Gleam vs UpViral Comparison 2026
Gleam runs a straightforward giveaway, verified entries and a documented draw, from a free account or $29 a month for Competitions, buy the month needed and cancel. UpViral runs a referral leaderboard instead, entrants earning points for sharing and climbing a rank, priced for a business running launches at $79 a month billed yearly, with a $1 paid trial rather than a free one. UpViral's own guidance sends a creator running one giveaway a year straight to Gleam instead, calling it cheaper for the same evening's work.
Giveaways with the rules enforced and the draw run
Referral contests that pay out in prizes
At a glance
- Gleam starts cheaper, at $29.
- Only Gleam has a free tier.
Side by side
Gleam | UpViral | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $29 | From $79 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free plan, paid tiers | Paid subscription |
| Free tier (they differ) | Yes | No |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | None | Not stated |
| API | Not stated |
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
UpViral
Referral contests that pay out in prizes
Why people weigh these two
- UpViral instead of Gleam
- UpViral at $79 runs referral contests that pay out in prizes, aimed at the sharing loop rather than at the draw itself.
- Gleam instead of UpViral
- Gleam enforces entry rules and runs the draw for one giveaway at a time, from $29 with a free tier, built for a single event rather than a running launch programme.
Which one should you pick
Pick Gleam for a single giveaway where entry conditions matter but the goal is not building a referral leaderboard. Competitions is $29 a month with no annual commitment, and a free account tests whether a giveaway brings followers who stay. Its own guidance says to buy the month needed and cancel, which suits a once-a-year push exactly.
Pick UpViral when the campaign's whole mechanic is entrants earning points for referring others, turning a small list into a larger one with a real budget behind it. Plans start at $79 a month billed yearly, with a $1, 14-day trial rather than a free one, and a stated refund if the campaign does not grow leads or sales. It is priced for a business running launches, not a one-off creator giveaway.
Common questions
- Is Gleam cheaper than UpViral?
- Yes, considerably: Gleam's Competitions app is $29 a month with a free tier available, against UpViral's $79 a month billed yearly. UpViral's own guidance agrees, pointing a creator running one giveaway a year toward Gleam or KingSumo as the cheaper option.
- Does Gleam run a referral leaderboard the way UpViral does?
- Not in the same way; Gleam verifies entry actions and runs a draw, without a points-and-ranking referral mechanic built around sharing. UpViral's core feature is exactly that: entrants earn points for referring others and climb a leaderboard.
- Is UpViral's trial actually free?
- No, it costs $1 for 14 days, a paid trial rather than a free one, which is worth knowing before comparing it against free trials elsewhere in this category. Gleam offers no trial at all, only a free account with basic features.
- Who is UpViral actually priced for?
- Businesses running launches and prize campaigns with a real software budget, starting at $79 a month billed yearly. Gleam is priced for a single campaign bought and cancelled, which its own guidance and UpViral's both agree suits a once-a-year giveaway better.
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.