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Josh P.
Advisor, 7 years
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Updated January 15, 2026
OpenWater vs ShortStack: Which is best for you?
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Custom shortlist of 3-5 vendors
55+ software advisors
1 million+ businesses helped
2 million+ verified software reviews
Starting Price
$5,100.00
per year
$49.00
per month
Free Trial
Free Version
Screenshots
and Demo
and Demo
See all
See all
Top Rated
Features
Features
Scoring
4.47
SSL Security
4.42
Judging Management
4.40
See All
Customizable Templates
4.33
Customizable Fields
4.27
Entry Management
4.23
See All
Integrations
See All
See All
Pros / Cons
- It allows us to receive applications, build the job board, send emails, organize participant information, and even lets us pull reports that we use for metrics/data needs.
- The Guidebook app is too difficult for attendees to download to their phones and log in to.
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- It allows for a third--party solution/ website plug-in for lead-generating campaigns and contests for my brand.
- The only downside to ShortStack is that the image formatting can be a little tricky to get just right.
Read more
Ease-of-Use
Highest performing feature
in the comparison
4.2/ 5in the comparison
4/ 5
Value for Money
Highest performing feature
in the comparison
4.3/ 5in the comparison
4.2/ 5
Customer Support
Highest performing feature
in the comparison
4.9/ 5in the comparison
4.5/ 5
Functionality
4.2/ 5
4.2/ 5
Support Options
Email/Help Desk
FAQs/Forum
Knowledge Base
Phone Support
24/7 (Live Rep)
Chat
Email/Help Desk
FAQs/Forum
Knowledge Base
Phone Support
24/7 (Live Rep)
Chat
Training Options
In Person
Live Online
Webinars
Documentation
Videos
In Person
Live Online
Webinars
Documentation
Videos
FrontRunners
N/A
N/A
Advisor
Recommendations
Recommendations
N/A
N/A
Ideal Customer Size
Small
Medium
Large
Small
Medium
Large
Deployment Options
Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based
Desktop - Mac
Desktop - Windows
Desktop - Linux
Desktop - Chromebook
On-Premise - Windows
On-Premise - Linux
Mobile - Android
Mobile - iPhone
Mobile - iPad
Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based
Desktop - Mac
Desktop - Windows
Desktop - Linux
Desktop - Chromebook
On-Premise - Windows
On-Premise - Linux
Mobile - Android
Mobile - iPhone
Mobile - iPad
