services. For clarity, you may not republish, share, duplicate, abridge or otherwise modify any G2 reports, including Grid® Reports, Compare Reports, and Index Reports. Further, you may not republish or share, in full or any excerpt thereof, any reviews of any products or services on G2.com, even if such review was solicited by you.

You agree that you will not, and will not authorize or induce any third party to: (i) generate automated, fraudulent, or otherwise invalid reviews, questions, comments, lead conversions, clicks, or other actions; (ii) use any automated means or form of scraping or extracting G2 Content or data to access, query, collect, syndicate G2 Content or other data, content, or reviews; or (iii) use any G2 trade or service marks in any manner without G2’s prior written consent.

Attribution Policy

Article/Press Release/Public Statement Attribution

      • If you would like to include G2 or cite our data points in an article, press release, or public statement, please attribute such reference or content to "G2" in every instance. Link to the reference or content on G2.com whenever possible.
      • If your article, press release, or public statement is basing analyses and claims in part or wholly on G2 content or data, please contact us at press@g2.com for review and approval of the relevant statement prior to publication.

Blog Attribution

      • If you reference a specific G2 blog post, please be certain to link to the URL.

 

G2's trademarks and copyrighted works include G2's names, logos, G2 content, and other matter protected under trademark or copyright law. You may refer to G2’s trademarks in word form only. You may only use G2's logo under license or other written contractual permission. If you would like permission to use the G2 logo or other trademarks, please contact us at legal@g2.com.