Kevin JohnsonGleam is a marketing platform based in Melbourne, Australia. John Sherwood and Stuart McKeown founded the company in 2013. The founders started StoreCrowd, Couponzor, and ServerBear before establishing Gleam.io.
Gleam’s marketing campaigns work on the web, mobile, and multiple social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The site helps businesses focus on actions. Over 3,000 paying customers and more than 100,000 active business clients use Gleam. The company has around 30 servers and 18 employees. [1]
Gleam caters to startups, brands, agencies, and creators looking to boost their growth. It helps companies run campaigns encouraging customers to engage and promote their business. First, the marketer writes campaign instructions and then includes viral share on social media or other channels. This feature allows participants to use referral links to refer their friends and family. Marketers can also use creative Hashtags and call-to-actions (CTAs) to enhance engagement.
However, Gleam is not the only marketing platform on the market. The site faces stiff competition from ViralSweep, WPForms, ShortStack, ZoomInfo SalesOS, SweepWidget, Influitive, Woobox, and Typeform. [2]
Here is an in-depth analysis of Gleam’s top competitors and alternatives:
1. ViralSweep
Year founded: 2012
Headquarter: Cheshire, Connecticut
ViralSweep is a sweepstakes and marketing platform founded by Giancarlo Massaro and Steven Kovar. It helps businesses and entrepreneurs grow their email lists, boost customer relationships, and generate sales.
ViralSweep offers tools to help businesses increase customer engagement and boost growth. Its features include sweepstakes, contests, instant wins, hashtag referrals, and social comments. Marketers can create customized rules, collect entrants’ information, and track performance and engagement. However, the main selling point of Viral Sweep is its user interface, which simplifies campaign creation. ViralSweep is the top Gleam competitor and alternative. [3]
2. WPForms
Year founded: 2016
Headquarter: West Palm Beach, Florida
WPForms is a beginner-friendly form builder. It is one of the best form creation tools for WordPress. As of August 2023, WPForms had over 3 million active installations.
WPForms offers 109 templates for building forms, but they are only available to Pro plan users. The platform is available in 14 languages. WPForms is one of the best alternatives to Gleam for WordPress users. [4]
3. ShortStack
Year founded: 2010
Headquarter: Reno, Nevada
ShortStack is a lead-generation marketing platform created by Jim Belosic. Users can create online contests, landing page giveaways, branded photo frames, and more. According to G2, ShortStack has a 4.5-star rating out of 5 from 82 customer reviews. [5]
ShortStack is one of the best platforms for creating contests. Users can build customized, branded interactive marketing content and optimize data collection with highly customizable forms. The platform offers over 65 templates, allowing businesses to rearrange and style elements to match their brand. ShortStack is one of the top competitors for Gleam.
4. ZoomInfo SalesOS
Year founded: 2019
Headquarter: Vancouver, Washington
ZoomInfo is a software and data company. It offers real-time data, insights, and technology to help businesses find, acquire, and grow customers. In June 2023, ZoomInfo served over 30,000 companies worldwide.
ZoomInfo helps companies increase efficiency, consolidate technology stacks, and align sales and marketing teams. ZoomInfo’s SalesOS competes against Gleam. In June 2023, ZoomInfo SalesOS had the fifth-most #1 rankings of any product listed on G2. The platform earned 28 No.1 grid rankings and 128 leader ratings in the G2 report, making ZoomInfo a formidable competitor for Gleam. [6]
5. SweepWidget
Year founded: 2018
Headquarter: Chicago, Illinois
SweepWidget is a contest, giveaway, and sweepstakes platform. Businesses can embed customized sweepstakes and giveaways into their website to attract new users and expand their brand. On G2.com, SweepWidget has a 4.8-star rating versus 4.2 stars for Gleam.
SweepWidget is a robust platform that handles backend operations and provides the tools for designing and running contests. It uses gamification features to reward users for sharing content with family and friends. Business owners can run viral giveaways using SweepWidget to increase social media followers. SweepWidget is a worthy alternative to Gleam. [7]
6. Influitive
Year founded: 2010
Headquarter: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Influitive is a leading engagement software provider. It offers customer marketing, advocacy, and online communities. In June 2023, Influitive announced its inaugural Elite 18 and Fearless 50 customer-led marketing leaders’ award program. [8]
Influitive helps forward-thinking marketers engage customers and mobilize advocates to increase referrals, references, reviews, and case studies. Its SaaS platform combines customer advocacy tools with automation, gamification, and personalization tools. Innovative brands such as ADP, Cisco, IBM, and HPE use Influitive to foster collaboration and deepen customer relationships. Influitive is a fierce competitor for Gleam.
7. Woobox
Year founded: 2010
Headquarter: Vancouver, Washington
Woobox is a versatile promotional campaign platform. Businesses can use the platform to create sweepstakes, quizzes, coupons, and lead generation forms to engage with their audience and build email databases for ad clients. According to TrustRadius, Woobox has 8.7 stars out of 10 from 22 reviews. [9]
The main competitive advantage of Woobox is its intuitive and customizable platform. Its user-friendly technology allows businesses to create promotions quickly and easily. Users can leverage Woobox’s seamless integration with social media platforms to run campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and other sites. Woobox is one of the best alternatives to Gleam for sweepstakes.facebook swot
8. Typeform
Year founded: 2012
Headquarter: Barcelona, Spain
Typeform is a no-code SaaS platform with customizable form, survey, and quiz builder software. The platform drives over 500 million digital interactions yearly. In 2022, Typeform secured $135 million in a Series C funding round. [10]
Typeform offers tools to help companies engage with their audience and grow their business. Its people-friendly forms, quizzes, surveys, and video solutions transform digital interactions into human connections. In May 2023, Typeform launched its AI form builder, Formless. This leverages GPT-4 and AI systems from OpenAI to create forms in minutes and aggregate data based on the creators’ descriptions. Typeform is an innovative competitor for Gleam. [11]
9. Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Year founded: 2000
Headquarter: San Francisco, California
Salesforce is a global SaaS and CRM company with over 70,000 employees. Pardot was one of Salesforce’s marketing automation tools. In April 2022, Salesforce rebranded Pardot to Marketing Cloud Account Engagement. [12]
The main competitive advantage of Marketing Cloud Account Engagement is its integration with users’ CRM. This approach unifies development, membership, and marketing teams who engage with stakeholders. Nonprofits with diverse donors, members, volunteers, board members, sponsors, and advocates can leverage the platform to launch fundraising campaigns. Salesforce is a formidable competitor for Gleam. [13]
10. Keap
Year founded: 2001
Headquarter: Chandler, Arizona
Keap is a leader in CRM and sales and marketing automation software for small businesses. The company helps entrepreneurs strengthen their customer base, communities, and the global economy. In June 2023, G2 recognized Keap in 18 reports across six categories. Keap was named a leader in 15 segments, including fastest implementation, highest user adoption, and high performer. [14]
Keap and Gleam are marketing platforms, but Keap helps small business entrepreneurs manage customers, CRM, email marketing, and e-commerce. The company seeks to simplify growth for 1 million entrepreneurs globally by 2030. Keap is one of the top competitors for Gleam.
11. Woorise
Year founded: 2016
Headquarter: Athens, Greece
Woorise is an online contest tool that provides a comprehensive lead generation and marketing platform. According to G2, Woorise has 4.5 stars out of 5 from 34 reviews. [15]
Woorise and Gleam provide robust contest and giveaway builders. However, Woorise users can develop mobile-responsive landing pages, collect online payments, and create surveys and quizzes. The platform integrates with leading payment gateways, including Stripe and PayPal. Woorise is a worthy alternative to Gleam.
12. RafflePress
Year founded: 2014
Headquarter: San Diego, California
RafflePress is a WordPress contest and giveaway plug-in created by Syed Balkhi and John Turner. Businesses can create campaigns for their websites and social media. According to Jotform, RafflePress is the fifth-most popular WordPress survey plug-in. [16]
RafflePress is an easy-to-use solution. Anyone familiar with WordPress plug-ins can use the RafflePress drag-and-drop builder to create a professional-looking giveaway. The tool integrates with social platforms and most email marketing and CRM solutions, including ActiveCampaign, Get Response, and Zapier. RafflePress is one of the best alternatives to Gleam for WordPress users. [17]
13. Vyper
Year founded: 2016
Headquarter: Miami, Florida
Vyper is a viral marketing software platform. It uses gamification, referral programs, and rewards to engage customers and generate leads. According to GetApp, Vyper has a 4.6-star rating out of 5 from 84 votes. [18]
Vyper helps businesses and agencies create contests and reward schemes without hiring a graphic designer. Marketers can build customizable landing pages or import a page from a previous successful campaign. Vyper is an easy-to-use alternative to Gleam.
14. KingSumo
Year founded: 2017
Headquarter: Austin, Texas
KingSumo is a WordPress giveaway plug-in. Users can create viral giveaways to grow their email lists, newsletter subscribers, or social media followers. On G2.com, KingSumo has 3.3 stars from 14 customer reviews. [19]
KingSumo is an easy-to-use giveaway software solution. First, users add a description and an image to a template and then connect the actions they want the customer to complete to generate entries. KingSumo is a user-friendly alternative to Gleam.
15. Rafflecopter
Year founded: 2011
Headquarter: Boulder, Colorado
Rafflecopter is an online giveaway platform. It simplifies launching and managing campaigns on any website and any brand. On TrustRadius, Rafflecopter has 8.9 stars out of 10. [20]
Rafflecopter helps businesses and marketing agencies run giveaways. However, some users need help collecting information for campaigns and running giveaways through Instagram. Rafflecopter is an emerging competitor for Gleam.
References & more information
- Sherwood, J. (2023, Apr 20). 7 Principles That Helped Us Bootstrap a 7-Figure Business. Gleam.io
- Owolabi, J. (2023, Aug 2). Want to run a growth campaign on Gleam.io? Read this first. Medium
- Ghimire, S. (2023, Apr 7). Social Media Contests: Ideas, Tips, and More. ViralSweep.com
- Denial, A. (2023, Aug 14). WPForms Review 2023: Is It a Wise Investment? Website Planet
- G2 (2022, Jul 2). What is ShortStack? G2.com
- ZoomInfo (2023, Jun 15). ZoomInfo Earns 28 #1 Grid Rankings and 128 Leader Ratings in G2’s Summer 2023 Report. Yahoo Finance
- Benitez, C. (2023, Jun 19). SweepWidget Review 2023: The Best Social Contest App? Startup Bonsai
- Influitive (2023, Jun 6). Influitive Announces the Fearless 50 and the Elite 18 Customer-Led Marketing Leaders and CMOs of 2023. News Journal
- TR Reviews (2023, Sep 11). Woobox Product Overview. TrustRadius.com
- Lomas, N. (2022, Mar 10). Typeform takes $135M to tickle more marketers. TechCrunch
- Typeform (2023, May 9). Typeform Announces New Disruptive AI-Powered Form Builder ‘Formless’ to Create Branded Forms in Minutes. Business Wire
- Mazalon, L. (April 6, 2022). Pardot Renamed to Marketing Cloud Account Engagement. Salesforce Ben
- Fíonta (2023, Mar 6). Marketing Cloud vs. Marketing Cloud Account Engagement. Fionta News
- Keap (2023, Jun 14). Keap Recognized in 18 G2 Summer 2023 Reports. PRNewswire
- G2 (2023, May 21). Woorise Reviews and Product Details. G2.com
- Jotform (2023, Jul 6). 8 of the best WordPress survey plug-ins. Jotform.com
- Nirvana, P. (2022, Nov 27). RafflePress Review: Is it really worth all the hype? Push Engage
- GetApp (2023, Jan 10). Vyper Pricing, Features, Reviews, and Alternatives. GetApp.com
- G2 (2022, Sep 26). KingSumo Reviews and Product Details. G2.com
- TR Reviews (2022, Feb 10). Rafflecopter Review: Product Overview. TrustRadius.com
- Featured Image by Firmbee.com
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Ava Abbott
Brianna Parker
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