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
Are you looking for the best Gleam alternatives for running an online contest?
Creating and running a giveaway is one of the easiest ways to grow your subscribers, social media followers and boost your online business growth. Plus, there are many free giveaway tools to help you achieve success.
Chances are you’ve heard of Gleam.io, a popular online contest tool, but it’s not the only solution on the market. In this article, we’ll share the best free Gleam.io alternatives for creating WordPress contests to supercharge your marketing strategies.
Here are our findings on the best free Gleam alternatives if you’re in a hurry. Click any links to learn more about each solution.
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.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.
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
RafflePress is the best free WordPress giveaway plugin 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.
It is an excellent free Gleam alternative, but it also offers tons of features you can use to drive your business growth without spending a thing.
Check out how SeedProd 3X their sales with viral RafflePress contests.
RafflePress Lite Features
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 in WordPress in no time at all.
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, check out our comparison of Rafflecopter vs. Gleam vs. RafflePress here.
RafflePress Pricing
RafflePress has a fully functional free version with everything you need to get started. Then, you can upgrade to the pro version, which starts at $39.50/year.
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
If you’re looking for another alternative to Gleam.io, look at WPForms. WPForms is the best contact form plugin for WordPress and comes packed with endless lead-generation features.
WPForms excels as a viable Gleam competitor with the ready-made contest entry form template. This helps you create a quick online contest in just a few seconds.
WPForms Features
Check out our WPForms review for more in-depth details.
WPForms Pricing
WPForms has a free version you can use to get a feel for how things work. However, to take advantage of contest entry form templates, you’ll need to upgrade to pro, starting at $199.50/year.
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
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.
Wishpond Features
Wishpond Pricing
The pricing for Wishpond starts at $75 per month; however, you can create a free online giveaway during the 14-day free trial.
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.
Popular Free Gleam Alternative
Woorise is a popular online giveaway tool that allows you to create free online contests. It includes several features in its free plan, 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.
Woorise Features
Woorise Pricing
As mentioned above, Woorise has a free plan. Yet, to access the best features, including integrations and email notifications, pricing starts at $39 per month per site for the Grow plan.
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
AgoraPulse is a social media management platform offering a complete CRM, Facebook apps, and an analytics suite. The reason behind its inclusion on this list is its Facebook contest feature, which is entirely free to use.
AgoraPulse calls this feature a Facebook Timeline Contest or Facebook Timeline App. With the app, you can access the following features.
AgoraPulse Facebook Contest Features
This giveaway tool is relatively limited; however, it could be helpful if you’re primarily running Facebook contests.
AgoraPulse Pricing
The AgoraPulse Facebook Timeline Contest app is free. Advanced pricing starts at $79 per month, billed annually.
User Review
Customers gave AgoraPulse 4.5 out of 5 stars. Most users comment on its social media management features. However, it’s limitations in the free version were a stumbling block for some.
Gleam Alternative for Social Media
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.
Easypromos Features
Easypromos Pricing
The pricing for Easypromos starts at $29/month (billed annually). You can create 1 free online giveaway.
For more details, please see 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
ShortStack is another popular Gleam alternative on this list. It’s an all-in-one contesting platform that makes creating an online giveaway in minutes easy.
This digital marketing platform is great for engaging your audience, lead generation, and marketing automation without worrying about coding.
ShortStack Features
ShortStack Pricing
You can try ShortStack for as long as you like for free, limited to 20 entries and 100 views per 30 Days.
However, to access advanced features and more entries, the pricing starts at $99 per month.
For more information, check out 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
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.
KingSumo Features
KingSumo Pricing
The pricing for the KingSumo web app is free. To unlock Facebook pixel tracking and custom branding costs a one-time charge of $49.
For direct integration with WordPress, KingSumo offers a WordPress plugin license that costs $198.
User Review
We couldn’t find that many user testimonials for KingSumo. However the general 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
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.
Woobox Features
Woobox Pricing
Woobox is a free WordPress plugin for up to 100 participants per month. For advanced features, the pricing starts at $37 per month.
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.
Minimal Free Gleam Alternative
Rafflecopter is a simple giveaway web app that makes running online contests on any website easy. It comes with basic free options, including Facebook, Twitter, form entry options, and a flash giveaway Facebook app, making it a helpful Gleam competitor.
Many of the advanced features required to run a successful contest are only available in the paid version; however, this is a good choice if you need a simple online contest solution.
Rafflecopter Features
Rafflecopter Pricing
Rafflecopter is a free gleam alternative. For viral refer-a-friend entries, email integrations, and more, the paid plans start at $43 per month for the Grow plan.
User Review
When looking at Rafflecopter user reviews, we found that customers liked its simple interface and free versions. While the free version is useful for simple giveaways, users often find the premium plans expensive for the features offered.
Check out this Rafflecopter review for a more comprehensive overview.
| 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 |
| Rafflecopter | Basic free plan, limited features | Grow ($43/month) | Viral referral options in paid plans |
Deciding between Gleam and RafflePress for your WordPress giveaways? Let’s simplify the comparison to help you choose the best fit for your budget.
Gleam is versatile and user-friendly, perfect for running all sorts of online contests. While it doesn’t have a free plan, its features are comprehensive, supporting various social media platforms and integration options. Pricing can be a bit steep if you’re on a tight budget, especially for advanced features.
RafflePress is tailor-made for WordPress users. It offers a free version with essential features like a drag-and-drop builder and mobile responsiveness. The premium version, at $39.50 per year (about $3.29 per month), unlocks more powerful tools designed to boost engagement and help your site grow.
If you’re focused on WordPress and want a cost-effective solution, RafflePress is your go-to. 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.
After finding your Gleam.io alternative, you may find these giveaway guides useful:
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