Blog / 11 November 2026 · 2 min read
Yelp Reviews API: Excerpts, Plans and the 24-Hour Rule
Yelp has an official API for business data, which used to be called Fusion and is now the Yelp Places API. It does have a reviews endpoint. Before you build on it, it's worth knowing exactly what comes back.
What the reviews endpoint returns
The endpoint "returns up to three review excerpts" for a business. (Yelp docs) An excerpt isn't the full review. Yelp describes it as the first 160 characters, with a "read more" link back to Yelp.
How many excerpts you get depends on your plan (Yelp Places API pricing):
| Plan | Price | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Base | $229 / month | No review excerpts |
| Enhanced | $299 / month | Up to 3 excerpts |
| Premium | $643 / month | Up to 7 excerpts, plus Review Highlights |
All plans come with a 30-day trial and 5,000 free calls. Prices are as listed on Yelp's site on 11 November 2026.
The rules that come with it
Yelp's display requirements are strict (display requirements):
- show the Yelp logo, and link back to the business's Yelp page;
- add "read more" links on excerpts;
- use Yelp's own star images, not generic stars;
- don't store the data for more than 24 hours.
The last rule matters most for data products. You can't build a history, trend or sentiment model on data you have to throw away the next day.
When the official API is enough
It works well if you show a business card with its rating and a couple of recent snippets, and refresh it live. Restaurant finders and listing widgets are the typical case.
When it isn't
It doesn't fit if you need:
- full review text for analysis or AI replies;
- every review, not three or seven;
- history, to chart ratings over time or compare with competitors;
- Yelp next to other sites, such as Google, Tripadvisor and the delivery apps, in one format.
That's the job ReviewLake does. It collects a location's public Yelp reviews with full history first, then only the new ones, in the same fields as reviews from 50+ other sites. It's common for restaurant platforms that need Yelp, OpenTable and the delivery apps together, and for local SEO tools that track clients against their competitors.
Official API details checked against Yelp's developer documentation and pricing page on 11 November 2026.