- Features<\/a>
- <\/ul><\/li>
- Ease of Use<\/a>
- <\/ul><\/li>
- Support<\/a>
- <\/ul><\/li>
- Pricing<\/a><\/li>
- Which Is the Best?<\/a>
- <\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n
- Following you on social media<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Joining your email list<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Visiting a URL<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Leaving a comment<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Viral sharing and more<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Benefits of Using a Giveaway Tool<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The benefit of using a tool for giveaways is that it helps you keep track of who’s entering while allowing you to grow your email list and social followers and raise awareness about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are the benefits of using a giveaway tool in more detail:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Better Tracking<\/strong> – Giveaway tools often have features that allow you to track your digital marketing efforts more effectively.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- More Traffic<\/strong> – Tools like RafflePress let you share your giveaway across multiple platforms, driving traffic back to your WordPress site.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Boost Followers<\/strong> – Online giveaway tools typically include the option to follow you on social media for entry into your contest. This can significantly help to grow your followers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Generate Leads<\/strong> – You can use giveaway tools to reach more people and, in turn, improve lead generation for your business.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Increase Sales – <\/strong>Once you generate leads via your giveaway tool, you can turn them into customers and boost your business sales.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
How I Tested Gleam vs RafflePress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Now, as I mentioned earlier, I put 2 of the most popular giveaway platforms to the test, Gleam<\/strong> vs RafflePress<\/strong>. I wanted to see how they really stacked up against each other and if one was clearly a better option than the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To make sure I was giving each platform a fair shot, I created a testing framework that would really push their limits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Ease of Use:<\/strong> I tested how easy each platform was to use. Could someone new figure it out quickly? Does it have enough features for people who know what they’re doing?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Ways to Enter:<\/strong> I tried out all the different ways people could enter the giveaway. This included social media connections, custom entries, and other options to get people involved.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Price and Features:<\/strong> I looked at more than just the cost – I wanted to know exactly what you get for your money. Are there any surprise fees? Are the extra features worth paying for?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Tracking Results:<\/strong> I ran several test giveaways to see what kind of information each platform could show me. Could I see how well my giveaway was doing? Was it easy to download the results?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Picking Winners:<\/strong> I tested how each platform handles choosing winners. Is it truly random? How does it check if winners are real? What happens if you need to pick a new winner?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Now, let me show you how each platform performed in these areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Features Comparison<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Let’s look a little closer at the features of these online giveaway tools so you can compare them with each other and pick the right one for your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RafflePress Features<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"RafflePress](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rafflepress-best-giveaway-plugin.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRafflePress<\/a> is the only giveaway tool on this list designed to run online giveaways and contests on a WordPress website. I was initially drawn to it because I run several WordPress sites, and the native integration seemed perfect for my needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Billed as one of the best WordPress giveaway plugins, it aims to help you grow your email list<\/a>, website traffic, and social media followers with viral giveaways and contests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a viable Rafflecopter alternative<\/a>, it’s super user-friendly and comes with pre-built templates to help you get set up online giveaways quickly. I was honestly surprised by how easy it was – I had my first giveaway up and running in about 15 minutes, even as someone who usually needs time to figure out new tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Features<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- The drag-and-drop giveaway builder is super easy to use for beginners.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 1-click entry and fraud protection make it easier for people to enter and reduce spam.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Viral giveaway templates<\/a> help you get more subscribers, boost site traffic, and grow your social media followers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Easily run Twitter giveaways<\/a> with the ready-made Twitter template.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A dedicated Instagram giveaway template helps you collect user-generated content quickly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Facebook Like and Share<\/a> actions make Facebook giveaways a breeze.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Viral refer-a-friend actions help you spread the word through word-of-mouth referrals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Giveaway landing pages create a distraction-free environment for contest entrants to take action.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Social media integrations help you grow your following and run a social media contest on LinkedIn, interest, and more.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Easy integration with Uncanny Automator\u2019s automation plugin and other third-party providers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Powerful retargeting features let you maximize your conversion goals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Random winner selection makes drawing winners easy and fair.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Giveaway entry reports help you see which contest marketing actions are the most popular.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Gleam Features<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Gleam](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/gleam.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nI decided to try Gleam.io<\/a> because I kept hearing about its extra features. What I didn’t realize at first was that Gleam is actually a whole marketing platform, not just a giveaway tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I first logged in, I felt a bit overwhelmed by all the different options – there were four different apps to figure out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my experience, having all these extra features was a bit of a double-edged sword. While it’s nice to have more tools at your disposal, I found myself paying for features I never used. I really just needed the competition app for my giveaways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Features<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- 4 individual apps for getting more email subscribers, running Gleam competitions, building social media galleries, and coupons<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Run a Gleam app giveaway with unlimited entries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Access giveaway winner data (limited to 10 winners on the free version).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Randomly draw winners from all entries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Multiple entry options include social networks, file uploads, and more, although this depends on which plan you choose.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Integrate with popular email marketing software for giveaway promotion and list growth (paid plans only).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
In practice, I found Gleam to be powerful but complex. While I appreciated having access to advanced features, I often felt like I was using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. It was more tool than I actually needed for most of my giveaways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ease of Use Comparison<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Now you know what each contest tool includes, let’s look at how easy they are to use in the real world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RafflePress Ease of Use<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Running a giveaway with RafflePress is easy. Simply get your copy of RafflePress<\/a> and add the plugin to WordPress. For help with installing WordPress plugins<\/a>, follow these instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to Run a RafflePress Giveaway<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Setting up your RafflePress giveaway is as simple as choosing a giveaway template, entering your prize information, adding entry actions, and hitting publish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Click](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/choose-raffle-entry-methods.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBut to make things easier for you, you can follow this easy step-by-step guide on how to run an online giveaway<\/a> with RafflePress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few important things to take note of with RafflePress is that with the free plan, RafflePress Lite, you can add the following entry actions without having to pay a penny<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Visit, like, and share a Facebook page<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Follow and share on Twitter<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Follow on Pinterest<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Visit on Instagram<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Visit a page<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Upgrading to a premium plan unlocks many more giveaway actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The majority of RafflePress entry actions also allow users to enter your contest daily<\/a> to secure multiple entries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The free version includes a giveaway rules section with a rules generator template and a GDPR consent<\/a> option. You can also include your Google Analytics tracking code to track the contest traffic of people virally sharing your giveaway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Easily](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/generate-contest-rules.gif\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAdding a RafflePress Giveaway to WordPress<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"RafflePress](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/rafflepress-giveaway-publishing-options-min.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRafflePress has 3 ways to publish WordPress giveaways<\/a>, which include the following methods:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- A built-in RafflePress content block<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Publishing with a WordPress shortcode<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Creating a giveaway landing page (pro version only)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The easiest option is to use the RafflePress WordPress block.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To add your RafflePress giveaway to WordPress, create a new post or page and give it a name. Then click the plus icon to bring up the content block finder in your WordPress editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Add](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rafflepress-add-to-wordpress.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nType RafflePress into the search box to bring up the content block. Then click it to add it to your post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Choose](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rafflepress-select-giveaway.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom the dropdown menu in the block, scroll down until you find your giveaway. Once you click it, the RafflePress giveaway widget will appear in your post with a live preview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"WordPress](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rafflepress-giveaway-preview.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nClick publish when you’re ready. Then, when you navigate to the live post, it will look similar to the example below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Example](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rafflepress-live-giveaway.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSuppose you’d prefer to create a standalone, distraction-free landing page for your giveaway<\/a>. In that case, it’s as simple as choosing the Giveaway Landing Page<\/strong> option and entering a unique permalink for your page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Rafflepress](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/publish-competition.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThen, you can laser-focus your traffic to a single page to help you increase your contest entries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"rafflepress](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/daily-giveaway-app-landing-page.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGleam Ease of Use<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can sign up for a free account to start running Gleam app giveaways. Then, you can visit the Gleam dashboard to start creating your contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The admin area is pretty cluttered, making finding the settings you need tricky. With so many different features displayed, it isn’t obvious if you’re new to using the app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"gleam](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/gleam-publish-options.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTypically, you can only access many options displayed in the Gleam giveaway dashboard by upgrading to one of their paid plans. So filtering what you can and can’t use is a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are 4 ways to publish your Gleam giveaway online. This includes the following options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Embed in a blog post or page<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A landing page hosted on Gleam<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Add a tab to your Facebook page<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Add a tab to your website (paid plan only)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
And again, there isn’t a WordPress plugin<\/a> to make connecting to your site easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Related:<\/strong> 10 Free Gleam Alternatives for WordPress Contests<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Support Comparison<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Accessing first-class support when hosting a contest is crucial to your overall success. With the proper support, you can make sure you’re using your giveaway tool in the best way to maximize your results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let’s see how each option looks regarding the support on offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RafflePress Support<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When using RafflePress, you can contact the support team via their online contact form, where you get to speak to a human being. They aim to get back to you within 24 hours, and they’re always happy to help, no matter how simple your question is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"RafflePress](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/rafflepress-support-1024x498.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRafflePress also has detailed documentation<\/a> for all available features. And to go with it, their blog is dedicated to providing the most up-to-date information about running contests. Plus, there are a ton of tutorials for growing your business on WordPress, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"RafflePress](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/rafflepress-guarantee.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRafflePress offers users a 100% money-back guarantee, so you can use the plugin with zero risks to yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gleam Support<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, Gleam offers email support to all customers on any plan, and users of their paid versions can also use chat support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Gleam](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/gleam-support-1024x531.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThere’s also a Slack group for anyone on their pro plan or higher. Priority support is reserved for Business and Premium plan users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gleam has a range of resources for users to learn in their own time to go with their direct support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pricing Comparison<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to learning how much each giveaway tool costs, it’s pretty simple, as we detail below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Easily run Twitter giveaways<\/a> with the ready-made Twitter template.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Ways to Enter:<\/strong> I tried out all the different ways people could enter the giveaway. This included social media connections, custom entries, and other options to get people involved.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- More Traffic<\/strong> – Tools like RafflePress let you share your giveaway across multiple platforms, driving traffic back to your WordPress site.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
What Is a Giveaway Tool?<\/h2>
\n![\"What](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/what-is-a-giveaway-tool.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nA giveaway tool<\/a> is a web application or plugin that allows you to create and run contests, sweepstakes, and giveaways on your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Often, they’ll have a giveaway widget, landing page<\/a>, or an embed code that you can easily add to your site. The most popular giveaway tools let you add multiple entry options so visitors can enter the giveaway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These entry options usually involve the following actions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Which Is the Best?<\/a>
- Pricing<\/a><\/li>
- Support<\/a>
- Ease of Use<\/a>
![\"RafflePress](\"https:\/\/rafflepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/rafflepress-reviews.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n