Submittable alternatives for art organizations

Submittable is a broad application-management platform. It can support grants, scholarships, corporate programs, and art calls in the same system. Its public pricing page is quote-based, so there is no current official monthly price to use in a budget comparison.

That breadth is valuable for some organizations. Others need a platform built more specifically around artwork, jurying, exhibitions, and sales. The useful question is not “Which vendor has the longest feature list?” It is “Which system carries our real work from application through closeout?”

For a side-by-side view of every platform below, start with the call-for-entry software comparison or the dated Crafted Call vs Submittable comparison.

A practical shortlist

Crafted Call

Best fit for galleries, art centers, guilds, museums, and arts councils that want calls and jurying connected to exhibition planning, websites, commerce, memberships, events, rentals, and Marketing Hub. Plans and permissions control some capabilities; the feature catalog and pricing page publish the details.

CaFÉ

Best fit when an established artist audience and public opportunity directory are central to recruitment. Creative West publishes organization onboarding, Pro and Plus per-call options, annual renewal, application tokens, and processing charges. Both current organization plans include the online jury module with unlimited jurors and jury rounds. Details: Crafted Call vs CaFÉ.

EntryThingy

Best fit for teams that want an art-specific call-to-show workflow and a token model. One $3 token processes one entry; there is no recurring organization subscription. EntryThingy also documents blind judging, multiple voting rounds, reusable portfolio images, data export, payments, and an optional Artist Showcase. Details: Crafted Call vs EntryThingy.

ArtCall

Best fit for organizations that prefer per-call pricing. Public pricing starts at $79 per call. ArtCall documents single- and two-round jurying, CSV and media exports, public galleries, artwork sales, labels, QR-assisted check-in and checkout, and floor-plan tools. Details: Crafted Call vs ArtCall, including a self-serve ArtCall importer.

Zealous

Best fit for creative organizations running awards, grants, residencies, and other program types alongside calls for artists. Zealous publishes a free tier for up to 20 entries plus paid tiers, anonymous judging, multiple evaluation rounds on higher tiers, data export, payments, and results galleries. Its fees are published in native currencies; confirm the selected regional price directly. Details: Crafted Call vs Zealous.

How to choose

Ask each vendor to demonstrate the same five scenarios:

1. An artist starts, edits, pays for, and submits an application.
2. A conflicted juror recuses while the other jurors complete two rounds.
3. Staff invite a late replacement after an accepted artist withdraws.
4. Accepted artwork becomes an installed, labeled, sale-ready exhibition record.
5. The organization exports applications, media, scores, communications, and payment records.

Record what is native, what needs configuration, what requires a higher plan, and what is unavailable. Then calculate total cost using your own number of calls, applications, entry fees, payment volume, and staff hours.

Pricing and product facts in this guide were checked against vendor primary sources on July 19, 2026. They can change. Confirm the final quote, limits, and contract terms before buying.