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8 Make My Contest Alternatives Ranked by Real Users — Free Picks Included (2026)

Explore 8 alternatives to Make My Contest — vetted by our editors with real user reviews, pricing, and feature comparisons.

8 free Make My Contest alternatives, ranked at a glance

Quick answer

The most popular free contest software alternatives to Make My Contest are ShortStack, VYPER and SweepWidget. ShortStack tops the ranking with a SpotScore of 9.1 and 4.53★ from users. Compare all 8 on score, rating, and pricing below.

Choosing the right Make My Contest alternative comes down to fit, and these 8 contest software free alternatives cover a wide range of needs. We rank them by SpotScore, which blends verified satisfaction with market presence, then ratings and pricing. Each tool is editor-checked. Use the table to compare, then read each breakdown.

ProductSpotScoreRatingPricingBest for
ShortStackBoost your online success with ShortStack's all-in-one solution.9.1★★★★★ 4.53(82)Freefrom $79/moteams of all sizes
VYPERMaximize your reach and engagement with VYPER's contest features.9.1★★★★★ 4.69(16)Freefrom $75/mosmall & mid-size businesses
SweepWidgetLevel up your sweepstakes game.9★★★★★ 4.89(37)Freefrom $25/moteams of all sizes
EvalatoStreamline your contests with ease.8.7★★★★★ 4.94(25)FreeFree Trial · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
SocialmanBoost engagement and drive traffic with Socialman's contest software.8.2★★★★★ 4.55(12)Freefrom $10/moteams of all sizes
FastoryEngage your audience with interactive mobile campaigns!7.7★★★☆☆ 3(1)FreeFree Trial · Subscriptionteams of all sizes
QueueAttract and engage customers with exciting contests.—★★★★★ 5(14)FreeFree Trial · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
OpenWater AwardsUnleash the power of recognition with OpenWater Awards.—★★★★★ 4.68(57)FreeFree Trial · Quotation Basedsmall & mid-size businesses

9.1

SpotScore

ShortStack - Contest Software

ShortStack

Boost your online success with ShortStack's all-in-one solution.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

4.5

82 verified reviews

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What is ShortStack?

ShortStack is the perfect all-in-one platform for any user looking to achieve success with online contests. Create custom landing page campaigns, sweepstakes, quizzes, hashtag and comment-to-enter social media promotions, and send emails - all without coding knowledge, saving you the hassle of ...

Read more about ShortStack
Free TrialTry Free →·

ShortStack offers custom pricing plan

9.1

SpotScore

VYPER - Contest Software

VYPER

Maximize your reach and engagement with VYPER's contest features.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

Start Free Trial

4.7

16 verified reviews

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What is VYPER?

VYPER is a revolutionary contest software solution that offers easy and powerful platform. Users are able to submit their files, set up their contest and control their tracking with one single interface. VYPER has multiple features that help contest run smoother, including the ability to allow ...

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Free TrialTry Free →

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9.0

SpotScore

SweepWidget - Contest Software

SweepWidget

Level up your sweepstakes game.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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4.9

37 verified reviews

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What is SweepWidget?

SweepWidget Contest Software is a powerful, affordable sweepstakes marketing tool designed to help user break away from the competition and attract more entrants to sweepstakes. Its affordable pricing plans make SweepWidget a simple way to start running successful sweepstakes. SweepWidget makes ...

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Free TrialTry Free →

8.7

SpotScore

Evalato - Contest Software

Evalato

Streamline your contests with ease.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

4.9

25 verified reviews

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watch-demo

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What is Evalato?

Evalato is the ultimate awards management software that helps you collect entries, empower judging, and recognize the worthiest winners. From flexible registration and submission setup to fair, audit-ready judging and instant winner galleries — everything runs in a single platform. Evalato ...

Read more about Evalato
Free TrialTry Free →·

Evalato offers custom pricing plan

8.2

SpotScore

Socialman - Contest Software

Socialman

Boost engagement and drive traffic with Socialman's contest software.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

4.5

12 verified reviews

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What is Socialman?

Socialman is a customizable contest platform for designing and running social media promotions. Built on open-source code, it supports a wide range of contest formats and can be extended with custom updates, making it adaptable for online business campaigns.

Read more about Socialman
Free TrialTry Free →

7.7

SpotScore

Fastory - Contest Software

Fastory

Engage your audience with interactive mobile campaigns!

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

3.0

1 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is Fastory?

Fastory software is a revolutionary platform that brings the power of mobile-first experiences to life! Through conversational chatbots, users can build creative and engaging contests and promotions for desktop and mobile devices, such as Facebook and Instagram. Brands, small businesses, and ...

Read more about Fastory
Free TrialTry Free →
Queue - Contest Software

Queue

Attract and engage customers with exciting contests.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

5.0

14 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is Queue?

Queue allows user to easily manage and attract new customers with a Facebook or Twitter contest. Running a contest is as easy as creating an event, picking a winner and posting about it on website. The powerful features of this solution are set within a polished, intuitive user interface. ...

Read more about Queue
Free Trial·

Queue offers custom pricing plan

OpenWater Awards - Contest Software

OpenWater Awards

Unleash the power of recognition with OpenWater Awards.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

Start Free Trial

4.7

57 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is OpenWater Awards?

OpenWater Awards’ easy-to-use platform executes it flawlessly, with features like simple and clean design, integrated floor plan/show map that can be customized in minutes, built-in back-up and redundancy, rewards and recognition capabilities, synchronized social media presence. With a simple, ...

Read more about OpenWater Awards
Free Trial·

OpenWater Awards offers custom pricing plan

Make My Contest vs its closest competitors

There are 8 direct Make My Contest competitors in Contest Software. The ones that come up most often are ShortStack, VYPER and SweepWidget. Each is compared against Make My Contest on rating, pricing and feature coverage below.

Tools similar to Make My Contest

Searches for "sites like Make My Contest" and "apps like Make My Contest" land on the same set of options as "Make My Contest alternatives" — the 8 options below cover both, whether you want a like-for-like replacement or something lighter.

Why each tool is in the running

ShortStack9.1Best for teams of all sizes

Simplifies the process of building and managing contests with a WYSIWYG interface.

Watch for: Learning curve associated with utilizing the full range of features, particularly for newcomers.

VYPER9.1Best for small & mid-size businesses

Grows social media reach and email lists through contest and giveaway mechanics.

Watch for: Pricing is higher than comparable contest tools.

SweepWidget9Best for teams of all sizes

Exceptional customer support, proactive in setting up accounts and addressing specific needs.

Watch for: Learning curve for advanced features and customization may be steep without sufficient guidance.

Evalato8.7Best for teams of all sizes

Streamlines awards management processes, making it convenient for both organizers and participants.

Watch for: Lack of a public voting feature, which some users find useful and hope to see implemented in the future.

Socialman8.2Best for teams of all sizes

Easy to use and user-friendly platform, suitable for running contests and giveaways.

Watch for: Free version has limitations in terms of statistics and integrations.

Fastory7.7Best for teams of all sizes

Mobile-first experience

Watch for: Limited to contest features

QueueBest for teams of all sizes

Streamlines community building with a viral contest feature.

Watch for: Initial setup can be intimidating for new users.

OpenWater AwardsBest for small & mid-size businesses

Easy customization to tailor programs to specific needs.

Watch for: Initial UI learning curve for some users.

Why teams look for a Make My Contest alternative

The reasons teams outgrow Make My Contest are fairly consistent:

  • Limited customization options
  • May require technical skills
  • Less known than competitors

What to look at before switching from Make My Contest

How the 8 free alternatives line up on price and ratings: 8 offer a free tier; paid plans run $10–$79, with Socialman the cheapest entry point; and Queue is the highest rated at 5★ across 14 reviews.

Behind the order.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Stuck on something? We're here to help with all the questions and answers in one place.

The top-rated alternatives to Make My Contest are Queue (5.0★), Evalato (4.9★), SweepWidget (4.9★). Compare all 8 alternatives side-by-side above.

When evaluating alternatives to Make My Contest, prioritize: Voting Management, Sweepstakes, Social Promotions, Social Media Management, Skills Contests, transparent pricing, free trial availability, and integrations with your existing tools. Use the filters above to compare by feature, budget, and team size.

Make My Contest starts from $50 /Year. Many alternatives offer similar functionality at different price points — some with free tiers, others with more flexible per-seat pricing. Use the filters above to narrow by budget.

Migration difficulty depends on how deeply Make My Contest is integrated into your workflows. Most alternatives offer data export/import tools and dedicated onboarding support. We recommend narrowing to 2–3 options, running a free trial, and checking each vendor's migration guides before committing.

Choosing the best Make My Contest alternative for your goals

  • On a budget / just exploring: start with a free tier — ShortStack, VYPER and SweepWidget let you evaluate without paying upfront.
  • If real-user ratings matter most: Queue has the strongest star rating (5★) among the options with verified reviews.
  • Want the safest pick: ShortStack has the highest Spotsaas Score (9.1) in this list — a strong default if you're unsure.

The switch from Make My Contest

A low-stress switch from Make My Contest starts with exporting your data and confirming the new tool imports it. Check feature parity for your real workflows, run a short pilot, and keep Make My Contest active until the move is finished. The free tiers above let you trial first.

Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].