2Perks vs. Cloutly: Which Review Management Platform Should You Choose?

The bottom line upfront

2Perks and Cloutly are the two most affordable review management platforms that offer review gating — the ability to route satisfied customers to public review sites while collecting private feedback from dissatisfied customers.

Both platforms target local businesses. Both offer QR codes, customizable landing pages, and automated review requests.

The key differences:

• Pricing: 2Perks starts at €5.99/month. Cloutly starts at $29/month.
• Review sites: 2Perks covers Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor from the start. Cloutly's $29 Starter plan covers only Google and Facebook (you need the $55/month Essentials plan for 40+ sites).
• Unique features: 2Perks offers reviewer rewards (giveaways, discounts for feedback). Cloutly offers video testimonials and SMS campaigns.
• Target market: 2Perks is built for solo businesses and small teams watching every euro. Cloutly targets service businesses ready to invest in growth marketing.

If affordability is your priority and you run a single-location business, 2Perks is the clear winner at 5x lower cost.

If you need video testimonials, SMS campaigns, and AI-powered review replies, and pricing is less of a constraint, Cloutly delivers more marketing features.

Pricing comparison: where the 5x difference comes from

To get Yelp and TripAdvisor coverage on Cloutly, you need the Essentials plan at $55/month — nearly 10x the cost of 2Perks Premium.

Cloutly's pricing is per location. If you manage 3 locations on the Growth plan ($69/month each), you're paying $207/month. On 2Perks, you'd pay €17.97/month for 3 locations on Premium (€5.99 × 3).

Why the price gap exists:

Cloutly bundles SMS campaigns, AI-powered review responses ("Magic Response"), team performance leaderboards, and a unified messaging inbox across SMS, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram DMs. These are legitimate business tools — but they add cost and complexity that solo businesses often don't need.

2Perks strips away the extras and focuses on the core job: get more reviews, filter out negative feedback, reward honest opinions.

Review gating: how both platforms handle it

2Perks approach

1. Customer scans QR code or clicks review link
2. Lands on a branded feedback page asking "How was your experience?"
3. Satisfied customers → directed to Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, or your chosen platform
4. Dissatisfied customers → invited to share private feedback via a form
5. Customer optionally receives a reward (discount, giveaway entry, partner perk) for participating

The reward is given for feedback, not for positive reviews — keeping you compliant with review platform policies.

Cloutly approach

1. Customer receives automated email or SMS review request
2. Clicks to a landing page with a satisfaction rating
3. Positive rating → directed to public review sites
4. Negative rating → redirected to a private feedback form
5. Business receives alert and can respond privately to resolve issues

Cloutly markets this as Google-compliant "Negative Review Shield." The concept is identical to 2Perks' gating system — the difference is in branding and how it's integrated with Cloutly's broader SMS and email automation.

The practical difference:

• 2Perks emphasizes in-person review collection with QR codes (table tents, receipts, checkout counters).
• Cloutly emphasizes automated campaigns via email and SMS drip sequences.

If your customers are physically in your space (restaurant, salon, clinic), QR codes convert better. If you're a service business following up after a job (plumber, landscaper, contractor), automated SMS works well.

You can use both approaches with either tool, but each platform's design reflects its primary use case.

Feature comparison: what you get and what you don't

Where 2Perks pulls ahead

Reviewer rewards are 2Perks' standout differentiator. No competitor at this price point offers the ability to thank customers for feedback with giveaways, discounts, or partner perks. This increases response rates without incentivizing positive reviews — staying compliant while boosting engagement.

The QR code-first design makes 2Perks faster to deploy for in-person businesses. Print a QR stand, place it at checkout, and you're collecting feedback the same day.

Where Cloutly pulls ahead

Video testimonials are a massive advantage for service businesses. Video converts better than text reviews on landing pages and social media. Cloutly's video collection workflow is built-in and easy for customers to use.

AI-powered review responses save time. Cloutly's "Magic Response" generates context-aware replies to reviews in seconds. You can edit before posting, but it cuts response time from 10 minutes to 30 seconds.

SMS campaigns deliver higher open rates than email (98% vs. 20%). If you have customer phone numbers, SMS follow-ups perform better — but they cost per message.

Team leaderboards and performance tracking matter for multi-location businesses or franchises where review generation is tied to employee bonuses or recognition.

Review site coverage: a critical pricing trap

Cloutly's Starter plan ($29/month) only supports Google and Facebook.

If you need Yelp, TripAdvisor, Trustpilot, or any of the other 40+ platforms Cloutly monitors, you must upgrade to Essentials at $55/month.

2Perks includes Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor from day one at €5.99/month.

For restaurants, hotels, tour operators, and local businesses where Yelp and TripAdvisor matter, Cloutly's Starter plan is incomplete. The real comparison is 2Perks Premium (€5.99) vs. Cloutly Essentials ($55) — a 9x price gap.

Who should choose 2Perks

You're a better fit for 2Perks if:

• You run a single-location business (restaurant, salon, clinic, shop, service business)
• Pricing is a real constraint and you're watching every monthly expense
• You want QR codes for in-person review collection (table tents, receipts, checkout stands)
• You value reviewer rewards to increase feedback participation
• You prefer simplicity over feature-heavy automation
• You need Yelp and TripAdvisor coverage without paying $55/month

Best use cases: Cafés, salons, dental clinics, gyms, tour operators, boutique hotels, independent retailers.

Who should choose Cloutly

You're a better fit for Cloutly if:

• You run a service business with automated follow-ups after jobs (contractors, landscapers, plumbers, home services)
• You want video testimonials to showcase on your website and social media
• You need SMS campaigns and have budget for per-message costs
• You want AI-powered review responses to save time replying to reviews
• You manage multiple team members and want performance leaderboards
• You're willing to pay $55–$69/month for a more complete marketing suite

Best use cases: Home services, contractors, real estate agents, automotive services, multi-location franchises.

Real customer perspectives

2Perks users typically say:

• "Set it up in 10 minutes and started collecting reviews the same day"
• "The QR code stand at checkout is the easiest system we've tried"
• "Offering a giveaway entry for feedback doubled our response rate"
• "Finally affordable for a single-location business"

Cloutly users typically say:

• "Video testimonials convert way better than text reviews on our landing page"
• "SMS campaigns get 5x the response rate of email"
• "Magic Response saves 2 hours a week replying to reviews"
• "Just Cuts saw a 45% review increase in the first month across 230+ salons"

(Source: Cloutly case studies and user testimonials)

The compliance question: is review gating allowed?

Both platforms claim their review gating systems are Google-compliant.

Here's the nuance:

Google's policy prohibits "selectively soliciting reviews from customers who had a positive experience." But it does not prohibit asking for feedback first, then inviting satisfied customers to leave a public review.

The distinction: you're not cherry-picking who gets asked. Everyone gets the same initial feedback request. The routing happens based on their response.

Trustpilot explicitly bans review gating. If Trustpilot is critical to your business, neither platform should be used to filter who sees Trustpilot review prompts.

Most local businesses focus on Google, Facebook, Yelp, and TripAdvisor — where gating is a gray area but widely practiced.

What you should actually compare

Don't compare feature lists in a vacuum. Compare workflows:

1. How will customers encounter your review request? (QR code at checkout vs. SMS 3 days later)
2. What happens when someone gives negative feedback? (Do you need AI responses or just email alerts?)
3. Do you have customer phone numbers? (SMS requires opt-in and costs per message)
4. Do you need video or just text reviews? (Video matters more for high-trust industries like contracting)
5. What's your monthly budget? (€6 vs. $29–$69 is a real constraint for most SMBs)

If you can answer those questions, the choice becomes obvious.

Final recommendation

Choose 2Perks if you want the most affordable review gating platform with QR codes and reviewer rewards, and you run a single-location business where simplicity and cost matter more than marketing automation.

Choose Cloutly if you need video testimonials, SMS campaigns, AI review replies, and team performance tracking, and you're willing to pay $55–$69/month for a more complete marketing suite.

Both platforms solve the same core problem — get more positive reviews, catch negative feedback privately, improve customer experience.

The difference is price, features, and how much complexity you're willing to manage.

Try 2Perks free for 30 days

See how review gating, QR codes, and reviewer rewards work for your business.

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Want to see how other platforms compare? Read our guides on 2Perks vs. NiceJob, 2Perks vs. Birdeye, and 2Perks vs. Podium.