6 Worthy Gleam Alternatives to Run Successful Contests in 2026

While Gleam is a popular giveaway tool, it falls short in some critical areas.

For example, some of its users have complained about:

• High cost
• Lack of customization options
• Difficulty in creating contests

But beyond these issues, some Gleam alternatives offer features that fit your contest needs better.

In this guide, I’ll explore 6 Gleam alternatives and how they compare to Gleam in terms of running contests and giveaways.

By the end, you’ll be able to identify the Gleam alternative that suits your needs best.

1. SweepWidget

Average G2 rating: 4.8

Average Capterra rating: 4.7

Apart from being one of my best Instagram and Facebook giveaway tools, SweepWidget is one of the best Gleam alternatives.

And for a few reasons.

First, SweepWidget is more affordable than Gleam. For example, Gleam’s cheapest plan costs $79 monthly (if you pay annually), while SweepWidget’s costs $25 monthly (on an annual plan).

They both support unlimited campaigns and entries. If you go through their features, you’ll see similarities even though Gleam is thrice its price.

Second, SweepWidget is easier to use than Gleam.

Based on my experience, I doubt any marketer would have a problem creating and running a giveaway with SweepWidget.

It’s easy to set up, and you can create a giveaway in less than 10 minutes.

Beyond these, here are other features you’ll get on SweepWidget:

• 60+ entry methods: Use 60+ entry methods for giveaways across 30+ social platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitch, Spotify, and eBay.
• Giveaway builder: Set up giveaways, including giveaway landing page, entry requirements, login fields, giveaway security, and leaderboard. 
• AI Powered giveaway builder: Enter the details of your giveaway, and SweepWidget will generate a giveaway, including entry methods and a giveaway page.
• Templates: Use one of the 25+ templates as a starting point for your giveaway.
• Data collection: Collect participants’ data, such as name, email, and phone number, through the login form.
• Giveaway security: Exclude cheaters and bots through security features like blocking duplicate IP addresses, blocking VPNs, blocking high-risk email providers, verifying email, using 2-factor authentication, etc.
• Integrations: Access 35+ integrations, including CRM, email marketing, and analytics tools. Use these to collect and nurture leads.

If you want to see all that this tool offers, read my SweepWidget review.

Sweepwidget pros

• Easy to use
• Generous free plan
• Over 30 social platforms supported
• Unlimited campaigns
• Unlimited user entries 
• Over 90 entry methods
• Excellent customer service 

Sweepwidget con

• Sweepwidget branding on the low-tier plans

SweepWidget pricing

SweepWidget’s plans start at $29 monthly ($24.2 on an annual plan) for 20+ social platforms, 20+ email integrations, purchases app, photo/video contests, voting contests, refer-a-friend entries, and more.

Visit SweepWidget’s pricing page to see the plan that fits your needs best. Then, try any of the plans for free before paying.

2. Shortstack

Average G2 rating: 4.5

Shortstack’s base plan costs less than Gleam’s, costing $49 monthly. You also get a free trial on Shortstack.

Gleam also beats Shortstack with unlimited entries since Shortstack only allows 2,000 entries for its base plan.

However, Shortstack lets you do more than just giveaways.

First, you get 60+ templates for giveaways, popups, and landing pages.

Second, you have a builder that allows you to customize giveaways to your taste. 

Many Gleam customers have complained that Gleam contests tend to look the same no matter who is running it. You won’t have this problem with Shortstack, as the builder lets you create unique pages.

Not just for giveaways but for landing pages too.

So, if you want to create landing pages and popups for your search and social media campaigns, consider Shortstack.

Beyond these, Shortstack offers autoresponders to send emails automatically to contest participants and leads.

Here are some key features of Shortstack:

• Templates: Use 60+ templates as a starting point for giveaways, landing pages, and popup forms.
• Drag-and-drop contest and landing page editor: Edit elements of your contest landing page with the WYSIWYG editor.
• Landing pages and forms: Generate leads for search and social media campaigns.
• Email marketing: Send automated emails to contest participants and leads. That said, Shortstack’s email features are basic compared to email marketing software products.

You can read my Shortstack review to see more of what it offers.

Shortstack pros

• Mobile-friendly contests
• Extensive contest campaign types
• Email autoresponders for giveaway participants
• Professional templates
• Robust contest management tools
• White labeling option for agencies

Shortstack cons

• Expensive for freelancers and solopreneurs
• Steep learning curve for beginners
• Shortstack branding on business plan
• Low number of views and entries on low-tier plan

Shortstack pricing

Shortstack’s plans start at $49 monthly ($39 on an annual plan) for 1 registered site, unlimited landing pages, and 2,000 stored entries.

But you can sign up to Shortstack and try the features for free before running a contest.

3. Woorise

Average G2 rating: 4.6

Average Capterra rating: 4.7

Woorise’s most expensive plan costs the same as Gleam’s cheapest plan. So, in terms of value for money, Woorise is a clear winner.

But beyond the costs, Woorise lets you run viral giveaways, quizzes, and surveys. And they’re so easy to create that even a beginner can set up a contest in a few minutes.

You can also run instant win contests where participants get notified immediately if they win. Another benefit here is that you can generate leads by offering losers discounts or other lead magnets.

Beyond giveaways, Woorise lets you create landing pages and forms to generate leads.

You can assess 70+ templates and edit them in the drag-and-drop campaign builder. With these, you can create unique contests for your brand.

And if you have any issues while using Woorise, you’ll be delighted by their fast and helpful support team.

Here are some key features of Woorise:

• 70+ campaign templates: Start your campaigns with templates ranging from giveaways to surveys to landing pages.
• Drag-and-drop campaign builder: Customize your giveaways to get unique results.
• Instant win contests: Eliminate waiting time for participants, as winners know immediately they win.
• 90+ languages: Run giveaways for participants who speak languages other than English.
• Landing pages and forms: Generate leads from search and social media campaigns.
• Link in bio: Create a link in bio page to drive your audience from social media to important business pages.
• Integrations: Connect your marketing tools to process leads and extend Woorise’s capabilities.

To learn more about this tool, read my full Woorise review.

Woorise pros

• Mobile-responsive contests 
• Free plan available
• Vast number of languages for an international audience
• Great customer support

Woorise cons

• CSS customization is only available in the pro plan
• Facebook integration can be tricky
• Customization of campaigns is limited

Woorise pricing

Woorise plans start at $29 monthly ($23 on an annual plan) for 1 user, 1,000 entries per month, and unlimited campaigns.

Try Woorise for 14 days before paying for a plan.

4. Easypromos

Average G2 rating: 4.4

Average Capterra rating: 4.5

Although Easypromos’s cheapest plans cost $29 and $49 monthly, they lack important features when compared to Gleam’s base plan. 

For example, Gleam’s base plan lets you collect audio, images, and videos in galleries, while Easypromos’s cheapest plans don’t have that. 

However, once you get to the higher plans, Easypromos may be the better deal.

Another edge Easypromos has compared to Gleam is that you can run and pay for a single promotion. So, if you just run a few giveaways in a year, this may be the most cost-effective option.

One great thing you get with Easypromos is the number of contest types you can run, with over 40 contest types.

Beyond that, Easypromos lets you check out all its contest options. You only pay when you’re ready to run giveaways.

This giveaway tool has over 300 templates that can give you ideas to create your giveaways.

Not just that, but you can edit these templates in the WYSIWYG editor. This allows you to create unique contest pages that you won’t get on Gleam.

Easypromos also provides extensive giveaway analytics, with metrics like the number of registrations per day/hour, unique visits, conversion rates, giveaway participants’ sources, and more.

Here are some key features of Easypromos:

• Templates: Use one of the 300+ templates as a starting point for your giveaway.
• Organizing brands: Create brand pages to organize the giveaways you run for each client.
• Email autoresponders: Send automated emails to giveaway participants during and after giveaways.
• Analytics: Get statistics about participants, visits, shares, sources, and more. You can connect Google Analytics to get even more data.
• Integrations: Connect with social media platforms, email marketing software, CRM platforms, and other marketing tools to extend Easypromos’s capabilities.

I wrote an Easypromos review where I explored its pros and cons for potential users.

Easypromos pros

• Excellent customer support
• Easy to use
• Support for unlimited social media profiles
• Extensive number of contest campaign types
• White labeling for agencies

Easypromos cons

• Easypromos branding on the premium plan
• Pricing is complicated

Easypromos pricing

Easypromos’s plans start at $29 monthly ($24.2 on an annual plan) for Instagram giveaways, Facebook giveaways, and up to 5,000 comments in comment-to-enter giveaways.

Sign up for Easypromos and test the apps for free before running a giveaway.

5. Viralsweep

Average G2 rating: 4.5

Average Capterra rating: 4.8

In terms of pricing, Viralsweep’s lowest plan is cheaper than Gleam’s. But at the same time, Viralsweep’s high-end plans cost more than Gleam’s.

So, there’s no big difference in price.

Beyond that, you have access to standard contest tools like giveaways, galleries, and hashtags. 

Viralsweep is easy to set up, and you can have a unique contest landing page in a few minutes.

Viralsweep also lets you collaborate with other brands to market your giveaway. The Viralsweep partner network lets you find brands whose audience will be interested in your giveaway.

Once you reach this new audience, email collection forms help you convert them to leads.

The A/B testing feature also lets you try a few things and see how they affect your giveaway results. 

Lastly, Viralsweep has responsive and helpful customer support.

Here are some key features of Viralsweep:

• Giveaway: Run unlimited giveaways, including social actions, refer a friend, and leave a review. Then, draw winners randomly.
• Instant win contests: Eliminate waiting time, as participants know immediately if they win. 
• Viralsweep partner network: Connect with complementary brands to promote your contests.
• Waitlist contest: Encourage participants to perform various actions for a chance to win your new product.
• Fraud detection: Identify and eliminate cheaters through Viralsweep’s fraud detection system.
• Integrations: Connect with 60+ tools, including CMSs, CRMs, email, and analytics, to extend Viralsweep’s functionality.

ViralSweep pros

• Extensive contest apps
• Beautiful designs
• Easy to use
• Unlimited promotions
• Unlimited entries
• Excellent customer support
• A/B testing
• 60 integrations

ViralSweep cons

• Limited design customization
• Expensive compared to alternatives

Viralsweep pricing

Viralsweep’s plans start at $49 monthly ($41 on an annual plan) for unlimited promotions and entries, sweepstakes app, contest app, instant win app, purchases app, comments app, gallery app, email forms app, etc.

Try Viralsweep for 7 days before picking your preferred plan.

6. Vyper

Average G2 rating: 4.6

Average Capterra rating: 4.6

Vyper’s lowest plan costs more than Gleam’s. However, if you pay annually, the plans come at similar prices.

One thing that really stands out about Vyper is its ease of use. You can set up a giveaway in minutes rather than hours.

This is possible because of contest templates for various applications.

Then, the intuitive contest builder lets even non-technical users build unique giveaways.

Another thing I find interesting is that you can create and display your contests as a landing page, website chat widget, or embedded form.

If you face any issues using Vyper, you can reach out to the fast and helpful customer support for solutions.

Here are some key features of Vyper:

• Templates: Start your campaign with one of the templates, no matter the type of contest you want to run.
• Contest builder: Edit templates to create unique contests or build one from scratch.
• Leaderboard contests: Drive more brand awareness, as participants invite voters to your contest landing page.
• Integrations: Connect with email marketing tools to collect and process your leads. 

Vyper pros

• Easy to use
• Easy to setup
• Detailed campaign analytics and reporting

Vyper con

• Can be costly for a small business

Vyper pricing

Vyper’s plans start at $149 ($75 on an annual plan) for up to 30,000 participants monthly.

Vyper lets you try the features for free for as long as you want until you need to start a campaign.

Conclusion

Many reasons can push you to find a Gleam alternative. 

You may be a dissatisfied user. You may just want to see what other tools offer before paying for Gleam.

I dived into these Gleam alternatives to uncover features that may be unavailable on Gleam.

Go through these mini-reviews. Then, visit each product’s website to see how they can help you create and run successful contests.

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