Trustpilot profit quadruples as review platform emerges as 'AI winner'

March 17 (Reuters) - Global online review platform Trustpilot said on Tuesday its annual profit more than quadrupled, ‌lifted by AI search tools that drove a ‌1,490% surge in click-throughs to its site and reinforced its role as ​a key data source for AI models.

Shares of the company jumped nearly 19% in early trading.

Trustpilot, whose reviews are increasingly appearing across the web and in AI-generated search results, is ‌among digital platforms with ⁠large stores of user-generated content benefiting from the AI boom, as large language models draw ⁠on review sites to answer consumer queries.

* "This is a very strong set of results in our view, withmaterial consensus upgrades ​expected at ​the adjusted EBITDAline, with both ​results and LLM citations ‌reinforcing our viewthat Trustpilot is an AI winner," RBC analysts said. * Trustpilot said click-throughs from AI search soared1,490% year-on-year, with the platform ranked as the fifthmost-cited domain globally on ChatGPT in January, according todata provider Promptwatch. * The London-listed company forecast ‌high-teens revenuegrowth in 2026 and a ​2-3 percentage point improvement in ​itsadjusted EBITDA margin, supported ​by strong 2025 bookings. * In December, short ‌seller Grizzly Research disclosed ashort position ​in Trustpilot ​and accused it of creating fakeprofiles to post negative reviews and pressure firms into paidsubscriptions. Trustpilot rejected the ​allegations. * The company reported ‌an operating profit of $16 millionfor 2025, up 320% from $3.8 ​million a year earlier.

(Reporting by Yamini Kalia in ​Bengaluru; Editing by Sumana Nandy)