The 5 best Gleam alternatives in 2026
KingSumo is the best Gleam alternative if you run a giveaway now and then to grow an email list. Its free plan has referral entries and every entrant's email, and Pro is $49 once. Gleam Competitions Pro is $39 a month billed yearly, or $59 month to month. Pick SweepWidget if you need 120+ entry methods, ShortStack if your contest runs on Instagram comments, and RafflePress if you want it all inside WordPress.
People leave Gleam for two reasons. The price climbs fast: the viral share action needs Pro at $468 a year billed yearly, and taking "Powered by Gleam" off your page needs Business at $1,428 a year. And even seeing the full list you were trying to build takes Hobby, $120 a year. I make KingSumo, so it's listed first. Each tool below says what it does better than us.
| # | Tool | Best for | Paid plan starts at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KingSumo Best value | Growing an email list with one-off giveaways on a small budget | $0, or $49 once for Pro |
| 2 | SweepWidget | The most entry methods and email integrations for the money | $29/mo (Pro) |
| 3 | ShortStack | Instagram hashtag and comment contests | $29/mo (Launch) |
| 4 | RafflePress | WordPress sites that want the giveaway inside WordPress | $299 once (Pro) |
| 5 | ViralSweep | Ecommerce brands running instant-win and sweepstakes promotions | $41/mo (Starter, yearly) |
Competitor prices are list prices from each vendor's pricing page, checked November 3, 2026. They change, so check before you buy.
01
Best value
Best for: growing an email list with one-off giveaways on a small budget
- Price
- Free plan with unlimited giveaways, Zapier and SendFox. Pro is $49 once (list $228) for your own logo, Mailchimp, Kit (ConvertKit) and Klaviyo, and the API.
KingSumo does one job: a giveaway page where every entry is an email address and every entrant gets a referral link worth 3 more entries per friend by default. Referrals, social shares, follows, daily entries, reminder emails and 24 page languages are all on the free plan, with no cap on giveaways or entrants. Pick it if you run a giveaway a quarter to grow a list and don't want a monthly bill for it.
- Referral entries, shares and every entrant's data on the free plan
- Pro is $49 once, not a subscription
- Built-in reminder emails to entrants halfway through and with a day left
- 16 bonus entry types. No TikTok, Twitch or comment picking
- Follows are credited when the fan clicks through. We don't verify the follow happened
- Free giveaways carry our branding and one sponsored bonus entry. Pro shrinks that to a small "Powered by KingSumo" line, with no full white label
02
Best for: the most entry methods and email integrations for the money
- Price
- Pro $29/mo or $290/yr. Premium, which removes branding, is $119/mo. Free plan capped at 10 entries.
SweepWidget is the closest thing to Gleam for less money. It lists 120+ entry methods, 38 email integrations on Pro, 103 languages and instant coupons on Business. Refer-a-friend starts on Pro at $29 a month. Pick it if you need a specific entry method KingSumo doesn't have, like a TikTok comment.
- 120+ entry methods, including a TikTok comment entry
- 38 email integrations from Pro
- Instant coupons and prizes on Business
- Refer-a-friend entries need Pro ($29/mo)
- No SweepWidget branding only from Premium ($119/mo)
- Zapier starts on Business ($59/mo)
03
Best for: instagram hashtag and comment contests
- Price
- Launch $29/mo ($290/yr), Build $59/mo for refer-a-friend. Free plan stores 200 entries.
ShortStack is a landing page builder that grew into contests. Its edge is social: Instagram hashtag entries and Facebook, Instagram and YouTube comment imports are on every plan, the free one included. Refer-a-friend starts on Build at $59 a month, and the footer only goes away on Max. Pick it if your giveaway lives in Instagram comments.
- Hashtag and comment imports on every plan, including Free
- Full page builder, not just a contest widget
- Free plan stores only 200 entries
- Refer-a-friend needs Build ($59/mo)
- Branding removed only on Max ($199/mo)
04
Best for: wordPress sites that want the giveaway inside WordPress
- Price
- Single Site $299 once, Unlimited Sites $349 once. Free Lite plugin on WordPress.org.
RafflePress is a WordPress plugin, so the giveaway runs on your own site and your own server. It sells one-time licenses: $299 once for one site, with refer-a-friend, 30+ actions and Zapier. The free Lite plugin is fine for a test, but email marketing integrations are in the paid version. Pick it if you live in WordPress and want everything there.
- One-time price, no renewals
- Runs inside WordPress, on your own domain
- Only works on WordPress
- Email marketing integrations need the paid version
- Single Site is $299, against $49 for KingSumo Pro
05
Best for: ecommerce brands running instant-win and sweepstakes promotions
- Price
- Starter $49/mo ($41/mo billed yearly). No free plan, 7-day trial.
ViralSweep is built for brands that run promotions all year: instant win and unlimited promotions and entries on every paid plan. There is no free plan, so even one giveaway means a month of Starter, and white label starts at Business ($166 a month billed yearly). Pick it if you are an ecommerce brand with a promotions calendar.
- Instant win on every paid plan
- Unlimited promotions and entries
- No free plan, only a 7-day trial
- White label and premium integrations start at Business ($166/mo yearly)
What referral entries and your own branding really cost
Referral entries are the reason to run a giveaway at all: every entrant becomes a promoter. So here is what each tool charges for them, and for a page with your branding instead of theirs.
| Tool | Free plan | Cheapest plan with referral entries | Cheapest plan without their branding | Referral plan for 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KingSumo | Yes, unlimited giveaways | Free | Pro, $49 once (a small "Powered by" line stays) | $0 |
| Gleam | None listed on its pricing page | Pro, $39/mo billed yearly | Business, $119/mo billed yearly | $1,404 |
| SweepWidget | Yes, 10 entries per giveaway | Pro, $290/yr | Premium, $1,190/yr | $870 |
| ShortStack | Yes, 200 entries stored | Build, $590/yr | Max, $1,990/yr | $1,770 |
| RafflePress | Lite plugin for WordPress | Single Site, $299 once | Not stated on its pricing page | $299 |
| ViralSweep | No, 7-day trial | Starter, $41/mo billed yearly | Business, $166/mo billed yearly | $1,476 |
Yearly billing where the vendor offers it, before tax, checked November 3, 2026.
When Gleam is enough
Stay on Gleam if you are in one of these spots:
- Giveaways are a weekly channel. If you run one every week for a brand, Gleam's long list of actions and its team seats earn their price.
- You need TikTok, Twitch or SMS verification. Gleam has TikTok and Twitch actions and SMS verification on Business. KingSumo has neither.
- You want instant rewards. Gleam's separate Rewards app unlocks coupons and downloads the moment someone completes an action. KingSumo picks winners at the end.
Checked, but not ranked
Woobox. Woobox used to be a big name in Facebook giveaways. Its pricing page (checked November 3, 2026) now sells an AI page and interactive content builder and doesn't mention giveaways at all, so we couldn't verify what it still does for contests.
How we checked
Every competitor price comes from that company's own pricing page, read on November 3, 2026, at the billing period shown next to it. Where a vendor shows monthly and yearly prices, we say which one we used. Anything we couldn't confirm on the vendor's site carries no number. The comparison is for one person or a small business running a giveaway every month or two to grow an email list. Nobody paid to be on this page. KingSumo's prices are the ones we sell: the Free plan, and Pro at $49 once on AppSumo. KingSumo features are checked against the product itself, not our marketing.
How to switch from Gleam
- Let your current Gleam campaign finish. Moving mid-giveaway confuses entrants and splits your referral counts.
- Sign up for KingSumo and create a giveaway: prize, value, dates and number of winners. Referral entries are on by default, worth 3 entries per friend.
- Add bonus entries: Instagram, X or Facebook follows, a YouTube subscribe or video, a podcast, a link visit or daily entries.
- Connect your email tool through Zapier or SendFox on the free plan, or Mailchimp, Kit or Klaviyo directly on Pro. Then share the giveaway link or embed it on your site.
Questions people ask
What is the best alternative to Gleam?
For growing an email list with a giveaway now and then, KingSumo. Its free plan has unlimited giveaways, referral entries and every entrant's email, and Pro is $49 once. Gleam Competitions Pro is $39 a month billed yearly. Pick SweepWidget for the most entry methods and ShortStack for Instagram comment contests.
Is there a free Gleam alternative?
Yes. KingSumo, SweepWidget and ShortStack all have free plans, and RafflePress has a free Lite plugin for WordPress. KingSumo's free plan includes referral entries, which SweepWidget and ShortStack put on paid plans, and SweepWidget's free plan stops at 10 entries.
What is the cheapest Gleam alternative?
KingSumo. The free plan costs $0 and Pro is $49 one time. The cheapest Gleam plan with the viral share action is Pro at $39 a month billed yearly, which is $468 a year.
Is there a Gleam alternative with no monthly fee?
Yes. KingSumo Pro is $49 once through AppSumo, and RafflePress sells a $299 one-time license for one WordPress site. Gleam, SweepWidget, ShortStack and ViralSweep are subscriptions.
Does any Gleam alternative support TikTok?
SweepWidget lists a TikTok comment entry method, and Gleam has TikTok actions. KingSumo does not have a TikTok entry action today.
Comparing just two? Read KingSumo vs Gleam or KingSumo vs SweepWidget, or see Gleam pricing, explained.
Run your next giveaway on KingSumo
Unlimited giveaways, referral entries and every entrant's email on the free plan. Pro is $49 once if you want your branding, Mailchimp, Kit or Klaviyo.
Start a free giveawayGleam, SweepWidget, ShortStack, RafflePress, ViralSweep and Woobox are trademarks of their owners. Logos are shown to identify each product and do not imply endorsement. KingSumo is not affiliated with any of them.