Review schema plugin vs hand-coded JSON-LD

Review schema plugin vs hand-coded JSON-LD

Everyone reaches for a schema plugin. Sometimes you shouldn't.

Schema plugin (Rank Math, Schema Pro, WP Review)
Pros
— Click a rating, it injects valid Review/AggregateRating markup
— Auto-updates the @type if Google changes guidance
Cons
— Most output Review markup on your own product — which Google has restricted for first-party self-serving reviews since 2019
— Bloats every page with markup you don't always want indexed

Hand-coded JSON-LD
Pros
— You control exactly what's marked up: Product, ItemList for roundups, FAQPage
— No plugin overhead, no rendering conflicts
Cons
— You have to maintain it when schema specs shift
— One missing comma = invalid, silently dropped

For: Plugins fit single-author sites doing genuine third-party reviews. Hand-coded fits programmatic roundups where you want ItemList, not star-bait Review markup.

Gotcha nobody mentions: Stacking two plugins (theme + Rank Math) ships duplicate AggregateRating and Google ignores both. Audit with the Rich Results Test before you trust either.

Bottom line: Genuine reviews, plugin. Roundup/affiliate pages, hand-coded ItemList wins.