Are free review apps good enough?
For most stores under a few hundred orders a month, yes. Judge.me's free plan collects unlimited reviews with photos and emits rich snippets. You upgrade for AI replies, syndication and advanced widget layouts, not for the core function.
How do I get star ratings to show in Google?
Install a review app that outputs Product schema with aggregateRating, collect at least a handful of reviews on the product, and make sure your theme is not also emitting conflicting schema. Duplicate or nested Product schema is the single most common reason stars never appear.
Should I import AliExpress reviews?
It is legal and common in dropshipping, but imported reviews for a product your store has never shipped are a trust liability and can conflict with platform advertising policies. If you do it, label imported reviews clearly and replace them with your own as real orders land.
Do I need a review plugin at all? WooCommerce has reviews built in.
WooCommerce ships basic product reviews, and for a small catalogue they are enough. A plugin adds the parts that actually drive results: post-purchase review request emails, photo reviews, and correct Product schema so stars appear in Google. The best options extend Woo's native reviews rather than replacing them, which means nothing is trapped if you remove the plugin.