A FilmFreeway alternative built for your own branded call for entries
A dedicated platform for your own audience, your own brand, and entry fees that go straight to you
What are the issues with FilmFreeway?
FilmFreeway is the dominant marketplace for film and screenplay submissions — if you're running a public call for entries and want access to its filmmaker audience, there's genuinely no comparable directory. But that scale comes with two problems worth naming directly, because they show up consistently across independent reviews. First, the cost structure: FilmFreeway charges a 12% commission on any festival that charges entry fees, on top of a 3% + $0.30 payment processing fee, plus a $100 one-time activation fee and $50 for every subsequent call for entries — so the more successful your paid programme is, the more of your entry revenue FilmFreeway takes. Second, and more serious for organisers: FilmFreeway's own directory model means legitimate festivals sit alongside a well-documented problem of low-quality and fraudulent listings, and multiple reviewers — both filmmakers and organisers — describe slow or unresponsive customer support when disputes come up. That reputational noise affects every festival on the platform, including yours, simply by association.
How can Dapple help?
Dapple isn't trying to be a public marketplace — it's a dedicated submission management platform for your own branded programme. You don't inherit anyone else's reputation, your entrants only see your event, and there's no commission stacked on top of payment processing: entry fees go straight into your own Stripe account at a flat 3.9% + $0.65, paid instantly rather than held in a lump payout at the end of your event. Pricing is public and flat from $49/month, with no activation fee and no per-call charge for running additional editions. The honest trade-off: if FilmFreeway's built-in audience of filmmakers actively searching for festivals to enter is core to how you find entrants, that's a real distribution advantage Dapple doesn't replicate — Dapple is built for organisations that already have an audience and want full control over the experience, the branding, and the economics of their own call for entries.
Side by side
Dapple vs FilmFreeway at a glance
Compare the top-level costs and features across both platforms.
| ✦ Dapple | FilmFreeway | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing structure | Flat monthly plan from $49 — unlimited programmes, no activation fee | Free if no entry fees charged; 12% commission on paid entries, plus a $100 one-time activation fee and $50 per subsequent call for entries |
| Payment processing | 3.9% + $0.65 via your own Stripe account — no separate commission on top | 3% + $0.30 processing fee, stacked on top of the 12% commission |
| Payout timing | Instant, direct to your own Stripe account | Held until event completion for first-year festivals; paid out monthly thereafter |
| Platform reputation | Your own branded programme — entrants only see your event | Shared public directory; independent reviews report a persistent problem with fraudulent or low-quality listings alongside legitimate festivals |
| Customer support | Direct support for your programme | Multiple third-party reviews describe slow or unresponsive support during disputes |
| Audience & discovery | You bring your own audience; full control over branding and experience | Large built-in filmmaker audience actively browsing for festivals — a genuine distribution advantage for public discovery |
| Best for | Organisations that want their own branded call for entries, without commission or shared reputation risk | Organisers prioritising exposure to FilmFreeway's existing filmmaker audience over cost or brand control |
FilmFreeway pricing as published on filmfreeway.com and reputation findings as reported across independent review sites in 2026 — confirm current terms directly with the vendor.