Aclamos vs Zealous
Zealous bills monthly by submission volume, with the first 20 submissions free, and takes a commission on paid submissions. We could not read its monthly plan prices (its pricing page is client-rendered), so we quote none. Aclamos charges a 0% platform fee today.
AclamosRecommended
Zealous Pricing not published
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Aclamos | Zealous |
|---|---|---|
Pricing published publicly Zealous states the commission and a free first 20 submissions; plan amounts were not readable on 5 Oct 2026. | ◐ | |
0% platform fee on paid submissions Zealous: 2.2% + 20p per paid submission, capped at £2 (from 1 April 2026). Stripe processing fees apply separately to Zealous paid submissions. | ||
Mobile judging app Aclamos: mobile judging app in beta; store availability is not confirmed yet. | ◐ | ? |
Open Badges 2.0 + 3.0 winner credentials (Ed25519 signing) | ? | |
AI Show Director (1-paragraph → full show config) | ? | |
AI features (eligibility check, copy polish, translation, judge summaries, score suggestions) | ? | |
Calibration scoring (z-score outlier detection) | ? | |
REST API + OpenAPI 3.1 spec Aclamos v1 endpoints are read-only today. | ? | |
Custom domain Aclamos: coming soon. | ? |
✓ = ships today · ✗ = not available · ◐ = partial / beta · ? = we could not confirm this on the vendor's own site
When Zealous is the better choice
We don't pretend Zealous has no strengths. Pick Zealous if any of these match you.
- You want monthly billing with no annual contract and a free first 20 submissions — Zealous states both. Aclamos Solo is $79/mo after a 14-day trial.
- You run many programmes — Zealous states plans are based on submission volume, not the number of programmes.
Why teams switch from Zealous to Aclamos
- A 0% platform fee today, against Zealous's commission on every paid submission.
- Calibration scoring, blind judging and a mobile judging app (beta).
- AI Show Director and Open Badges 2.0 + 3.0 ship today.
Frequently asked questions
What does Zealous charge per submission?
Zealous states a commission on paid submissions of 2.2% + 20p, capped at £2 (from 1 April 2026), with Stripe processing fees separate. Free submissions incur no Zealous commission. Aclamos charges a 0% platform fee today.
What does Zealous have that Aclamos doesn't?
Monthly billing with no annual contracts, a free first 20 submissions with no credit card, and unlimited programmes under one subscription — all stated on zealous.co. Aclamos starts with a 14-day trial and then $79/mo.
Ready to try Aclamos?
14-day trial. No credit card. Migration importer accepts CSV or a ZIP with binary attachments.
Sources
Competitor details checked on 5 Oct 2026 against Zealous's own site.