A free Gleam alternative for creators
Looking for a free Gleam alternative? Perkadoo's Winner Picker and comment pickers are free with no account, and a hosted giveaway with an entry page and email capture is a one-off $19, where Gleam's cheapest monthly plan is $29.
Gleam vs. Perkadoo
Entry prices and limits, monthly billing unless noted.
| Gleam | Perkadoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Not shown on gleam.io/pricing. The Shopify app listing still lists a Free plan. | Every free tool, 1 giveaway draft and 100 streak members. |
| Cheapest paid plan | Hobby: $29/month, or $10/month billed yearly. 15 winners on monthly billing. | $19 one-off per hosted giveaway, or $24/month on Starter. |
| Pay for one giveaway | Monthly or yearly plans only for hosted campaigns. | $19 one-off for one hosted giveaway, 10,000 entrants, email export and bonus entries |
| Pick from Instagram comments | Free up to 200 comments, then $3.99 per post for up to 1,000. | Free. Paste up to 10,000 comments, no account. |
| Bonus entries | Repeat actions start at 2 on Hobby. | Invite a friend (verified), share, follow and visit, on the $19 giveaway. |
Sources, checked 2026-10-16: Gleam pricing, Gleam on the Shopify App Store, Gleam Instagram comment picker
Pick Gleam if
- You run a giveaway every month. Gleam Hobby billed yearly is $120 a year, so past six giveaways a year it costs less than six one-off Perkadoo giveaways.
- You need entry actions across many social platforms. Gleam's list is much longer than Perkadoo's four bonus actions.
- You want the widget inside a Shopify store today. Gleam has a Shopify app. Perkadoo embeds with a script tag.
- You need team seats, SMS verification or webhooks, which sit on Gleam's Business and Premium plans.
Why creators switch
No plan for a once-a-quarter giveaway
Most creators run two to four giveaways a year. At $19 each, that's $38 to $76 a year, not a subscription you forget to cancel.
A draw anyone can check
Every Perkadoo draw locks the entry list first, then uses public drand randomness published after it. The results page lets anyone rerun the pick.
The free tools stay free
Comment pickers, Winner Picker, Spin the Wheel and the rules generator need no account. The picker takes up to 10,000 entries.
Try Winner Picker free, no sign-up
Who's in?
0 entries
Doo draws with public randomness that doesn't exist until after your list is locked in. Anyone can check the result.
Questions people ask
Is Gleam free?
As of October 2026, gleam.io/pricing shows paid plans only, starting with Hobby at $29/month or $10/month billed yearly. Its Shopify listing still shows a Free plan, and its Instagram comment picker is free up to 200 comments.
What's the cheapest way to run one hosted giveaway?
On Perkadoo it's a one-off $19: one hosted entry page, up to 10,000 entrants, email export and bonus entries. No monthly plan.
Can I pick a Gleam winner with Perkadoo?
Yes. Export your entries to a CSV, upload it to Winner Picker and draw. You get a public results page anyone can check.