Really Simple Testimonials is a free WordPress plugin that does exactly what it promises: give you a straightforward way to collect and display customer testimonials via shortcode. It ships with five display themes, a frontend submission form, star ratings, and category support at no cost, with no premium tier.
The trade-off is transparency. This plugin is brand new to the WordPress ecosystem with almost no community adoption. If you need something battle-tested with thousands of active sites and active forum support, the established alternatives covered below are the safer bet. If you want a lightweight, zero-cost testimonial display plugin and are comfortable being an early adopter, Really Simple Testimonials covers the basics cleanly.
Our rating: 3.2 / 5
| What we liked | What we did not like |
|---|---|
| 100% free, no paid tier to worry about | Fewer than 10 active installs as of August 2026 |
| Five ready-made display themes | No community support forum activity |
| Frontend testimonial submission included | PHP 8.3+ requirement may exclude some hosts |
| Star ratings and category support | Made by a Ghost theme shop, not a WP specialist |
| Works with Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder | Shortcode-only, no native block editor support |
What Is Really Simple Testimonials?
Really Simple Testimonials is a free WordPress plugin by Themeix, a web design company known primarily for premium Ghost CMS themes. The plugin lets you add customer testimonials to any WordPress page or post using shortcodes, with five pre-built display layouts including both sliders and grid arrangements.
The plugin was first released in December 2022, reached version 1.2.0 in July 2026, and currently sits in the early adoption phase with fewer than 10 active installs and no public reviews. That context matters when evaluating it against established alternatives.
There is no premium version. The plugin is entirely free, with all advertised features available at zero cost.
Who Is Really Simple Testimonials Best For?
This plugin fits well if you:
- Need a no-cost testimonials display solution with zero long-term licensing concerns
- Build sites using a page builder (Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder) and are comfortable dropping shortcodes into builder elements
- Want a simple, non-bloated plugin without extra admin menus, analytics dashboards, or upsell prompts
- Are comfortable adopting a very new plugin with minimal community footprint
It is less suited to you if:
- You want a plugin with an established user base and active support forum
- You need native Gutenberg block editor support (this plugin uses shortcodes)
- You require schema markup for Google rich snippets
- You want a plugin with documented update history beyond a two-version changelog
- Your hosting runs PHP below 8.3
Hands-On Setup and User Experience
Installation follows the standard WordPress process. Search “Really Simple Testimonials” in Plugins > Add New, install, and activate. The plugin adds a Testimonials section to the WordPress admin sidebar with sub-menus for managing entries, categories, shortcode configuration, and frontend submission settings.
Adding Testimonials
Testimonials are managed as a custom post type. Each entry includes fields for author name, author photo (with custom border radius option), company or role, social media profile links, star rating (1 to 5), and testimonial content text. The admin interface is clean and straightforward with no drag-and-drop builder or live preview.
Generating Shortcodes
The plugin uses a dedicated shortcode configuration system. Go to Testimonials > Generate Shortcode to create a new display configuration. You choose a theme, set your display options (category filter, item count, slider speed, navigation type), and the system generates a unique shortcode in the format [rstpro id="X"] that you paste into any page, post, widget, or page builder element.
Frontend Submission Form
The plugin includes a frontend testimonial submission form. Visitors complete fields for name, company, rating, photo upload, and testimonial text. Submissions include AJAX processing so the page does not reload, captcha protection, and field validation. Submitted testimonials sit in pending status until you approve them from the admin.
Display Themes
Five themes ship with the plugin, covering both slider and grid formats. All themes are responsive and adapt to mobile viewports. Customization options including colors, fonts, and spacing are set through the shortcode configuration interface.
Main Features
Shortcode-Based Integration
All display is handled via shortcodes. This works in the Gutenberg block editor using a Shortcode block, in any classic editor page, and in page builders via a shortcode or HTML element. It is a traditional approach that is functional and universal, but it does not offer a dedicated Gutenberg block or block patterns.
Star Ratings
Each testimonial can carry a 1-to-5 star score. The rating displays alongside the testimonial in the chosen theme. There is no aggregate average rating shortcode, unlike some more mature plugins.
Category Support
Testimonials can be assigned to categories, and the shortcode configuration lets you filter by category. This is useful for sites with multiple products or service lines that need separate testimonial sections on different pages.
Social Media Integration
Each testimonial author can have social media profile links added. The display themes show these as clickable icons on the testimonial card, adding a credibility layer for visitors.
Frontend Submission
The frontend form handles submission without page reload (AJAX), includes captcha protection, supports author photo uploads, and holds submissions for manual approval. This is a solid feature for sites that want testimonial collection built into their workflow without a separate forms plugin.
No Schema Markup
Schema markup for Google rich snippets (Review or AggregateRating schema) is not included. If schema markup for search result star ratings is important to your site, look at Site Reviews or Strong Testimonials Plus instead.
Pricing
Really Simple Testimonials is entirely free. There is no premium version, no add-ons, and no license key. All features are included at zero cost.
| What you get | Cost |
|---|---|
| 5 display themes (slider + grid) | Free |
| Frontend submission form with CAPTCHA | Free |
| Star ratings | Free |
| Category filtering | Free |
| Social media author links | Free |
| Shortcode generator | Free |
| Developer hooks and filters | Free |
The absence of a premium tier means there is no upgrade path if you need schema markup, third-party review imports, or custom form fields. At that point you would switch to a different plugin entirely.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Completely free with no premium upsell
- Five ready-made themes covering slider and grid
- Frontend submission included, with AJAX and CAPTCHA
- Category support for filtering by product or service
- Social media links on author testimonials
- Compatible with Elementor, Divi, and Beaver Builder
- Translation-ready (WPML and Polylang support)
- Developer hooks and filters included
- Works in classic editor, Gutenberg (Shortcode block), and page builders
Cons
- Fewer than 10 active installs as of August 2026
- Zero support forum reviews, untested at scale
- No Gutenberg block, shortcode-only in 2026
- No schema markup for Google rich snippets
- No aggregate average rating shortcode
- PHP 8.3+ requirement, may exclude some hosts
- Made by a Ghost theme company, not a WP specialist
- Two-version changelog, long-term maintenance unproven
- No import tools from other testimonials plugins
Alternatives
Strong Testimonials
Strong Testimonials is the most direct free alternative and the stronger recommendation for most sites. It has 90,000+ active installs, a 4.8/5 rating from 614 reviews, unlimited display views, multiple layouts including slideshow, a submission form, star ratings, shortcodes, and Gutenberg block support. The paid Plus plan adds schema markup and third-party importers. If you want a free testimonials plugin with a proven track record, Strong Testimonials is the benchmark.
Site Reviews
Site Reviews takes a structured review platform approach with Akismet spam protection, automatic schema markup in the free version, and Gutenberg block support. If Google-visible rich snippets and an established user base matter, Site Reviews delivers those in the free tier.
WP Customer Reviews
WP Customer Reviews is another longstanding free option with 20,000+ installs, WooCommerce product review support, schema markup, and a configurable approval workflow. A solid mature choice for product-focused sites.
Final Verdict
Really Simple Testimonials covers the functional basics: shortcode-based display, five themes, frontend submission, star ratings, and category filtering, all free. For a site owner who wants a zero-cost, no-frills testimonials solution and is comfortable with an early-stage plugin, it gets the job done.
The core limitation is not the feature list but the track record. With fewer than 10 active installs and no community reviews, there is no real-world evidence of how it performs at scale, how responsive the developer is to support requests, or how reliably updates ship. For a live business site, that uncertainty carries risk.
The established free alternatives (Strong Testimonials, Site Reviews, WP Customer Reviews) offer comparable or better feature sets with years of active maintenance and thousands of real-world deployments behind them. For most sites, those are the smarter starting point.
Really Simple Testimonials earns consideration only if you specifically want a lightweight, upsell-free plugin and are willing to accept the early-adopter trade-off.
Rating: 3.2 / 5
FAQ
Is Really Simple Testimonials free?
Yes, completely. There is no premium version or paid plan. All features including five display themes, frontend submission form, star ratings, categories, and social media integration are included at zero cost.
Does Really Simple Testimonials work with Gutenberg?
Not natively. The plugin uses shortcodes. You can add a Shortcode block inside the Gutenberg block editor and paste the generated shortcode there, which works, but there is no dedicated Gutenberg block or block pattern.
Does it work with Elementor, Divi, or Beaver Builder?
Yes. Shortcodes work inside a shortcode element or HTML block in any major page builder.
Can visitors submit testimonials from the front end?
Yes. The frontend submission form includes AJAX processing, CAPTCHA protection, photo upload support, and manual approval workflow.
Does Really Simple Testimonials include schema markup?
No. Schema markup is not included. If you need review schema for Google search result stars, use Site Reviews or Strong Testimonials Plus instead.
What are the hosting requirements?
WordPress 6.0 or higher and PHP 8.3 or higher. The PHP 8.3 requirement is higher than many plugins, so check your host’s PHP version before installing.
How many display themes are included?
Five themes: two slider or carousel options and three grid layouts. All are responsive.
Is there an average star rating display?
Not currently. Each individual testimonial shows its own star rating, but there is no aggregate average rating display shortcode.