Aclamos vs Submittable
Submittable is strong for grant programs but has caps on concurrent reviewers and charges $0.99 + 5% per paid submission on top of subscription. Aclamos is 0% per entry, has no reviewer cap, and ships native judging + AI Show Director + Open Badges + true spreadsheet bulk-edit.
AclamosRecommended
Submittable Demo-walled
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Aclamos | Submittable |
|---|---|---|
Pricing published publicly | ||
0% per-entry / per-paid-submission fee | ||
Hard cap on concurrent reviewers Cited Submittable Capterra complaint. | ||
Per-submission % skim on top of subscription Submittable: $0.99 + 5% per paid submission. Aclamos: 0%. | ||
Native mobile judging app (offline packets) Every awards-side competitor ships only PWA judging. | ||
Open Badges 3.0 (W3C VC, Ed25519 signing) | ||
AI Show Director (1-paragraph → full show config) | ||
Review AI (auto-summary / scoring assist) Submittable shipped Review AI May 2025; Aclamos ships AI Show Director + per-show AI suite. | ||
Calibration scoring (z-score outlier detection) | ||
Spreadsheet-style bulk-edit nominations | ||
Public REST API + OpenAPI 3.1 spec | ◐ | |
Vanity-domain email senders without third-party tools Submittable Capterra: 'vanity email domains unavailable without third-party tools.' | ||
Cited grant-program customers + foundation references |
✓ = ships today · ✗ = not available · ◐ = partial / gated to top tier · ? = not publicly documented
When Submittable is the better choice
We don't pretend a 10-year incumbent has no strengths. Pick Submittable if any of these match you.
- You're running a foundation grant program with deep Salesforce / iMIS integration that Submittable's grant-management feature set is purpose-built for.
- You need cited foundation-grade reference customers at your size.
Why teams switch from Submittable to Aclamos
- 0% per-entry fee vs. Submittable's $0.99 + 5% skim per paid submission.
- No reviewer cap — invite as many judges as you need.
- Spreadsheet-style bulk-edit, vanity senders out of the box, native mobile judging.
- Published pricing — Submittable removed pricing from their site in 2025.
- AI Show Director writes a full show config from one paragraph; Submittable's Review AI helps reviewers but doesn't bootstrap a program.
Frequently asked questions
How is Submittable's pricing different from Aclamos?
Submittable removed published pricing from their website in 2025; legacy was ~$84-99/mo Basic, $10,000+/yr Pro, plus $0.99 + 5% per paid submission. Aclamos publishes every tier and takes 0% per entry.
Why do Submittable customers complain about reviewer caps?
Submittable enforces hard caps on concurrent reviewers per plan tier. Producers running large judging panels hit the cap mid-cycle and have to upgrade or queue judges. Aclamos has no reviewer cap.
Does Submittable have a native mobile judging app?
No — Submittable is web-only. Aclamos has a native iOS + Android Expo app with offline judging packets.
Can I migrate from Submittable to Aclamos?
Yes — CSV migration ships today. Binary-attachment migration (the writing samples + video reels Submittable customers care most about) is Q3 2026.
Ready to try Aclamos?
14-day free trial. No credit card. CSV migration ships today; binary-attachment migration Q3 2026.
Sources
- https://www.capterra.com/p/158382/Submittable/reviews/
- Aclamos competitor matrix:
docs/COMPETITORS.md— refreshed quarterly.