7 Best PayPal Alternatives for Animal Shelters (2025)

If you run an animal shelter or rescue with a small team and a tight budget, you know how much every dollar matters. PayPal's transaction fees often take hundreds of dollars every month—money that could cover emergency vet care or help more animals find loving homes. This guide breaks down seven PayPal alternatives that either eliminate those fees entirely or offer better rates and fundraising tools designed for how shelters actually operate, from collecting adoption fees to running sponsor-an-animal programs.

Reasons We Win:

• Zero fees on every donation, ticket, or adoption fee—no platform, transaction, or credit card fees
• All-in-one fundraising: events, adoption forms, monthly giving, donor management in one place
• Low setup—no technical resources or hardware required
• QR code and tap-to-pay support for mobile and offline fundraising
• Android and mobile-first optimization for volunteers and staff on any device

Table of Contents

1. Why Animal Shelters Are Exploring PayPal Alternatives
2. How Zeffy Solves What PayPal Can't for Animal Shelters
3. PayPal Alternatives for Animal Shelters Feature and Fee Comparison
4. The Best PayPal Alternatives for Animal Shelters
   • 1. Zeffy — Zero Fees for Animal Rescue Organizations
   • 2. Stripe — Powerful Payment Processing With Developer Tools
   • 3. Square — Best for In-Person Adoption Events
   • 4. Donorbox — Simple Donation Forms for Shelter Websites
   • 5. Qgiv — Text-to-Give and Event Registration
   • 6. iATS Payments — Built for Canadian Animal Shelters
   • 7. Venmo — Social Fundraising for Younger Donors
5. What to Consider When Choosing a PayPal Alternative for Animal Shelters
6. Which PayPal Alternative Should Animal Shelters Use
7. Frequently Asked Questions

Why Animal Shelters Are Exploring PayPal Alternatives

Animal shelters are moving away from PayPal because transaction fees shrink budgets that should go toward saving animals. Even with PayPal's nonprofit rate of 2.2% + $0.30 per donation, you're still losing $220 to $250 for every $10,000 raised.

That's money that could mean emergency vet care for two animals or pay for several spay and neuter procedures. When every dollar counts, platform fees aren't just an inconvenience—they represent fewer animals helped.

Beyond the fees, PayPal doesn't fit the way shelters fundraise. It doesn't support adoption event ticketing or check-in tools. You can't set up sponsor-an-animal monthly giving programs. And tracking donor relationships is nearly impossible. As a result, many shelters juggle PayPal for payments, other tools for events, spreadsheets for donor tracking, and manual work for tax receipts.

PayPal's specific limitations for animal shelters:

• Transaction fees eat into donations: 2.2% + $0.30 per transaction adds up to hundreds lost each year
• Delayed payouts: Funds can be held for days—when animals need immediate care, that delay hurts
• No fundraising tools: Missing event ticketing, peer-to-peer campaigns, and adoption fee processing
• Poor donor experience: No automatic tax receipts or easy recurring donation setup
• Limited reporting: Can't track donor history or see which campaigns bring in the most support

Using PayPal to collect donations for your shelter? Calculate how much you're losing to PayPal donation fees.

How Zeffy Solves What PayPal Can't for Animal Shelters

Zeffy is the only 100% free fundraising platform designed specifically for nonprofits like animal shelters. While PayPal charges fees on every transaction and forces you to juggle multiple tools, Zeffy brings together donations, adoption fees, fundraising events, and monthly giving programs with zero-fee fundraising.

Every dollar given through Zeffy goes to animal care. There are no platform fees, no transaction fees, and no percentage taken from donations. Zeffy is funded entirely by optional tips from donors who want to keep the platform free for nonprofits.

Zeffy ends the multi-tool chaos many shelters face. You can process adoption fees using custom forms, run fundraising events with ticketing and check-in, launch sponsor-an-animal monthly giving programs, and track all your donors in a single, easy-to-use dashboard.

Why animal shelters switch from PayPal to Zeffy:

• Zero fees vs. transaction fees: Every dollar goes to animal care, not platform costs
• Built for nonprofits: Automatic tax receipts and donor management included
• All-in-one: Handle adoptions, events, monthly giving, and donor tracking in one system
• Instant access: Money is available immediately when emergencies arise
• Mobile-friendly tools: Accept donations at adoption events with QR codes and tap-to-pay on any smartphone, Android or iPhone

See how Zeffy helps animal shelters and rescue organizations fundraise with zero fees.

PayPal Alternatives for Animal Shelters Feature and Fee Comparison

Here's how the leading PayPal alternatives compare for animal shelter fundraising needs:

The Best PayPal Alternatives for Animal Shelters

1. Zeffy — Zero Fees for Animal Rescue Organizations

Zeffy is the only platform that lets animal shelters keep 100% of every donation, adoption fee, and event ticket sale. Unlike PayPal and most other alternatives that charge 2-4% per transaction, Zeffy charges zero platform fees and zero transaction fees—always.

Shelters use Zeffy to manage everything from online donations to adoption applications with payment processing. You can run fundraising events with ticketing and check-in, launch sponsor-an-animal monthly giving programs, and handle it all with automatic tax receipts. Everything is in one dashboard and volunteers don't get stuck doing manual work.

Zeffy's unified dashboard allows shelters to track adoption fees, donations, and event tickets in one place.

Key features for animal shelters:

• Adoption application forms with payment processing for adoption fees and deposits
• Monthly giving programs for sponsor-an-animal campaigns with automatic recurring billing
• Event ticketing for adoption events, fundraisers, and community gatherings
• Tap-to-pay for mobile adoption events—accept donations on any smartphone, Android or iPhone, no card readers needed
• Automatic tax receipts for all donation types, sent instantly to donors
• Volunteer management tools to coordinate foster families and event helpers
• QR codes for offline donations at adoption events and community outreach
• Donor management to track supporters and follow up with personalized thank-yous

"It was chaotic. It was hard to know where the money was coming from—or going." — Whitney, Operations Team, Waggytail Rescue

Since switching to Zeffy, Waggytail Rescue has saved over $3,300 in processing fees. That's vetting and transport for 15 at-risk dogs, specialty care for two rescues with complex medical needs, and zero time wasted explaining platform fees to donors.

Compare Zeffy to PayPal side-by-side.

2. Stripe — Powerful Payment Processing With Developer Tools

Stripe is a solid payment processor for shelters that have technical resources or a website developer. It offers strong recurring donation tools and robust fraud protection, but it requires technical setup and charges processing fees on every transaction.

Shelters using Stripe usually integrate it into their website or a custom donation platform. The API is powerful and flexible, allowing for custom donation flows and automated processes.

Stripe offers powerful tools for developers but requires technical setup.

Read our full Stripe comparison

Key considerations for animal shelters:

• Pros: Great recurring donation tools for sponsor-an-animal programs, global payment support, strong fraud protection, reliable processing
• Cons: Requires technical integration and ongoing maintenance, charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, no built-in fundraising features like event ticketing or donor management

Many shelters don't realize Zeffy uses Stripe as its payment processor behind the scenes. With Zeffy, you get Stripe's reliability plus all the fundraising tools you need—without the transaction fees or tech headaches.

See how PayPal compares to Stripe for nonprofits.

3. Square — Best for In-Person Adoption Events

Square is a go-to for in-person payment processing, making it useful for shelters that host adoption events, run retail spaces, or sell merchandise. Their card readers are affordable and easy to use, and the POS system can handle retail inventory.

At adoption events, Square lets you accept credit cards on the spot with physical card readers. The system also has appointment booking, which some shelters use for adoption meet-and-greets.

Key considerations for animal shelters:

• Pros: Simple in-person payments, affordable card readers, inventory tools for retail, appointment booking
• Cons: Transaction fees on every payment (2.6% + $0.10 in-person, 2.9% + $0.30 online), limited fundraising features, no donor management or automatic tax receipts

Zeffy makes in-person fundraising easier with tap-to-pay technology. You can accept payments from any smartphone—Android or iPhone—no readers or extra hardware. Volunteers collect donations at adoption events or anywhere you meet supporters, all through a free app, and with zero fees.

Compare PayPal to Square for nonprofit payments. Learn more about Zeffy's tap-to-pay solution.

4. Donorbox — Simple Donation Forms for Shelter Websites

Donorbox makes it easy to add donation forms to your existing website, whether you're on WordPress, Squarespace, or another platform. Their forms match your branding and let donors give without leaving your site.

It works for basic online donations and supports recurring gifts for monthly programs. However, Donorbox charges a 2.95% platform fee plus standard credit card processing fees, which can add up quickly for busy shelters.

Donorbox offers customizable donation forms but charges a platform fee on top of processing costs.

See how Zeffy compares to Donorbox

Key considerations for animal shelters:

• Pros: Easy to embed on your website, supports recurring donations, text-to-give, mobile-friendly forms
• Cons: 2.95% platform fee plus processing fees, no event ticketing or check-in, limited donor management, no adoption application forms

With Zeffy, you get the same website embedding, plus event ticketing, tap-to-pay for mobile adoption events, auction tools, donor management, and more—with zero fees.

Compare Zeffy to Donorbox.

5. Qgiv — Text-to-Give and Event Registration

Qgiv offers strong event tools and text-to-give features, which work well for shelters hosting regular fundraising events. The platform creates professional event pages and supports auctions, popular for annual galas.

Qgiv provides specialized tools for auctions and events, though monthly and transaction fees apply.

See how Zeffy compares to Qgiv

However, Qgiv's pricing includes both monthly and transaction fees that can quickly cut into your budget. For smaller shelters, paying 3.95% + $0.30 per transaction plus monthly fees often means less money for animal care.

Key considerations for animal shelters:

• Pros: Professional event pages, mobile auction bidding, text-to-give, peer-to-peer fundraising options
• Cons: 3.95% + $0.30 transaction fees, monthly subscription costs, multiple fee layers, complex pricing structure

Zeffy offers event registration, auction tools, and text-to-give with zero fees or monthly charges. Small shelters can save thousands each year by switching from Qgiv to Zeffy.

Compare Zeffy to Qgiv.

6. iATS Payments — Built for Canadian Animal Shelters

iATS Payments specializes in Canadian nonprofit payment processing and integrates with Salesforce's Nonprofit Success Pack. For Canadian shelters already using Salesforce for donor management, iATS provides seamless integration and understands the details of Canadian tax compliance.

The platform is designed for Canadian nonprofits, with features for tax receipts and compliance.

iATS Payments provides specialized tools for Canadian tax compliance and payment processing.

Key considerations for Canadian animal shelters:

• Pros: Built for Canadian nonprofits, Salesforce integration, understands Canadian tax receipt requirements, reliable Canadian payment processing
• Cons: Custom pricing that can be high, requires Salesforce for best features, transaction fees still apply, limited fundraising tools beyond payment processing

Zeffy works for Canadian animal shelters and provides Canadian-compliant tax receipts automatically. You get all the fundraising tools you need, plus zero fees and no Salesforce requirements.

7. Venmo — Social Fundraising for Younger Donors

Venmo is popular for quick, casual fundraising aimed at younger donors who already use the app. The social feed lets donations become visible to friends, encouraging others to give. For urgent animal needs, Venmo's simplicity can help you raise money fast.

Venmo's social feed allows donors to share their contributions, potentially increasing visibility for shelter campaigns.

Read our full Venmo comparison

But Venmo lacks the features shelters need for ongoing fundraising. There's no automatic tax receipt, donor management, event tools, or monthly giving program support.

Key considerations for animal shelters:

• Pros: Popular with younger donors, social sharing encourages giving, QR codes for easy payments, fast setup
• Cons: 1.9% + $0.10 for business accounts, no tax receipts, no donor management, no recurring giving tools, limited professional features

Zeffy includes QR code support and a mobile-friendly giving experience, plus automatic tax receipts, recurring donations, and complete donor tracking—with zero fees.

See how PayPal compares to Venmo for nonprofits.

What to Consider When Choosing a PayPal Alternative for Animal Shelters

Choosing a payment platform means thinking about your shelter's actual fundraising needs, not just donations. You need tools for adoption events, monthly giving programs, and urgent medical campaigns.

Start by calculating the real cost of fees on your annual donation volume. A 3% platform fee may seem small, but that's $300 lost for every $10,000 raised—enough to cover spay/neuter for several animals or emergency vet care.

Key factors for animal shelters:

• Total cost impact: Calculate fees on your annual donation volume. That $300 could fund emergency care for multiple animals
• Adoption event needs: Mobile payments, offline mode, and QR codes for outdoor events—even where internet is spotty
• Recurring gift management: Sponsor-an-animal programs need reliable monthly processing and easy donor management
• Volunteer simplicity: Can volunteers use it easily, or do you spend hours training people who change often?
• Emergency readiness: Fast payouts so you can pay for urgent medical care immediately
• Donor experience: Automatic receipts, easy recurring setup, and mobile-friendly forms that work on any device

Calculate how much your shelter is losing to PayPal donation fees.

Which PayPal Alternative Should Animal Shelters Use

For most animal shelters, Zeffy is the best PayPal alternative because it eliminates fees and provides all the fundraising tools you need in one place. Both volunteer-run rescues and larger shelters benefit from keeping 100% of donations, instead of losing 2-4% to fees.

Your choice depends on your shelter's needs. If you're a small rescue, every dollar you save means more lives saved. If you run adoption events, you need mobile payment tools that work without expensive readers or complicated setup.

Decision guide by shelter type:

• Small volunteer rescues: Zeffy—zero fees mean every dollar helps more animals
• Shelters with developers: Stripe for custom integration, but Zeffy uses Stripe on the backend, so you get the same reliability with zero fees and no technical lift
• Retail-heavy operations: Square for merchandise sales, but add Zeffy for fundraising and donations to avoid transaction fees
• Canadian shelters: Zeffy for Canadian-optimized processing, automatic compliant tax receipts, and zero fees

"Every dollar matters. We save as many animals as we can afford to save. That's the math." — Holly DeRito, Founder, Waggytail Rescue

Stop losing money to payment processing fees. Sign up free and keep every dollar for the animals who need it.

Frequently Asked Questions