Gleam vs KingSumo Comparison 2026
Gleam sells giveaway mechanics as four separate apps, Competitions alone is $29 a month, with a free basic tier and no annual discount or trial on the page. KingSumo runs the referral-driven, bonus-entry giveaway on a single $49 lifetime payment instead of a subscription, with a free Basic plan that covers unlimited giveaways but keeps a sponsored entry on the page until you pay. Less than two months of Gleam's Competitions app already costs more than KingSumo's entire lifetime fee, so the real question is whether you need Gleam's wider platform verification or KingSumo's one-time price.
Giveaways with the rules enforced and the draw run
Giveaways with a lifetime price tag
At a glance
- Gleam starts cheaper, at $29.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Gleam | KingSumo | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $29 | From $49 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing (they differ) | Monthly or annual | One-time purchase |
| Free trial | None | None |
| API |
Gleam
Giveaways with the rules enforced and the draw run
Gleam runs the mechanics of a giveaway: the entry actions, one entry per person, and a draw you can show your working on afterwards. Competitions is sold on its own, and the lead capture, rewards and gallery apps are each priced again. A free account runs a basic campaign, which is the cheap way to learn whether a giveaway brings you followers who stay.
Our note
Buy the month you need and cancel it. A giveaway brings followers who came for the prize, which makes it worth running only when the prize is something nobody outside your audience would want.
Only on this side
- Covers social media management
- Works with YouTube
- Works with Instagram
- Works with TikTok
- Works with Facebook
- Works with Twitch
- Works with Kick
- Works with Discord
- Works with X
KingSumo
Giveaways with a lifetime price tag
Why people weigh these two
- KingSumo instead of Gleam
- KingSumo charges a lifetime price instead of a recurring bill, with a free tier below its $49 tier, built more for growing an email list than enforcing entry rules across eight platforms.
- Gleam instead of KingSumo
- Gleam enforces the entry rules and runs the draw from $29 with a free tier, where KingSumo sells the tool outright.
Which one should you pick
Pick Gleam if entry actions need verifying across a wide spread of platforms, Discord, Kick, Twitch, X, YouTube and more, and you would rather rent the tool for the month a giveaway runs than own it forever. Competitions alone is $29 a month with no annual option on the page, and the other three apps, Rewards, Captures and Galleries, are $49 each if you need them, so a full-featured giveaway can reach $119 a month.
Pick KingSumo if giveaways are occasional and a monthly bill sitting idle between them is what you want to avoid. The Lifetime Plan is $49 once, undercutting two months of Gleam's cheapest app, and the free Basic plan already runs unlimited giveaways with bonus entries; paying only removes the sponsored entry and adds branding and tracking. Anybody needing verified entry actions on Twitch or Discord specifically should note KingSumo's own guidance points to SweepWidget instead.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper over time?
- KingSumo, almost certainly, once you run more than one giveaway: its $49 fee is paid once, while Gleam's Competitions app is $29 every month it is active. Less than two months of Gleam already costs more than KingSumo's entire lifetime price.
- Does KingSumo's free plan have a catch?
- Yes: a sponsored entry stays on your giveaway page until you pay the one-time $49 fee, which is how the free tier is subsidised. Gleam's free account has no equivalent sponsored entry, but it is limited to basic Competitions features only.
- Why would anybody pay Gleam a recurring fee instead of KingSumo's one-time price?
- Platform coverage: Gleam verifies entry actions across Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Kick, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube. KingSumo's own listing points people needing Twitch or Discord entry actions toward SweepWidget instead, suggesting its own coverage is narrower.
- Can Gleam do more than run the giveaway draw itself?
- Yes, but each part is priced separately: Rewards, Captures and Galleries are $49 a month each on top of the $29 Competitions app, reaching $119 a month for all four. KingSumo bundles its extra features, branding, tracking and integrations, into the single $49 lifetime fee.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.