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.

Comparison · Updated June 2026

Rafflecopter vs RafflePress — Which Solves Your Use Case?

Standalone web picker for any post URL vs WordPress plugin for entry forms.

Rafflecopter wins

Tied

RafflePress wins

TL;DR — different use cases

Rafflecopter and RafflePress are not direct competitors. Rafflecopter is a hosted web tool that picks a winner from comments on any social post URL. RafflePress is a WordPress plugin that runs an entry-incentive campaign embedded on your own site, with refer-a-friend mechanics and email-list integrations.

Pick Rafflecopter if your giveaway lives on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or any other social feed — and you want SHA-256 verifiable fairness without a monthly subscription.

Pick RafflePress if you run a WordPress site and your goal is email-list growth through viral referral mechanics. That is the scenario it was built for and it wins clearly.

Side-by-side comparison

Feature	Rafflecopter	RafflePress
Pricing model No subscription lock-in	Pay-per-draw ($4.99 standard / $7.99 premium)	Annual subscription ($39.50 → $359/year)
Free tier	Up to 100 comments per draw, all features	Lite plugin (no premium templates or integrations)
Platforms supported	Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky	WordPress site only (any entry collected on-site)
Requires a WordPress site?	No — paste any social post URL	Yes — WordPress 5.5+ required
SHA-256 verifiable fairness certificate Per-draw cryptographic proof participants can independently verify	Yes	No
PIX payment (Brazilian creators)	Yes	No
Cinematic reveal animation (with audio)	7 themes, MP4 export	Static winner announcement
Multi-winner with podium (1st/2nd/3rd)	Up to 10 winners with podium	Multiple winners (plain list)
MCP server (AI / agent integration)	Yes	No
Email list integrations (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, AWeber) RafflePress is purpose-built for list growth	No	Yes
Refer-a-friend / viral entry mechanics	No	Yes
Embedded entry forms on your site	No	Yes
Support	Email + docs (all tiers)	Ticket support (Plus and above)
Account / signup required	No (paste link → draw → done)	Yes (license key + WordPress admin)

When to choose Rafflecopter

Rafflecopter is the right pick if any of these describe you:

Your giveaway runs on a social media post (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X, Reddit, Threads, or Bluesky) and you simply need to draw a winner from the comments.
You do not run a WordPress site — or you do, but the entries live on social, not on your blog.
You need SHA-256 verifiable fairness proof so participants can independently audit the draw — a regulatory must in some jurisdictions.
You hate annual subscriptions and want to pay only when you actually run a draw with 100+ comments.
You want a cinematic reveal video you can repost as a Reel or Story, instead of a static winner box.

When to choose RafflePress

We will not pretend Rafflecopter solves every use case. RafflePress is the better choice if:

You run a WordPress site and want the giveaway form embedded directly on a page or post you already own.
Your primary goal is email-list growth and you need native integrations with Mailchimp, ConvertKit, AWeber, or Drip plus a refer-a-friend mechanic to drive viral entries.
You want entrants to complete multi-step actions on your site (visit pages, watch videos, answer surveys) before the draw — RafflePress's entry-incentive engine is purpose-built for that funnel.

FAQ

Is RafflePress free?+

RafflePress has a free Lite plugin on WordPress.org with basic giveaway widgets, but premium templates, refer-a-friend mechanics, and email integrations require a paid Plus / Pro / Growth / Ultimate license starting at $39.50/year. Rafflecopter is free for draws up to 100 comments with all premium features included.

Can I migrate from RafflePress to Rafflecopter?+

There is no direct data import because the two tools work differently. RafflePress collects entries through forms on your WordPress site; Rafflecopter reads comments from a social post URL. If you are switching, you simply paste the URL of your next giveaway post into Rafflecopter — no entrant data needs to move.

Does RafflePress draw from Instagram comments?+

No. RafflePress only draws winners from entries submitted through the form embedded on your WordPress site. If you want to pick a winner from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or any other social comment thread, you need a tool like Rafflecopter that scrapes the post directly.

Which is better for WordPress bloggers growing an email list?+

RafflePress, honestly. Their entire product is built around list-growth incentives (refer-a-friend, points-for-action, email integrations). If your traffic is on a WordPress site and your goal is to convert visitors into subscribers, RafflePress is the right pick. Rafflecopter wins if your audience is on social media.

Try the free demo

Free for posts up to 100 comments. No credit card. No WordPress required. Paste a link and draw a winner in 60 seconds.

Pick a winner now

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.