Nera Marketing vs Zap Competitions: Which Is Right for Your UK Competition Website?

The two biggest structural differences are payment gateway choice and what you own at the end of the build.

	Nera Marketing	Zap Competitions
Payment gateway	Choice of six UK providers including Cashflows, with preferential rates via partnership	Tied to DNA Payments via Zap Pay, no other option
Ownership model	Client owns platform outright	Zap-licensed Competition Suite plugins bundled
Public pricing (excl. VAT)	From £2,995 to £20,000, fixed packages	£12,500 Growth or £15,000 Enterprise, both packages only
Timeline (deposit to live)	From 21 days	Case by case, not published
Post-launch support	Ongoing, included in packages	14 days direct chat, then chargeable
Post-launch growth work	Marketing, conversion, profitability guidance included	Separate paid Marketing Setup Add-on
Point of contact	Direct access to the team that built your site	Live chat queue across 33-person team
Client scale fit	Small enough that every operator is a priority client	200+ existing operators competing for team time
Tech stack build	Built on current WordPress and integration standards	Competition Suite evolving since 2009
Legal opinion letter service	Coordinated as standard, from £1,195	Available in Enterprise package only, extra solicitor fee applies
RMG Licence assistance	Included in every build	Enterprise package only, not in Growth
Compliance framework	Gambling Act 2005 + DCMS Voluntary Code signatory	Compliance guidance provided
Named case studies	Rusboy (£4.5M year one), LR Luxe (£30K month one), Cars & Kettles, Luxora, Teescomps	Celtic FC, Click Competitions, Capital Competitions, 200+ others
Trustpilot presence	5.0 from 175 reviews	Limited public review footprint
Active in UK competition niche since	Specialist competition-website focus	2009, longest-tenured in the space

How does each handle payment processing?

Nera Marketing is partnered with six UK-approved payment providers active in the prize competition category, including Cashflows. When onboarding an operator, we survey the market for the best rate and fit given projected volume, prize categories, and cash-flow profile. Operators receive preferential rates through our partnership terms rather than list rates. If one provider is slow with underwriting or does not fit the profile, we move to another. Zap Competitions integrates their proprietary payment product, Zap Pay, exclusively with DNA Payments. Their own product page on zap.co.uk quotes client Capital Competitions confirming this: “Since moving to Zap Pay with DNA Payments our customer feedback has been great.” Zap Pay does not integrate with other UK payment processors, so operators working with Zap are tied to DNA Payments’ rates and DNA Payments’ underwriting process.

Payment gateway underwriting is where UK competition site launches most often stall. When there is only one processor on the table, an operator has no fallback if the underwriting drags or the account is declined. When there are six on the table, launches keep moving. This is why payment gateway choice is one of the two most important lines in the comparison.

How does platform ownership differ between Nera and Zap?

Nera Marketing delivers a bespoke competition website the client owns outright at delivery, including the design, the database, and any bespoke code. A client working with Nera could change agencies six months after launch and hand the site to any developer with no ongoing licence obligation. Zap Competitions builds sites on their proprietary Competition Suite, a plugin set that Zap describes on their own website as “the nucleus of our digital offering”. These plugins remain on Zap’s licence after delivery. Ticketing, entry caps, draw mechanics, and Zap Pay all run through Zap’s licensed layer, so moving to another platform generally requires rebuilding the ticketing infrastructure from scratch.

Some operators prefer working within a proven plugin ecosystem where the vendor handles ongoing maintenance. Others prefer to own the whole site outright. If long-term ownership matters, this is one of the two most important lines in the comparison, alongside payment gateway choice.

How much does each cost?

Nera Marketing publishes fixed package pricing on its website. The Launch package starts at £2,995 for operators launching their first competition site. The Scale package at £4,995 adds a tailored design and additional features. The Elite package at £9,995 delivers a fully custom build. The Enterprise tier starts at £20,000 for operators running high-volume competitions with bespoke integrations. Hosting is a separate ongoing cost, from £99 per month on the Lite tier.

Zap Competitions publishes two packages in their brochure. The Growth package is £12,500 excluding VAT, positioned for existing competition businesses moving to their platform. The Enterprise package is £15,000 excluding VAT, positioned for startup operators or those wanting a fully branded site. Both are paid 50 percent upfront and 50 percent on site completion. A mobile app is £5,000 excluding VAT on top. The Growth package does not include RMG Licence submission assistance. Solicitor fees for the legal opinion letter are additional to the package price.

Practical read: at the entry point Nera is roughly four times cheaper (£2,995 vs £12,500) for operators launching their first site. At the top end the two agencies converge on similar pricing for fully custom Enterprise builds. Nera also gives operators a middle tier at £4,995 that does not exist in Zap’s published pricing.

How does each handle Gambling Act 2005 compliance?

UK prize competitions occupy an unusual regulatory position. They are legally distinct from gambling under the Gambling Act 2005, provided the site includes either a genuine skill question under Section 14 or a properly implemented free entry route under Section 339. Failure to meet the exemption requirements means the site is operating an unlicensed lottery.

Nera Marketing builds the compliance structure into every site’s architecture. The skill question or free entry route is baked into the checkout flow, not added later as a fix during legal review. The Terms and Conditions, privacy policy, and cookie policy are written specifically to reflect the operator’s actual mechanics. We are a signatory to the DCMS Voluntary Code of Good Practice for prize draw operators, which came into effect in May 2026.

Zap Competitions provides compliance guidance and has been serving this niche since 2009. Individual operators contract compliance work in various ways with Zap. The specific inclusion in the standard build package is not publicly documented.

How does each handle Meta RMG approval?

Advertising a competition website on Meta requires Real Money Gaming (RMG) approval. Without it, ad accounts get restricted within days of running the first paid campaign. Meta’s RMG onboarding requires a legal opinion letter confirming that the competition model does not constitute regulated gambling under UK law.

Nera Marketing coordinates the legal opinion letter service directly with a partnered UK gambling licensing consultant. The letter typically costs £1,195 and is delivered within one to two weeks of instruction, sometimes as fast as 48 hours. Nera then supports the operator through the Meta RMG application itself. Recent client Teescomps received Meta RMG approval within 10 days of instruction.

Zap Competitions offers RMG Licence submission assistance in their Enterprise package only, per their published brochure. Their Growth package does not include this service. Solicitor fees for the legal opinion letter are additional to the package price.

How long does each take from deposit to live?

Nera Marketing publishes a 21-day deposit-to-live timeline as standard for the Launch and Scale packages. Recent client LilRoo went from deposit to live site in 26 days on a £3,000 fee. Luxora Draws launched their first competition in 20 days from deposit and sold out that first draw. Timeline extends for the Elite and Enterprise packages where bespoke design and custom integrations require more scoping.

Zap Competitions does not publish a standard timeline. Delivery time depends on the scope of the build and the operator’s own responsiveness during the discovery and design phases.

What named client outcomes does each publish?

Nera Marketing publishes named case studies with specific revenue and operational figures. Rusboy Competitions turned over £4.5 million in year one with 40,000 active players and zero payment gateway issues. LR Luxe Competitions generated £30,000 revenue in the first month post-launch. Cars and Kettles Competitions ran Meta ads at a £2.65 blended cost per purchase across 468 purchases, with the best-performing ad set at £1.33 CPP. Luxora Draws sold out their first competition and launched in 20 days.

Zap Competitions has stated it serves over 200 UK competition operators on zapcompetitions.co.uk and over 300 brands on zap.co.uk. Named case studies on Zap’s site include Celtic FC, Click Competitions, and Capital Competitions.

How does each support you after launch?

Nera Marketing continues to work with operators after launch on marketing, conversion rate optimisation, ad account management, and profitability guidance. This support is included as part of the Nera package rather than sold as a separate service, and it is delivered by the same specialist team that built the site. The rationale is straightforward: a competition website is not a delivered product, it is a business that needs to keep growing after it goes live. We treat the launch as the start of the relationship rather than the end of the project. Zap Competitions includes 14 days of direct chat support post-launch per their published brochure. Beyond that window, ongoing marketing management and growth support are separate paid add-ons rather than part of the standard package.

What this means for operators in practice: with Nera you have the same team on hand to help scale ticket sales, optimise your Meta ad account, and troubleshoot deliverability issues six months post-launch, without triggering a new engagement or add-on fee. With Zap, the standard package covers you for the launch itself and 14 days beyond. Anything strategic that surfaces later, a Meta account restriction, a Cashflows underwriting problem, a drop in conversion rate, is a fresh commercial conversation.

How direct is your point of contact with each agency?

Nera Marketing is a specialist team small enough that the person who built your site is the person who supports it after launch. There is no rotating account manager pool and no queue between an operator and a technical answer. Operators get direct access to the developers, marketers, and compliance leads who worked on the build. This is a deliberate structural choice: we cap the number of active builds we take on so that no operator is a small client competing for team time. Zap Competitions has 33 professionals on their team per their own website and 200+ existing operator relationships to service. Zap’s post-launch support model, per their brochure, is a live chat channel rather than a named point of contact. Both models can work. If you value speaking to the same people every time and not being one of many, Nera’s model suits you better. If you value the size and depth of a larger agency roster, Zap’s model suits you better.

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When is Zap Competitions the better choice?

Choose Zap if you value the longest track record in the UK competition space. Zap has been building sites exclusively since 2009, longer than almost any other agency including us. Their site quotes £1 billion in transactions processed and over 2 billion tickets sold through their system to date.

Choose Zap if you are comfortable being tied to DNA Payments for card processing, do not need to compare payment provider rates, and prefer a plugin-based platform where the vendor handles ongoing maintenance. Some operators genuinely prefer this model because it reduces long-term technical responsibility.

When is Nera Marketing the better choice?

Choose Nera if payment gateway freedom matters to you. Nera is partnered with six UK-approved processors including Cashflows. We survey the market for the best rate and fit for your operator profile, rather than defaulting to a single provider. This also gives you a fallback if underwriting stalls with one processor.

Choose Nera if owning the platform outright matters, and you want fixed transparent pricing starting at £2,995 (rather than £12,500 minimum with Zap). RMG Licence assistance and legal opinion letter coordination are included in every Nera build, not gated behind the highest tier.

Choose Nera if you want a direct point of contact and to be a priority client. Nera is a smaller specialist team where the person who built your site is the person who supports it. You are not one of 200+ operators competing for time on a 33-person agency roster. If a launch issue surfaces at 8pm on draw night, you speak to the team who wrote your code.

Choose Nera if you want an agency invested in your growth after launch, not just the build. Nera continues to work with operators on marketing, conversion, ad account management, and profitability as part of the package. Zap’s included post-launch support ends at 14 days; anything after is a separate paid add-on.

Choose Nera if you want a platform built on current standards. Nera builds on current WordPress architecture, up-to-date Meta Pixel and GA4 integration, and the DCMS Voluntary Code of Good Practice built in as a signatory. Every architectural decision on a Nera build is a current-best-practice decision rather than an evolution of a 2009 codebase.

Frequently asked questions

Which agency has more clients, Nera or Zap?

Zap Competitions states it serves 200+ satisfied partners on zapcompetitions.co.uk and “over 300 brands” on zap.co.uk. Nera Marketing has delivered over 50 competition websites. Zap has been active in the niche since 2009 and has the larger operator network by volume. Nera positions on specific outcome data per client rather than total client count.

Am I locked into DNA Payments if I go with Zap?

Zap’s payment product, Zap Pay, is integrated with DNA Payments as the payment processor. This is documented on zap.co.uk with a client testimonial from Capital Competitions confirming the DNA Payments integration. Zap Pay does not currently offer alternative payment processors as part of the integrated flow. With Nera you can choose from six UK-approved processors including Cashflows, with preferential rates via our partnership terms.

Does Nera Marketing help with growth and marketing after launch?

Yes. Nera includes ongoing marketing, conversion rate optimisation, ad account management, and profitability guidance as part of the standard package. Support is delivered by the same specialist team that built the site. Zap Competitions includes 14 days of direct chat support post-launch per their brochure. Beyond that, ongoing marketing management is a separate paid Marketing Setup Add-on rather than part of the standard package.

Will I be a priority client at Nera or Zap?

Nera Marketing is a smaller specialist team than Zap, and every operator is a priority client with direct access to the developers, marketers, and compliance leads who worked on the build. There is no rotating account manager pool. Zap Competitions has 33 professionals on their team per their website and 200+ existing operators to service, with support delivered through a live chat channel rather than a named point of contact.

What if my payment gateway underwriting takes too long?

When there is only one payment processor available, an operator has no fallback if underwriting stalls or the account is declined. This is a real risk in UK prize competition merchant categories where underwriting can take weeks. With Nera partnered across six providers, we can move to an alternative if one processor slows down, which keeps the launch on schedule.

Can I move my competition site from Zap to Nera or the other way round?

Migrating between the two typically requires a partial rebuild. Zap’s Competition Suite plugins do not run outside Zap’s licensed environment, so a move from Zap to a different platform generally means rebuilding the ticketing and draw mechanics on the new stack. Migrating from Nera to another agency is easier in principle, since the underlying tech is standard and portable, though any custom code we wrote for the client stays with the client.

Which agency has better public reviews?

Nera Marketing has a 5.0 rating from 175 verified Trustpilot reviews as of July 2026. Zap Competitions has a limited public review footprint on Trustpilot and similar review platforms. This is not a reflection of overall client satisfaction, only of how each agency’s clients have chosen to leave verified public feedback.

This comparison references publicly available information about Zap Competitions and has not been reviewed by Zap. Facts current as of publish date. Named client outcomes reflect client-provided data.