CaFÉ (CallForEntry) alternatives for art fair and call for entry organizers
CaFÉ runs calls for artists: application forms with work samples, online jurying, entry fees and a listing in front of a large pool of artists. Here is where it is the better choice, and where Map D and other tools fit the booth map and booth sales better.
Written by Map D, which is one of the alternatives listed below. Claims about other platforms are limited to what those companies publish themselves, and each is sourced at the foot of the page. Last verified November 2026.
Hall A
LiveHall A revenue
$184,600
Trusted by associations, expos and show organizers since 2011
What CaFÉ is good at
CaFÉ is built for selecting artists, and for calls for entry, public art and juried shows it is often the right place to do that. If the following describe your call, keep it on your shortlist.
- A large artist pool: CaFÉ says organizations reach 180,000+ artists actively seeking opportunities, and calls are searchable by call type or eligibility.
- Application forms built from a template, with custom fields, your own questions and your own work sample requirements, under a branded header with a unique URL.
- Online jurying with unlimited jurors and jury rounds, a configurable scorecard, finalist selection, and jurors who score online from anywhere.
- Entry fees and coupons, with payment tracking and downloadable entry fee income reports.
- Published pricing on two plans priced by the number of applications you expect, with every feature included on both.
Why organizers look elsewhere
The gaps that send trade show organizers looking for an alternative.
- CaFÉ's how it works, features and pricing pages describe applications, jurying and entry fees. They do not describe booth maps, booth assignment or booth sales, so an art fair that sells booths after jurying will need another tool for that step.
- Fairs that want accepted artists to choose and pay for their own booth on a to-scale map, with booth prices on the map, may want a tool built around selling from the floor plan.
- Festivals that also sell sponsorships, run vendor or food areas, or publish a visitor map with wayfinding may want one map for the whole site, not only the call for entry.
How Map D compares
Map D’s column states what Map D does. Where a CaFÉ equivalent is not publicly documented, the row says so rather than guessing.
- Map D offers
- 6 of 10
- CaFÉ publicly documents
- 7 of 10
The second bar counts what CaFÉ documents on its own site, which is not the same as what it can do. A criterion we could not verify is shown as unverified, not as missing — if CaFÉ covers it somewhere we did not find, that is a gap in our checking rather than in their product.
| Criterion | Map D | CaFÉ |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Included | Documented |
| Pricing unit | Included | Documented |
| Artist application forms with work samples | Not offered | Documented |
| Jury scoring of artists | Not offered | Documented |
| Entry fee collection | Not offered | Documented |
| Listing in front of an artist pool | Not offered | Documented |
| To-scale booth map | Included | Unverified |
| Artists pick and pay for a booth on a live map | Included | Unverified |
| Choice of payment gateway | Included | Documented |
| Visitor map with wayfinding and sponsor profiles | Included | Unverified |
$3,499
—
Map D’s rates are per event and listed on the pricing page. The dashed column has no height and no figure on purpose: where rates are not published we will not put a number on them, and where they are published we will not restate one that can change without notice.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Map D | CaFÉ |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Yes. The free plan builds the floor plan for one event. Publishing the map, sharing it and selling booths need a paid plan: Basic starts at $3,499, plus a one-time $250 onboarding fee. Professional and Enterprise are quoted. | CaFÉ publishes two plans, priced by the number of applications expected, with every feature included on both (checked November 2026). |
| Pricing unit | A plan price with no per-booth fee and no Map D transaction fees on booth sales. | CaFÉ lists a one-time onboarding fee, a fee per call, a fee per application (one plan includes the first 250), an annual renewal fee and an electronic processing fee on card and PayPal payments (checked November 2026). |
| Artist application forms with work samples | Not documented. Map D sells booths and sponsorships from the map; it does not document artist application forms with work samples. | CaFÉ documents application forms built from a template with custom fields, your own questions and work sample requirements (checked November 2026). |
| Jury scoring of artists | Not documented. Map D does not document a jurying workflow. | CaFÉ documents an Online Jury Module with unlimited jurors and jury rounds, a configurable scorecard and finalist selection (checked November 2026). |
| Entry fee collection | Not documented. Map D sells booths and sponsorships; it does not describe a separate fee to apply or to be juried. | CaFÉ documents entry fees and coupons, payment tracking and entry fee income reports (checked November 2026). |
| Listing in front of an artist pool | Not offered. Map D does not find exhibitors or artists for you; you bring them to your booth sale. | CaFÉ says organizations reach 180,000+ artists, and its Find Calls link opens Creative West's Opportunities Portal, which lists calls by type, including fairs and festivals (checked November 2026). |
| To-scale booth map | Core to the product. Interactive, to-scale floor plans and site maps drawn in the AI-assisted map editor, or started from a venue in the Venue Library. | Booth maps are not described on CaFÉ's how it works, features or pricing pages (checked November 2026). |
| Artists pick and pay for a booth on a live map | Exhibitors pick a booth, see its price and check out online; the booth turns sold on the map. Dynamic booth pricing is included. | Booth assignment or booth sales are not described on CaFÉ's how it works, features or pricing pages (checked November 2026). |
| Choice of payment gateway | Stripe, Authorize.Net, PayPal, Payflow Pro, NMI, BluePay or QuickBooks Payments, plus ACH/eCheck through Authorize.Net. | CaFÉ takes credit card and PayPal payments through its own service, with an electronic processing fee; a choice of gateways is not described (checked November 2026). |
| Visitor map with wayfinding and sponsor profiles | The published map gives visitors 2D wayfinding, with marketplace and sponsor profiles, and embeds on your website. | A visitor map or sponsor sales are not described on CaFÉ's how it works, features or pricing pages (checked November 2026). |
The alternatives worth shortlisting
Map D
Art fairs and festivals that jury elsewhere and sell booths from a live map
Accepted artists pick a booth, see its price and pay on a to-scale interactive map, with sponsorship sales, wayfinding and published pricing. No artist jurying, application forms or entry fees.
ZAPP
Juried art fairs and festivals that want an application platform built around them
From ZAPP Software, LLC, also powered by Creative West, ZAPP describes itself as where artists and art festivals connect, with applications to juried events and artist image uploads.
Eventeny
Fairs and festivals that want applications, jury scoring and a vendor map in one platform
Vendor applications on every plan including a free one, custom weighted jury scoring on Plus, Pro and Premium, and booth mapping on Pro and Premium, with a platform fee on application payments.
EntryThingy
Galleries and organizations running calls for entry
Embeddable entry forms with multi-image uploads, customizable scoring with blind judging, and published per-submission pricing with no annual or setup fees. Booths are not described.
Where Map D is stronger
- Map D fits the step after jurying: you draw the fair to scale in the AI-assisted map editor, publish it, and accepted artists pick a booth, see its price and check out online, with the booth turning sold on the map.
- Dynamic booth and sponsorship pricing, sponsorship sales and sponsor profiles sit on the same map, and the published map gives visitors 2D wayfinding and embeds on your website.
- Payments run through the gateway you already use: Stripe, Authorize.Net, PayPal, Payflow Pro, NMI, BluePay or QuickBooks Payments, plus ACH/eCheck through Authorize.Net, with no Map D transaction fees on booth sales.
- Building the floor plan for one event is free. Publishing, sharing the map and selling booths start at Basic, $3,499 plus a one-time $250 onboarding fee. The exhibitor portal comes with Professional and Enterprise, which are quoted.
- 900+ organizers, 9,000+ events powered and $400M+ in booth and exhibitor sales, building since 2011.
When CaFÉ is the better choice
- Your main job is selecting artists. CaFÉ documents application forms with work samples, an online jury with unlimited jurors and rounds, and finalist selection, and Map D does not jury artists at all.
- You need applicants. CaFÉ lists your call where 180,000+ artists look for opportunities, and Map D does not find artists or exhibitors for you.
- You collect entry fees. CaFÉ documents entry fees, coupons and income reports; Map D sells booths, not applications.
- Your call is for public art, an exhibition or a residency with no booths to sell. There is no floor plan to sell from, so Map D adds little.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best CaFÉ alternative?
It depends on which part of CaFÉ you want to replace. For applications and jurying at an art fair, look at ZAPP, Eventeny or EntryThingy, which all document applications and jury scoring. For the booth map and booth sales after jurying, Map D. If you rely on CaFÉ's artist pool and its jury module, CaFÉ may still be the better choice for applications, with another tool alongside it for booths.
Is CaFÉ the same as ZAPP?
No, but they are related. Both are powered by Creative West, formerly WESTAF. CaFÉ is a call for entry platform used for exhibitions, public art and residencies, with fairs and festivals among the calls it lists, and ZAPP is an application platform built around art fairs and festivals (checked November 2026).
Can I use Map D with CaFÉ?
Yes, as two separate steps. Jury in CaFÉ, then send accepted artists to your Map D booth sale, where they pick a booth, see its price and pay on the map. Map D does not document an integration with CaFÉ.
Does Map D jury art fair applications?
No. Map D does not document a jurying workflow, artist application forms or entry fees. Keep a jury tool such as CaFÉ for selecting artists and use Map D for the booth map and booth sales.
How does CaFÉ charge organizations?
CaFÉ publishes two plans with a one-time onboarding fee, a fee per call, a fee per application, an annual renewal fee and an electronic processing fee on card and PayPal payments (checked November 2026). Map D's free plan builds the floor plan for one event; publishing it and selling booths start at Basic, $3,499 plus a one-time $250 onboarding fee.
Does CaFÉ have booth maps for art fairs?
Booth maps, booth assignment and booth sales are not described on CaFÉ's how it works, features or pricing pages (checked November 2026). Map D's booth maps are drawn to scale, and artists can choose and pay for an available booth themselves.
Stop reading about it. Build one.
Upload the floor plan you already have and place your booths on it yourself, in Map D’s editor. Free to build, no contract, and nothing to install.
- 900+
- Organizers who have run shows on Map D
- 9,000+
- Events powered since 2011
- 1.8M+
- Booths drawn to date
“I am really excited about this. The staff met with me this morning and we all LOVE the platform. People are already filling out their booths.”
Sources
- CaFÉ home page (powered by Creative West, formerly WESTAF) · checked 2026-11-11
- CaFÉ: how it works (application forms, online jury, 180,000+ artists) · checked 2026-11-11
- CaFÉ pricing (plans, fees and included features) · checked 2026-11-11
- CaFÉ call listing features · checked 2026-11-11
- Creative West Opportunities Portal (CaFÉ Find Calls) · checked 2026-11-11
- ZAPP home page (ZAPP Software, LLC, powered by Creative West) · checked 2026-11-11
- Eventeny pricing (features by plan) · checked 2026-11-11
- EntryThingy home page · checked 2026-11-11
- Map D pricing · checked 2026-11-11