Choose a fundraising platform by deciding what the donor should see at checkout and what the organization must pay when the donor declines an extra contribution. Donorbox suits teams wanting donation forms with explicit plan and platform fees. Givebutter combines campaigns and supporter operations with a tip-supported model. Zeffy deserves attention for eligible organizations seeking covered processing costs. Fundraise Up focuses on the donation experience and connected donor journey, while Raisely is a strong shortlist for campaign websites and peer-to-peer fundraising. These are different operating and funding models, even when several advertise a free starting point.
What the buying decision includes
Compare the same gifts: one-time online donations, recurring gifts, campaign fundraising and any tickets you actually sell. Separate a tip to the software provider from a donor contribution toward processing costs. Neither is the nonprofit donation itself. Establish country eligibility, payout banking, supported payment methods, refund treatment and recurring-donor migration before comparing fees. A charity can have an inexpensive donation form while still paying for advanced CRM, automation or campaign administration. Association dues and volunteer scheduling are adjacent needs, not substitutes for this donation-to-supporter workflow.
| Platform | Shortlist when | Fee boundary | Resolve before choosing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donorbox | Forms and recurring giving need explicit paid upgrades | Platform fee plus payment processing; Pro subscription | Donation form, event and supporter campaign fees differ |
| Givebutter | Campaigns, events and supporter records belong together | Tips enabled versus disabled changes fee liability | Confirm the donor experience and any Plus requirement |
| Zeffy | An eligible nonprofit wants processing covered | Optional contributions support the provider | Organization, country and bank eligibility come first |
| Fundraise Up | Website giving and donor journeys are central | Donation-based fee; effective average is not a quote | Obtain contractual fee and processor terms |
| Raisely | Campaign websites and peer-to-peer participation matter | Tips or flat platform fee, plus gateway costs | Migrated regular giving and advanced features have separate terms |
Donorbox
Donorbox offers customizable donation forms, recurring giving and campaign tools. Standard has no monthly subscription, but its current fee breakdown lists a 2.95% platform fee for donation forms and several other donation features, versus 3.95% for event ticketing, memberships and supporter peer-to-peer pages. Payment processing is additional. A campaign mix can therefore matter as much as total donation volume; do not apply the ordinary form rate to every payment. Donorbox official source.
Pro is listed at US$150 per month, with reduced platform-fee bands and additional customization, analytics, API and Zapier access. Compare that subscription against the specific features needed and the fee on each campaign type. Donorbox also markets a separate CRM and in-person giving products, so a donation-plan upgrade should not be treated as a promise that every supporter-management or kiosk requirement is included. It is a practical shortlist when the organization wants to control its form workflow and can explain its expected fee mix. Donorbox official source.
Givebutter
Givebutter combines donation forms, fundraising pages, events, auctions and donor-management tools. Its pricing page distinguishes two choices: with optional donor tips enabled, the platform says it covers processing costs not covered by donors under its Givebutter Guarantee; with tips disabled, the organization faces a 3% platform fee plus standard processing charges. Compare those checkout configurations separately instead of treating a zero subscription as the entire cost story. Givebutter official source.
The integrated supporter record is useful when event attendance, campaign activity and follow-up should stay together. Givebutter Plus adds paid capabilities, so identify the automation or administration features your team actually needs rather than assuming every capability belongs to the free offering. A team that objects to a provider-tip prompt may prefer to budget for the tips-disabled configuration. Conversely, an organization comfortable with that prompt should assess the whole donor experience and payout eligibility before paying for a different platform purely to avoid a subscription. Givebutter official source.
Zeffy
Zeffy states that it charges nonprofits neither platform nor processing fees, including when a donor does not contribute to Zeffy. Its revenue comes from optional contributions to the provider at checkout. That distinction matters: the nonprofit is not simply hoping that enough donors elect to cover a processing charge on its behalf. The provider-contribution prompt still forms part of the donor experience, so explain clearly to supporters which amount supports your organization. Zeffy official source.
Eligibility is a gating requirement. The current help page lists nonprofit organizations or registered charities in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and Germany, with a bank account in the organization’s name and country-specific requirements. Individuals and ordinary for-profit businesses do not qualify. Check the requirements for your actual organization before making Zeffy the budget baseline. Its funding model can be compelling for an eligible nonprofit, but it does not establish that every fundraising format, receipt or payment method is available in every supported country. Zeffy official source.
Fundraise Up
Fundraise Up emphasizes a connected giving experience, with checkout, campaign pages, recurring giving, donor self-service and integrations. It is worth shortlisting when the website donation journey must connect to an existing nonprofit operating stack, rather than replacing every supporter tool. Specify the donor data, campaign attribution and recurring-payment handoff that must reach the receiving system; the existence of an integration is not evidence that every field or exception is covered. Fundraise Up official source.
Its current pricing page describes a share of processed donations, no fixed subscription or setup charge, and donor cost coverage. The advertised effective cost of around 1% is explicitly an average after donor coverage, excludes payment processing and is not a contracted or guaranteed rate. Obtain the actual platform percentage and processor terms for your organization. This is a different commercial proposition from a guaranteed zero-fee model, and the vendor’s conversion and revenue examples should not be used as a forecast for your own campaigns. Fundraise Up official source.
Raisely
Raisely combines customizable fundraising websites with appeals, peer-to-peer campaigns, regular giving and supporter tools. That scope is useful when participants and campaign pages are part of the fundraising operation, not just a donate button on an existing website. Decide who owns page creation, participant support and follow-up content. A team running one permanent donation form may have less need for that broader campaign-site workflow than an organization coordinating many participant fundraisers. Raisely official source.
The tip-supported offer still leaves payment-gateway processing costs with the organization. Turning off optional tips normally introduces a 4% platform fee excluding applicable tax, alongside gateway costs, unless enterprise terms apply. Raisely separately describes a 2% fee excluding tax on payments from migrated regular givers and paid Pro capabilities for advanced automation and administration. Those distinctions can change a migration decision even when new campaign sites have no monthly base fee. Confirm the terms for existing recurring gifts before treating a move as cost-neutral. Raisely official source.
Which purchase fits your operation?
Choose the checkout policy before comparing the headline price. Zeffy and tip-enabled Givebutter address processing liability differently from Raisely’s gateway-paid model; Donorbox makes campaign type and paid upgrades central; Fundraise Up requires a clear distinction between its actual fee and an average effective cost.
For a small eligible nonprofit, a provider-tip prompt may be an acceptable tradeoff for avoiding platform and processing costs. For a campaign-heavy organization, participant pages, recurring-donor continuity and the supporter-data handoff may justify another model. Request the same payment mix and migration scope from each vendor. Select the workflow your team can operate and explain to donors, rather than assuming that a quoted conversion improvement will fund the purchase.
For related decisions, compare association membership systems and volunteer program software.
By Toolverly Editorial, with AI-assisted research and drafting. Product information checked October 29, 2026.
Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash. Read about our publication or send a correction.