Do you want to run a contest on your site but are not sure how to go about it?
Contests can help you get more email subscribers, social media followers, and website visitors but you need to do it the right way for it to work. That’s why it’s so important to pick the right tools.
In this guide, we’ll give you our top picks on the best WordPress contest plugins you can use.
First, let’s be clear on what you need in a contest plugin.
What You Should Look For in a Contest Plugin
When selecting a giveaway plugin this is what you should ideally to look for:
- Easy to Use: A good contest plugin will make it super easy for anyone to set up and run a contest or giveaway. Many plugins handle all of the technical work while you only have to add text and configure a few settings and you’re ready to launch your contest.
- Social Sharing Options: Contests are a great way to get users to follow you on social media, share/comment on your posts, or watch a YouTube video in order to stand a chance to win the prize. So adding social sharing options can help you get the most out of your contest.
- Email Integration: By connecting to email, you can get users to sign up for email newsletters and nurture a long-term relationship with them where you promote your brand and products.
Also, when you run contests, you want to make sure the plugin has features that will protect you from fraudulent entries.
Added that, having a countdown timer adds a sense of urgency for people to enter your contest. So, that’s important to consider as well.
Keeping this in mind, we’ve hand-selected the best WordPress contest plugins to help you start your giveaway. Time to check them out!
Best WordPress Contest and Giveaway Plugins
Before we begin, e must mention that if you want to host quizzes on your site, then Thrive Quizzes is the best. You can set up awesome interactive quizzes for your site.
Below we take a look at the best WordPress plugins that make it easy to set up contests with professional and advanced features.
1. RafflePress
RafflePress is hands down the #1 contest plugin for WordPress. This amazing WordPress giveaway plugin makes it so easy to create and run full-fledged contests on your site.
There are premade templates and a user-friendly drag-and-drop page builder to create giveaway campaigns within minutes. You’ll never need any coding or design skills.
RafflePress comes with a whole menu of eligibility actions to add to your contest with just a click.
For instance, you can ask contestants to visit a page, join a newsletter, follow you on social media, refer a friend, and so much more. You can even add multiple options if you’d like.
The plugin comes with full-proof protection against any kind of fraud entries. And with the help of tracking and retargeting, it’s easier for you to maximize your conversion.
Features:
- Responsive giveaway templates and
- Rule generator template for contest eligibility
- Lightweight and blazing fast to help with site speed, SEO and conversions
- Contest automation with start and end times
- Social media, email, marketing, and CRM integrations
- Dedicated contest landing page
- Viral sharing/Refer-a-friend
- Easy customizations with drag and drop contest builder
- 1-click entry and Social media entry options
- Fraud protection and GDPR compliant
Cost: There’s a free version so you can build a contest with zero investment! Pro features are available in the premium version that starts at $39.50 per year.
2. WPForms
WPForms is the best form builder for WordPress. It comes with a premade template to create and add contest forms to your site.
This is the perfect solution if you’re looking for a plugin to create a quick and simple contest using an entry form so participants can submit their details.
Inside the WPForms builder, you’ll find lots of customizable fields to create a contest form that matches your marketing goals. You can add images, videos, dropdown menus, captcha, and much more.
There’s even an option to allow users to upload files so you can host contests with user-generation content like articles, videos, photos, and more. So you can host a video contest, photo contest, or blog contest too!
Once a participant submits the contest form, you can trigger automated emails to confirm their entry and start your email marketing campaigns with them. You can even redirect participants to a new page to continue their journey with your brand.
WPForms also has a survey and polls addon that you can use to get feedback and user opinions on your brand.
Features
- 300+ templates and a visual drag and drop builder
- Smart form fields to get essential user information
- Dynamically change form fields based on user response
- Allow users to upload files
- Built-in spam and captcha protection
- Seamless integrations with all popular email services
You can use WPForms to create all sorts of forms including booking, registration, contact forms, and more on your WordPress website.
Cost: WPForms has a lite version that’s absolutely free. The premium plugin starts at $49.50 per year.
3. OptinMonster
OptinMonster is a powerful lead generation tool that lets you create spin-the-wheel contests on your site. There are attractive premade templates that look great out of the box.
You also get a visual drag and drop builder to easily customize the content, colors, and prizes. You can set the probability ratio for each wheel segment. This will determine how often your prizes are awarded to customers.
OptinMonster is designed to grow your email list, so customers need to enter their email addresses and subscribe to your marketing campaigns to enter the contest.
Then they can spin the wheel and the prizes will be instantly awarded. OptinMonster will automatically send them an email with their coupon code or prize.
Features:
- Minimal setup
- Targeting rules to control who sees your contest
- Exit intent contests to recover abandoning visitors
- Email integrations with services like Constant Contact and Mailchimp
- Test campaigns and adjust in real time
- Seamless integration with Google Analytics
With OptinMonster, you can create all sorts of campaigns for lead generation and conversion optimization. These include popups, floating bars, slide-ins, scroll boxes and more.
Cost: Starts at $9 per month. Spin the wheel games are on the Growth plan.
Get started with OptinMonster!
4. Video Contest WordPress Plugin
Video Contest WordPress Plugin is another brilliant WordPress giveaway plugin that you might want to check out. With this plugin, you can create video competitions with ease in no time.
The plugin gives you full control over the competition including comments, votes, video sources, new submission, and more. This contest plugin lets you do a whole lot.
Video Contest also supports full integration with BuddyPress. With this integration, you can offer a community site or a forum where participants can engage with each other.
To combat spam submission, it offers 9 layers of fraud protection so your contest is protected. Added to that, the plugin is translation-ready and supports 9 global languages.
One thing you need to keep in mind here is that this plugin is quite expensive and gives you access only to video contests. Later on, you won’t be able to create any other kind of contest with this plugin.
Features:
- 100% responsive designs
- Easy to use admin panel
- Run unlimited contests together
- Full control over contest rules and elements
Cost: $39 with 6 months of support.
Get started with Video Contest!
5. Image/Video Contest Generator
Image/Video Contest Generator lets you quickly create various contests and fun games to attract visitors to your website. It helps increase session time by keeping users engaged in long-form contests and quizzes.
To make your contests and games more appealing, this gamification plugin offers beautiful editable ready-to-use templates. You can change the color, fonts, and even add buttons to the templates.
To maximize contest visibility, there’s an option to add social share buttons to your website so users can easily share it with friends. The plugin also gives you detailed statistics. You’ll get insights into how well your contest is performing and can make adjustments as you go.
The plugin is more suitable for those who want to boost site engagement. You won’t be able to increase your following on other platforms or grow your email list.
Features:
- Unlimited number of contests with unlimited questions
- Custom blur effect for images
- Dynamically change points according to time taken to answer
- Customizable templates
- Integrates with Facebook
- Track which contests are popular
Cost: $10 with 6 months of support.
Get Started with Image/Video Contest Generator!
6. Photo Contest
From the same creators as Video Contest, the Photo Contest plugin lets you create a photography contest with ease. It’s perfect for those who want to allow users to submit their photos to enter the contest.
The best part about this plugin is that it’s built with performance, security, and ease of use in mind. The Photo Contest plugin has been successfully tested in the latest version of WordPress and a number of free and premium themes. So you’ll never have to touch any coding or worry about compatibility issues.
This plugin is super fast, responsive, and flexible, so regardless of the device your visitor is using, your contest campaign will look great.
Like the Video Contest plugin, this one too supports BuddyPress. The plugin is GDPR ready and even lets you send email notifications to contestants.
The downside here is that you won’t be able to create any other kind of contest. It’s solely meant to boost engagement by getting visitors to submit their photos. The plugin is also not designed to reach your marketing goals fast.
Features:
- Full control over contest rules and elements
- 100% responsive designs
- Easy to use admin panel
- Run unlimited contests at the same time
- Email notifications for you and your user
Cost: $39 with 6 months support. There’s a bundle option to get both Photo Contest and Video Contest for $49.
7. Gleam
Gleam is a website growth platform that has a contest builder called Competitions that lets you design giveaways to build subscribers and increase web traffic. This lets you run competitions and sweepstakes on your site. You simply need to add your prize, choose your actions, and embed the contest on your site.
The plugin lets you craft instantly redeemable rewards in return for user actions. You can ask them to visit social media pages, follow or subscribe, and much more.
There are 100+ integrations to connect to your social media platforms and marketing apps. The downside to this plugin is that it lacks customization options. You’ll only be able to change a few things so your contest could look quite similar to others using the same platform. Plus, it adds the Gleam branding to your contests unless you subscribe to the higher-end Pro plan.
Gleam also redirects users to other platforms in order to follow or subscribe and it doesn’t return them to your site. This means you could lose your site traffic once they leave and get caught up on social networks.
However, this plugin isn’t as beginner friendly as the other plugins we’ve mentioned but the setup wizard can help.
Features
- Contest templates
- 10 ways to enter your contest
- 1-click entry
- Built-in viral sharing
- Filter invalid entries
Cost: Free version available. Gleam offers individual plugins and a bundled deal. The Competitions plugin starts at $10 per month while the Rewards plugin starts at $29 per month. You can get the bundle for $97 per month.
8. KingSumo
KingSumo by AppSumo lets you quickly create your giveaway. It has a user-friendly interface with a one-time fee. No monthly subscriptions, so you have fewer bills to keep track of.
You can create a giveaway in less than a minute and customize it with your own logo. Also, there are options to schedule the start and end dates of your contest ahead of time so you can plan for big holidays like Black Friday.
Want to link your contest with social media marketing too? King Sumo even offers Facebook pixel tracking.
You can add social sharing options to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It also integrates with popular email services to help you grow your subscriber list.
KingSumo lets you grow your contest audience by encouraging users to share it. The more friends they get to enter the contest, the more entries they earn.
However, with KingSumo, you cannot collect participant names so you won’t get critical information you need for marketing purposes. It also lacks an entry management dashboard making it difficult to track performance.
All things considered, KingSumo is a great WordPress contest plugin to use for growing your list.
Features:
- Easy setup
- Unlimited giveaways
- Mobile-friendly
- Optimized for viral sharing
- 24/7 customer support
- Unlimited giveaways
- Free plugin updates
Cost: There’s a basic web app for free. The lifetime plan is $49.
9. Simple Giveaways
Simple Giveaways is a free but powerful WordPress giveaway plugin that’s perfect for small businesses. Their social shares feature lets subscribers follow you on social media in exchange for more chances to win your contest.
That’s not all: when website visitors share the giveaway, they get extra entries and you’ll get more traffic and more followers.
With Simple Giveaways, you need to track unverified responses and if they look suspicious, you have the option to delete them. You can also add a Google captcha to get rid of spammers. But these features don’t come close to RafflePress’s fraud protection.
It lets you host your contest on a separate page. You also get giveaway widgets and shortcodes to promote your contest page.
To use this plugin, you need to create your giveaway, define user actions, and then share it on your site. As users complete actions, they’ll be added to your contest or sweepstake. If they share the giveaway, they can earn extra entries.
The plugin integrates with email services and WooCommerce but this feature is available only in the Pro version.
Features:
- Mobile responsive
- Dedicated landing page
- Optimized for speed
- Referral sharing and verified actions
- Social logins and email verification
- Multiple prizes functionality
Cost: There’s a free version. The paid plugin costs $49.99 yearly.
Get started with Simple Giveaways!
10. RaffleCopter
RaffleCopter lets you create giveaways for your website without any coding. The tool isn’t WordPress-specific and works on other platforms too.
Rafflecopter offers customizable sweepstakes that are easy to manage. Their extensive resource library gives you a lot of options for designing your contest.
It’s built for scale so you can customize your online contest to suit your audience as it grows.
It works with all major email marketing services and offers integrations with popular social media networks.
Rafflecopter has a free plan with very limited features. You’ll need to upgrade to get most of the features you need to create a successful giveaway.
The pro plans are really expensive. You’ll get the same features and more with other contest plugins like RafflePress that come at a fraction of the cost.
Still not convinced? You can check out our guide on the best Rafflecopter alternatives.
Features:
- Unlimited giveaways and entries
- 1-click random winners
- Embeddable entry form
- Export participant data
- Polls and surveys
- Friend referral
Cost: Starts at $156 per year.
11. Contests by Rewards Fuel
Contest by Rewards Fuel lets you run contest and giveaways right from your WordPress dashboard. This is one of the best giveaway plugins for WordPress as it lets you drive more traffic, social media following, boost comments and do a lot more on your site.
You can easily reward your winners with digital prizes. The plugin also lets you duplicate the existing contest, which makes it easy for you to run a similar contest with slight edits.
Using statistics, you can see how your contest is performing.
There’s a feature to blacklist specific countries from entering the contest. This lets you protect your form as well as make it available only in specific locations.
Best of all, this plugin is absolutely free to use.
Features:
- 6 contest types and 35 entry methods
- YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter contest entry
- Powerful integrations with Zapier, Survey Monkey, and more.
- Digital prizes
- Duplicate contests to create new ones easily
Cost: Premium plans start at $16.63 per month when billed annually.
Get started with Contest by Rewards Fuel!
12. Lottery for WooCommerce
Lottery for WooCommerce is a contest plugin for WooCommerce sites. You can use it to automatically generate lottery tickets.
The plugin lets you customize fields and winner selection to control your lottery configurations. You can issue free tickers or add a price tag so contestants can purchase a lottery ticket to enter your contest.
This plugin lets you add a requirement that customers need to first register themselves before they can enter the contest. This helps grow your subscriber and member base.
Your customers will be notified by email when their lottery ticket is confirmed, when the lottery ends, and to announce the winner.
When a winner is selected, a product order will automatically be created with zero charges to the customer’s account.
Features:
- Select winners manually or automatically
- Email notifications for admin and users
- Set limited number of lottery tickets
- Set price per ticket or offer for free
Cost: $8.25 per month.
Get started with Lottery for WooCommerce!
13. SweepWidget
SweepWidget‘s free WordPress contest tool can help you run viral giveaways easily. It’s compatible with over 30 social media platforms to increase your likes, followers, and shares.
You can manage your contests and analytics all from the admin dashboard. Also, SweepWidget has a few more tools worth mentioning.
Key Features:
- Sweepstakes
- Raffles
- Instant prize draws
- Instant coupon campaigns
- Leaderboard competitions
If you’re looking to run a giveaway, this drag-and-drop contest builder has many options to increase your subscribers.
Cost: Free plan available. Pro starts at $29 per month.
Get started with SweepWidget today
There you have it! That’s our list of the best WordPress Contest and Giveaway plugins.
The BEST WordPress Contest and Giveaway Plugin
Though we narrowed it down to just these plugins, it can still be hard to pick one. So we’re giving you our verdict based on our own comparisons, research, and trials.
RafflePress has everything you’ll need to run a successful giveaway on your site. You can set a goal for every online contest and adjust the settings to match what you want to achieve.
This plugin enables you to skyrocket your email subscriber list, social media following, website traffic, and more. Combining RafflePress’s powerful tools together will grow your business and website success.
Without a doubt, we recommend RafflePress. It’s the #1 contest and giveaway plugin for WordPress, and for good reason.
Once you install and activate RafflePress on your site, you can follow our step-by-step guide to create your contest in under 3 minutes: How to create a successful giveaway or contest in WordPress.
We hope you found our list helpful in getting the best contest plugin for your WordPress site. Next, you’ll definitely want to see these resources:
- How to Create a Social Media Contest to Grow Your Traffic
- Powerful Conversion Rate Optimization Tools to Skyrocket Growth
- Best Marketing Automation Tools for WordPress (Compared)
These posts will give you helpful tools and tutorials to effectively grow your website.
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