How do the Customer Feedback and Rate Me plugins differ
Buildfire offers two rating-focused plugins: Customer Feedback and Rate Me. While they may look similar at first glance, they serve different purposes and behave very differently for users and app owners.
Both the Customer Feedback plugin and the Rate Me plugin allow users to leave ratings and comments, but they are designed for different use cases.
Customer Feedback is built for private, user-to-admin feedback. Each user submits feedback that is only visible to them and the app owner, making it ideal for collecting opinions, support feedback, or internal input without exposing responses to other users.
Rate Me is built for public, item-based ratings. Ratings are visible to all users, cannot be deleted directly by admins, and are intended for shared content such as songs, videos, products, or listings where community feedback is part of the experience.
Understanding the differences helps you choose the right plugin based on whether feedback should be private or publicly visible.
|
Feature |
Customer Feedback plugin |
Rate Me plugin |
|
Intended use |
Private feedback, support, internal input |
Public ratings, shared opinions |
|
Who can see feedback |
Only the user who submitted it and the app owner |
All users |
|
Admin can delete reviews |
Yes, directly from the Control Panel |
No |
|
Admin can reply to feedback |
Yes, via private comments |
No direct replies |
|
User-to-user visibility |
Not visible to other users |
Fully visible |
|
Search functionality |
Not available |
Available |
|
Reporting abuse |
Not applicable |
Users can report abuse |
Pro tips
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Use Customer Feedback for app feedback, feature requests, or private communication
-
Use Rate Me when community visibility and shared ratings are important
-
If moderation control is required, Customer Feedback provides more flexibility
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Rate Me is best paired with media, listings, or content where discovery matters