Online review statistics get copied from post to post until nobody remembers the source or the year. This page lists only figures we traced to a named, dated survey, says who ran it and how many people it asked, and keeps general-consumer data apart from patient data. Where a survey was run by a company that sells review software, we say so.
People look for these numbers too: "online review statistics" and "google review statistics" each get about 50 US searches a month and "review statistics" about 30 (Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026). This page is part of Medfy's healthcare marketing benchmarks.
How we chose these statistics
We included a figure only if we could open the original source and confirm its publisher, its date and its sample size. Each statistic below is labeled:
| Source | Who was asked | Sample | Published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (opens in a new tab) | US adult consumers (all local businesses) | 1,002 | Feb 11, 2026 | General consumer, not patient-specific. SurveyMonkey panel. |
| rater8, How Patients Choose Their Doctors (opens in a new tab) | US patients, 18 to 60+ | 1,000+ | Feb 12, 2025 | Vendor survey; methods not published on the page. |
| rater8, 2026 Patient Choice Report (opens in a new tab) | US adult patients | nearly 1,000 | Jun 3, 2026 | Vendor survey; methods not published on the page. |
| RepuGen 2025 Patient Review Survey (opens in a new tab) | US respondents | 1,212 | 2025 (no exact date given) | Vendor survey; no fieldwork or recruitment details. |
| Keenehan et al., PLoS One (opens in a new tab) | US adults choosing an ENT surgeon | 287 | Dec 9, 2025 | Peer-reviewed; fieldwork March to May 2023. |
Every figure is self-reported: what people say they do. Two more rules: we flag anything older than about three years, and we don't mix up search interest with survey answers. For search interest, "doctor reviews" gets about 6,600 US searches a month and "dentist reviews" about 1,600. That's search demand, not survey data (Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026).
How patients use reviews when choosing a provider
Patient surveys:
- 84% of patients check online reviews before choosing a new healthcare provider (rater8, Feb 2025).
- 40% say reviews have led them to cancel an appointment or not book with a provider they planned to see (rater8, Feb 2025).
- 55% have walked away from at least one doctor because of online reviews, up 15 points on 2025 (rater8, Jun 2026).
- 73% consider online reviews when choosing a provider (RepuGen, 2025).
- 49% would still choose a provider with no online reviews, down from 55% in 2024 (RepuGen, 2025).
Peer-reviewed evidence: in a 2025 PLoS One study of 287 US adults choosing an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat surgeon), online reviews were rated the most important factor beyond those specific to the visit itself. Visit factors still came first: how the surgeon explains the diagnosis, office quality and location. The fieldwork is from 2023.
General consumers (all local businesses): BrightLocal's 2026 survey found 97% read reviews for local businesses and 41% always do, up from 29% a year earlier.
The pattern across sources: reviews rarely make the decision alone, but a weak or empty profile loses patients who were already on their way.
Want to see how your own listing compares? Medfy's free marketing audit includes your Google review count and rating in its Google listing score.
Which review platforms patients see
Patients (RepuGen, 2025): asked which platforms they use or would use to check providers:
| Platform | Use or would use |
|---|---|
| 77.78% | |
| WebMD | 52.47% |
| Yelp | 29.75% |
| Healthgrades | 26.79% |
| 25.56% | |
| RateMDs | 13.58% |
| Zocdoc | 13.46% |
| Doctor.com | 13.46% |
| Vitals | 7.41% |
Source: RepuGen 2025 Patient Review Survey, 1,212 US respondents. Vendor survey.
Most patients check more than one: 37% use two platforms and 28% three.
General consumers (BrightLocal, 2026): 71% use Google to read reviews of local businesses, down from 83% in 2025. Use of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools for reviews jumped to 45% from 6%, and 82% read AI-generated review summaries.
AI is entering the picture for patients too. In rater8's 2026 report, patients who searched for a doctor in the past year named AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude as an influence (36%) about as often as Google search (34%). Asked which part of Google's results they trust most, 37% chose AI Overviews.
Recency, volume and star ratings
Star ratings:
- 75% of patients wouldn't book with a provider rated below 4.0 stars (rater8, Jun 2026).
- 78% need at least four stars in RepuGen's 2025 survey: 47% set the bar at four, 23% at 4.5 and 8% at five.
- 68% of general consumers will only use a business with four or more stars, up from 55% (BrightLocal, 2026).
Volume:
- 51% of patients read at least six reviews (rater8, Feb 2025).
- 47% of general consumers won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews (BrightLocal, 2026).
Recency:
- 74% of general consumers look for reviews from the last three months, and 32% from the last two weeks (BrightLocal, 2026).
- Patients in RepuGen's 2025 survey were more forgiving: the most common answer (40%) was that a review becomes too old after one to two years, and 15% said age doesn't matter.
What patients weigh most is the content: in RepuGen's survey, 46% named the sentiment of reviews as the most important factor, ahead of overall star rating (17%) and provider responses (16%).
Replies: what readers expect
- 66% of patients say a provider's response to reviews directly influences their trust, up 24 points on 2025 (rater8, Jun 2026).
- 59% are more likely to choose a provider who responds to both positive and negative reviews (RepuGen, 2025).
- 45% say whether doctors respond to reviews sways their choice (rater8, Feb 2025).
- 89% of general consumers expect business owners to respond; 50% are put off by templated replies; 81% expect a reply within a week (BrightLocal, 2026).
For a practice, replies carry a constraint other businesses don't have: you can't confirm the reviewer is your patient or discuss their care. A short, warm, generic reply that invites them to call the office meets readers' expectations without disclosing anything. Our guide to responding to reviews has wording that works.
What this means for a practice
- Make Google your first priority. It's the platform most patients use. Keep your Business Profile complete and accurate, then claim the specialty directories your patients use.
- Ask every patient, not just the happy ones. Patients rarely volunteer reviews: 57% rarely or never leave one (rater8, Feb 2025). Google's Maps content policy (opens in a new tab) bars businesses from offering incentives for reviews and from selectively soliciting positive ones.
- Know the FTC rule. The FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule (opens in a new tab), in effect since October 21, 2024, bans fake reviews, incentives conditioned on a positive sentiment, undisclosed insider reviews and suppressing reviews through intimidation or unfounded legal threats. Courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations.
- Aim for a steady flow. Recency matters to general consumers and a four-star floor matters to patients; a few new reviews a month beats a burst every two years.
- Reply to everything, carefully. Generic, kind, HIPAA-safe replies, never confirming someone is a patient.
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm how it applies to your practice with a qualified advisor.
For the full playbook, read our guides to online reviews and reputation and getting more Google reviews. Reviews are one step in how patients choose; see patient search demand for the searches that come first. Medfy doesn't send review requests or manage reviews; its free audit shows where your rating and review count stand.
Frequently asked questions
How many patients read online reviews before choosing a doctor?
Most, by their own account. In rater8's February 2025 survey of more than 1,000 US patients, 84% said they check online reviews before choosing a new provider. RepuGen's 2025 survey of 1,212 US respondents found 73% consider reviews. Both are vendor surveys that don't publish full methods. Among general consumers, BrightLocal's 2026 survey found 97% read reviews for local businesses.
Do patients trust Google reviews more than Healthgrades?
We found no survey that measures patient trust platform by platform. What surveys do show is reach: in RepuGen's 2025 patient survey, 78% use or would use Google to check providers, against 27% for Healthgrades and 52% for WebMD. Google is where most patients will see your rating first, so it deserves the most attention, but specialty directories still matter.
How recent do reviews need to be?
Recent enough to look current. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,002 US consumers, 74% look for reviews from the last three months and 32% from the last two weeks. Patients may be more forgiving: in RepuGen's 2025 survey, the most common answer (40%) was that a review gets too old after one to two years. A steady flow of new reviews covers both.