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TrustScore and star rating explained
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TrustScore is an overall measurement of reviewer satisfaction, based on all the Service and Location reviews a business receives on Trustpilot. A star rating is the TrustScore visualized. Learn about how they’re calculated here.
TrustScore calculation
TrustScore is represented numerically from 1 to 5. Each time a new review is posted and a reviewer rates a business, the overall TrustScore is recalculated. The formula for calculation considers three factors: time span, frequency, and Bayesian average.
- Time span. TrustScore gives less weight to old reviews and more to new. The most recent review weighs the most, as new reviews give more insight into current customer satisfaction.
- Frequency. Businesses should continuously collect reviews to maintain their TrustScore. Because the most recent review weighs the most, the more frequently reviews are collected the more stable the TrustScore.
- Bayesian Average. We use Bayesian average in the calculation to ensure that a business with few reviews starts off with a balanced TrustScore. This means that we automatically include the value of 7 reviews worth 3.5 stars each in all TrustScore calculations. As a business collects more reviews this becomes a smaller factor in the calculation.
From TrustScore to star rating
After the calculation, TrustScore is then visualized into a star rating from 1 to 5 stars, including half stars. Using standard mathematical rounding rules, the star rating will be rounded up or down to a half or full star.
Note: A business’s TrustScore will show as 0 until they receive their first review.
Where can I find the TrustScore?
A business’s TrustScore is located at the top of their business profile page on Trustpilot.
Asking for reviews can lead to a higher TrustScore and star rating
Overall, businesses that regularly invite their customers to write reviews tend to have a higher TrustScore than businesses that don’t. Actively collecting feedback can encourage reviews from a broader range of people, including those who had a positive experience and may not otherwise have taken the time to write a review. Businesses regularly inviting are also getting more feedback with which to improve their business.