Rafflecopter
Rafflecopter was a Boulder, Colorado-based SaaS platform, founded in 2011 by JR Patten and Greg Goodson, that enabled bloggers and Fortune 500 brands to create and run online giveaways and sweepstakes, operating until it shut down on October 1, 2025.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersBoulder, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Rafflecopter does
Rafflecopter was a Boulder, Colorado-based software platform that enabled individuals and brands to create, run, and manage online giveaways and sweepstakes. Founded circa 2011 by JR Patten and Greg Goodson, the company served a wide customer spectrum spanning individual bloggers at the long tail up through Fortune 500 brands, and over its 15-year operating history facilitated millions of giveaways on the platform. The product was delivered as a hosted utility integrated into third-party websites, with a stated emphasis on ease of use for non-technical marketers running promotional contests.
The company's business model relied on paying customers, indicating a paid SaaS structure, though specific pricing tiers, contract terms, and revenue mechanics were not disclosed in the available inputs. Rafflecopter operated with a small team of 1-10 employees, and no external funding rounds, acquisitions, partnerships, or patent activity were identified in the data. The platform operated continuously from launch until the company announced its shutdown, with the service ceasing on October 1, 2025.
Operationally, the product appears to have been positioned as a turnkey promotional-contest tool — handling entry collection, embedding, and winner selection workflows — but no proprietary technology components, integrations beyond basic web embeds, or differentiated architecture were disclosed. The combination of a niche vertical, sub-10 headcount, and a 15-year run that ended in wind-down suggests a bootstrapped lifestyle/small-SaaS profile rather than a venture-scale enterprise.
Rafflecopter firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rafflecopter
- Legal name
- Rafflecopter
- Website
- https://rafflecopter.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Rafflecopter was a Boulder, Colorado-based SaaS platform, founded in 2011 by JR Patten and Greg Goodson, that enabled bloggers and Fortune 500 brands to create and run online giveaways and sweepstakes, operating until it shut down on October 1, 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rafflecopter industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sweepstakes and Contest Management Software
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sweepstakes, Contests & Giveaway Administration (BPAFAMAD)
Keywords
Where Rafflecopter is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boulder
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Rafflecopter business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Rafflecopter product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rafflecopter provided a web-based SaaS platform that allowed marketers, bloggers, and brands to create, run, and manage online giveaways, sweepstakes, and contests. The platform collected entries through configurable methods such as social media actions, email sign-ups, and on-site actions, and supported promotional campaigns from individual bloggers through Fortune 500 brands. The service operated from its 2010 founding until it was shut down on October 1, 2025.
Product overview
Rafflecopter was a single, unified SaaS platform focused exclusively on running online giveaways and sweepstakes. The platform served a wide range of users from individual bloggers to Fortune 500 brands, providing tools to create, manage, and analyze promotional giveaways. The offering was a single integrated product rather than a modular platform with add-ons.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Rafflecopter Giveaway Platform A web-based SaaS platform that enables marketers, bloggers, and brands to create, run, and manage online giveaways, sweepstakes, and contests with multiple entry methods (such as social media actions, email sign-ups, and comment-based entries). Designed for non-technical users and scalable from individual bloggers up to Fortune 500 brand teams.
Quantifiable outcome
- Millions of giveaways run by users ranging from individual bloggers to Fortune 500 brands
Companies that use Rafflecopter
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Rafflecopter technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Rafflecopter partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves2 records
Rafflecopter competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PromoSimple: PromoSimple is a giveaway and contest platform offering similar functionality to Rafflecopter, including social-media-driven entry methods and brand campaign management.
- Vyper: Vyper is a viral contest and giveaway platform with a strong focus on lead generation and referral competitions, competing head-to-head with Rafflecopter for both SMB and enterprise marketing budgets.
- Heyo: Heyo is a social contest and giveaway platform with similar entry mechanics to Rafflecopter. It primarily serves small businesses and marketers running social-media-driven campaigns.
- Woobox: Woobox is a promotional campaign platform offering contests, giveaways, and interactive marketing tools. It competes directly with Rafflecopter across both the SMB blogger and mid-market brand segments.
- Gleam: Gleam is a leading direct competitor to Rafflecopter, offering a SaaS platform for running online giveaways, contests, and sweepstakes with similar entry methods (social actions, email signups, referrals). It serves both individual creators and brands, directly overlapping Rafflecopter's primary use cases and customer segments.
- KingSumo: KingSumo provides giveaway and viral contest software for marketers and bloggers, overlapping directly with Rafflecopter's core functionality. It targets similar use cases around audience growth through contests.
- ViralSweep: ViralSweep provides sweepstakes, contest, and giveaway software with a comparable feature set to Rafflecopter, including viral entry options and email capture. It serves both individual creators and brand marketers.
- ShortStack: ShortStack is a contest and giveaway platform serving brands and agencies, with deep campaign-building features closely aligned with Rafflecopter's enterprise offering. It targets similar Fortune 500-tier customers running branded promotions.
- RafflePress: RafflePress is a WordPress plugin for running giveaways and contests, directly competing with Rafflecopter in the blogger/SMB segment. It offers similar viral entry mechanisms and is one of the most frequently compared alternatives to Rafflecopter.
Broad incumbents
- Wishpond: Wishpond is a broader marketing-software suite that includes giveaway and contest tools alongside landing pages, email, and CRM. It overlaps with Rafflecopter in promotional campaign functionality but serves as a wider martech platform rather than a single-purpose tool.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Rafflecopter social profiles
Digital presenceRafflecopter financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rafflecopter leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Rafflecopter funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rafflecopter M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rafflecopter
What does Rafflecopter do?
Rafflecopter provided a web-based SaaS platform that allowed marketers, bloggers, and brands to create, run, and manage online giveaways, sweepstakes, and contests. The platform collected entries through configurable methods such as social media actions, email sign-ups, and on-site actions, and supported promotional campaigns from individual bloggers through Fortune 500 brands. The service operated from its 2010 founding until it was shut down on October 1, 2025.
Is Rafflecopter a public or private company?
Rafflecopter is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently closed.
When was Rafflecopter founded?
Rafflecopter was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Rafflecopter based?
Rafflecopter is headquartered in Boulder, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Rafflecopter's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PromoSimple, Vyper, Heyo, Woobox, Gleam, KingSumo, ViralSweep, ShortStack and RafflePress. Wishpond is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Rafflecopter have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rafflecopter.
What industry is Rafflecopter in?
Rafflecopter's product category is Sweepstakes and Contest Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAMAD, Sweepstakes, Contests & Giveaway Administration. Its SIC code is 7372.