Who approves your Google review replies?
Replio requires owner approval before replies to Google reviews are posted. Birdeye documents submitting selected responses to designated approvers; its guide does not establish account-wide enforcement. For restaurant reviews, compare the approval requirement with the workflow your team will actually use.
Review management platforms that require manager approval before posting replies
A submission workflow and a required approval gate answer different questions. Start with who must approve, then check how your team follows that rule.
| Workflow question | Replio | Birdeye |
|---|---|---|
| Draft and submission | Rex drafts replies to Google reviews for owner approval. | Authors submit selected responses through a workflow dropdown. |
| Who approves? | The owner approves before a reply is posted. | Designated enterprise users; multiple approval steps are optional. |
| Publication requirement | Nothing is posted without owner approval. | Account-wide enforcement is not established by the cited guide. |
| After the decision | Owner approval is required before publication. Confirm the posting handoff in your walkthrough. | Approval posts the response. Rejected responses can be revised and resubmitted. |
| Across locations | Replio serves multi-location operators. Confirm your team's approval responsibilities in the walkthrough. | Location-specific rules are not established by the cited guide. |
Birdeye column: See Birdeye's documentation. Confirm current settings with the vendor. This comparison does not infer undocumented restrictions.
Ask to see the reply that has not been approved
Give each vendor the same practical scenario: a manager drafts a Google review reply while the owner is unavailable. Ask them to show what the team can do next, which actions require approval, and what remains unpublished.
- Name the decision-maker. Decide whether the owner must personally approve every reply. Do not assume a manager role carries the same responsibilities.
- Check the unpublished draft. Ask who can edit it, how the owner receives it, and what prevents the team from treating a draft as approval.
- Follow the handoff. Ask what happens after approval, what happens after rejection, and how the team knows a reply has reached Google.
- Repeat for your locations. Confirm the process with the people who will use it, including when the usual approver is unavailable.
Use the owner approval guide for Google review replies to turn those answers into a team process.
Keep reply approval separate from closing a fix
Approving a reply decides what your business says publicly. Closing a fix decides whether the operational work is complete. Rex turns recurring complaints in Google reviews into assigned tickets; a fix closes only when someone other than the person who did the work signs off, with photo proof when the action asks for it.
A polite reply alone does not supply that evidence. Keep the owner's reply decision and the manager's sign-off clear to the team.
Questions buyers ask about reply approval
Does Replio require owner approval before a reply is posted?
Yes. Rex drafts replies to Google reviews, and nothing is posted without owner approval.
What should I ask before choosing a review approval workflow?
Ask who can draft, edit, approve and publish. Then ask the vendor to demonstrate what happens when the owner has not approved a reply, including across your locations.
Does approving a reply close the operational fix?
No. Reply approval and operational closure are separate decisions. In Replio, a fix closes only when someone other than the person who did the work signs off, with photo proof when the action asks for it.
How do I introduce owner approval across my locations?
Name the owner who approves replies, tell the team where to send drafts, and keep unapproved drafts unpublished. Agree how to handle an unavailable approver and test the process before using it across locations.
Continue your comparison
This page focuses on approval. For the wider product decision, read the general Replio vs Birdeye comparison or explore Birdeye alternatives. To compare more vendors, see the best restaurant review software guide and Momos alternatives for groups with 10 or more locations.
See where owner approval fits.
Walk through a Google review, a draft reply and the owner's decision with the Replio team.
Book a 15-minute walkthrough