Aclamos vs Zealous
Zealous is the indie-friendly entry point at £29/mo + 2.2% + 20p per paid submission. Aclamos Solo at $79/mo is the sweet spot for the same indie producer once they need brand + custom domain + AI suite + REST API at 0% per entry.
AclamosRecommended
Zealous Pricing published
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Aclamos | Zealous |
|---|---|---|
Published pricing | ||
0% per-paid-submission skim | ||
Custom domain + brand from entry tier Zealous Enterprise (£692/yr) for branding. Aclamos Solo ($79/mo) includes both. | ◐ | |
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) | ||
AI suite for nominations + judging | ||
Calibration scoring (z-score outlier detection) | ||
Public REST API + OpenAPI 3.1 spec | ◐ | |
Multi-language entry forms (30+ locales) | ||
Lower price ceiling for indie producers Zealous starts at £29/mo. Aclamos Solo at $79/mo is the closest match. |
✓ = ships today · ✗ = not available · ◐ = partial / gated to top tier · ? = not publicly documented
When Zealous is the better choice
We don't pretend a 10-year incumbent has no strengths. Pick Zealous if any of these match you.
- You're running a one-off creative-arts open call at <100 paid submissions/yr where Zealous's £29/mo + per-submission fee comes out cheaper.
- Your buyers are UK / EU first and the GBP-priced UI is the deal-closer.
Why teams switch from Zealous to Aclamos
- 0% per-paid-submission fee — at >100 submissions/yr, Aclamos Solo wins the math.
- AI suite + native judging app + Open Badges 3.0 ship today; Zealous has none.
- Custom domain + brand from $79/mo Solo (Zealous gates brand to £692/yr Enterprise).
- REST API + webhooks + Zapier — Zealous has no public API.
Frequently asked questions
When does Aclamos Solo become cheaper than Zealous?
Around 100 paid submissions per year. Zealous is £29/mo (~$36/mo) + 2.2% + 20p per submission with a £5 cap; Aclamos Solo is $79/mo flat + 0% per submission. The crossover depends on submission price — for typical $25 submissions, Aclamos wins around 75-100 paid submissions/yr.
Does Zealous have a native judging app?
No. Aclamos has a native iOS + Android app with offline judging packets.
What does Zealous have that Aclamos doesn't?
A genuinely cheaper price ceiling for very-low-volume indie producers (£29/mo with per-submission economics). Zealous also has a UK-first creative-arts community we don't have.
Ready to try Aclamos?
14-day free trial. No credit card. CSV migration ships today; binary-attachment migration Q3 2026.
Sources
- https://www.zealous.co/pricing
- Aclamos competitor matrix:
docs/COMPETITORS.md— refreshed quarterly.