Charter Lottery vs. LotterEase
A modern, transparently priced alternative for running fair, auditable charter school enrollment lotteries.
LotterEase is a well-established lottery and parent-communication system used by many charter schools, with a long track record and hands-on training and support.
Charter Lottery is a modern, purpose-built platform for the same job (collect applications, run weighted lotteries, manage waitlists, and keep audit-ready records), with publicly listed pricing and a cryptographically secure, provably fair lottery engine. If you're weighing the two, here's an honest side-by-side look.
Pricing at a glance
Charter Lottery
$240 / school / year
Public pricing. Free to set up your organization and explore. You pay only when you run your first lottery. No credit card to start.
LotterEase
Contact sales
LotterEase does not publish pricing publicly; you contact their team for a quote.
Why schools choose Charter Lottery
Transparent, predictable pricing
You see the price before you ever talk to sales: $240 per school per year. Set up your organization and explore for free. You only pay when you run your first lottery.
Provably fair by design
Every draw uses cryptographically secure randomization (crypto.randomInt), and each run's results are hashed with SHA-256. Fairness is mathematically verifiable, not just logged after the fact.
Built for FERPA-conscious workflows
Student data is encrypted with AES-256, access is strictly role-based, and every action is captured in an append-only audit trail on AWS infrastructure.
Founder-led onboarding
Switching is not a solo project. We personally help configure your first lottery cycle and migrate your applicant data, so your enrollment season is covered.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Charter Lottery | LotterEase |
|---|---|---|
| Weighted lottery preferencesSibling, residency, staff, and alumni priority rules | ||
| Waitlist management & automated promotion | ||
| Online parent application & seat confirmation | ||
| Complete, auditable change history | ||
| Multi-school / network management | ||
| CSV exports for state reporting | ||
| Email notifications | ||
| Cryptographically secure RNG (provably fair)crypto.randomInt with SHA-256 result hashing | crypto.randomInt + SHA-256 | Not specified |
| SMS notifications | Not specified | |
| Document upload & verification | Not specified | |
| FERPA-conscious security (AES-256, role-based access) | Not specified | |
| Modern, mobile-responsive interface | Not specified | |
| Published, transparent pricing | $240/school/year | Contact sales |
| Free self-serve trial (no credit card) | Not specified | |
| Hands-on training & support | Founder-led onboarding | Unlimited training & support |
LotterEasedetails reflect publicly available information as of June 2026 and may have changed. “Not specified” means the capability is not publicly documented. Please verify current details with the vendor.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best alternative to LotterEase?
Charter Lottery is a modern alternative purpose-built for charter school enrollment lotteries. It offers transparent $240/school/year pricing, a cryptographically secure provably-fair draw, weighted preference rules, waitlist management, and FERPA-conscious data security.
How much does LotterEase cost?
LotterEase does not publish its pricing publicly, so you contact their team for a quote. Charter Lottery lists its price openly: $240 per school per year, with free organization setup and no charge until you run your first lottery.
Can I switch from LotterEase to Charter Lottery?
Yes. We offer founder-led onboarding and will help you migrate your applicant data and configure your first lottery cycle, so you can switch with confidence, even mid-season.
Is the Charter Lottery draw actually random and fair?
Yes. Every draw uses cryptographically secure randomization (crypto.randomInt), and each run's results are hashed with SHA-256 so the outcome can be independently verified for integrity.
See if Charter Lottery is the right fit
Set up your organization, add your schools, and configure your first lottery cycle for free. No credit card required, and we'll help you switch.