6 Worthy Gleam Alternatives to Run Successful Contests

Gleam is one of the most popular social media giveaway tools.

So, you’ve probably heard about it or used it.

But it’s far from perfect.

Some of its users have complained about:

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

But even beyond these issues, Gleam alternatives can have features that fit your contest needs better.

In a moment, I’ll talk about 6 Gleam alternatives and how they compare to Gleam. You’ll see where they perform better than Gleam and how they help create viral contests and giveaways.

1. SweepWidget

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 3 times more costly.

Apart from that, SweepWidget also has a generous free plan.

So, if you only run a few giveaways monthly, SweepWidget is likely the best value.

Second, SweepWidget is easier to use than Gleam.

Creating a new giveaway in SweepWidget contest builder

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:

  • Over 60 entry methods: SweepWidget gives you access to over 60 entry methods across over 30 social media platforms. So, you can create giveaways on Twitter, Patreon, or even eBay.
  • Giveaway builder: The easy-to-use builder has a few steps to set up your contest. You can specify your entry methods, design giveaway landing pages, and require login details.
  • Templates: With over 25 templates for various social media platforms, you can spend less time creating your giveaway. You can use the templates as a starting point.
  • Data collection: Many people run contests to generate leads. You can collect participants’ data through the login form.
  • Giveaway security: Without security, bots can dominate your contests and defeat its aim. SweepWidget lets you prevent cheating by blocking duplicate IP addresses, disallowing VPN usage, blocking high-risk email providers, and more.
  • Integrations: SweepWidget’s integrations let you transfer your contest data to other marketing tools. This way, you can easily nurture the leads you generate.

You can read my full SweepWidget review to learn more about it.

SweepWidget pricing

SweepWidget’s Pro plan costs $29 monthly ($24.2 on an annual plan), Business costs $59 monthly ($49.2 on an annual plan), Premium costs $119 monthly ($99.2 on an annual plan), and Enterprise costs $249 monthly ($207.5 on an annual plan).

SweepWidget pricing page

You also get a free plan if you’d like to try SweepWidget before committing to a paid plan.

2. Shortstack

Shortstack and Gleam have similar base plans in terms of cost. Even though Shortstack offers a free trial, both tools have base plans that cost $79 monthly.

Gleam also beats Shortstack with unlimited entries since Shortstack only allows 10,000 entries for its base plan.

However, Shortstack lets you do more than just giveaways.

First, you get over 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.

Shortstack campaign builder editor

Not just for giveaways but for landing pages too.

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

You can even create popups on these pages.

Beyond these, Shortstack lets you create autoresponders for your campaigns. 

Whether someone has entered a giveaway or filled a landing page form, you can send automated emails to them. You can also send follow-up emails or schedule emails to nurture your prospects.

Here are some key features of Shortstack:

  • Templates: Shortstack has over 60 templates for giveaways, landing pages, and popup forms. These templates can be a great starting point for your campaigns.
  • Drag-and-drop contest and landing page editor: The WYSIWYG editor lets you edit every element of your contest landing page to have a unique result.
  • Landing pages and forms: If you want to generate leads through other campaigns on search and social media, you’ll find the landing pages and popups useful.
  • Email marketing: This lets you 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 pricing

Shortstack’s Business plan costs $99 monthly ($79 if paid annually), while the Pro plan costs $249 monthly ($199 on an annual plan). 

Shortstack pricing page

For the Enterprise plan, you have to contact Shortstack’s sales team.

3. Woorise

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.

Woorise giveaway builder and editor

You can assess over 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:

  • Over 70 campaign templates: Woorise has templates ranging from giveaways to surveys to landing pages. So, if you have no experience building contests, these templates can be a headstart.
  • Drag-and-drop campaign builder: The builder lets you customize a giveaway till you get your intended results.
  • Instant win contests: This contest type lets winners know immediately when they win. This can eliminate the waiting time for participants.
  • Over 90 languages: If you want to create giveaways in languages other than English, Woorise gives you enough options.
  • Landing pages and forms: Beyond giveaways, landing pages and forms can help you generate leads from search and social media campaigns.
  • Link in bio: Apart from running giveaways and creating landing pages, Woorise is also a link in bio tool. With this feature, you can create a link in bio page that drives your audience to important business pages.
  • Integrations: Woorise allows you to integrate with your marketing tools so that you can easily process your leads.

Woorise pricing

Woorise has a limited free plan. Then, the Basic plan costs $29 monthly ($23 on an annual plan), while the Grow plan costs $49 monthly ($39 on an annual plan).

Woorise pricing page

Lastly, the Pro plan costs $99 monthly ($79 on an annual plan). However, the Pro plan can get more expensive if you need over 20,000 entries monthly. 

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4. Easypromos

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. You can run over 40 contest types.

Easypromos templates

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 analytics for your giveaways. For example, you can get data about the number of registrations per day/hour, unique visits, conversion rates, giveaway participants’ sources, and more.

Here are some key features of Easypromos:

  • Extensive contest types: These give you more options on the contest type to run. 
  • Templates: With over 300 templates, you’ll likely find a template that resembles the giveaway type you want to run.
  • Organizing brands: If you run an agency, you can create brand pages for your clients. This will help you organize the giveaways you run for each client.
  • Email autoresponders: This lets you create automated emails for giveaway participants. For instance, you can send emails automatically to participants during and after your contests.
  • Analytics: Easypromos provides statistics about participants, visits, shares, sources, and more. With the Google Analytics integration, you can even get more data.
  • Integrations: Easypromos lets you integrate with social media platforms, email marketing software, CRM platforms, and other marketing tools.

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

Easypromos pricing

Easypromos’s Basic plan costs $29 monthly ($25 on an annual plan), while the Basic pro plan costs $49 monthly ($41 on an annual plan).

Easypromos pricing page

The Premium plan costs $199 monthly ($167 on an annual plan), while the White label plan costs $399 monthly ($334 on an annual plan).

If you want to subscribe to the Corporate plan, you’ll have to contact the Easypromos team.

5. ViralSweep

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.

ViralSweep giveaway demo

You can invite these brands or accept their offer to promote your giveaways.

Doing this will bring in more participants and leads for your business.

To generate more leads, you can use the email collection forms on your giveaway page.

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

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Lastly, ViralSweep has responsive and helpful customer support. So, you can quickly resolve any issue you face while using the product.

Here are some key features of ViralSweep:

  • Instant win contests: With this contest type, participants will know immediately if they win a prize.
  • ViralSweep partner network: The partner network lets you connect with other brands to promote your contests. 
  • Waitlist contest: Another feature I find interesting is the waitlist contest. Participants can perform various actions to ensure they get to the top of the waitlist. In return, they’ll get to use your new products for free.
  • Fraud detection: This eliminates users who try to cheat in your giveaways. 
  • Integrations: You can connect ViralSweep with other marketing tools. This way, you can easily nurture leads.

ViralSweep pricing

The Starter plan costs $49 monthly ($41 on an annual plan), while the Business plan costs $199 monthly ($166 on an annual plan).

ViralSweep pricing plans

The Premium plan costs $399 monthly ($333 if you pay annually), while the Elite plan costs $999 monthly ($833 on an annual plan). To subscribe to the Enterprise plan, you have to contact the ViralSweep team for the price.

ViralSweep also allows you to go for a 7-day trial before paying for any of the plans.

6. Vyper

Vyper’s lowest plan costs more than Gleam’s. Although, 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.

Contest templates are one feature that makes this possible. You’ll find templates for different contest types.

Then, you can use the contest builder to edit the giveaway to your needs. The builder is easy to navigate for even non-technical users.

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

Choose display mode in Vyper giveaways

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: Vyper has templates for various contest types. So, no matter the type of contest you want to run, you’ll find a template to start with.
  • Contest builder: The contest builder lets you edit templates to create unique contests.
  • Leaderboard contests: This type of contest can drive brand awareness as participants invite voters to your contest landing page.
  • Integrations: Vyper provides integrations to other marketing tools. With that, you can transfer your leads automatically.

Vyper pricing

The Enterprise plan costs $149 monthly, while the Agency plan costs $299 monthly.

Vyper pricing plans

In contrast, if you pay annually, you’ll get a massive 50% discount on each plan. 

Vyper lets you create a free account to try all its features. However, you have to pay before running a giveaway.

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.

Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. This means that if you click a link and buy one of the products on this page, I may receive a commission (at no extra cost to you). This doesn’t affect my opinions or reviews.

Author: Samuel Olumide

Apart from running this blog, I write marketing and SaaS content for businesses that want to reach a bigger audience, generate leads, and acquire customers. Get in touch with me to discuss your content needs.

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