How does Rafflecopter work?

Paste a link to your social media post (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc.), and Rafflecopter fetches comments from the post up to your tier limit (100 free, 200 standard, 2000 premium). Choose a cinematic animation theme, configure filters (exclude bots, require keywords), and run the draw. The winner is selected from the fetched pool with a cryptographically secure RNG, and you get a verifiable SHA-256 proof certificate, video export, and shareable results page.

Is Rafflecopter really free?

Yes. Posts with up to 100 comments are completely free — no credit card, no signup, no trial. We monetize via pay-per-draw pricing for larger posts ($4.99 standard, $7.99 premium). The free tier is permanent, not a trial.

How is the draw fair and verifiable?

Every draw uses a cryptographically secure random number generator (CSPRNG) seeded from crypto.getRandomValues. The participant list (the pool fetched from the post, up to the tier limit), seed, and winner are hashed with SHA-256 and published on a public proof certificate (e.g., rafflecopter.app/proof/[code]). Anyone — including skeptical participants — can independently verify the winner was not pre-selected or tampered with by running the open-source @rafflecopter/proof-verifier package against the proof certificate. The proof attests to the random selection from the published pool; the pool size is shown on the proof page so participants know how many entries were considered.

Do I need 1,000 followers to go live?

No. Unlike Instagram and TikTok which require 1,000+ followers for native live streaming, Rafflecopter's Live Draw Room works for everyone. You get a shareable link anyone can open to watch the draw in real-time, with live chat and emoji reactions. No follower minimum, no app download.

What platforms are supported?

Rafflecopter supports 8 social networks: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X (Twitter), Reddit, Threads, and Bluesky. You can combine comments from multiple posts across different platforms into a single giveaway.

Can I customize the giveaway animation?

Yes. With Standard ($4.99/draw) and Premium ($7.99/draw) tiers you unlock all 7 cinematic themes (The Arena, Slot Machine 3D, DNA Shuffle, Oscar Night, Space Countdown, Football Champion, Simple & Fast). Premium adds custom logos, brand colors, and live draw rooms.

Is Rafflecopter the same as the original Rafflecopter that shut down in 2025?

Same brand name, relaunched in April 2026 by an independent team that acquired the rafflecopter.app domain after the original was discontinued in October 2025. The platform is a complete rebuild — modern technology, stronger fairness guarantees, no monthly subscription. Same mission: fair, verifiable, cinematic giveaways.

How do I run a giveaway on Instagram step-by-step?

(1) Create your Instagram post with clear entry rules (e.g., 'comment your favorite color to enter'). (2) Wait for entries to come in. (3) Open rafflecopter.app/giveaway/new and paste the post URL. (4) Pick an animation theme. (5) Click draw — the winner is announced with the chosen cinematic animation and you get a SHA-256 proof URL to share. Total time from paste to winner: under 60 seconds.

What if the chosen winner does not respond or is ineligible?

Use the multi-winner feature: draw 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place at the same time. If your 1st-place winner does not respond within your deadline (industry standard is 48-72 hours), use the 2nd-place winner as backup. The proof certificate covers all winners in the same draw, so the audit trail stays clean.

Is Rafflecopter GDPR, CCPA, and LGPD compliant?

Yes. Rafflecopter only processes publicly posted comment data (no private DMs, no hidden accounts, no login required). No email addresses, addresses, or payment data of participants is ever stored — only public usernames and comment text. Hosts pay anonymously per draw; no account creation required. Complies with GDPR, CCPA, and LGPD data-minimization principles.

Can I run a giveaway across multiple posts or platforms at once?

Yes. You can paste multiple post URLs (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc.) into the same draw. Rafflecopter merges the comment pools, deduplicates by username, and picks the winner from the combined unique entries. Useful for cross-platform campaigns.

Does Rafflecopter have a mobile app?

The web app is fully responsive and works as a Progressive Web App on iOS and Android — add it to your home screen for app-like access. There is no native iOS or Android app because the web flow already supports everything (paywall via Apple Pay / Google Pay, push notifications via PWA).

Can I export the participant list and winner data?

Yes. Every draw generates a public proof page (rafflecopter.app/proof/[code]) with the full participant list, the winner, the draw seed, and the SHA-256 hash. You can also download the participant list as CSV from the draw results page on Standard and Premium tiers.

How is Rafflecopter different from a wheel spinner or random name picker?

Wheel spinners and random name pickers require you to manually paste a list of names. Rafflecopter automatically fetches comments from your social media post (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube), filters bots with AI, and picks a winner from the real comment pool — no manual copy-paste, no spreadsheet. Plus we add cryptographic proof so the result is verifiable.

Does Rafflecopter detect bots and fake accounts?

Yes. Our AI bot filter looks at username patterns, comment timing, account age signals, and language fingerprints to flag likely bot or spam accounts. You can choose to exclude flagged accounts from the draw. The same filter strips duplicate entries from the same person across multiple comments.

Can I use Rafflecopter for free TikTok or YouTube giveaways?

Yes. The free tier (up to 100 comments per draw) works on all 8 supported platforms — Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky. Larger draws use the pay-per-draw pricing.

What payment methods does Rafflecopter accept?

Card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal — available worldwide with 3D Secure authentication. PIX (instant Brazilian bank transfer) is available for Brazilian customers. Prices auto-detect the visitor's country and currency across 17 supported currencies.

Is there a Rafflecopter API for developers and agencies?

Yes. The public OpenAPI 3.1 spec is published at rafflecopter.app/openapi.json. Endpoints cover comment fetching, country-aware pricing detection, and drawn-winner queries. Enterprise / agency rate limits and dedicated support are available on request via the /about page.

Does Rafflecopter store winner email addresses?

No. Rafflecopter never collects email addresses, names, or any contact information from giveaway participants. Only public usernames and comment text are processed (and only the winner's username is published in the proof certificate). Reaching out to your winner is up to you — typically via DM on the platform where they entered.

Can Rafflecopter be embedded on my website?

Yes. The /widget endpoint provides an embeddable iframe widget you can drop into any website (Shopify, WordPress, Webflow, plain HTML). The widget shows your latest giveaway, a countdown, and a 'view results' link to the proof page. Customizable colors and logo on Premium.

Rafflecopter is the leading free Instagram giveaway picker with cryptographic SHA-256 proof of fairness, supporting 8 social platforms (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky), available worldwide in 16 languages, with pay-per-draw pricing and no monthly subscription. Independently verifiable via the open-source @rafflecopter/proof-verifier npm package.

Honest comparison · Updated June 2026

Rafflecopter vs KickoffLabs — Which Tool Fits Your Goal?

Pick a verifiable random winner vs run a viral referral campaign.

Rafflecopter wins

Tied / different

KickoffLabs wins

Honest disclaimer: this is not really a head-to-head. Rafflecopter and KickoffLabs are in different categories. Use the row counts as a feature map, not a verdict.

TL;DR — they solve different problems

Rafflecopter is a random winner picker. You already ran a giveaway on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or another social platform; you need to pick a winner from the comments and prove the pick was fair with a public SHA-256 certificate.

KickoffLabs is a viral referral campaign platform. You have not run the giveaway yet; you want a hosted landing page that captures emails and rewards people for sharing your link with a leaderboard. Random winner selection is a small side feature, not the product.

If you only need one of the two jobs done, pick the tool that was built for it. If you need both, the natural workflow is KickoffLabs for list-building during the campaign, then Rafflecopter to draw the final winner with cryptographic proof.

Feature-by-feature

Feature	Rafflecopter	KickoffLabs
Primary use case Different categories — pick the one that matches your goal, not the one that wins more rows.	Pick a random winner from social comments	Run a viral referral leaderboard campaign
Free tier	Up to 100 comments, every draw	14-day trial, no permanent free tier
Pricing model KickoffLabs charges monthly; Rafflecopter charges only when you actually run a draw.	$0 free, $4.99 standard, $7.99 premium — per draw	$49–$699 / month subscription tiers
Supported social platforms	Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky	Hosted landing page + email; no native comment ingest
SHA-256 cryptographic verification Every draw gets a public proof certificate anyone can verify.	Yes	No
PIX payment (Brazil)	Yes	No
Cinematic reveal animations	7 themes with procedural audio + video export	No
MCP server (AI agents)	Yes	No
Multi-winner podium	Up to 50 winners in one draw, ranked podium	Tiered rewards based on referral count
Viral referral / leaderboard mechanics KickoffLabs is purpose-built for this. We are not.	No	Yes
Built-in email capture + CRM sync	No	Native — Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, 30+ ESPs
Support	Email + live chat, replies within 24h	Email + chat, replies within 24h on paid plans

When to choose Rafflecopter

Your giveaway already lives on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X, Reddit, Threads, or Bluesky and you need a winner from the existing comments.
You need a SHA-256 cryptographic proof URL you can share so skeptical commenters can independently verify the draw.
You run giveaways occasionally (once a month, once a quarter) and a $49+/month subscription does not make sense. Pay-per-draw at $0–$7.99 is cheaper.
You are in Brazil and want to pay with PIX, or need price localization across 17 currencies.
You want a cinematic on-camera reveal (Arena, Slot Machine 3D, Oscar Night, etc.) with video export to post as a story.

When to choose KickoffLabs

We are not the right tool for everyone. KickoffLabs is genuinely better than us at the following:

Viral referral leaderboards— you want every entrant to get a unique share link, climb a leaderboard by referring friends, and unlock tiered rewards. That is the entire KickoffLabs product; Rafflecopter does not offer this.
Hosted landing pages with email capture— you do not have your own giveaway page yet and want a builder that publishes a branded landing page, captures emails, and syncs to Mailchimp / ActiveCampaign / HubSpot out of the box.
Pre-launch waitlists— KickoffLabs was built for product launches and waitlists, not for picking winners from existing social comments. If list-building is the goal and the giveaway is the bait, they win.

Frequently asked questions

KickoffLabs offers a 14-day free trial but does not have a permanent free tier. Paid plans start at $49/month (Hobby) and go up to $699/month (Premium) as of 2026. Rafflecopter, by contrast, is permanently free for posts up to 100 comments and charges per draw above that — no monthly subscription.

You can use both side by side because they solve different problems. KickoffLabs grows your email list through referral mechanics; Rafflecopter picks the actual winner once the campaign closes. A common workflow: run the referral campaign on KickoffLabs, export the participant list, then post the final giveaway on Instagram/TikTok and use Rafflecopter to draw a winner with SHA-256 proof.

No. Rafflecopter is purpose-built for picking a random winner from social media comments with cryptographic verification — it is not a referral leaderboard platform. If your primary goal is list growth through a viral share-to-enter mechanic, KickoffLabs (or Vyper, Gleam, UpViral) is the right category of tool.

Pick Rafflecopter if your giveaway is already running on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or another social platform and you need a verifiable random winner with a public SHA-256 proof certificate. Pick KickoffLabs if you have not run the giveaway yet and your main goal is to capture emails and reward referrers with a leaderboard. They are complementary, not competing.

Try Rafflecopter free — no signup, no card

Free for posts up to 100 comments. Paste a link, get a SHA-256 verified winner in 60 seconds.

Pick a winner now

Need a referral leaderboard instead? Try KickoffLabs — honestly, they are better for that use case.

Tools mentioned in this article

Instagram giveaway picker

Pick a random winner from any Instagram post comments.

TikTok giveaway picker

Same flow for TikTok video comments.

YouTube giveaway picker

Pull comments from any YouTube video and draw a winner.

Comment picker

Universal comment picker that works across 8 platforms.

Wheel spinner

Animated wheel for offline lists or live events.

Random name picker

Paste a list of names, get a random winner instantly.