# Page 2 | ShortStack Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 2 - Is ShortStack the right Contest solution for you? Explore 156 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/154791/ShortStack/reviews --- ShortStack 4.4 (156) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Page 2 - Reviews of ShortStack ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 26-50 of 156 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use AB Alandria B. Consumer Marketing Manager Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "ShortStack is a great product that needs improvement..." September 11, 2025 4.0 I will give it a 7/10. It did what I needed it to do but there was a substantial amount of time learning the platform and setting up the campaign. Could be a bot more user friendly and integrate with more CRMs for reporting purposes. Pros It allows for a third--party solution/ website plug-in for lead-generating campaigns and contests for my brand. Cons It was definitely a learning curve.... it took some time to get adjusted and there were not many tools refer to without contacting Support. Also, the free version is very limiting. I would have loved to have full access to the metrics of my campaign(s). Review Source KG Kristyn G. Web Developer Online Media Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A really great out of the box solution" August 2, 2024 5.0 We were able to get very intricate with the features in our campaign. Customer support is extremely responsive and has gone above and beyond more than once. Pros It's very easy to use, and flexible enough to do whatever we want. Cons You have to have a more advanced knowledge in order to pull of some things, but for straight forward application it covers a lot. Review Source IE Iliass E. Industrial Maintenance Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "I loved the application" December 1, 2023 5.0 I loved the service provided by this application for easy switching between my accounts Pros The service provided by the application to users Cons Frankly, there is nothing I hate about this application. Review Source Response from ShortStack December 13, 2023 Wow! Thank you so much for your stellar review! RM Randy M. Marketing Director Leisure, Travel & Tourism Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Years of experience working with Short Stack" October 21, 2020 5.0 It's hard to remember when we first started with ShortStack it's been over 5 years for sure most likely 7 or 8 I would guess. I love the customer service we get through the online chat with a customer service person. I would give it a 10 out of 10 stars and I often recommend it to other businesses looking to customize contests or promotions they are offering online. Pros Super easy to manage ourselves, very intuitive design and options. Freedom to start from scratch or use one of their many predesigned templates. Customer service is A+ Cons There's really nothing I dislike about it, often with I assume there may be a limitation just speaking with customer service we are able to find a way to over come any limitations. If I had to say something I would maybe say that our plan wasn't grandfathered with the options and price from when we originally signed up, that said I still think it really offers great value and if we had to step up to the higher plan to get the same features we had it would still be good value. Reason for choosing ShortStack Shortstack offered much better customization, you didn't need to fit with in their tempalates. Now I would say that their customer service and quality of the product is what keeps us as a loyal customer. Love the fact that they are actively helping their customers during COVID to use their software better with user webinars, new features, etc. Review Source Response from ShortStack December 15, 2020 Wow, Randy! We are so grateful for your amazing feedback. Thank you so much for this stellar review! JP Joshua P. VP OF MEMBER EXPERIENCE Financial Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "If you are running a contest, get this ASAP!!" January 29, 2024 5.0 I give my overall a 9 out of 10. They are a good company to work with. Pros I love how much support you get while using ShortSTack. \[sensitive content hidden\] is super awesome and was always able to help or show me how to use it. I never felt like I was bothering them. Cons The interface is a little hard to navigate and so I am glad they have templates. I just feel like the user experience could be easier and not allow so much so less is messed up while running a contest. Review Source Robbie B. Social Media Manager Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "ShortStack Review" February 9, 2019 5.0 I used ShortStack for several years as part of a social media/community manager role for both brand awareness, product spotlights and related contests/givewaways Pros ShortStack makes it really easy for a guy like me with no design or coding background to manage social media contests almost 100% by myself. Designing, launching, monitoring and measuring the contests and their results was really easy thanks to the platform's intuitive workflow. Cons After a few years of using this software, the designer and I started to reach the limits of its abilities. Part of what makes it so valuable is how plug-and-play some otherwise complicated design/programming features. However, that templated framework has its limits, keeping you from realizing fully customized ideas outside that framework. Review Source Response from ShortStack March 4, 2019 Hey Robbie! Thanks for this amazing review! We're sorry you had to move along to another means of contest building, but, if it interests you, the Code Widget and CSS panel in ShortStack give you the freedom to customize campaigns however you wish. If you'd ever like to give us another try, we'd love to have you back. Thanks again! MT Momoko T. Marketing coordinator Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A good basic software to create promotion" October 2, 2019 3.0 Despite having a difficult time navigating the page and not having some key needed features, ShortStack is a great platform for users to be creative and interact with the community. Pros I like that this software has all the basic functions needed to help create online application forms for giveaways contests, e-mail sign up lists, interactive quizzes, photo contests, or surveys, with the public. I like how it has different themes to help get you started on a new idea for promotions. There's also a lot of functions to explore to customize your page. Cons I dislike how hard it is to navigate on the site; even though there are a lot of great features, it can really overwhelm the page when they are not explained or shown properly. I had previously had to contact customer service many times in order to understand where each function is or how to use them. I also dislike how there's no function to add social media buttons such as to follow or like certain posts from Instagram or Facebook. Most of the time I want to use ShortStack to give exposure to our business instagram and Facebook page so having the functions and features to do so is important. Review Source Response from ShortStack October 4, 2019 Hi Momoko! Thank you so much for your very thoughtful feedback. We take it very seriously and use it to continue to make our platform better. Unfortunately, there isn't a way to add buttons to campaigns to like individual posts on Facebook or Instagram. You can embed specific posts in campaigns - clicking on them will direct the user to instagram where they can like the post. You can use embed code to add a Facebook Like button to a campaign, but there currently isn't a way to add a Follow button for Instagram. The best way to do this would be to link to your Instagram profile with a CTA of "Follow us on Instagram", so, when the link button is clicked, your Instagram page will open and the user will instinctually click "Follow". I hope that tip is helpful for you! We look forward to working with you more, down the road. Tara H. Marketing Coordinator & Corporate Social Responsibility Officer Retail Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great Resource, Intermediate Ease, Kind of Pricey" October 19, 2018 4.0 When I had questions they would refer me to the help section on the website which was outdated. Overall, it's a great tool if you have the money. They have multiple tiers to unlock different functionalities which was disappointing. Charge one price and give me all the things. Pros This was somewhat intuitive to use once you get the hang of it. You are easily able to integrate your social profiles to push out your campaign. We did photo submission contests and it worked great. Created a Giveaway section on our Facebook page and promoted it from there. Great turnout with a little Facebook promotion behind it. Cons It was kind of pricey for what you are getting. The software to building out your page if very technically involved so my assumption is that is what you are paying for. The overall collection of emails and assets, such as images, is fairly easy. Would probably make up for itself if you are doing a larger giveaway versus some under $100 items like we did. That way you are more likely to convert those into entries, aka emails that you can use. Review Source Response from ShortStack October 23, 2018 Hey Tara! This is super valuable feedback! Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know about those Help resources - we're always working toward making those better. And we're always looking for feedback on our pricing structure, so this is very helpful. Thanks again! GA George A. Digital Marketing Manager E-Learning Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "ShortStack is good, but has low limits on entries" August 19, 2019 3.0 Pros \-fairly easy to use -easy to scale up -the variety of ready made templates and the ability to customise them Cons don't like the fact that you are limited on : - views - entries i understand having a limit on the lower tier plans, but in the full plan, having limitations on the amount o page views and or entries on the account seems rather unprofessional to me. And this is a model i've seen to almost every software on the market that handles competitions ( i.e wishpond). They really should think about removing entry limits, at least on their full package, else if a company wants to create a high traffic competition and then replicate it, it will most probably mean it will need a new account.. Switched from [Wishpond](https://www.capterra.com/p/145745/Wishpond/) same reason as the one mentioned in the cons section.. the limits. and it was to my displeasure i discovered that shortstack also had limits even on their most advanced plan. Review Source Response from ShortStack August 23, 2019 Hi George! We really appreciate your feedback! We always take customer feedback very seriously. In reference to your suggestion, we totally hear what you're saying! We offer Enterprise plans with no entry or view limits - this is something that can be discussed with our sales team. We're absolutely willing to accommodate as many entries/views you're able to acquire, but due to the resources these higher view/entry numbers require on our end, we have to charge a little more. Thanks again for your review! Fernando J G. Regional Business Development Director Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "The most easy-to-use and powerful social media app for building audience... period!" December 8, 2017 4.0 Shortstack is easy to use, powerful, up to date, fast, creative... a great product for startups. Pros ShortStack takes you by the hand and shows you how to look like a real social media pro. It has a complete set of features that can put any small entrepreneur in the social media game without too much effort. Having the ability to view examples and even reproduce them is a very helpful feature that provides easy understanding of the reach and scope of the software. The edit platform is friendly and does not require any profund IT background. The free plan is already so powerful that anyone starting to use the app will feel fulfilled. As as social media consultant, I loved to know that Shortstack is now offering marketing automation. This a great feature that will take this app into a highe and promising level. I truly recommend small and mid size entrepreneurs to give Shortstack a try and enjoy the benefits of this great business support idea. Review Source Response from ShortStack June 28, 2018 Thanks for your compliments, Fernando! MH Magnus H. Online Retail and Systems Manager Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Powerful but not for the faint of heart" April 11, 2021 5.0 After 10 years, I still keep coming back to it. I suppose that's a good review? We've used others as well but for some types of campaigns, such as advent calendars and quizzes, Shortstack is head and shoulders above the rest. Pros I have used Shortstack on and off for, I think, about 10 years. It has always been able to do what I needed from it and we have created some very cool quizzes, competitions and particularly advent calendars, which is what I originally sought out Shortstack for. Cons The user interface is quite proprietary and can be daunting to get your head around. Make use of the instructional videos and do reach out to the chat support which is always very helpful and super quick. Once you understand how it works and fits together, it's very powerful but do allow some time to learn - it's not the most intuitive UI. Review Source Response from ShortStack April 19, 2021 Thanks for your awesome review and your loyalty, Magnus! We're very grateful to have your business. VR Verified Reviewer Director of Marketing, Marketplace Solutions Internet Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Plug & Play - Mostly. Enjoyed the Features" July 20, 2018 5.0 I used Shortstack multiple times to run contests around email collection and was pleased with the results. It was easy to implement and after a few rough starts, was fairly easy to construct a campaign. Pros After creating everything at Shortstack, it was really easy to implement on my side. I implemented a campaign on both Magento and Shopify with absolutely no problem. It worked well the entire time it was live. Cons Getting started for the first time was a little complicated/confusing. I wasn't sure what to do and had to restart my project a few times after not being sure what I was doing. After I figured it out though, no problem. Review Source Response from ShortStack July 30, 2018 Thanks so much! We really appreciate your stellar review. BL Brent L. Director of Marketing Restaurants Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "ShortStack Review" April 14, 2022 5.0 Overall experience has been good. Pros Ease of use. Real-time updating. Mobile-friendly production. Cons The type of contests are cool, but I'd like to see a bracket contest and more multi-layered contest templates. Review Source Response from ShortStack April 19, 2022 Thank you Brent for your awesome review! We are always looking for new ideas to improve our platform and services offered. Your ideas of having bracket contests and multi-layered contests will be shared with the rest of the team. You can also always send us your ideas at theteam@shortstacklab.com. Kelli D. Marketing Coordinator Education Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "A great solution for those running contests" February 26, 2020 4.0 We are in a very niche market and we rarely run contests outside of social media giveaways, but I needed a good option for allowing our customers to enter using multiple platforms (i.e. Facebook, Youtube, submitting images, etc.). I looked at quite a few options and even tried out some other ones but ShortStack was by far the easiest to use AND offered the most versatility for the price. Because we do these types of contests so rarely, I actually did end up cancelling my account so that we weren't paying for a service that we didn't use, but for the time period that we needed it, ShortStack was great. Pros I chose ShortStack because we needed a platform that would allow multiple types of entries--everything from viewing a Youtube video to following us on social media to uploading images. Of the different software programs that I viewed or tried, ShortStack had the most versatility, was the most user-friendly, and had the best price point. Cons At first, it was kind of difficult to navigate all the different options and figure out how to create the contests that I wanted to. It took some playing around with, but I think compared to some of the other platforms I looked at, it was still more user-friendly. Reason for choosing ShortStack I found that it was a better price point and more user-friendly. Review Source Response from ShortStack March 2, 2020 Thanks for your feedback, Kelli! I'm so glad ShortStack was such a good fit for you. JP Janele P. Project Manager Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "ShortStack is the Best, Free Contest Platform" February 25, 2020 4.0 We were able to use ShortStack in order to gather user images to use on social media. We ran a photo contest where the winner wins free product and we gather e-mail and contact information from entrants and voters to use in future e-blasts. Pros I love that I am able to use this software in full for free. For a simple contest, we have free use of the platform as well as free support from the company. If we need to add features, it is easy to upgrade without a contract. Cons The software can take a little getting use to when it comes to design. There are design options within design options which can make it a little confusing. But you can always preview your design to make sure it looks okay. Alternatives considered [Wishpond](https://www.capterra.com/p/145745/Wishpond/) Reason for choosing ShortStack Shortstack was easier to navigate and the support was a lot better. Switched from [Wishpond](https://www.capterra.com/p/145745/Wishpond/) Wishpond had glitches and did not take the time to help us. Review Source Response from ShortStack March 2, 2020 Thanks for the stellar review, Janele! JB Julie B. Web & Social Media Editor Leisure, Travel & Tourism Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Effective marketing tool for tourism " August 26, 2019 4.0 Short Stack Customer Support is FIVE STAR. These guys are always there for me, and I usually make mistakes and have loads of tech questions, or functional queries. They are SO FAST to respond, the online CHAT feature has been the most beneficial, and the yearly Agency subscription has met our needs nicely. Pros The diversity of the campaigns has improved greatly since we used to only have to import with a widget into Facebook. We have had a lot of success in promoting our destination through easy-to-create trip giveaways, including a cool trivia contest we ran, so folks learned something new, had a chance to win a trip, and had some fun doing it. Cons Sometimes the templates are different (newer) than the tutorial videos, so I can get a little lost at times. Understanding the lingo, and in the editing panels what each Rich Text box applies to can be cumbersome. I am not a great fan that I have to be a Developer in order to customize campaign URLs, so for now I stick with the provided link Short Stack provides, and it works fine. Review Source Response from ShortStack September 12, 2019 Wow, Julie! Thank you for this fantastic review! We also appreciate your feedback on the tutorial video updates - we're currently working to get those current. Also, next time you'd like to use a custom domain, reach out to us - we have some resources that will walk you through how to do it in "non-developer" language. : ) Thanks again! Scott G. FIeld & Channel Marketing Coordinator Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Shortstack is Great" July 17, 2018 5.0 We use the platform at various tradeshows and events. It captures information of attendees and offers a clean interface. Pros After using a lot of different platforms for online contests, my previous company settled on ShortStack and it was a great decision. One of the first things I did with my new company was purchase ShortStack so we can run contests. Cons I really can't think of a con, you definitely get what you pay for. Review Source Response from ShortStack July 30, 2018 Thanks, Scott! We're blushing over here! We're so glad you're loving the ShortStack platform. Thanks again for your great feedback. Andy R. CEO Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Shortstack review" November 20, 2019 4.0 Getting custom-branded landing pages and contests up is very easy. The email tool built into each contest provides us a way to layout an entire contest campaign while logged into the platform, which is a major benefit to us. Pros Shortstack offers a great drag and drog type page builder with several contest tools that allow us to run successful contests. The drag and drop type builder allows us to create very custom-branded landing pages that our clients appreciate and users love. Cons As you start to use the software, you quickly realize that you need to upgrade to one of the larger plans to access the features that make the software attractive for most contests. We have the $199 agency option, which is relatively high considering our CRM costs about half that per month. After 12 months we will evaluate whether the monthly cost for the service is worth it. Alternatives considered [Lumen5](https://www.capterra.com/p/167719/Lumen5/) Review Source Response from ShortStack November 23, 2019 Thank you, Andy! We love that you're lovin' ShortStack and appreciate your feedback about our pricing. Thanks again! IJ Ian J. Graphic Designer / Marketing Promotions Hospitality Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I'm not happy" August 23, 2019 3.0 The chat support is awful. Get a phone number and show people respect. Pros It works and does what it needs to do but I'm still not happy. Cons The support you over is terrible. You need a phone number. You also need to adjust the way you do billing it's terrible how people are automatically upgraded and expected to pay for it. Far to many emails that are useless and feel like spam. I only want emails if they are important to me and directly related to my account. Review Source Response from ShortStack September 12, 2019 Hi Ian! I'm sorry you had a bad experience! We feel phone support is not the best fit for helping customers use our platform because we often need to send screenshots or links to tutorials. Email and chat also make it easy for users to go back and reference instructions and troubleshooting steps we discussed during the conversation. However, we really appreciate your feedback and will work to improve our processes. VR Verified Reviewer Marketing Manager Financial Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Way to Get in the Giveaway Game" July 20, 2018 4.0 Pros Easy to start, learn and implement in an hour or less. Intuitive interface with a small learning curve. Cons The updates are often excessive leaving the user wondering if they should pause the campaign, and update, or leave alone... Review Source Response from ShortStack July 27, 2018 Thanks so much for your feedback! We're so glad you are loving the ShortStack platform. In the future, you can push an update(s) in the middle of running a campaign - no need to pause it. BK Betsy K. PR Consultant Public Relations and Communications Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Social Media Contest Launch for NonProfit " December 10, 2020 4.0 Great. I would highly recommend. Pros I planned a series of social media photo contests for my client, Greenwich Botanical Center, to help create engagement during the COVID shut down of their programs and events. We held two photo contests 1) Hydrangea Envy and 2) Dazzling Dahlias and both were well received and increase overall engagement in our social media and web visits. Shortstack was very easy to use without extensive software knowledge in this space other than creating simple websites. It was easy to use and there was ALWAYS customer support at my beck and call. Every time I had a question...someone ws right there to guide me and put me back on track. on the higher priced subscription.The interface with our social media accounts was also a breeze for voting on FB and sharing. I still have the subscription and now want to do regular contests for all of my clients. Cons My only issues were that someone with an IT background used software to hack the voting and gave themselves over 4000 votes by appearing as unique IP addresses for each vote. My other issue was I found it hard to really. be creative in the initial design of the landing page...but that being said it always looked beautiful for my client and looked professional. I did not ask for more assistance to go to the next design level ann maybe that is also available at a higher subscription rate...I did not look. Review Source Response from ShortStack December 15, 2020 Thank you, Betsy! It sounds like your overall ShortStack experience was a good one! But sorry you had to deal with a cheater. That is never fun. We have a few resources on our blog that may help you combat cheating in the future. If you head to our blog (https://www.shortstack.com/blog/), in the search bar type in "cheating" and you'll see a whole list of articles. Thanks again for your feedback! BB Blair B. Product Marketing Manager Sports Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Shortstack Is Fun!" January 23, 2024 3.0 We enjoy using it and it makes choosing winners easy. Pros Shortstack is pretty easy to get a contest page up and going. We love the instant win function at events. Cons Sometimes it is difficult to customize pages. Review Source MB Mostafa B. Infrastructure digitale Animation Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I really liked my ShortStack experience" October 24, 2023 3.0 Pros hortStack is a versatile marketing platform that specializes in creating and managing interactive campaigns, contests and landing pages for businesses and organizations. Here are some key points about ShortStack: 1. Cons Versatile, specializing in creating and managing interactive campaigns and contests Review Source Scott G. Owner Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "The software works great, your target audience may not" January 26, 2019 5.0 So far, it's been great. Customer service was excellent both before and after I made my purchase. Software works wonderfully. I would recommend their service with the proviso that you need to target a responsive audience. Pros Easy to put together a promo, lots of templates to choose from, lots of different types of promotions to run Cons It's not the software - it's the audience that can be problematic. I've run 3 different refer-a-friend promos. One was pretty good, one was so-so, and one went downright terrible. Again, the software worked flawlessly! It was the audiences that really determined how things worked. You need to start out with a large initial email list, or a large reach with an extremely targeted message to get the audience you want to respond. Review Source Response from ShortStack January 29, 2019 Wow! Thanks so much, Scott! We're so glad ShortStack has worked well for you (functionally speaking). If you ever need advice or questions about best practices, it wouldn't hurt to give us a shout (theteam@shortstacklab.com). Thanks again! VR Verified Reviewer Solutions Delivery Manager Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Self-serve social apps made easy" January 26, 2019 5.0 I have built a variety of sweepstakes and contests in Shortstack for clients ranging from no-budget non-profits to large CPG brands, with happy clients and successful promotions. Pros Flexibility, ease of setup, high level of customizability. Cons Some of the design tools (wysiwyg) can be a little twitchy. Review Source Response from ShortStack January 29, 2019 Wow! Thank you so much! ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Talk to a Capterra advisor for free and get results within 15 minutes.