The alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Suits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| KingSumo | Best overall: free viral giveaways | $0 |
| SendFox | Best for the email list behind your giveaway | $29 |
| Taku | Best for on-site popups and agencies | $29 |
| FormRobin | Best for entry forms and lead capture | $19 |
| Comment To DM | Best for LinkedIn lead magnets | $49 |
The best Gleam alternatives let you run giveaways and capture leads without a monthly bill. Our top pick is KingSumo, an AppSumo Original with a free plan for unlimited viral giveaways and a one-time $49 Pro upgrade. Below it are four more lifetime deals that cover the rest of the job: the email list, popups, entry forms and social lead magnets.
Get KingSumo free on AppSumo →
See the KingSumo deal on AppSumo to claim the free plan or Pro.
Gleam is a strong product for brands that run giveaways all year. For a business that runs a few contests a year, paying every month is hard to justify. That’s where a pay-once tool makes sense.
What are the best Gleam alternatives?
KingSumo is the best overall, because it covers viral giveaways for free and costs $49 once for branding removal and direct email integrations. SendFox, Taku, FormRobin and Comment To DM round out a lead generation stack.
| Tool | Best for | AppSumo price | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|
| KingSumo | Viral giveaways | Free, or $49 Pro (list $228) | One time |
| SendFox | Email list and referral widget | $29 (list $480) | One time |
| Taku | Popups and agency white-label | $29, $89 or $179 | One time |
| FormRobin | Entry and lead forms | $19 (list $228) | One time |
| Comment To DM | LinkedIn lead magnets | $49, $79 or $119 | One time |
| SweepWidget | Many entry types | $29 to $249 a month | Subscription |
| Gleam | Many entry types, multiple apps | Free plan, paid plans monthly or yearly | Subscription |
AppSumo prices come from each deal’s listing, checked November 13, 2026. SweepWidget prices come from sweepwidget.com/pricing. For Gleam’s current dollar figures, check gleam.io/pricing.
Why look for Gleam alternatives?
Most people switch for cost and branding. Gleam is a subscription, and according to Gleam’s own FAQ, hiding the “Powered by Gleam” footer link needs its Business plan or above. Gleam also says it doesn’t offer white-labelling.
If your goal is email leads rather than a long list of social actions, you’re paying for breadth you may not use. The lifetime deals below focus on the actions that grow a list and cost a single payment.
What should you look for in a Gleam alternative?
Look for referral tracking, a direct path into your email tool, and a price that doesn’t grow every month. Those three things decide whether a giveaway tool pays for itself.
Here’s a quick checklist to run each option through:
- Referral links. The viral loop depends on every entrant getting a personal link that earns them more entries. KingSumo includes this on its free plan.
- Email integrations. Leads you can’t reach are wasted. Check that the tool connects to the email platform you already use, or at least to Zapier.
- Branding. A giveaway page carrying someone else’s logo looks less like your brand. Find out which plan removes it and what that plan costs.
- Embedding. You want the giveaway on your own site, not only on a hosted page. KingSumo’s embed widget works on any website.
- Fraud protection. reCAPTCHA and email confirmation keep bots out of the draw.
- Languages and consent. If your audience is outside the US, look for translated pages and a GDPR consent checkbox. KingSumo supports 20+ languages and has one built in.
- Total cost over a year. A $29 a month plan costs $348 a year if you keep it. A one-time deal costs the same in year three as in year one.
Run that list against your own campaigns and the right pick usually becomes obvious.
1. KingSumo: the best free Gleam alternative
KingSumo is an AppSumo Original built for one job: running viral giveaways that collect email leads. Every entrant gets a referral link, and each friend who signs up earns them more chances to win.
The free plan is the most generous in this list. According to the listing, it includes:
- Unlimited giveaways, each with its own link
- Bonus entries for referrals, shares, follows, YouTube views, podcast subscriptions, link visits and daily return visits
- An embed widget for any website
- One grand prize or several winners
- Automatic reminder emails mid-giveaway and in the final 24 hours
- 20+ languages and a built-in GDPR consent checkbox
- SendFox and Zapier integrations
Pro costs $49 once, down from a listed $228. It removes the KingSumo badge, the “Create your own giveaway” banner and the sponsored AppSumo entry. It also adds Meta Pixel and UTM tracking, name and phone fields, custom rules, and Mailchimp, Kit, Klaviyo and API integrations.
Compare that with the subscription tools. SweepWidget’s no-branding plan, Premium, is $119 a month. KingSumo Pro is $49, paid once.
Who it’s perfect for: small businesses, ecommerce brands, creators and agencies that want giveaways to grow an email list. Buyers quoted on the listing report results like 1,100 emails on a first giveaway and over 1,500 people added to a list in under 30 days.
Who should pick something else: brands that need verified social follows. KingSumo’s follow and share entries run on trust, because most networks no longer allow the check. If follower growth is the main goal, a subscription tool fits better.
KingSumo holds a 3.83 average from 65 AppSumo reviews, and AppSumo gives a 60-day refund window. Read the full KingSumo review for the step-by-step setup.
See the KingSumo deal on AppSumo and start free.
Get KingSumo free on AppSumo →
2. SendFox: the email list behind your giveaway
A giveaway is only as useful as the list it feeds. SendFox is AppSumo’s own email tool, and it connects to KingSumo on the free plan, so new entrants flow straight into your list.
The $29 lifetime deal (list $480) gives you multi-step automations with A/B testing, RSS-to-email campaigns, landing pages, and a referral widget that rewards subscribers for spreading the word. That widget gives you a Gleam-style referral loop that keeps running after your giveaway ends.
It’s the most reviewed tool here, with a 4.02 average from 342 AppSumo reviews.
Who it’s perfect for: creators and small businesses that want giveaway leads to land in a simple email tool they own for life.
Who should pick something else: stores that need a native Shopify sync, which SendFox doesn’t have yet. Lifetime accounts also use double opt-in by default.
Get SendFox for $29 on AppSumo →
3. Taku: popups for on-site lead capture
Gleam sells a separate app for on-site email capture. Taku covers that ground with popups you can build from forms, polls, countdowns, buttons, images and videos.
You can target visitors by page, device, exit intent and time on page, and A/B test versions to find the winner. Leads stay in Taku or go to your other tools through Zapier, Make, Pabbly Connect or webhooks.
The tiers are $29, $89 and $179 once. The $29 tier covers one client account. The $89 tier adds white-label with 5 client accounts, and the $179 tier gives 20.
Who it’s perfect for: agencies that want to resell lead capture under their own brand, and site owners who want to promote a giveaway with an exit-intent popup.
Who should pick something else: anyone who needs a native email tool connection, since Taku works through Zapier, Make, Pabbly Connect and webhooks.
4. FormRobin: entry forms with unlimited responses
Some giveaways need more than an email field: a quiz-style question, a survey, or an application. FormRobin is AppSumo’s own AI form builder, and it’s $19 once (list $228).
Describe your goal in a prompt and it drafts the whole form. Every plan has unlimited monthly responses, conditional logic, share links, embeds, CSV export and invisible reCAPTCHA v3. You also get 3 workspaces and 50 AI form generations a month.
Who it’s perfect for: anyone collecting leads, registrations or feedback who wants to stop paying a monthly form fee.
Who should pick something else: teams that need white-label forms or Zapier today. The listing says webhooks and Zapier are on the way.
Get FormRobin for $19 on AppSumo →
5. Comment To DM: lead magnets on LinkedIn
Gleam rewards social engagement. Comment To DM does a version of that on LinkedIn. Paste a post link, set trigger keywords like “send me” or “link”, and it sends a DM to everyone who comments.
That turns a lead-magnet post into a lead list. Tiers are $49, $79 and $119 once, and you can upgrade or downgrade between them.
Who it’s perfect for: B2B founders, coaches and consultants who give away guides or templates on LinkedIn.
Who should pick something else: anyone outside LinkedIn, since it’s built for that one network.
Get Comment To DM for $49 on AppSumo →
Is SweepWidget a good alternative to Gleam?
SweepWidget is the closest feature match to Gleam, with many more entry types than the lifetime deals here. It’s also a subscription.
Its pricing page lists Pro at $29 a month, Business at $59, Premium at $119 and Enterprise at $249. Email integrations start on Pro. Removing SweepWidget branding starts on Premium. Its free option is limited to 10 user entries.
Pick SweepWidget if you run large, social-first campaigns year round. If you mostly want email leads, KingSumo covers the core loop for a fraction of the cost. See our free giveaway tools guide for more no-cost options.
How to choose between these Gleam alternatives
Start with the job you need done, then add tools around it.
- Want giveaways that grow a list? Start with KingSumo on the free plan.
- Need somewhere for those leads to go? Add SendFox, which connects to KingSumo for free.
- Want your branding and Mailchimp, Kit or Klaviyo? Upgrade KingSumo to Pro for $49 once.
- Want to capture visitors who don’t enter? Add Taku popups.
- Need custom entry or application forms? Add FormRobin.
- Live on LinkedIn? Add Comment To DM.
These Gleam alternatives work best as a small stack. KingSumo, SendFox and FormRobin together cost less than $100 once, and all three are AppSumo Originals. Our AppSumo Originals guide ranks the full lineup, and our lead generation lifetime deals roundup covers more options.
What do you give up by leaving Gleam?
Mainly breadth. Gleam and SweepWidget offer many more entry types and are built for big, social-first campaigns.
The lifetime deals focus on the actions that drive email signups. For most small businesses, that’s the part that pays. If your campaigns depend on verified follows or dozens of entry actions, staying on a subscription tool is the right call.
Our verdict on Gleam alternatives
KingSumo is the best of the Gleam alternatives for most small businesses. It’s free to start, covers unlimited viral giveaways with referral links, and its Pro upgrade costs $49 once instead of a monthly fee.
Pair it with SendFox for your list, then add Taku, FormRobin or Comment To DM as your lead generation grows. Among all the Gleam alternatives here, every one is a one-time payment, and KingSumo comes with a 60-day refund window through AppSumo.
If you’re comparing Gleam alternatives on price alone, nothing beats a free plan with unlimited giveaways.
See the KingSumo deal on AppSumo and launch your first giveaway today.
Why each one made the list
- KingSumo: Unlimited giveaways with referral links and bonus entries on a free plan, and a one-time $49 Pro (list $228) that removes branding and adds Mailchimp, Kit and Klaviyo.
- SendFox: $29 once (list $480) for an email tool with automations, landing pages and a built-in referral widget, and it connects to KingSumo on the free plan. Rated 4.02 from 342 AppSumo reviews.
- Taku: From $29 once (list $348) for popups with forms, polls and countdowns, exit-intent targeting and A/B tests. The $89 and $179 tiers add white-label client accounts.
- FormRobin: $19 once (list $228) for AI-built forms with unlimited responses, conditional logic, embeds, CSV export and invisible reCAPTCHA.
- Comment To DM: From $49 once (list $348) to auto-DM people who comment a keyword on your LinkedIn posts, a social engagement loop that turns comments into leads.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to Gleam?
KingSumo. Its free plan includes unlimited giveaways, referral links, bonus entries, embedding, reminder emails and multiple winners. You only pay if you want Pro, which is $49 once.
Is KingSumo cheaper than Gleam?
Yes, over any real stretch of time. Gleam's paid Competitions plans are subscriptions, and according to Gleam's FAQ, hiding the Powered by Gleam footer needs its Business plan or above. KingSumo Pro removes its branding for a one-time $49.
Is SweepWidget a good Gleam alternative?
It's a close match on features, with many entry types, but it's also a subscription. SweepWidget's pricing page lists plans from $29 to $249 a month, and removing its branding starts on the $119 a month Premium plan.
Can Gleam alternatives verify social follows?
KingSumo can't, because most social networks no longer allow that check, so its follow and share entries run on trust. Referral links and email addresses are tracked. If verified follows matter most, a subscription tool is the better fit.
Which Gleam alternative works with Mailchimp or Klaviyo?
KingSumo Pro connects to Mailchimp, Kit and Klaviyo directly, plus an API. The free plan connects to SendFox and Zapier, and you can export entrants to CSV at any time.
Do these lifetime deals have refunds?
KingSumo's AppSumo terms give a 60-day refund window for any reason. Check each other deal's terms on its AppSumo page, and note the 60-day license activation window that most of these deals list.