Free Call for Artists Software: What's Actually Free in 2026 (and What Isn't)
An honest look at free call for artists software in 2026. Which platforms have a real free plan, which charge artists instead of galleries, and the tradeoffs of each.
Free Call for Artists Software: What's Actually Free in 2026 (and What Isn't)
When galleries search for "free call for artists software," they encounter three distinct categories of platforms with very different cost models. Some are genuinely free for galleries. Some shift the cost to artists via submission fees. And some offer a free trial with aggressive upgrade pressure. Understanding the distinction helps you avoid surprises—and hidden costs that often exceed what you'd pay for a paid platform.
The Three Pricing Models for Call for Artists Software
1. Truly Free for Galleries (Artists Pay Submission Fees)
These platforms charge artists a per-submission fee while galleries pay nothing to run the call.
How it works: A gallery posts a call for free. When an artist submits, the platform charges $5–25 per submission. The gallery receives curated submissions for free; the artist bears the cost.
Who it fits: Galleries running high-volume open calls where artist submission fees are expected and transparent.
Example: Some instances of Google Forms (truly free, but manual), or platforms like EntryThingy's pay-per-submission model if the gallery absorbs no costs.
2. Freemium or Free Trial (Gallery Pays After a Threshold)
These platforms offer a free tier with hard limits (submission count, calls, features) or a free trial period before charging.
How it works: You can run one call with up to 50 submissions free. After that, you upgrade to a paid plan.
Who it fits: Galleries testing a platform, running small one-time calls, or willing to pay once they outgrow the free tier.
The catch: The free tier is intentionally limited to push you toward paid plans. You may hit limits mid-call or realize the free plan lacks features you need.
Example: Crafted Call's free plan (1 active call, limited to 50 submissions), some Submittable alternatives.
3. Pay-Per-Submission (Galleries Pay Per Entry)
The gallery buys submission "tokens" or credits upfront, regardless of whether submissions arrive.
How it works: You purchase 100 submission credits at $3–5 per token. Whether 50 or 100 artists submit, you've paid for the full allotment.
Who it fits: Galleries comfortable with token-based pricing, running predictable calls where cost scales linearly with volume.
The catch: For small calls, you're paying for unused tokens. For large calls, costs exceed monthly subscription models.
Example: EntryThingy, CaFE (CallForEntry), parts of Submittable's pricing.
Platforms with Real Free Plans (2026)
Crafted Call
What's free: 1 active call at a time, up to 50 submissions, basic jury scoring, jury dashboard, and artist notifications. No monthly fee for this tier.
What costs money: $9–69/month organization plan + $150–500 per call for production features (advanced jury profiles, exhibition publishing, artist storefronts, commerce). Artwork sales: 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee.
Who it fits: Galleries testing the workflow before committing; small one-off calls under 50 submissions; nonprofits on tight budgets.
Strengths:
- Genuinely free (no credit card required for a trial period)
- Real jury functionality, not a stripped-down version
- No per-submission fees; gallery pays flat rate once
- Exhibition publishing and basic artist pages included in paid tiers
- Transparent pricing with no hidden token system
Limitations:
- Submission cap of 50 on free plan
- Only 1 active call at a time
- No artwork sales or commerce on free tier
- Jury scoring is functional but less customizable than paid tiers
Best for: Galleries running a single small call (under 50 submissions) as a proof-of-concept, or nonprofits with genuinely limited budgets.
Google Forms (Truly Free, DIY)
What's free: Google Forms are completely free. Build a submission form, collect responses, manually score submissions, and compile decisions.
What costs money: Your time. Approximately 10–20 hours for a 50-submission call (form building, data aggregation, jury coordination, artist notification).
Who it fits: Internal/invitation-only calls; galleries comfortable with manual workflows; educational institutions.
Strengths:
- Zero monetary cost
- Familiar interface for most users
- Built-in spreadsheet integration (Google Sheets) for tracking
- No vendor lock-in; you own all data immediately
Limitations:
- No jury dashboard or collaborative scoring
- No blind jury mode (requires manual anonymization)
- Submission management is spreadsheet-based; error-prone at scale
- No public call listing, artist pages, or exhibition publishing
- Time cost often exceeds what you'd pay for a platform (10–20 hours per call)
- No status tracking for artists (they don't know if they're accepted until you email them)
Hidden cost: A 50-submission call can take 15 hours of manual coordination. At $20/hour, you've spent $300—more than most paid platforms.
Best for: Micro-calls (10–20 submissions), internal competitions, or galleries with significant volunteer capacity.
Submittable's "Free" Plan (Functionally Limited)
Submittable's free tier is heavily restricted and designed to push users toward paid plans.
What's free: You can list a call and collect submissions for free, but with hard limits: no automated jury features, no scoring interface, no exhibition publishing, and limited submission management tools.
What costs money: $0.15–0.50 per submission processed (your cost, not artist cost) + 3% platform fee for online payments. Monthly plans start at $30/month.
Who it fits: Submittable's free tier fits almost no one well, which is the point. It's a trial tool, not a long-term solution.
Strengths:
- Name recognition and large user base
- Integrations with grant platforms and institutional databases
- Handles all submission types (text, video, files, etc.)
Limitations:
- Free plan lacks jury tools—you score submissions offline
- No blind jury mode without manual workarounds
- No exhibition publishing on free tier (requires paid add-on)
- Per-submission fees add up fast (100 submissions = $15–50 in processing fees)
- Submission limits and API access locked behind paywalls
- User experience designed to make free tier painful
Hidden cost: A free call with 100 submissions costs $50–150 in processing fees alone, not including monthly subscription for the platform access.
Best for: Galleries already committed to Submittable's ecosystem, or institutions needing broad integrations. Not a true "free" solution.
Hidden Costs of "Free" Platforms
Time Cost
Manual jury coordination, data aggregation, and artist notification can consume 10–20+ hours per call. At a nonprofit's effective labor cost of $15–25/hour, this is $150–500 per call—often exceeding what you'd pay for a platform.
Quality Cost
Galleries using free tools often provide a worse artist experience: no live status updates, delayed notifications, no public artist pages, or exhibition visibility. This directly impacts artist satisfaction and future submission quality.
Risk Cost
Free tools (especially Google Forms) lack security, data backup, and compliance features. Lost submission data, privacy breaches, or payment errors can damage your reputation and create liability.
Switching Cost
If you outgrow a free platform, migrating jury scores, artist data, and decisions to a new platform is time-consuming and error-prone. You lose institutional knowledge and may face pressure to stick with an inadequate tool.
When Free Makes Sense
Free call-for-artists software is genuinely useful only in specific scenarios:
- One-off, small call (< 50 submissions): A free tier can handle this without hitting limits
- Internal/invitation-only call: You don't need public discovery or artist experience optimization
- Educational context: A university art department testing jury processes with student work
- Proof-of-concept: Testing whether your organization is ready for formal call management before investing in a platform
When Free Costs More Than Paid
For most galleries, free platforms become false economy quickly:
- 100+ submissions per call: Manual jury work exceeds platform cost; tokens or per-submission fees become expensive
- Recurring annual calls: You'll outgrow free-tier limits every year; monthly subscription eventually costs less than per-submission fees
- Need for exhibition publishing: Free platforms skip this entirely; galleries have no public catalog to showcase accepted work
- Artist commerce: Free tools require offline payment tracking; a platform with integrated sales saves hours and reduces errors
- Juror collaboration: Free platforms lack shared scoring dashboards; jurors must download spreadsheets and manually compare scores
Comparison Table: Free Plans in 2026
| Platform | Cost | Submissions | Jury Scoring | Exhibition Publishing | Artist Commerce | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crafted Call Free | $0/month | 50 | Yes, basic | No | No | Small one-off calls |
| Google Forms | $0 | Unlimited | Manual | No | No | Micro-calls, internal use |
| Submittable Free | $0 + per-submission fees | Unlimited | No | No | No | Existing Submittable users only |
| EntryThingy | $3/token (pay-as-you-go) | Variable | Basic | No | No | Cost-conscious galleries, high-volume calls |
| CaFE Free Trial | Free for 30 days | Limited | Yes | Limited | No | Testing before commitment |
FAQ: Free Call for Artists Software
Is there really free software for running a call for artists?
Yes, but the definition of "free" matters. Crafted Call and Google Forms are genuinely free for galleries. Submittable has a free tier but lacks jury features and charges per-submission processing fees. EntryThingy shifts costs to artists via submission fees. Always clarify what's free—the gallery's cost, the artist's cost, or both.
Do artists pay or does the gallery pay?
It depends on the platform's model. Some platforms (EntryThingy, certain free tiers) have artists pay per submission while galleries pay nothing. Others (Crafted Call paid plans, Submittable) have galleries pay all costs, with artists submitting free. Transparent communication with artists about who pays what is essential.
Can I run a juried show with Google Forms?
Technically yes, but practically no. You can collect submissions and manually score them, but you'll lack blind jury modes, collaborative scoring, and automated ranking. For a professional juried exhibition with 3+ jurors, expect 15+ hours of manual work. A platform like Crafted Call cuts this to 2–3 hours.
What's the catch with free submission management software?
Free tiers are intentionally limited to funnel you toward paid plans. They lack features you'll eventually need (exhibition publishing, artist pages, commerce) or hit submission caps mid-call. Time and labor costs often exceed what you'd pay for a platform. Vendor lock-in is real: switching platforms once you've invested jury data is painful.
Which has the best free plan: EntryThingy, Crafted Call, or Submittable?
For galleries: Crafted Call (real jury features, no per-submission fees, no credit card required for trial). For cost-conscious galleries with high-volume calls: EntryThingy (transparent token pricing, though expensive at scale). For existing Submittable users: Submittable Free (integrations with your existing ecosystem, but limited jury features).
How many submissions can I handle on a free plan?
Craft Call Free: 50 submissions. Google Forms: unlimited (but labor-intensive). Submittable Free: unlimited submissions, but per-submission fees apply. EntryThingy: pay $3 per token, so cost scales with submissions, not plan tier.
Conclusion: Free Isn't Always Cheaper
The cheapest software is often the most expensive once you account for time, quality, and switching costs. A truly free platform works only for micro-calls (< 50 submissions) or internal competitions. For recurring annual calls, professional jury collaboration, or artist experience that drives future submissions, a low-cost paid platform like Crafted Call ($9–69/month + $150–500 per call) often costs less than the labor and opportunity cost of free tools.
Evaluate free platforms honestly:
- What are the hard limits?
- Will you hit them mid-call?
- How much time will jury coordination take?
- What does the artist experience look like?
- Can you export data and migrate away if needed?
If the answer to any of those is unclear or uncomfortable, a transparent, affordable paid platform is worth the investment.
Next Steps
Ready to explore options beyond free? Compare the 10 best Submittable alternatives for art galleries in 2026.
Or start a free trial with Crafted Call: no credit card required, up to 50 submissions, full jury functionality. Get started now.