--- title: "Zealous Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about Zealous Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Contest products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/203404/Zealous/" page_type: "product" language: "en" --- # Zealous Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on September 29, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Zealous ## What is Zealous? 🏆 Revolutionize contest management with Zealous: Starting at just $37/month, no hidden fees. Award-winning and built for growth. Automate submissions, boost visibility with our 70k+ creative network and simplify judging with our stunning gallery. Streamlined, secure, and efficient: Zealous simplifies contest management from entry collection to judging, saving you time and resources while keeping data secure. Engaging and flexible: With a visually captivating gallery and versatile voting options, enhance both participant and judge experiences. Affordable and effective: Monthly plans, cancel anytime. Get started for free: Dazzle your stakeholders with a cutting-edge, efficient solution. Zealous is the future of contest & awards management! ## What is Zealous used for? [Contest](https://www.capterra.com/contest-software/)[Scholarship Management](https://www.capterra.com/scholarship-management-software/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 60 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive 98% Neutral 2% Negative 0% Starting price £26 Flat Rate, Per Month Free trial available Includes Free Version Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for Zealous?[Manage this product listing](https://www.g2.com/products/zealous/claim_requests/new?auto=true) ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### Zealous 4.7 (60) VS. [4.6 (73)](https://www.capterra.com/p/140294/OpenWater-Awards/reviews/) Starting Price £26 Other Starting Price $5100 Per Year Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.4 (60) Ease Of Use 4.2 (73) Value For Money 4.7 (56) Value For Money 4.3 (64) Customer Service 5.0 (60) Customer Service 4.9 (70) ## Zealous alternatives [4.8 (193)](https://www.capterra.com/p/148148/Award-Force/reviews/) Starting price $2625.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 99% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.4 (156)](https://www.capterra.com/p/154791/ShortStack/reviews/) Starting price $99.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 89% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars Highest Rated [4.8 (398)](https://www.capterra.com/p/158382/Submittable/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 98% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.7 (18)](https://www.capterra.com/p/206626/Reviewr/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 94% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/203404/Zealous/alternatives/) ## FAQs about Zealous Overview ### What problems does Zealous solve? Zealous solves the admin burden of running awards, contests, and open calls by centralizing submissions, multi-category setup, anonymous judging, scoring, shortlisting, analytics, and exports. It reduces applicant drop-off, manual collation, and technical support issues. Arts organizations, schools, nonprofits, awards teams, and judges benefit most from its flexible, professional workflows. Answer based on 29 reviews Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from Zealous? Zealous is most used by executives, directors, and founders, along with creative, publishing, and communications teams. These roles rely on it to run submissions, manage contests and awards, coordinate reviewers, engage artists and audiences, and streamline campaign, curation, and program workflows with clearer oversight and fewer manual administrative tasks. Answer based on 59 reviews Overview ### What company size and industries is Zealous built for? Zealous is built mainly for small businesses and Arts and Crafts organizations, with 86% of reviewers from small companies and 25% from Arts and Crafts. It also serves Non-Profit Organization Management at 17% and Education Management at 10%, with most teams using it for contest management and judging. Answer based on 59 reviews Features and Usability ### What are the key features of Zealous? Zealous includes core competition management tools like entry management, electronic submission, customizable forms, and applicant tracking. Reviewers also focus on differentiators such as blind judging, scoring, judging management, public voting, and automated email reminders, plus analytics, data export, and Stripe-based payment processing for awards and art submissions. Answer based on 29 reviews Pricing ### How much does it cost and what fees or limitations are included? Zealous starts at £26 per month for the Starter plan, with Pro at £79 and Scale at £239. A free version and free trial are available. Starter includes up to 75 submissions and one scoring round; all plans include a 2.2% + 20p commission on entry fees, capped at £2. Answer based on 5 reviews Integrations ### Which third-party tools and platforms does Zealous integrate with? Zealous integrates with Stripe for payment processing and billing-related workflows. Answer based on 2 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What training and onboarding options does Zealous offer? Zealous provides in-person training, live online sessions, webinars, documentation, and videos. In-person and live online formats support guided setup, webinars cover scheduled instruction, and documentation and videos offer reference material and self-paced learning for teams getting started. Answer based on 1 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does Zealous offer, and how do users rate the experience? Zealous offers email/help desk, FAQ/forum, knowledge base, phone support, and chat. Users consistently describe support as fast, accessible, and highly helpful, with tailored guidance, proactive check-ins, and hands-on assistance during setup and troubleshooting. A few mention confusing early demo materials or feeling less guided before upgrading. Answer based on 23 reviews Judging process ### How well does Zealous handle judging for competitions and awards? Zealous makes competition judging clear and manageable, with scoring, shortlisting, category allocation, and side-by-side entry review in one place. Arts organizations, award teams, and contest administrators often find it cuts admin work, though scheduling rounds, reassigning judges, and supporting complex category setups can take extra attention. Answer based on 22 reviews ## Features AI summary Based on 250 Contest reviews Capterra data shows that buyers of contest software rank the following features as their top priorities: - **Judging Management** (**51%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Scoring** (**57%**) - **Entry Management** (**61%**) Zealous supports all three of the features reviewers value most: **Judging Management**, **Scoring**, and **Entry Management**. Together, these capabilities help businesses organize submissions, evaluate entries fairly, and manage the full contest process more efficiently, allowing teams to run competitions with greater consistency and control. Judging Management 4.6 (21) 90.48% of 21 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Choose winners for contests, promotional events, games, or sweepstakes via voting, polls, random selection, etc. Scoring 4.6 (18) 88.89% of 18 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Automatically calculate score after the assessment Entry Management 4.6 (21) 85.71% of 21 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Manage entry processes via custom forms Customizable Questions 4.6 (22) 77.27% of 22 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Tailored or customizable questions for more targeted and relevant data collection SSL Security 5.0 (2) 100.00% of 2 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Security protocol that ensures secure, encrypted communication over the internet, safeguarding sensitive data from unauthorized access Customizable Fields 4.3 (20) 75.00% of 20 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Customize data fields to support various needs and use cases Zealous 41 features ### All Features - Access Controls/Permissions: Define levels of authorization for access to specific files or systems - Activity Dashboard: Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities - Activity Tracking: Track and document all activities across devices, networks, and other systems - Alerts/Notifications: Alerts or notifications of various types such as pop-up messages, sounds, banners, or badges - Applicant Tracking: Find and manage potential candidates and their applications and resumes through the recruiting life cycle - Approval Process Control: Manage the process of evaluating documents or requests submitted for approval - Awards Management: Distribute awards to winners via prizes, coupons, giveaways, items, redemption codes, etc. - Categorization/Grouping: Organize and group data or items based on various criteria - Collaboration Tools: Provides a channel for team members to share AI models, media files, communicate, and work together - Commenting/Notes: Leave comments and notes on documents for others to view - Contact Management: Manage, organize, and store contact information - Customizable Branding: Add customized logos and colors to align with company branding - Customizable Fields: Customize data fields to support various needs and use cases - Customizable Forms: Customize contracts and forms to collect specific information - Customizable Questions: Tailored or customizable questions for more targeted and relevant data collection - Customizable Reports: Alter the layout and content of reports - Customizable Templates: Pre-designed layouts that can be customized to match preferences and requirements - Data Import/Export: Import and export data to and from software applications - Document Review: Review and analyze existing information across documents - Electronic Payments: Electronically collect payments for goods or services - Email Reminders: Reminders sent via email - Entry Management: Manage entry processes via custom forms - For Marketers: For the intention to be used by marketing teams - Forms Management: Store, manage and track all forms in a centralized location - Judging Management: Choose winners for contests, promotional events, games, or sweepstakes via voting, polls, random selection, etc. - Landing Pages/Web Forms: Create landing pages or online forms designed to capture new leads and prospects - Polls/Voting: Enable custom polls/voting to facilitate decision-making or increase engagement - Progress Tracking: Reporting on how each user, task or process has advanced since its initiation - Promotions Management: Design, communicate, and distribute incentives to perform a specific action - Ratings/Reviews: Ratings/Reviews - Real-Time Analytics: Analyze and gain insights into data in real-time - Real-Time Data: Receive data and information in real time - Reporting & Statistics: Collection, analysis, and representation of numerical data and generation of reports to understand various patterns - Role-Based Permissions: Set & manage permission levels based on user roles and restrict access to only authorized individuals - Scoring: Automatically calculate score after the assessment - Social Promotion: Market event via social media tools - SSL Security: Security protocol that ensures secure, encrypted communication over the internet, safeguarding sensitive data from unauthorized access - Status Tracking: Track the status over time for a request, process, asset, or transaction - Third-Party Integrations: Set up connections to third-party platforms to improve business processes - Web Forms: Web form that allows users to enter data that is sent and processed for different reasons - Workflow Management: Create, design and manage workflows for repetitive tasks --- Get Advice We can help you find the software with the features you need. Features 4.3 (60) 4.3 Based on 60 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.7 (56) Free Trial Free Version [View pricing plan details](https://www.capterra.com/p/203404/Zealous/pricing/) Free Plan £0.00 It includes: - 20 entries - Unlimited programs - Unlimited draft entries - Unlimited file storage - Unlimited judges - Unlimited categories - HD Video Streaming Starter £26.00 Flat Rate,Per Month It includes: - Up to 75 submissions - Unlimited programs - One scoring round - Judge comments & chat - Unlimited categories - Invoicing & refunds - 2.2% + 20p commission on entry fees (capped at £2) Pro £79.00 Flat Rate,Per Month It includes: - Up to 300 submissions - Unlimited scoring rounds - Multiple criteria scoring - Public voting - 1 hour onboarding - 2.2% + 20p commission on entry fees (capped at £2) Scale £239.00 Flat Rate,Per Month It includes: - Up to 1,000 submissions - Customize automated email content - Zapier integration - Webhooks - 2.2% + 20p commission on entry fees (capped at £2) Enterprise Contact us for pricing It includes: - Larger annual submission numbers - Application uptime SLA - Procurement support - Non-standard contract terms - Dedicated account manager - No commission on entry fees Value for money 4.7 (56) 4.7 Based on 56 reviews ## Integrations [ Stripe](https://www.capterra.com/p/123889/Stripe/) Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs. ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 5.0 (60) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 5.0 (60) 5.0 Based on 60 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.7 Based on 60 reviews Filter by rating 5(44) 4(15) 3(1) 2(0) 1(0) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent MM Marieke M. Partnerships Manager Environmental Services ### "Zealous review" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 7/10 September 8, 2026 Pros We're lucky enough to have a dedicated account manager who is extremely helpful and responsive, and happy to think with us to help resolve any issues we might run into. Generally, the admin interface is clean and easy to manage. Cons The simplicity of the admin interface sometimes falls into clunkiness, but the help desk is always available for any basic questions. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. CB Claudia B. Corporate Sustainability Financial Services ### "An easy and sleak to use platform with excellent support" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 August 17, 2026 I have used Zealous twice, for a photography competition and a charity competition. The submissions on the platform are visually striking and nice to look through. I particularly liked the judging feature for the charity competition, as it aggregated and averaged the judges’ scores against the submissions, making the process fair, straightforward and easy to manage. Pros Zealous is simple, beautiful to view and it was easy for employees to use. The support has been phenomenal, with helpful videos tailored to your needs and guidance on how to make your initiative work well and efficiently. Cons Nothing so far. We are still testing the platform, but our experience to date has been very positive. The platform has been straightforward to use, and we have not encountered any issues or limitations so far. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RG Rita G. Publisher Publishing ### "photo magazine Zealous submissions review" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 August 4, 2026 Pretty good! The team behind the software has been really helpful when needed attending to questions and issues quickly is SO important! Pros It's a great tool for working with a lot of submissions and judges. Once set up, it's been helpful to be able to take payments - or not, and review work in one place. Cons A few small glitches... (luckily the humans behind the software are lovely and helpful!) One main issue that would improve my life would be if the sales report info could be merged with the submissions info as a single document/ download. I currently have to combine these 2 documents manually. Additionally, the way that I have to manage the submissions I don't want the judges to see is glitchy/ manual. The way that pricing works is also a little confusing at times. The rates are great - but the way it sometimes gets managed can be tricky. Switched from [Google Forms](https://www.capterra.com/p/176571/Google-Forms/) price and ease of use had us switch from $$$$ options and low cost/ high work options. Alternatives considered [Submittable](https://www.capterra.com/p/158382/Submittable/) Reasons for choosing Zealous Price was the main factor in selecting Zealous Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. FP Florina P. Program Manager Non-Profit Organization Management ### "DI\_PLOMA AWARDS experience" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 July 21, 2026 Overall the experience was great. No matter the small problems that we got, we received great support, always fast answers and solutions to all the problems. This was a great plus cause we always knew that if we write to you we will receive support in minutes. Great customer support. Pros Easy to use and very intuitive. It was pretty easy to use all the features and we received great support from the team where we got stuck. Cons There was a step during the project where we could not go into the public vote without jury vote completed, and that gave us some anxiety, but we received help in managing this. Also with the jury allocation we were having some problems because of the fact that not all jury members entered the platform at the same time. Switched from [Evalato](https://www.capterra.com/p/180032/Evalato/) Cost vs value. For what we needed the previous platform costs to much. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. SW Stephen W. Consultant Automotive ### "Garage Awards 2026" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 June 2, 2026 Excellent - \[sensitive content hidden\] our account manager was superb and held our hand as much as we needed. She was a star. Pros It’s and easy to use platform made even better by the support. We upgraded to Pro and it was a great decision. Cons Some of the demo videos early on were a bit confusing. Prior to being on the pro version, it felt a little lonely trying to navigate. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. CR Claire R. CEO Non-Profit Organization Management ### "Awards system review" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 June 2, 2026 It created a professional look and a relatively easy system to work with once teething problems were resolved. \[sensitive content hidden\] was great in supporting us. A lot of the challenges we had were with encouraging our judges to accommodate a new on-line system after many years of off-line forms but Zealous was a great step forward. Pros The support given by the team was hugely helpful - it makes such a difference to have access to people! Cons It would be useful to have different judging questions for different categories. It would also be useful to have freeform answers within the questions where judges could enter their comments, along with a section where you elect if the applicant won/highly commended/commended, or other categories that would be relevant to the awards. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. TR Tamara R. CEO Online Media ### "3 years in w zealous." 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 May 28, 2026 We've used them for 3 years now and have always had ease of use with our judges (over 160 applications per year now) and entrant communications. The zealous team are so proactive in reaching out if they spot anything on our subscription that could help us further - above and beyond. Pros Zealous has given us such an exceptional customer service over the last 3 years (even if a cheaper alternative) we would never go elsewhere. Cons Sometimes there a cheeky box somewhere that I havent found to either tick or untick - but thats likely more a me problem than a platform problem! Alternatives considered [Award Force](https://www.capterra.com/p/148148/Award-Force/) Reasons for choosing Zealous Ease of setup - self led trialling process. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. JD Juliet D. Director Arts and Crafts ### "Easy to use and excellent customer support" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 March 16, 2026 I can't fault the service I had with Zealous and would highly recommend them to others - their customer service is exceptional, they represent great value for money and offer a number of options to suit everyone's needs. Thank you for making this such a smooth and enjoyable experience! Pros Zealous is the perfect platform from which to set up and run an international arts competition. It is visually driven and well designed making it appealing to applicants and judges alike. As someone who is not very technically competent I found it surprisingly easy to set up the competition and whenever I did have any queries the customer support was amazing - a super quick response rate with very tailored advice. \[sensitive content hidden\] from Zealous was incredibly helpful; proactively reaching out and checking in with me throughout. The judging process was also very clear and easy to use - we even had a 94 year old judge who managed very ably to navigate the site! Cons The only suggestion I would make is relating to the design of the Competition details section. I would have liked the option to divide the text into chapters or boxes rather than reading as one long section of text over several pages. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. LP Lia P. Marketing Specialist Hospitality ### "Great Zealous Experience!" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 November 13, 2025 This is our second year using Zealous for our competition and we will be using it again next year as well! The customer support is wonderful and the actual platform for submissions is exactly what we need. Pros It is very organized for submissions and the judge feature is very useful! Easy to navigate user interface and amazing customer support anytime we had a question. Cons There were some minor glitches, sometimes with the email permissions, but we reached out to customer support and were greeted with a quick solution each time! Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AD Alisa D. Student Engagement Manager Education Management ### "Brilliant submissions management platform" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 October 8, 2025 We’ve used Zealous to manage our international Poetry and Art Competitions for several years now. It’s a brilliant platform that has streamlined our processes, freed up capacity, and allowed us to scale. Huge thanks to the team at Zealous for their ongoing support! Pros Brilliant customer service - the team is always happy to help and goes above and beyond to provide support throughout. Their product is constantly evolving and improving to meet the needs of its users (e.g., we can now collect judge comments). Cons At times, the platform can be a little slow to load entries. Despite this, it has still greatly improved the way we manage our competitions. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/203404/Zealous/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Popular comparisons [OpenWater vs Zealous](https://www.capterra.com/compare/140294-203404/OpenWater-Awards-vs-Zealous)[Awardify vs Zealous](https://www.capterra.com/compare/203404-252478/Zealous-vs-Awardify) [Award Force vs Zealous](https://www.capterra.com/compare/148148-203404/Award-Force-vs-Zealous)