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 AppSorteos — Comment Picker Comparison

SHA-256 verification + 9 platforms vs Hispanic-market focus + iOS/Android apps.

Rafflecopter wins

Tied

AppSorteos wins

TL;DR

AppSorteos owns Hispanic LATAM. They have native iOS and Android apps, brand recognition across Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Spain, and a generous free tier (with ads + watermark). If you run Spanish-language Instagram or TikTok draws from your phone and don't need verifiability, AppSorteos is a reasonable pick.

Rafflecopter owns verifiability. Every draw ships with a SHA-256 certificate participants can independently re-verify, plus 5 extra platforms (X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Twitch), cinematic MP4 reveal video, MCP server for AI agents, and PIX payment. No monthly subscription — $4.99 per draw above the free tier.

Feature-by-feature

Feature	Rafflecopter	AppSorteos
Pricing model No subscription on Rafflecopter	Pay-per-draw ($4.99 / $7.99)	Freemium + monthly Premium (~$9.99/mo)
Free tier AppSorteos free tier is more generous if you don't need verification	Up to 100 comments per draw	Unlimited basic draws, ads + watermark
Platforms supported	9 (IG, TikTok, YouTube, FB, X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Twitch)	4 (IG, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube)
SHA-256 verifiable certificate Per-draw cryptographic proof participants can re-verify	Yes	No
PIX payment (Brazil)	Yes	No
Native iOS / Android apps	Web (PWA)	Yes, both stores
Cinematic reveal video	7 themes + MP4 export (9:16, 1:1, 16:9)	Basic animated reveal
MCP server (AI agent integration) Run draws from Claude / ChatGPT clients	Yes	No
Multi-winner with podium (1st/2nd/3rd)	Up to 10 winners	Yes, plain list
Spanish-language UI & support AppSorteos is built in and for Hispanic LATAM	Spanish included (16 languages)	Spanish-first, LATAM support
Account / signup required	No (paste link, draw)	Yes for Premium / history
Anti-bot / duplicate detection	AI + tag/mention rules	Basic duplicate filter

When to choose Rafflecopter

Pick Rafflecopter when any of these matter:

You want a SHA-256 verifiable certificate participants can independently re-check — the single biggest gap in AppSorteos.
You run giveaways on X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky or Twitch — AppSorteos only covers Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube.
You want a cinematic MP4 reveal video (9:16, 1:1, 16:9) to post as Reels/Stories/Feed.
You hate monthly subscriptions and prefer $4.99 per draw with zero recurring cost.
You build with AI — Rafflecopter ships an MCP server so Claude or ChatGPT desktop clients can run draws directly.

When to choose AppSorteos

We are not the right tool for everyone. AppSorteos is the better pick when:

You want a native iOS or Android app for running draws from your phone — AppSorteos has both stores; Rafflecopter is a web PWA.
Your audience is Hispanic LATAM and you value the brand recognition AppSorteos already has across Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Spain.
You only need a basic free draw on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook, are fine with ads and a watermark, and don't care about verifiability.

Frequently asked questions

Is AppSorteos free?+

AppSorteos has a free tier that lets you run basic Instagram, TikTok and Facebook comment draws with ads and a watermark on the result. Their Premium plan (around $9.99/month) removes ads, unlocks history and adds extra filters. Rafflecopter is free for posts up to 100 comments and then charges a one-off $4.99 / $7.99 per draw — no monthly fee.

Can I migrate from AppSorteos to Rafflecopter?+

Yes. Both tools work the same way for the user: paste the URL of the Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Facebook post and the tool fetches the comments. There is no export/import step because nothing is stored between draws. Just paste your post link into Rafflecopter and run the draw — you will get the verifiable SHA-256 certificate that AppSorteos does not provide.

Does AppSorteos have a verifiable fairness certificate?+

No. AppSorteos uses a JavaScript random number generator client-side and does not publish a per-draw certificate that participants can independently verify. Rafflecopter signs each draw with SHA-256 and publishes a verification URL where anyone can re-run the exact same input + seed and confirm the same winner came out.

Which tool is better for Hispanic LATAM creators?+

AppSorteos has stronger brand recognition in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Spain, plus native iOS and Android apps that are convenient on mobile. Rafflecopter ships full Spanish UI and accepts PIX (Brazil) and standard cards, so creators who care about verifiability or who run draws on TikTok, X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky or Twitch (not supported by AppSorteos) usually pick Rafflecopter.

Try Rafflecopter free

Free for posts up to 100 comments — no signup, no credit card. Paste your link and get a verifiable winner in 60 seconds.

Run a free demo draw

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.