Rafflecopter shut down · Oct 2025
Choosing a Rafflecopter alternative in 2026
Rafflecopter stopped accepting new giveaways on October 1st 2025 and closed permanently on October 31st. If you're looking for a replacement, this page is for you. Here's what changed, what to look for in an alternative, and how PickAWin compares.
Why did Rafflecopter shut down?
Rafflecopter was acquired by ShortStack in 2021. In September 2025 the ShortStack team announced they'd be sunsetting the standalone Rafflecopter platform to focus on their enterprise contest suite. Existing users had 30 days to export entries and winners before the widgets stopped serving requests.
The shutdown left creators, marketers and small businesses without an easy pay-per-draw replacement. Most alternatives (Gleam, SweepWidget, Woobox) run on a subscription model starting at $29-$49/month. If you only run a giveaway now and then, that's overkill.
2026 Rafflecopter alternatives — honest comparison
We include our own tool (PickAWin) and 4 competitors. Competitor prices are indicative — check their current plans.
| Tool | Pricing | Signup | Verifiable |
|---|---|---|---|
| PickAWin | Free manual mode + automatic from $7.99 per draw | Not required (free) | ✓ SHA-256 hash on result |
| Gleam.io | $49–$149/mo | Required | Certificate only |
| SweepWidget | $29–$99/mo | Required | No |
| Woobox | $37–$249/mo | Required | No |
| comment-picker.com | Free + $6.99/mo Premium | Not required (free) | No |
Prices are the entry tier for each product at the time of writing and may have changed. Enterprise pricing is negotiated separately.
Migrate from Rafflecopter in 3 minutes
- 1
Export what you still can
If you had access to your Rafflecopter dashboard before Oct 31 2025, you'd have downloaded the CSV of past winners. If not, PickAWin doesn't need any historical data — every new draw is a fresh start.
- 2
Paste your Instagram post URL — or the comment list
PickAWin fetches comments from Instagram post and Reel links (one-time payment per draw). For YouTube, TikTok or any other network, paste the comment list in the free manual mode. No entry widget, no signup form.
- 3
Pick winners & share the SHA-256 hash
Each draw uses a random 256-bit seed; the result shows the seed and SHA-256 hashes (also on the PDF certificate). Automatic draws get a public result page, and the hash can be checked at /verificar to confirm the published result was not edited afterwards.
What we do that Rafflecopter didn't
- 🔒
SHA-256 record of every draw
Each draw uses a random 256-bit seed; the result shows the seed and SHA-256 hashes. Automatic draws get a public result page whose hash can be checked at /verificar.
- 💸
Pay per draw, not per month
Occasional giveaway? The manual mode is free and an automatic draw starts at $7.99, paid once. Rafflecopter and most alternatives in the table charge monthly.
- 🎬
Cinematic reveal on Premium
Premium adds a cinematic winner reveal for your announcement.
- 🌐
Native multi-language
English, Spanish and Portuguese versions, with prices in the visitor's currency.
Run your first PickAWin giveaway free
No account. Paste the comment list for a free draw, or an Instagram post URL for a one-time automatic draw.
Start free draw →Frequently asked questions
Why did Rafflecopter shut down?
Rafflecopter was acquired by ShortStack in 2021. In September 2025 ShortStack decided to sunset the standalone platform. Widgets stopped working after October 31 2025.
Is my Rafflecopter data recoverable?
If you didn't export before Oct 31 2025, unfortunately no. Neither ShortStack nor Rafflecopter offer historical exports post-shutdown.
How is PickAWin different from comment-picker.com?
Both have a free option. PickAWin records every result with SHA-256 hashes, charges one payment per automatic draw with prices in the visitor's currency, and offers a cinematic reveal on Premium. comment-picker is broader (supports more platforms).
Does PickAWin work for YouTube / TikTok too?
Not automatically. Automatic fetching works with Instagram post and Reel links; for YouTube, TikTok or other networks, copy the comments and paste them in the free manual mode.
Can I re-run a draw if the winner doesn't reply?
Each payment covers one draw on that post. You can pick several winners in the same draw — for example, alternates in case a winner doesn't reply.
Do I need to disclose the SHA-256 proof to my audience?
It's optional but recommended. Share the result with the seed and hash (or the PDF certificate); for automatic draws, the public result page and /verificar let anyone check that the published result was not edited afterwards.