If you’re trying to work out how to build a competition website, you’ll hit a fork in the road pretty quickly: do you go with a no-code SaaS builder, or a bespoke agency build? Both routes can work, but they solve different problems. SaaS builders get you live fast and cheap. Bespoke builds cost more upfront but you own the platform outright, control the compliance structure, and aren’t paying a monthly fee or per-ticket cut forever.
To make that decision easier, here’s a side-by-side look at eight of the main options UK operators are choosing between right now: a mix of specialist agencies and platform builders.
1. Nera Marketing: Best for Bespoke, Fully-Owned Builds
Nera Marketing builds bespoke competition website builder platforms on WordPress/WooCommerce, which means clients own the site outright rather than renting it. Packages start at £2,995 and include the full stack: Gambling Act 2005 compliance structure, a managed specialist payment gateway (with Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal live before launch), performance hosting built to handle draw-day traffic spikes, and marketing infrastructure like Meta Pixel and Klaviyo/Mailchimp integration. Their comparison table against SaaS and template builders is genuinely useful reading if you’re weighing up the trade-offs, and they’ve delivered 50+ competition sites, with case studies showing operators hitting six-figure months.
2. RaffleX: Best for Fast, No-Code Launches
RaffleX is a genuine SaaS competition website builder: no coding, no WordPress, live in minutes. It comes with instant wins and slot-style games baked in, and connects you to a payment partner rather than making you source one yourself. The trade-off is the usual SaaS one: ongoing fees and less control over customisation, but it’s hard to beat for speed if you just want to test an idea.
3. RaffleLabs: Best for Custom-Coded Platforms
RaffleLabs skips WordPress entirely and builds custom-coded platforms from scratch. They’ve specialised in prize competitions for six-plus years and build in responsible-play features (spend limits, cool-off periods, self-exclusion) alongside the standard compliance and payment work. Good option if you want a build with zero platform lock-in.
4. Zap Competitions: Best for Long-Term Platform Support
Zap Competitions (Think Zap) run their own in-house Competition Suite and have been serving this niche exclusively since 2009, longer than most others on this list. They pitch themselves less as a one-off build and more as an ongoing partner, with a knowledge base and support resources for operators after launch.
5. Design Hero: Best for Build-Plus-Marketing Packages
Design Hero frame themselves as a marketing agency first, competition builder second. Their argument is that the website is only half the job: the harder part is turning traffic into ticket sales, so they typically bundle the build with ongoing digital marketing support.
6. Weptile & ShopApper: Best for Website-Plus-App Combos
Weptile pairs competition website builds (WooCommerce or custom PHP/Laravel) with native mobile apps via their ShopApper arm. If repeat entries and push-notification-driven engagement matter to your model, this combination is worth a look, since apps reportedly drive noticeably higher entry volume for operators who use both.
7. Design for Online: Best for Feature-Rich Custom Builds on a Budget
This Suffolk-based agency builds fully custom competition sites (no templates) with features like live odds calculators, refer-a-friend mechanics and points-based rewards. It’s a smaller shop than some others here, but the feature depth is solid for the price point.
8. Raffle Web Design: Best for Straightforward, Affordable Builds
A smaller agency offering bespoke raffle and competition site builds with the core mechanics covered (lucky dip, number picker, auto number assignment, and winner management) plus optional companion apps. A reasonable option if budget is tight and you mainly need the fundamentals done properly.
Which should you choose?
If you want full ownership, no recurring platform fees, and compliance baked in from day one, a bespoke build (Nera Marketing, RaffleLabs, Zap Competitions) is the stronger long-term bet, since most operators generating serious revenue end up migrating to one within their first year regardless of where they started. If you just want to validate an idea fast, a SaaS builder like RaffleX gets you live quicker with less commitment. Either way, check the payment gateway situation before you sign anything, since this is the step that catches out the most first-time operators.
