ReplyOnTheFly vs Grade.us: Which Review Tool Wins for Small Business? (2026)

Grade.us has been around for over a decade. ReplyOnTheFly is the new challenger. But newer doesn't always mean better, so which one actually delivers?

Quick Answer: For small businesses wanting simple, affordable review management, ReplyOnTheFly wins with its free plan and AI-powered responses delivered via email. Grade.us suits businesses preferring traditional dashboards and multi-platform monitoring, but costs at least $45/month with no AI assistance.

In this comparison, you'll learn:

• Exact pricing breakdowns for both platforms
• Key feature differences that actually matter
• Which workflow fits your business style
• When to choose one over the other

Let's break it down honestly.

Quick Comparison Table

Understanding Each Platform

What Is ReplyOnTheFly?

ReplyOnTheFly reimagines review management for busy business owners. Instead of adding another dashboard to your daily routine, it sends AI-generated review responses directly to your email.

New review arrives. Email shows up. AI-written response is ready. One tap to approve. Posted.

No logging in. No dashboard checking. No response writing. That's the email-first philosophy.

The AI generates responses that sound like you wrote them, not like a robot. It adapts to each review's content and matches your business voice based on your settings. For more on AI review tools, see our complete guide to AI review response tools.

What Is Grade.us?

Grade.us is a traditional review management platform that's been serving businesses since 2013. It focuses on review generation, monitoring, and white-label solutions for agencies.

The platform aggregates reviews from multiple sites into a central dashboard. You see all your reviews in one place, use templates to speed up responses, and track your online reputation over time.

Grade.us also offers review generation tools like custom landing pages and email campaigns to request more reviews from customers.

Pricing Breakdown

ReplyOnTheFly Pricing

Free Forever: $0/month

• Unlimited AI-generated draft replies
• 5 free direct posts to Google per month
• Manual copy-paste after limit (unlimited)
• 1 Google Business Profile location
• 24/7 real-time monitoring
• Custom AI tone and instructions
• Email notifications

Pro Unlimited: $9.99/month

• Everything in Free
• Unlimited direct posts to Google
• Unlimited locations
• Auto-post mode (fully hands-free)
• Multiple notification recipients
• Priority support

Annual option: $99.99/year (save $20)

Grade.us Pricing

Essential: $45/month (1 location)

• Review monitoring
• Response management
• Basic templates
• Review request tools
• Email support

Professional: $85/month (1 location)

• Everything in Essential
• Review generation campaigns
• Custom landing pages
• Analytics reporting
• Priority support

Premium: $110/month (1 location)

• Everything in Professional
• White-label options
• API access
• Advanced reporting
• Dedicated support

Real Cost Comparison

For multi-location businesses, the savings compound significantly. A 5-location business saves over $2,500 annually choosing ReplyOnTheFly Pro over Grade.us Essential.

Feature Comparison

AI Response Generation

ReplyOnTheFly:

• Modern AI models (GPT-4 class)
• Responses tailored to each review's content
• Custom tone settings (professional, friendly, casual)
• Avoids generic phrases automatically
• Learns from your business description
• Included in all plans (even free)

Grade.us:

• No AI response generation
• Pre-written templates for common scenarios
• Manual customization required
• Copy-paste workflow
• You write everything yourself

Verdict: This is the biggest differentiator. ReplyOnTheFly's AI saves hours weekly by writing responses for you. Grade.us requires manual writing or repetitive template use. For how AI improves response quality, see our guide on how AI generates review responses.

Daily Workflow

ReplyOnTheFly:

1. Review arrives on Google
2. Email notification sent instantly
3. AI-generated response included in email
4. One tap to approve and post
5. Done (no login needed)

Grade.us:

1. Review arrives on Google
2. Notification sent (email or in-app)
3. Log into dashboard
4. Navigate to review
5. Select template or write response
6. Edit and customize
7. Post response
8. Log out

Verdict: ReplyOnTheFly eliminates 5 steps from the process. If you respond to reviews on mobile between appointments, the email workflow saves significant friction.

Review Monitoring

ReplyOnTheFly:

• Google Reviews (real-time)
• Instant email notifications
• 24/7 monitoring included
• No missed reviews

Grade.us:

• 80+ review platforms
• Google, Facebook, Yelp, industry sites
• Centralized dashboard view
• Customizable alert settings

Verdict: Grade.us monitors more platforms. But Google Reviews represent over 90% of local business reviews for most industries. If Google is your primary concern, ReplyOnTheFly's focus delivers what you need without the complexity. Learn more about how to respond to Google reviews effectively.

Review Generation

ReplyOnTheFly:

• Focused on response management
• No review request tools (yet)
• Pairs well with dedicated review request services

Grade.us:

• Custom review request landing pages
• Email campaigns to request reviews
• SMS review requests (add-on)
• Drip campaigns for follow-up

Verdict: Grade.us wins if review generation is a priority. However, most businesses already have review request processes. ReplyOnTheFly focuses on the response side, which is often the bottleneck.

Multi-Location Management

ReplyOnTheFly:

• Free plan: 1 location
• Pro plan: Unlimited locations at $9.99/month total
• Single unified inbox
• Location identified in each email

Grade.us:

• Per-location pricing
• 3 locations = 3x the monthly cost
• Location filtering in dashboard
• Separate reporting per location

Verdict: ReplyOnTheFly's flat pricing makes it dramatically more affordable for multi-location businesses. A dental practice with 4 offices pays $9.99/month total versus $180+/month with Grade.us.

Analytics & Reporting

ReplyOnTheFly:

• Basic response tracking
• Review volume trends
• Response time metrics
• Growing analytics features

Grade.us:

• Detailed review analytics
• Sentiment tracking
• Rating trend charts
• Competitor monitoring
• Custom report generation
• White-label reporting

Verdict: Grade.us offers more robust analytics. If you need detailed reporting for stakeholders or clients, Grade.us provides more depth. Most small businesses find basic metrics sufficient.

Who Should Choose ReplyOnTheFly?

ReplyOnTheFly fits best if you:

Prefer email over dashboards. You already check email constantly. Adding review responses to that workflow feels natural. Another dashboard? That feels like another task to forget.

Want AI to write responses. Writing unique responses takes time. AI handles the first draft, and you approve or tweak. Most responses need zero changes.

Have a tight budget. Free works for most businesses. Even Pro at $9.99/month is a fraction of alternatives. That money stays in your business.

Focus on Google Reviews. Google drives local search. If that's where your reviews come from, specialized focus beats scattered coverage.

Value simplicity. Setup takes 2 minutes. No training videos. No documentation to read. It just works.

Manage multiple locations. Flat pricing means adding locations doesn't multiply costs. Growing businesses benefit most. See our pricing page for full details.

Who Should Choose Grade.us?

Grade.us fits best if you:

Need multi-platform monitoring. Your business gets significant reviews on Facebook, Yelp, or industry sites. Seeing everything in one dashboard helps.

Prefer traditional dashboards. You like logging into platforms and seeing comprehensive views. The dashboard approach feels comfortable.

Want review generation tools. Getting more reviews is your priority. Grade.us includes request campaigns and landing pages.

Need white-label solutions. You're an agency managing reviews for clients. White-labeling with your branding matters.

Require detailed analytics. Stakeholders need comprehensive reports. Grade.us offers more reporting depth and customization.

Don't mind writing responses. You have time to craft responses manually or use templates. AI assistance isn't essential.

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Solo Electrician

Situation: Mike runs a one-person electrical business. He gets 2-3 Google reviews monthly and works 10-hour days.

ReplyOnTheFly: Mike gets email alerts on his phone. AI writes a response that thanks the customer and mentions specific work done. He taps approve while at a job site. Total time: 15 seconds per review. Cost: $0/month. Get started free.

Grade.us: Mike would need to log into a dashboard, navigate to the review, pick a template, customize it, and post. He'd likely forget to check the dashboard for days. Cost: $45/month.

Winner: ReplyOnTheFly

Scenario 2: Marketing Agency

Situation: Sarah's agency manages reviews for 20 small business clients across Google, Facebook, and Yelp.

ReplyOnTheFly: Works great for Google Reviews but doesn't cover Facebook or Yelp. Sarah would need additional tools for comprehensive monitoring.

Grade.us: Monitors all platforms in one place. White-label reports go to clients with agency branding. Review request campaigns help grow client reviews.

Winner: Grade.us (due to multi-platform and agency features)

Scenario 3: Growing Restaurant Group

Situation: A restaurant group with 6 locations wants consistent review responses across all venues.

ReplyOnTheFly: All 6 locations monitored. AI maintains consistent brand voice. Manager reviews and approves responses via email between shifts. Cost: $9.99/month total.

Grade.us: Would cost $270+/month for 6 locations. Requires dedicated time for dashboard management. Manual response writing creates inconsistency risk.

Winner: ReplyOnTheFly

The Template Problem

Grade.us relies on templates for response efficiency. Here's why that approach has limitations:

Templates become repetitive. Customers notice when responses sound identical. "Thank you for your 5-star review! We appreciate your business!" gets old fast.

Templates don't address specifics. When someone mentions "the amazing fish tacos and friendly service from Juan," a generic thank-you misses the opportunity to reinforce those specifics.

Templates require selection. You still need to choose which template, then customize. That takes time.

ReplyOnTheFly's AI approach:

• Reads the review content
• Generates a unique response addressing specifics
• Maintains your brand voice
• Avoids overused phrases automatically

The result: every response feels personal and appropriate. No template switching. No repetition fatigue.

For more on this topic, see our article on making AI responses sound human.

Common Questions About Switching

"What about my review history?"

Neither platform transfers historical data when you switch. Your past reviews stay on Google regardless of which tool you use. You're choosing how to manage future reviews.

"Can I try both?"

Absolutely. ReplyOnTheFly's free plan requires no credit card. Grade.us offers trials. Test both with real reviews and see which workflow you prefer.

"What if I need review generation later?"

Review generation and review response are separate functions. You can use ReplyOnTheFly for responses and a dedicated review request tool for generation. Many businesses prefer specialized tools over all-in-one platforms.

"How do I migrate from Grade.us?"

Simple. Sign up for ReplyOnTheFly (2 minutes), connect your Google Business Profile, and start receiving AI-powered responses. No migration needed since review history stays on Google.

Making Your Decision

Choose ReplyOnTheFly If:

• Email-based workflow appeals to you
• AI-written responses save valuable time
• Budget matters (free to $9.99/month)
• Google Reviews are your focus
• Simplicity beats feature count
• Multiple locations need coverage

Choose Grade.us If:

• Multi-platform monitoring is essential
• Dashboard-based work fits your style
• Review generation campaigns are needed
• White-label agency features matter
• Detailed analytics drive decisions
• You prefer writing responses manually

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between ReplyOnTheFly and Grade.us?

ReplyOnTheFly uses an email-first workflow with AI-powered responses, delivering ready-to-approve replies to your inbox. Grade.us uses a traditional dashboard approach with templates. ReplyOnTheFly starts free while Grade.us starts at $45/month.

Does Grade.us have AI response generation?

No, Grade.us uses pre-written templates and manual response writing. ReplyOnTheFly includes advanced AI that generates unique, human-sounding responses customized to each review's content and your business voice.

Which is cheaper, ReplyOnTheFly or Grade.us?

ReplyOnTheFly is cheaper. It offers a free forever plan with unlimited AI drafts and 5 direct posts monthly. The Pro plan is $9.99/month. Grade.us has no free plan and starts at $45/month for basic features.

Can Grade.us post responses directly to Google?

Yes, Grade.us can post responses directly to Google Reviews. However, you must write or customize each response manually since it lacks AI generation. ReplyOnTheFly also posts directly but includes AI-written responses ready for approval.

Which platform is easier to set up?

ReplyOnTheFly takes about 2 minutes to connect your Google Business Profile and start receiving review alerts. Grade.us requires more configuration time to set up templates, review sites, and dashboard preferences, typically 30-60 minutes.

Does Grade.us support multiple review platforms?

Yes, Grade.us monitors reviews from multiple sites including Google, Facebook, and industry-specific platforms. ReplyOnTheFly focuses exclusively on Google Reviews, which represent over 90% of local business reviews.

Conclusion

ReplyOnTheFly and Grade.us serve different preferences and priorities.

ReplyOnTheFly delivers modern, AI-powered review management through email. No dashboards to check. No responses to write. No premium prices for basic needs. It's built for business owners who want reviews handled without adding another task.

Grade.us provides traditional dashboard-based management with multi-platform coverage. It suits agencies needing white-label features and businesses wanting comprehensive review generation tools.

For most small businesses focused on Google Reviews, ReplyOnTheFly offers superior value. AI responses and email workflows save hours weekly at a fraction of the cost.

Key Takeaways:

• ReplyOnTheFly: Free to $9.99/month, email-first, AI-powered
• Grade.us: $45-$110/month per location, dashboard-based, template-driven
• AI responses vs manual writing is the core difference
• Email workflow vs dashboard login shapes daily experience
• Multi-location businesses save thousands with ReplyOnTheFly

The best tool is the one you'll actually use. If dashboards go unchecked, even free software fails. ReplyOnTheFly's email approach means reviews get handled because they arrive where you already work.