We describe as "reversible" a catalyst that allows a reaction to proceed at a significant rate in response to even a small departure from equilibrium, resulting in fast and energy efficient chemical transformation. Examining the relation between rate and thermodynamic driving force is the basis of electrochemical investigations of redox reactions, which can be catalysed by metallic surfaces and synthetic or biological molecular catalysts. How rate depends on driving force has also been discussed in the context of biological energy transduction, regarding the function of biological molecular machines in which chemical reactions are used to produce mechanical work. We discuss the mean-field kinetic modeling of these three types of systems (surface catalysts, molecular catalysts of redox reactions, and molecular machines), in a step towards the integration of the concepts in these different fields. We emphasize that reversibility should be distinguished from other figures of merit, such as rate or directionality, before its design principles can be identified and used in the engineering of synthetic catalysts.