AwardKit vs Zealous. No Cut, and a Price That Does Not Grow With You.
Zealous is a polished platform for creative competitions, but it takes 2.2% plus £0.20 on every paid entry, on top of Stripe fees and a subscription that is tiered by how many entries you receive. AwardKit charges zero commission and a flat $1,995 a year no matter your volume. Here is an honest, line by line comparison.
AwardKit vs Zealous in Four Bullets
Zealous charges 2.20% plus £0.20 on every paid entry (capped at £2.00) on its self-serve plans, on top of Stripe fees and the subscription. AwardKit takes zero commission on every plan: entry fees go straight to your own Stripe account.
Zealous pricing is tiered by how many entries you receive in a year, so the more successful your program, the more you pay. AwardKit is a flat $1,995 a year regardless of volume, with unlimited entries.
Both platforms are self-serve and quick to launch, and both have a free tier for tiny programs. AwardKit lets you build for free and pay to go live; Zealous is free up to 20 entries.
To be fair: Zealous is genuinely strong for visual and portfolio work (large video, 3D, and audio uploads), includes a vanity domain, and has deep creative-sector credibility. We call those out honestly.
AwardKit vs Zealous at a Glance
| Dimension | AwardKit | Zealous |
|---|---|---|
| Commission on entry fees | Zero, paid to your account | 2.2% + £0.20 per paid entry |
| Annual price | Flat $1,995, any volume | GBP, tiered by entry volume |
| Cost as you grow | Stays flat | Rises with entries |
| Entry fee currency | Any, via Stripe | Any, via Stripe |
| Free tier for tiny programs | Build free, pay to go live | Free up to 20 entries |
| Built for | Award programs | Creative / visual competitions |
The Full Comparison Table
Every meaningful feature, side by side. Hover any cell with extra detail for the source or context.
Entry Fees & Commission
The middleman cut, and how pricing scales.
| Feature | AwardKit | Zealous |
|---|---|---|
Commission on paid entries | ZeroYou pay only Stripe’s standard processing fees. AwardKit never takes a cut. | 2.2% + £0.20 (cap £2)Zealous charges 2.20% + £0.20 per paid submission, capped at £2.00, on its self-serve plans, on top of Stripe fees and the subscription. Its custom Enterprise plan advertises no commission. Source: zealous.co fees page, accessed 2026-06-17. |
Funds paid directly to your Stripe | Yes | Yes. Zealous integrates Stripe directly; entry fees reach your account, and Zealous adds its commission on top. |
Price independent of entry volume | Yes | No. Zealous subscription tiers are set by how many submissions you receive per year. |
Tiered fees (early-bird, member rates) | Yes | Yes |
Pricing & Plans
| Feature | AwardKit | Zealous |
|---|---|---|
Flat annual price | $1,995, any volume | From ~£26/mo, scales with volumeZealous is priced in GBP (inc VAT) and tiered by annual submission volume. The entry tier starts around £26/month for roughly 75 entries, but rises steeply: a 1,000-entry program runs to roughly £174 to £239/month (about £2,000 to £2,900 a year). Exact per-tier prices are JS-rendered and aggregators conflict; confirm on the live pricing page. |
Unlimited entries, no volume tiers | Yes | Capped per tier |
Free plan for tiny programs | Build free, pay to launch | Yes. Zealous is free for up to 20 entries on one opportunity. A real advantage for very small or one-off calls. |
No setup or onboarding fee | Yes | Yes |
Judging & Scoring
| Feature | AwardKit | Zealous |
|---|---|---|
Multi-round judging | Yes | Yes |
Weighted rubric scoring | Yes | Criteria scoring |
Ranked Top Picks and parallel rooms | Yes | Rounds and panels |
Public voting | Yes | Yes. Zealous offers public voting with fraud detection. |
Submissions & Media
Where Zealous genuinely leads. We call it honestly.
| Feature | AwardKit | Zealous |
|---|---|---|
Custom submission forms | Yes | Yes |
Large media uploads (video, 3D, audio) | No | Yes. Zealous handles video up to 4GB per file, plus 3D models and audio, built for portfolio and visual work. AwardKit uses URL embeds (YouTube, Loom) rather than large direct uploads today. |
URL embeds (YouTube, Loom) | Yes | Yes |
Public entry gallery | Yes | Yes |
Results, Branding & Certificates
| Feature | AwardKit | Zealous |
|---|---|---|
Winners gallery and staged results | Yes | Yes |
Auto-generated certificates | Yes | Not advertisedWe did not find native certificate generation documented by Zealous. |
Shareable certificate verification links | Yes | Not advertised |
Vanity domain and branding | No | Yes. Zealous includes vanity domain and branding options. AwardKit does not offer custom domains yet. |
How Pricing Compares
AwardKit
One flat price, zero commission
- Build your entire program for free, with no time limit
- Flat $1,995 a year for unlimited programs and entries
- Zero commission on entry fees, paid straight to your Stripe account
- Price never rises with your entry volume
- 14-day money-back guarantee
Zealous
Volume-tiered subscription plus a per-entry cut
- Free for up to 20 entries on one opportunity
- Paid plans in GBP, tiered by annual submission volume (from ~£26/mo for ~75 entries, rising to ~£2,000 to £2,900/yr at 1,000 entries)
- The more entries you receive, the higher the tier
- 2.2% + £0.20 per paid entry (capped at £2), on top of Stripe and the subscription
- Monthly or annual billing, no setup fee
Source: zealous.co
Built for the Programs You Actually Run
Awards run on annual cycles with entry fees and real judging. AwardKit handles all of it without a sales process or a setup project.
Trade and professional associations
Run your annual excellence awards, member of the year, or "40 Under 40" with custom entry forms, entry fees collected to your own account, and a judging panel of board members or industry peers.
Industry publications and media
Power reader awards, best-in-category programs, and editorial competitions. Collect paid submissions, run multi-round judging, and publish a polished winners page under your own brand.
Creative and design competitions
Accept media-rich entries, score them against weighted criteria, let judges rank their Top Picks, and hand winners a verifiable certificate they can share. No enterprise software to learn first.
When Zealous is the right choice
- You run a visual or portfolio competition (art, photography, design, architecture) and need large video, 3D, or audio uploads. Zealous is purpose-built for media-rich creative work.
- You are a UK or arts organization and prefer GBP, VAT-inclusive pricing and deep creative-sector references.
- You want a vanity domain and polished public voting with fraud detection out of the box.
- You run a very small or one-off open call and want a free tier (up to 20 entries) or monthly, no-lock-in billing.
Why organizers choose AwardKit over Zealous
Zero commission on every entry
Zealous takes 2.2% plus £0.20 on each paid entry, on top of Stripe fees and the subscription, and reviewers call the per-entry fees high. AwardKit takes zero commission: you pay only Stripe’s standard processing, straight to your own account.
A price that does not grow with success
Zealous tiers your subscription by how many entries you receive, so a bigger year costs more. AwardKit is a flat $1,995 a year no matter the volume, with unlimited entries.
Unlimited programs and entries, one flat price
Run as many programs as you like, at any entry volume, for one flat price, and collect entry fees in any currency through Stripe. No volume tiers to manage.
A deeper judging engine
Multi-round judging with weighted rubrics, category-scoped criteria, ranked Top Picks, and parallel Judging Rooms, all on the same engine that powers HackHQ events, including at Y Combinator. A more configurable scoring model than criteria scoring alone.
Verifiable certificates built in
Every winner gets an auto-generated certificate with a public verification page they can share to LinkedIn. We did not find native certificates documented by Zealous.
Self-serve, with a free founder call
Build it yourself in minutes, and if you want a hand, book a free 30-minute call with the founder and the team that builds AwardKit. No charge, no sales pitch.
AwardKit vs Zealous FAQ
A Flat Price With No Cut of Your Entry Fees.
Build your whole award program for free, then pay a flat $1,995 a year with zero commission, no matter how many entries you receive.
Email hello@awardkit.com and we will help you rebuild your program and import your entries and judges.