20 alternatives to Gleam, Easypromos, Qualifio... The complete comparison of online contest platforms

Dozens of tools exist today to create an online contest. Most share the same business model: a monthly subscription, often between 20 and over 100 dollars a month, charged whether your campaign performs or not. We compared 20 of the most widely used platforms, from the global reference Gleam to European giants Easypromos and Qualifio, through French players Kimple, Drimify or Swaag, on a single objective, verifiable criterion: how much it actually costs to launch a contest, and when you actually have to start paying.

The real problem: paying before you know if it works

A monthly subscription gets charged whether your contest generates 10 or 10,000 participants. That is the default model for almost every tool listed below: you commit to a recurring budget before even knowing whether your campaign will convert. MakeContest flips that: creating, customizing and publishing the page is free, with no traffic cap and no trial period; you only pay 19 dollars, once, and only if you decide to export the full list of leads once the contest ends.

Quick comparison

Platform	Pricing model	Card required to start	Automatic draw included
MakeContest	Free, 19 dollars once to export	No	Yes, included
Gleam	Monthly subscription	Often yes (trial)	Depends on plan
Vyper	Monthly subscription	Often yes	Depends on plan
Wishpond	Monthly subscription (full suite)	Often yes	Depends on plan
ShortStack	Monthly subscription	Often yes	Depends on plan
Woobox	Monthly subscription	Often yes	Depends on plan
SweepWidget	Freemium + subscription	No for trial	Depends on plan
Socialman	Monthly subscription	Often yes	Depends on plan
Rafflecopter	Freemium + subscription	No for trial	Yes
Easypromos	Subscription / credits	Often yes	Depends on plan
Qualifio	Enterprise quote	No (sales cycle)	Depends on contract
Interacty	Monthly subscription	Often yes	No (not its focus)
Fastory	Agency quote	No (sales cycle)	No (not its focus)
Kimple	Monthly subscription	Often yes	Depends on plan
Swaag / Socialshaker	Quote / subscription	No (sales cycle)	Depends on plan
Drimify	Monthly subscription	Often yes	No (not its focus)
Adact	Agency quote	No (sales cycle)	No (not its focus)
Spinify	Monthly subscription (internal use)	Often yes	No (not its focus)
LeadFamly	Enterprise quote	No (sales cycle)	No (not its focus)
Scratch-it	Monthly subscription	Often yes	No (different mechanic)
Woorise	Freemium + subscription	No for trial	Depends on plan

Pricing models observed at market level at time of publication; each vendor may change its offers, always check the official pricing page before committing.

The detailed comparison, tool by tool

The multi-action contest giants

Gleam (Australia) remains the historic reference for contests with multiple entry actions (follow an account, share, refer a friend). Very complete, but its feature depth means a longer setup and a subscription is needed as soon as you want to remove its branding or exceed a limited entry volume. MakeContest goes straight to the point: a page customized to your brand, live in 3 minutes, without ever paying to remove white-labeling.

Vyper (United States) excels at viral mechanics and referral programs for product launches. It's a powerful tool if referrals are your top priority, but it's still built for marketing teams already used to this kind of tool. MakeContest covers the same lead-collection need with a single page to configure, with no learning curve.

SweepWidget (United States) stands out with over 90 possible entry action types, very popular among content creators and crypto campaigns. That richness has a downside: more settings to configure before publishing. MakeContest takes the opposite bet, fewer settings, immediate publishing.

Rafflecopter (United States) is one of the oldest and simplest tools on the market, very popular with bloggers for classic giveaways. Its free plan stays limited in the number of active contests at once. MakeContest never limits the number of participants or the campaign duration on its free plan.

Woobox (United States) was born in the golden age of Facebook contests (photo, video, coupons). Its positioning remains closely tied to legacy social platforms. MakeContest runs on a standalone web page, shareable anywhere, without depending on any particular social platform.

Socialman (Poland) offers a simplified version of social-media contest mechanics, at a more accessible budget than Gleam or Vyper. Even in that "accessible" category, a monthly subscription remains the norm. MakeContest remains the only one that charges nothing until you export your leads.

All-in-one marketing suites

Wishpond (Canada) bundles the contest into a broader suite (landing pages, marketing automation, light CRM). Ideal if you're looking for a complete marketing tool, but the contest is then just one module among others, billed at the level of the entire suite. MakeContest does one thing, the contest, and does it well, without making you pay for modules you may never use.

ShortStack (United States) offers a rich template library (quizzes, complex forms, giveaways) built for agencies managing several clients. That versatility justifies a subscription from the very first contest published. MakeContest targets the end organizer directly, with no agency markup to pass on.

Woorise (Greece) is a versatile tool (contests, forms, landing pages) with an existing free plan that stays limited in features and white-labeling. MakeContest stays free on the essentials, customized page, form, hosting, with no hidden paid tier behind the basics.

European enterprise platforms

Easypromos (Spain) is a European giant capable of running very complex game mechanics (instant win, quizzes, promo codes) across many markets at once. That power is aimed mainly at large brands and agencies running several campaigns in parallel, with pricing to match. For an organizer who wants to launch a simple contest with a draw, MakeContest is up and running in minutes, with no quote or sales cycle.

Qualifio (Belgium) is THE B2B reference in Europe for data collection and large-scale gamification, used by major media outlets and brands. It operates through a sales cycle and dedicated support, consistent with its enterprise positioning. MakeContest, by contrast, is built for anyone who wants to publish a contest alone, self-service, with no prior sales approval.

Custom gamification specialists

Interacty (Estonia) lets you build interactive content (memory games, puzzles, quizzes) for media and brands, closer to engaging content than a prize contest. If your specific goal is a draw with a prize to win, MakeContest answers that need directly, without detouring through extra game mechanics.

Fastory (France) specializes in mobile micro-experiences in story format, built for brand campaigns on social media, usually with agency support. MakeContest is run in full self-service, with no quote or mandatory support needed.

Drimify (France) is a builder for custom marketing and HR games (quizzes, wheels, memory games): a great choice if what you need is a branded mini-game, less so if you simply need a draw with an entry form, exactly what MakeContest was built for from the start.

Adact (Estonia) designs "Branded Games," video-game-like experiences for brand marketing, often close to custom production work. MakeContest remains a self-service tool, meant to be used alone, with no creative brief required upfront.

LeadFamly (Denmark) is a recognized Scandinavian player in B2C marketing gamification, positioned on large-scale lead-generation campaigns for established brands. Its go-to-market runs through an enterprise sales cycle. MakeContest is created and published directly online, with no need to get in touch first.

French players

Kimple (France, Sellsy group) offers a marketing activation and contest platform built for the French-speaking B2C market, integrated into a broader billing and CRM ecosystem. MakeContest stays a standalone tool, with no dependency on a larger software suite.

Swaag / Socialshaker (France, Limelight group) is a French solution dedicated to social media operations, often used with agency support. MakeContest lets a solo organizer publish their contest without going through an intermediary.

Niche tools

Spinify (Australia) applies gamification to internal sales and team engagement (leaderboards, targets), an internal B2B use case, very different from a consumer-facing contest. If your need is to collect external leads with a draw, MakeContest is the right tool; Spinify solves an entirely different problem.

Scratch-it (United States) focuses solely on virtual scratch cards for email conversion. It's a unique and effective mechanic for that specific case, but it doesn't cover the classic prize draw that MakeContest offers.

When a competitor might be a better fit than MakeContest

Being honest is part of choosing the right tool. If you manage several brands or clients at once and need dedicated support, Easypromos or Qualifio have the enterprise infrastructure for that. If your goal is to build a branded mini-game rather than a classic draw, Drimify or Adact are a better fit. MakeContest is built for a precise, very common need: quickly publishing a prize contest with an automatic draw, with no recurring budget, if that's your case, that's where MakeContest wins over every tool on this list.

In summary

Out of 20 platforms compared, MakeContest is the only one that charges nothing for creating, publishing, or collecting entries, only the final export of leads is paid, as a single 19-dollar payment. For an organizer who wants to test a contest idea without committing to a recurring budget, it's currently the lowest-risk option on the market.

Ready to compare for yourself? Create your free account on makecontest.io and publish your first contest in under 3 minutes, no credit card, no commitment.