New Update: Boost Social Proof with Reviews & Automation
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New Update: Boost Social Proof with Reviews & Automation
Stacey Corrin
Stacey Corrin
John Turner
John Turner
I remember picking Gleam for some of my earlier giveaways simply because I kept seeing other bloggers use it. But after running a few contests, I found out there were many free Gleam alternatives I could try.
Over time, I’ve tested several contest platforms. Some were easier to use than Gleam, others had cool features I didn’t even know existed. Each one worked a bit differently, and I learned that what works best really depends on what kind of giveaway you want to run.
In this guide, I’ll share all the good alternatives I’ve found to Gleam. I’ll keep it simple and tell you exactly what I liked (and didn’t like) about each one, so you can pick the right tool for your needs.
Best Free Gleam Alternatives:
Here are my findings on the best free Gleam alternatives if you’re in a hurry:
| Rank | Tool | Best Features | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | RafflePress | Drag-and-drop builder, viral sharing options, mobile responsive, fraud protection | Free, Pro version starts at $39.50/year |
| 🥈 | WPForms | Drag-and-drop form builder, contest entry form template, lead generation features | Free, Pro version starts at $199.50/year |
| 🥉 | Wishpond | Integrates with 300+ platforms, variety of social media contest options | 14-day free trial, then starting at $75/month |
| 4 | Woorise | Drag and drop builder, social sharing buttons, analytics, email integration | Free, Grow plan starts at $39/month/site |
| 5 | AgoraPulse | Social media management tools, Facebook Timeline Contest app | Free for Facebook app, plans start at $79/month |
| 6 | Easypromos | Supports multiple social media platforms, mobile responsive, integrates with marketing tools | One free giveaway, Basic plan at $29/month |
| 7 | ShortStack | Unlimited campaigns, automatic winner selection, customizable templates | Free (limited to 20 entries), starts at $99/month |
| 8 | KingSumo | Simple giveaway setup, email, and social media integrations | Free, premium features at a one-time $49 charge |
| 9 | Woobox | Integrates with over 500 tools, customizable templates, social media integration | Free for up to 100 participants, starts at $37/month |
Gleam.io is a marketing and sales platform that helps businesses run contests, giveaways, and sweepstakes to engage with their audience and increase their customer base. It’s also a paid service with different pricing plans depending on the features and services you need.
Gleam’s key features include:
Gleam.io is a popular choice, but tools like RafflePress and ShortStack offer WordPress-specific integration, while platforms like Wishpond and AgoraPulse provide a broader suite of marketing features.
I didn’t just pick these tools at random – I properly tested each one. Here’s what I looked at:
After trying everything out, I knew exactly which tools were truly good alternatives to Gleam.
If you’re looking for the top free Gleam alternatives for WordPress, you’re in the right place. The following solutions are all must-have giveaway tools with a free version or a free trial to give you a head start.
With that being said, take a look at these sites like Gleam.io to create a successful free online giveaway:
Best Gleam Alternative for WordPress
| Pricing: Starts at $39.50/year |
| Free Plan / Trial: Yes (RafflePress Lite) |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 Drag-and-drop giveaway builder 🔹 Viral refer-a-friend sharing 🔹 Fraud protection & mobile responsive |
| Rating: A+ |
| Best For: WordPress site owners who want a simple, powerful contest tool |
RafflePress is one of the best free WordPress giveaway plugins on the market. Built specifically for WordPress sites, it makes creating and managing any type of contest directly within your WordPress dashboard incredibly easy – all in just a few minutes.
I’ve been using RafflePress for my own giveaways for over 5 years now, and it’s my go-to choice for WordPress contests. What really stands out is how smoothly it integrates with WordPress – something I really appreciate as someone who runs multiple sites.
It is an excellent free Gleam alternative that offers tons of features to drive your business growth without spending a dime.
Check out how SeedProd 3X their sales with viral RafflePress contests.
As you can see, RafflePress is just like Gleam, and without spending any money, RafflePress has everything you need to create and launch your giveaway on WordPress in no time at all. I personally love how quick it is to set up – my last giveaway took less than 15 minutes from start to finish.
However, when you upgrade to the pro version, you can take advantage of viral giveaway templates, giveaway landing pages, email marketing integration, viral refer-a-friend sharing, and much more.
With RafflePress, you can use your website visitors to refer more visitors, and they all get the chance to win something that benefits everyone.
Why not check out some RafflePress reviews yourself and see why this free online contest software is the top choice for smart business owners? Alternatively, see our comparison of Rafflecopter vs. Gleam vs. RafflePress here.
User Review
In a RafflePress review from WPBeginner, they detailed how they used the plugin to run their 14th birthday giveaway. The campaign resulted in tens of thousands of leads and over 20,000+ participants.
Top Free Gleam Alternative for Giveaway Forms
| Pricing: Starts at $199.50/year |
| Free Plan / Trial: Yes (WPForms Lite) |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 Drag-and-drop form builder 🔹 Contest entry form template 🔹 Lead generation integrations |
| Rating: A |
| Best For: Simple giveaways and lead capture via forms |
If you’re seeking another alternative to Gleam.io, look at WPForms. WPForms is the best contact form plugin for WordPress and has endless lead-generation features.
After trying several form builders, I found WPForms to be surprisingly good for giveaways. At first, I only used it for contact forms, but when I discovered the contest entry template, I realized how good it is for simple giveaways.
Refer to our WPForms review for more in-depth details.
User Review
Over G2, users have given WPForms 4.7 out of 5 stars. One business owner commented:
“It is flexible: I use it for contact forms, donation forms, grant application forms, events, and more.
Simple yet powerful interface for collecting payments.
I install WPForms on every website I have – I know it will be used.”
Click here to get started with WPForms Pro.
Gleam Alternative with Free Trial
| Pricing: Starts at $75/month |
| Free Plan / Trial: 14-day free trial |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 300+ integrations 🔹 Multiple contest types (photo, video, hashtag) 🔹 Landing page & email marketing tools |
| Rating: B+ |
| Best For: Businesses needing an all-in-one marketing + giveaway platform |
Wishpond isn’t just a popular giveaway platform for small businesses; it’s also a functional marketing platform that can handle various marketing campaign needs.
Wishpond might be too big for some businesses to use as a free Gleam alternative, but it’s still worth exploring if your company needs this type of advanced solution coupled with a wide range of marketing tools.
User Review
On TrustPilot, users gave Wishpond 4.1 out of 5 stars. They praised Wispond for its:
“Thoughtful, intelligent marketing team who tailored their work to my goals and didn’t just throw more of the same at my project.”
However, some users mentioned that there was still room for the company to improve.
Related: Best Wishpond Competitors: My Honest Reviews
Popular Free Gleam Alternative
| Pricing: Starts at $39/month |
| Free Plan / Trial: Yes (limited free plan) |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 Responsive giveaway templates 🔹 Quizzes, polls, and surveys 🔹 Social media sharing actions |
| Rating: B+ |
| Best For: Small businesses wanting multi-purpose campaigns |
Woorise is a popular online giveaway tool for creating free online contests. Its free plan includes several features, such as pre-made layouts, 1-click giveaway winner selection, CSV data export, fraud detection, and more.
You can only access the more advanced features by upgrading to one of the paid plans.
You may like our Woorise review for additional details.
User Review
On Capterra, customers gave Woorise a 4.7 out of 5-star rating. One user found it “easy once I learned my around” while expressing there was a learning curve and occasional glitches during setup.
Gleam Alternative for Marketing
| Pricing: Starts at $79/month |
| Free Plan / Trial: Yes (Facebook Timeline Contest app) |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 Run Facebook Timeline contests 🔹 Social media management suite 🔹 Analytics and reporting tools |
| Rating: B |
| Best For: Brands running Facebook contests alongside social media management |
AgoraPulse is a social media management platform offering a complete CRM, Facebook apps, and an analytics suite. Its inclusion on this list is due to its free Facebook contest feature.
AgoraPulse calls this feature a Facebook Timeline Contest or Facebook Timeline App. With the app, you can access the following features.
User Review
Customers gave AgoraPulse 4.5 out of 5 stars. Most users comment on its social media management features. However, some users found the free version’s limitations to be a stumbling block.
Gleam Alternative for Social Media
| Pricing: Starts at $29/month |
| Free Plan / Trial: Yes (one free giveaway) |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 Supports multiple social platforms 🔹 Polls, surveys, and quizzes 🔹 Mobile responsive design |
| Rating: B+ |
| Best For: Businesses running frequent social media contests |
Easypromos is a complete promotional platform that helps you manage digital and social promotions across various social media networks. It includes multiple online contest types, including direct giveaways, quizzes, games, coupons, etc.
Since it’s easy to use and offers various features, it’s a great alternative to Gleam.
For more details, please refer to our Easypromos review.
User Review
Easypromos gets 4.6 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot. Users typically comment on how easy it is to use:
“once I understood how to navigate around the easy promos platform, i found it to be easy and user-friendly.”
However, the high price is a sticking point.
Free All-in-One Gleam Alternative
| Pricing: Starts at $99/month |
| Free Plan / Trial: Yes (limited to 20 entries) |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 Unlimited campaigns 🔹 Automatic winner selection 🔹 Customizable templates & landing pages |
| Rating: B |
| Best For: Large-scale contests with advanced customization |
ShortStack is another popular Gleam alternative on this list. It’s an all-in-one contesting platform that makes creating an online giveaway easy in minutes.
This digital marketing platform is great for engaging your audience, lead generation, and marketing automation without worrying about coding.
For more information, browse through our ShortStack review.
User Review
Users enjoyed ShortStack’s customization options. One customer used it to “collect entries for large annual contests that submit photos, videos, or essays”. However, the same user found the interface “clunky” and difficult for beginners.
Simple Free Gleam Alternative
| Pricing: One-time $49 for premium |
| Free Plan / Trial: Yes (basic version) |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 Simple giveaway setup 🔹 Email & social media integrations 🔹 Facebook pixel tracking |
| Rating: B- |
| Best For: Bloggers or startups wanting a low-cost entry-level giveaway tool |
KingSumo is a free Gleam alternative for WordPress website owners. Created by the team behind AppSumo, this giveaway site, like Gleam, was initially developed for internal use. However, after seeing success with the app, they released it for everyone.
If you like, you can check out our comparison of RafflePress vs. KingSumo here.
User Review
I couldn’t find many user testimonials for KingSumo. However, the consensus seems to be that while it has an easy interface, “There are many limitations.”
Related: KingSumo vs. UpViral vs. RafflePress and KingSumo Alternatives.
WordPress Gleam Substitute
| Pricing: Starts at $37/month |
| Free Plan / Trial: Yes (up to 100 participants) |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 500+ integrations 🔹 Social media contest support 🔹 Customizable giveaway templates |
| Rating: B |
| Best For: Businesses running social-media focused contests |
Woobox is a 100% free WordPress contest plugin that makes for an excellent Gleam alternative. It’s a great tool for running giveaways on social media networks like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. And with the drag-and-drop contest builder, you can get set up in minutes.
You can check out our Woobox review here.
User Review
The most recent customer reviews we could find for Woobox were several years old, praising its social media giveaway options. However, we recommend trying it for yourself to review any new features.
| Tool | Free Plan Features | First Paid Tier (Price) | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|---|
| RafflePress | Drag-and-drop builder, giveaway templates, viral sharing options, fraud protection | Pro ($39.50/year) | More templates, email marketing integrations, social media actions |
| WPForms | Contest entry form template | Pro ($199.50/year) | Full access to form builder and features, not giveaway-specific |
| Wishpond | 14-day free trial, then paid plans only | Starting at $75/month | Marketing suite with giveaway functionality |
| Woorise | Limited free plan, basic features | Grow ($39/month) | More entries, social actions, email integrations |
| AgoraPulse | Free Facebook timeline contest app | Starting at $79/month | Primarily a social media management tool |
| Easypromos | One free giveaway | Basic ($29/month) | More giveaways, advanced contest types |
| ShortStack | Limited free plan (20 entries) | Starting at $99/month | Extensive features, higher price point |
| Woobox | Limited free plan (100 entries) | Starting at $37/month | Social media focused |
If you’re focused on WordPress and want a cost-effective solution, I think RafflePress is the best free alternative to Gleam. It’s affordable, packed with useful features, and designed to make your giveaways a hit. For WordPress enthusiasts looking to engage their audience without spending a lot, RafflePress offers great value.
The Gleam competitions app offers a limited free plan, but it only allows for a few entries per campaign. To access its full functionality and run larger giveaways, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.
Gleam and RafflePress are both contest and giveaway tools. Gleam is better for running contests across multiple platforms, while RafflePress is better for running viral giveaways specifically on WordPress.
Yes, RafflePress offers a free version called “RafflePress Lite” with basic giveaway features. However, more advanced features and integrations require a paid plan.
After finding your Gleam.io alternative, you may find these helpful links useful:
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