Looking for a free online raffle generator? Use the tool below to draw winners instantly. Enter names, paste a list from a spreadsheet, or use ticket numbers. No sign-up, no download, no fees.
Need a full raffle platform to sell tickets and manage your fundraiser? Keep scrolling. We also compare the best raffle apps and websites for UK charities, with honest pricing and real reviews.
In this article:
Enter names or ticket numbers, spin the wheel, and draw winners instantly.
Before you run the draw below, a note on UK raffle rules. In Great Britain, a charity raffle where tickets are sold in advance is legally a lottery under the Gambling Act 2005. Most charity raffles are small society lotteries and must be registered with your local licensing authority (your council) before tickets go on sale. Check the Gambling Commission's small society lottery guidance before running an online or in-person draw.
Step 1: Add your participants. Type names directly or paste a list from a spreadsheet. The tool automatically converts tabs and commas into separate entries. If you are using Zeffy's raffle software, export your participant report and paste the names straight in. Bought multiple tickets? Each entry counts separately, so supporters with more tickets get more chances to win.
Step 2: Choose your draw settings. Switch between 'Draw by Name' and 'Draw by Ticket Number' depending on your raffle format. Select how many winners you need (up to 5) and toggle 'Remove winners' on if each person should only win once.
Step 3: Press Spin. The wheel uses a randomised selection process designed to give each entry an equal chance. Winners are listed below the wheel as you go.
A note for UK charities and community groups. In Great Britain, selling raffle tickets in advance is legally a lottery under the Gambling Act 2005. Most small charity raffles are small society lotteries and must be registered with the local authority before tickets go on sale (registration is £40 initially and £20 to renew). A raffle where tickets are sold and drawn entirely at the same event, such as a fete or a fundraising dinner, is an incidental non-commercial lottery and needs no registration. Online charity lotteries above the small society thresholds (more than £20,000 in single-draw ticket sales or more than £250,000 in annual aggregate sales) need a full operating licence from the Gambling Commission. Tickets must only be sold to people aged 16 and over. Always check the Gambling Commission small society lotteries guidance before your draw.
One more point UK charities often miss: Gift Aid does not apply to raffle ticket purchases. HMRC treats a raffle entry as payment for a chance to win, which counts as goods or services rather than a donation, so the charity cannot reclaim the 25p-per-£1 uplift on ticket sales. Gift Aid can still apply to any genuine voluntary donation a supporter makes alongside their ticket. See HMRC's Gift Aid guidance for the detail.
A raffle app is software, available on a mobile device or in a browser, that supports a raffle or prize draw. Raffles allow charities and community groups to sell tickets to participants who gain a chance to win a specified prize.
Before you choose a raffle tool, check that your draw complies with the Gambling Act 2005. Most UK charity raffles are small society lotteries (which must be registered with the local council) or incidental non-commercial lotteries (which need no registration, provided tickets are sold and drawn entirely at one event). See the Gambling Commission's guidance on small society lotteries for the current rules.
Under the Gambling Act 2005, a charity raffle is legally a lottery. Most charity raffles fit the small society lottery category and are registered with the local council, not the Gambling Commission directly.
Key limits for small society lotteries (Gambling Commission):
Incidental non-commercial lotteries (tickets sold and drawn entirely at a single event, such as a school fete or fundraising dinner) need no registration. However, tickets at an incidental lottery cannot be sold online or in advance.
Online charity lotteries above the small society thresholds require a full operating licence from the Gambling Commission.
Gift Aid and raffles. Gift Aid does not apply to raffle ticket purchases. HMRC treats the ticket as payment for a chance to win, not as a donation, so the charity cannot reclaim the 25p-per-£1 uplift on ticket sales. Gift Aid can apply to a separate voluntary donation made alongside the raffle. See HMRC's Gift Aid guidance.
Most small UK charities running a raffle currently juggle a ticketing tool, a donation platform, and a spreadsheet. Zeffy brings all three into one free platform, so you spend less time on admin and more time raising money.
Pricing may vary slightly based on payment processor, region, and campaign setup.
| Platform | Best use | Pricing | Capterra rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zeffy | Running a robust UK raffle for 100% free | Free (no platform fee, no transaction fee, no card fee) | 4.8/5 |
| GalaBid | Adding a raffle alongside a charity auction or gala | See Zeffy vs GalaBid for current UK fees | 4.7/5 |
| Givergy | UK gala events combining mobile bidding with a prize draw | Free for UK charities (donor-covered fee model) | See Capterra |
Zeffy is 100% free fundraising software for charities. Its online raffle platform makes selling raffle tickets to a broad community of supporters straightforward and provides a seamless experience to share information about the prize.
Top features:
Availability: Zeffy is available to UK registered charities. No platform fee, no transaction fee, no card fee. Ever.
Pricing: 100% free. Zeffy covers the platform and transaction fees so your charity keeps everything it raises.
Capterra review:
'My overall experience with Zeffy is absolutely incredible. They have saved me not only money but time. This is definitely the best site to use for fundraising.'
GalaBid is an online raffle and mobile-bidding platform that allows a charity to sell tickets quickly. In minutes, you can create a raffle campaign and start engaging supporters.
Top features:
Cons:
Capterra review:
'It was easy to use and navigate. The GalaBid team answered any questions I had as they came up and were very helpful.'
Givergy is a London-based mobile-bidding platform with a 'Keep it FREE' positioning for UK charities: the platform is free for the charity and supported by an optional donor-covered fee. It has more than ten years of UK and global experience, with a strong track record at charity gala dinners, golf days, and awards evenings.
Top features:
Cons:
Pricing: Free for UK charities under the donor-covered 'Keep it FREE' model. Verify current pricing directly with Givergy.
Right fit when: you are running a charity gala or awards dinner that already includes a silent auction and want to add a prize draw in the same evening.
If you are not running a full raffle platform and just need to pick winners quickly, these generator tools are among the most widely used options.
Pricing may vary slightly based on payment processor, region, and campaign setup.
| Tool | Best use | Pricing | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raffle Name | Simple raffle draw from your phone | Around £16/year (verify on Apple App Store UK) | 4.7/5 (App Store) |
| Easily Create: Manage Raffles | Customisation and raffle ticket sales management | Around £15/year (verify on App Store UK) | 4.7/5 (App Store) |
| My Raffle | Simple, no-frills raffle tracking and draws | Approx. £0.40/week or £7/year (verify current pricing) | 5/5 (App Store) |
| Wheel of Names | Interactive, visual raffle draws | Free | 4.5/5 (App Store) |
| RandomPicker | Secure, large-scale raffle drawings | Free for qualifying charities | 4.2/5 (Capterra) |
| CommentPicker | Social media giveaways and raffles | Free (optional paid plan around £8/month) | 4.5/5 (Trustpilot) |
| Spin the Wheel: Random Picker | Highly customisable, app-based raffle wheels | Free (around £6 to remove ads) | 4.9/5 (App Store) |
| Spin the Wheel by AppSorteos | Social-friendly and embeddable raffle wheels | Free (paid plans from around £7 to £40/month) | 5/5 (App Store) |
Raffle Name is a strong option if you want to run a raffle that doesn't require extensive customisation but still offers a smooth experience.
Top features:
Cons:
Pricing: Access to all features requires an annual subscription (priced in USD on the vendor site; verify current UK App Store price before purchasing).
App Store rating: 4.7/5
'Love this app!! The best part is that you can choose to do the auto raffle, while you can record a video for everyone to see.'
Easily Create: Manage Raffles is a strong app for organising a raffle effectively, quickly, and securely from your phone.
Top features:
Cons:
Pricing: Annual subscriptions are available (priced in USD on the vendor site; verify current UK App Store price before purchasing).
App Store rating: 4.7/5
'I had already downloaded almost 10 applications and they were all horrible, this one is simply amazing, objective and easy.'
My Raffle is a straightforward mobile app designed to help you run a raffle without unnecessary complexity. It is a solid option if you are looking for an easy way to manage entries, track tickets, and select winners all in one place, especially for smaller or in-person raffles.
Top features:
Cons:
Pricing: Weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual subscription options available (priced in USD on the vendor site; verify current UK App Store price before purchasing).
App Store rating: 5/5
'App is clean and performs as intended. To take it to the next level, I'd like to see a link to the raffle numbers when sharing so that people can choose their own number and submit.'
Wheel of Names is an interactive and visually engaging random name picker that allows you to create customisable spinning wheels to pick winners randomly. The tool is popular among classrooms, community groups, and event organisers because of its simple interface.
Top features:
Cons:
Pricing: Free to use.
App Store rating: 4.5/5
'Do you need to make random selections of names, items, or other entries? This tool is for you. Customise the slices on the wheel to include names and images. Save customised wheels for easy access anywhere.'
RandomPicker is designed for more structured raffles and giveaways, especially when you need a higher level of security or fairness in your draw. It is often used by organisations running more formal or large-scale contests.
Top features:
Cons:
Pricing: Qualifying charities can use RandomPicker for free (verify that UK charities qualify on the RandomPicker site before relying on this).
Capterra rating: 4.2/5
'I like most that this software fills the need of putting together drawings for various events in a clear way with an easy registration process.'
CommentPicker is one of the most widely used tools for running raffles directly on social media. Instead of manually collecting names, it pulls entries from comments on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok.
Top features:
Cons:
Pricing: Free to use, with optional paid features (verify current pricing on the CommentPicker site).
Trustpilot rating: 4.5/5
'Exceptional customer service. CommentPicker always responds to messages within minutes, swiftly assisting in resolving any problems. Their team is unfailingly polite and helpful.'
Spin the Wheel: Random Picker is a mobile app that lets you create fully customisable spinning wheels to draw raffle winners in a more interactive and visual way. It is especially useful if you want more control over design, multiple wheels, or a more engaging experience during live draws.
Top features:
Cons:
Pricing: Free to use, with a one-off charge (approximately £5 to £6) to remove ads and improve the experience.
App Store rating: 4.9/5
'This app is amazing and easy to use, very helpful.'
Spin the Wheel by AppSorteos is a simple, web-based raffle generator designed for ease of use and social sharing. It is a good option if you want to create a customised wheel, reuse it later, or embed it directly into a website.
Top features:
Cons:
Pricing: Free to use (with optional paid plans; verify current pricing in £ on the AppSorteos site).
App Store rating: 5/5
'Very good app.'
Now that you have reviewed the options, these best practices can guide you to the right decision for your raffle.
Start by asking where your supporters are most active. If you rely on social media to connect with your audience, a tool that specialises in selecting comments from the platforms where you engage most is the right choice.
If you are running an event or want a fun, interactive way to engage attendees, you may not need the extras of a social-integrated tool. Creating a customised wheel that you can embed on your website or use live at an event may be best to generate excitement and capture leads.
Do you need a raffle tool that matches your branding or event theme? If so, a random name picker tool that offers the most customisation (that is easy to do without a design background) will serve you best.
Think about what personalised design elements matter most, such as wheel colours, logos, and custom backgrounds, to create a visually engaging experience. This is especially helpful if you are hosting an event and want a cohesive, branded look that reflects your mission.
Consider also how the tool will move from inputting names through to the result page that confirms your winner. As a free user, confirm you have access to an unlimited number of spins.
If you are running complex raffles that might require multiple winners for various prize categories or specific entry criteria, advanced filtering options will help keep things organised.
Think about how many winners you will have and look at random generators that give an equal chance for one or more winners at a time. Consider the time savings from a tool that can filter entries by hashtags, remove duplicates, and add conditions to ensure only qualified entries are selected.
If your raffle is simpler or focused on engaging attendees at an event, basic filtering options can work well and may save you the cost of upgrades on specific tools.
Under the Gambling Act 2005, the promoting society running a small society lottery must submit a return to the local authority within three months of each draw, showing ticket sales, prizes paid, expenses, and the amount going to the good cause (at least 20% of proceeds). Choose a raffle tool that lets you download entries and winner data so you can complete that return accurately. Some randomiser and number picker tools allow you to save results directly to a spreadsheet or Google Drive.
For full guidance on what your return must include, see the Gambling Commission's small society lotteries guidance.
Your team's comfort level with technology should factor into your decision. A more intuitive option may be best if you are looking for a tool that is easy to set up and requires minimal technical knowledge.
Try a few tools and see what aligns with your current raffle process. Your team and supporters can offer valuable feedback to inform your final choice.
Confirm that your chosen tool supports the reporting your local authority expects for a small society lottery return. Make sure any promotional material for the raffle is honest, transparent, and aligned with the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice (current version effective 1 November 2025).
With a wide range of options available, Zeffy stands out as the only platform that is genuinely 100% free for UK charities, with no platform fee, no transaction fee, and no card fee. Designed for charities, Zeffy provides everything you need to run a raffle, from creating online raffle tickets to managing a dedicated raffle page.
A small UK charity running a Christmas raffle, an autumn appeal donate page, and a summer fete should not be paying three separate platforms. Zeffy is the one free home for all three, with Gift Aid handled correctly on unconditional donations and a clear separation between raffle ticket sales (where Gift Aid does not apply) and genuine donations (where it does).
You can also use Zeffy's free raffle generator above to draw winners without leaving this page, so you can run a successful event without losing any fundraising income to fees.
Zeffy is 100% free for UK charities and always will be. No platform fee, no transaction fee, no card fee. Ever.
Many apps and browser-based tools can draw a raffle, from the free generator at the top of this page to paid subscription apps such as Raffle Name and Easily Create. The bigger question for UK charities is not which app to use but whether your raffle counts as a small society lottery (which must be registered with your local council before tickets go on sale) or an incidental non-commercial lottery (which needs no registration, provided tickets are sold and drawn entirely at the event itself). Check the Gambling Commission's small society lottery guidance before you start selling tickets.
Use a free randomiser tool such as the one at the top of this page to pick your winner. It uses a cryptographic randomisation process so every entry has a genuinely equal chance of being selected. Zeffy's raffle platform deliberately keeps the draw step under the charity's control. Under the Gambling Commission's expectations for small society lotteries and the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice, charities must run draws in a transparent, verifiable way. Keeping the draw separate from the ticketing platform lets you do exactly that. Pair the free Zeffy raffle platform with the free generator above and you have the whole process covered at no cost.
Most charity raffles in Great Britain are small society lotteries under the Gambling Act 2005 and must be registered with your local licensing authority (the council) before tickets go on sale. Registration costs £40 initially and £20 to renew each year. You do not need a Gambling Commission licence for a small society lottery, only local authority registration. If your raffle is run entirely at a single event, such as a fete or fundraising dinner, it may qualify as an incidental non-commercial lottery and needs no registration at all, provided tickets are sold and drawn at the event and not in advance or online. Scotland operates under the same Gambling Act 2005 framework; charities in Northern Ireland should check the separate rules that apply there. For full details, see the Gambling Commission's small society lottery guidance.
No. Gift Aid does not apply to raffle ticket sales. HMRC treats a raffle entry as payment for a chance to win a prize, which counts as goods or services rather than a donation, so the charity cannot reclaim the 25p-per-£1 uplift on ticket sales. Gift Aid can still apply to a separate voluntary donation a supporter makes alongside their raffle ticket, provided the donor has signed a valid Gift Aid declaration. For guidance on which donations qualify, see HMRC's Gift Aid page.

A practical guide for UK charities, PTAs, and community groups on how to sell raffle tickets in 2026. Covers small society lottery registration with your local council, pricing with the (target + costs) ÷ tickets formula, online and in-person sales channels, 11 promotion tactics, the UK legal framework under the Gambling Act 2005, and a 9-step hosting checklist. Includes a clear note that Gift Aid does not apply to raffle ticket purchases.


Raffles are one of the quickest ways for UK charities, PTAs, village halls and community groups to raise funds. This step-by-step guide covers the legal framework under the Gambling Act 2005, how to register a small society lottery with your local council, what must appear on your tickets, and how to promote and close your raffle correctly, all in plain English, with links to the relevant Gambling Commission and HMRC guidance.
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