The Best Contest Software in 2026
We researched contest software using vendors’ official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables, and product documentation. Rankings focus on the category’s core job, value for money, and verified features, helping buyers compare tools for creating, managing, and promoting contests.
Our top picks
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Top ranked
Gleam Competitions#1 of 219.1/10A flexible contest builder with broad entry methods, fraud controls, and tiered campaign features.
Free plan
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Runner-up
Easypromos#2 of 218.8/10A broad contest toolkit for brands that need more than a simple social giveaway.
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Top-ranked free plan
Woobox#6 of 218.4/10A campaign builder for branded giveaways and user-generated content contests.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 21 tools, best first
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Best forSocial giveaways and multi-channel competitions
A flexible contest builder with broad entry methods, fraud controls, and tiered campaign features.
9.1/10★★★★★Visit Gleam -
Best forBrands running social and user-generated contests
A broad contest toolkit for brands that need more than a simple social giveaway.
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Easypromos -
Best forAwards programs with complex judging workflows
A configurable awards platform built for programs with complex judging workflows.
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Award Force -
Best forOrganizations running paid awards with automated judging
A paid, web-based awards platform with configurable judging and entry payments.
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit Evalato -
Best forInnovation challenges, hackathons, and competitions
Enterprise contest software for configurable submissions, judging, collaboration, and analytics.
- Social sharing
- Custom branding
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Agorize -
Best forAffordable branded UGC contests and giveaways
A campaign builder for branded giveaways and user-generated content contests.
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Woobox -
Best forPhotography contests and curated open calls
A focused online workspace for branded calls, organized review rounds and juror voting.
- Custom branding
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Picter -
Best forSmall-to-large awards events on a per-event budget
A configurable contest platform with judging, voting, payments, and per-event pricing.
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Judgify -
Best forLow-cost awards with blind, multi-round judging
AwardKit combines blind, multi-round judging and entry payments for award programs.
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit AwardKit -
Best forAwards organizers needing ticketing and judging
AwardStage brings submissions, judging and event ticketing into one awards workflow.
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit AwardStage -
Best forGrant, scholarship, and award program administrators
Configurable grants and awards workflows with reviewer tools, reporting, and 65 integrations.
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit OpenWater -
Best forGrant and scholarship programs needing post-award tracking
Structured application review and post-award tracking for grant and scholarship programs.
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit Reviewr -
Best forMarketing teams combining contests with lead capture
A broad campaign builder for teams pairing contests with lead capture.
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit ShortStack -
Best forBudget-conscious social giveaways and quizzes
A giveaway-focused contest tool with a free plan and social entry actions.
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit PromoSimple -
Best forMultichannel UGC contests and promotional campaigns
A broad campaign toolkit for UGC contests, with annual plans starting at $240/month.
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit Votigo -
Best forIn-person contests with judged scoring and check-in
A focused web platform for judged, in-person contests with check-in and live results.
- Social sharing
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit Continuous Cup -
Best forPhoto and video contests needing voting controls
A broad contest toolkit starting at $99/month, with voting and fraud controls.
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit Revup -
Best forReferral-focused sweepstakes and instant-win campaigns
A referral-focused platform for sweepstakes and instant-win campaigns, with tiered plans.
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit ViralSweep -
Best forSocial campaigns needing many entry methods
Flexible campaign formats and entry actions, with personal-data limits on the free plan.
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit SweepWidget -
Best forSmall creators running social or gaming giveaways
A flexible giveaway platform for creators who need broad social and gaming reach.
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit Socialman -
Best forScholarship programs needing scored application review
A focused workflow for screening, scoring, and selecting scholarship applicants.
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Awardmatic
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Entry methods | Winner selection | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gleam Competitions | Yes | Email subscriptions, social follows and visits, comments, shares, hashtags, video actions, file uploads, quizzes, custom actions, coupon codes, Discord entries, and event actions | Both | 9.1 | |
| 2 | Easypromos | No | $290/yr | Registration forms, photo uploads, video uploads, text submissions, PDF uploads, external links, YouTube links, Instagram or TikTok content, mentions, hashtags, referrals, and votes | Both | 8.8 |
| 3 | Award Force | No | $3,250/yr | 8.7 | ||
| 4 | Evalato | No | €2,500 one-time | 8.6 | ||
| 5 | Agorize | No | online project or idea submissions; file uploads; participant applications | Both | 8.5 | |
| 6 | Woobox | Yes | $29/mo | Form entry, file upload, hashtag entry, social follows, social shares, YouTube subscriptions | Both | 8.4 |
| 7 | Picter | No | Online submission form; photo/image upload; video upload on Custom plan | Judged | 7.9 | |
| 8 | Judgify | Yes | 7.9 | |||
| 9 | AwardKit | Yes | $1,995/yr | 7.9 | ||
| 10 | AwardStage | No | $3,150/unit/yr | 7.9 | ||
| 11 | OpenWater | 7.8 | ||||
| 12 | Reviewr | 7.7 | ||||
| 13 | ShortStack | Yes | $24/mo | 7.6 | ||
| 14 | PromoSimple | Yes | $171/yr | email and Facebook login, Facebook visits or likes, Twitter follows or tweets, Instagram likes or follows, Pinterest follows or pins, polls, surveys, quizzes, refer-a-friend links, custom form fields | Both | 7.5 |
| 15 | Votigo | No | $240/mo | Web forms, microsites, landing pages, mobile, social posts, hashtags, comments, chatbot auto-DMs, QR codes, in-store entry | Both | 7.4 |
| 16 | Continuous Cup | Yes | Public competition page; staff-assisted entry; walk-up registration and check-in | Judged | 7.3 | |
| 17 | Revup | No | $990/yr | Photo uploads, video uploads, captions, custom fields, Google sign-in, social-platform video pulls, manual admin submissions | Both | 7.2 |
| 18 | ViralSweep | No | $41/mo | 7.1 | ||
| 19 | SweepWidget | Yes | $290/yr | Social follows, likes, comments, shares, reposts, visits, newsletter subscriptions, referrals, custom forms, polls, surveys, file uploads, secret codes, app downloads, purchases, event attendance, podcast subscriptions, and custom actions | Both | 7.0 |
| 20 | Socialman | Yes | social sign-in, page visits, follows, posts, retweets, viral sharing, newsletter signup, polls, quizzes, open questions, URL visits, app downloads, coupon unlocks | Both | 6.9 | |
| 21 | Awardmatic | $1,495/yr | 6.8 |
Head-to-head All 25 comparisons →
- Gleam Competitions vs Award Force
- Gleam Competitions vs Evalato
- Gleam Competitions vs Agorize
- Gleam Competitions vs Picter
- Gleam Competitions vs Judgify
- Easypromos vs Award Force
- Easypromos vs Evalato
- Easypromos vs Agorize
- Easypromos vs Picter
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How we rank contest software
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update