Trustpilot flagging categories and success rates

What Trustpilot publishes, and what it does not

So any sitewide "success rate" you read is an estimate by someone else. Treat it that way, including when a vendor quotes one in a sales call.

The five categories, by where the proof is

The useful way to compare categories is to ask where the evidence sits. If it is in the review's own words, Trustpilot can check it directly. If it depends on facts about the reviewer, Trustpilot has to weigh your account against theirs.

Sources: flagging reasons and how to flag service reviews.

Harmful or illegal

Threats, hate speech and obscene content are visible on the page, which makes these cases direct. Defamation is the exception. Trustpilot describes it as content that harms a reputation and leads to significant financial loss, and notes that opinions are not statements of fact. You need to show a false factual claim, not a harsh opinion.

Personal information

If a review contains another person's name with a phone number or email address, the breach is plain. Two things defeat these flags: the information is already public on your site or profile, or it is the reviewer's own. Remember that the reviewer can fix the problem by editing. The result may be an edited review that stays online.

Advertising or promotional

A code, a link or a sales pitch is its own evidence. The common mistake is flagging a review that only mentions or compares a competitor, which Trustpilot says it will not remove.

Not based on a genuine experience

This is the category businesses reach for most, and it has the most limits:

• You must send a Request information first.
• You cannot use it on a review from a customer you invited.
• Trustpilot generally will not check reviews older than a year.
• Trustpilot will not remove a review just because the person did not buy from you or you do not recognize them.

Trustpilot also changed how it handles these flags. Its Trust Report 2025 describes a change made in 2024. Trustpilot introduced measures "to ensure more genuine reviews remain online by reducing the burden on consumers to provide evidence that their review is real". It did so after feedback that some businesses were abusing the reporting tools. Flagged reviews now go through detection software that looks at data about the review and the reviewer.

In plain terms, a flag that amounts to "make them prove it" no longer works by default. A flag backed by a fact that rules the reviewer out, such as an employee, a competitor or someone else's experience, still can.

About a different business

When the text describes a product you do not sell or names another company, the case is direct. When the review is only vague, Trustpilot keeps it. It says it does not remove a review because it is non-specific or does not mention your name.

Your own success rate is public

Trustpilot shows every business's flagging record on its Company activity page. It covers 12 months and includes:

• how often the business flagged reviews
• the percentage of invalid cases, meaning flagged reviews that did not break the rule selected
• the star ratings of the reviews flagged
• how many flagged reviews are still online and how many were removed

Source: Transparent Flagging.

This record is the closest thing to a success rate that exists, and customers can read it. A high invalid share and a record made up of 1-star reviews tell a clear story. Trustpilot also reads it. Flagging negative reviews only, and repeatedly flagging reviews that follow the rules, are its first two examples of misuse.

What improves the odds

Our free flag evidence checklist turns these steps into a one-page form, and the review qualification tool checks one review against the five reasons.

1. Pick the rule before you pick the review. Start from the five reasons and look for reviews that fit, not the other way round.
2. Choose the reason the text supports. One reason per flag, and a flag cannot be edited after it is sent.
3. Highlight the exact words. Trustpilot assesses what you highlight.
4. Do the required step first. Request information or an edit request, where the category needs it.
5. Flag evenly. If you flag 1-star reviews that name staff, flag the 5-star reviews that do as well.
6. Go slowly. Bulk flagging over a short period is misuse.
7. Accept the decision. Do not re-flag for the same reason.

What this means when you hire someone

Ask any removal service for its method, not its success rate. No outside firm can verify a rate, and Trustpilot does not publish one. Ask which category it would use for a specific review of yours, and why. A good answer names the rule and the words.

Our audit does that for every review on your profile, for free. See the full Trustpilot review removal page, or request an audit.

For help with your own profile, start with our Trustpilot review removal service. Our review removal pricing is per confirmed removal, with nothing up front.