Cash App VS PayPal

Cash App and PayPal help you accept donations, but they charge fees that eat into your fundraising budget. Zeffy gives you donation forms, donor management, and event ticketing — all with zero fees so every dollar stays with your mission.

Zeffy is trusted by 100,000+ nonprofits

PayPal

Cash App VS PayPal

Cash App VS PayPal: What nonprofits should know before choosing.

Payment processing Features

Payments processing

0% Processing / Transaction Fee

ACH / Bank Transfers

Credit / Debit Card Acceptance

Digital Wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay)

International Payments

Fraud Detection

Built in Fundraising Tools (Tickets, Auctions, Forms. etc.)

PCI Compliance

Information not available

Pricing

2.75% card fees per gift

2.9% + 30¢ card fees per gift

Processing fees

2.75%.

2.75% per transaction

2.9% + $0.30.

2.9% + $0.30 per transaction (domestic), 4.4% + $0.30 (international)

Platform fees

N/A.

$0.

No platform fees

Monthly fees

$0.

No monthly fee

$0.

No monthly fee

Value for money

N/A.

4.2/5.

Features

4.2/5.

Simple peer-to-peer payments, but lacks nonprofit fundraising tools and donor management features.

4.5/5.

Processes donations smoothly, but requires separate tools for ticketing, memberships, and donor relationships.

Donations

Accepts peer-to-peer payments but lacks donation-specific features like tax receipts or donor management

PayPal processes donations but charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. No built-in donor management, receipting, or fundraising campaign tools.

Ticketing

Cannot create or sell event tickets - only processes basic person-to-person payments

PayPal can process ticket payments but lacks event management features like seating charts, check-in tools, or attendee communication.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Strong peer-to-peer payment system but missing nonprofit-specific fundraising campaign tools

PayPal doesn't offer peer-to-peer fundraising tools. Supporters can't create their own fundraising pages or campaigns on your behalf.

Auctions

Cash App doesn't offer auction tools or bidding features for fundraising events

PayPal doesn't offer auction tools. You'd need separate auction software and handle payments manually through PayPal's basic payment processing.

Raffles

No raffle management, ticket sales, or winner selection features for fundraising raffles

PayPal processes payments but doesn't include raffle management tools. You'd need separate software to handle ticket sales and winner selection.

Online store

No e-commerce or online store functionality available for selling nonprofit merchandise

PayPal provides basic payment processing for online sales but no inventory management, product catalogs, or nonprofit-specific store features.

Memberships

Cash App doesn't offer membership management tools. You'd need separate software to track recurring donors and member benefits.

PayPal doesn't offer built-in membership management tools. You'd need to integrate with third-party platforms or manually track recurring donors.

Donor Management/CRM

Basic transaction history only. No donor profiles, giving history tracking, or relationship management features for nonprofits.

Basic transaction history only. No donor profiles, communication tracking, or relationship management tools for building lasting connections.

Emails & Newsletter

No email marketing or newsletter features. You'd need third-party tools to communicate with donors and send updates.

No email marketing features. You'd need separate software like Mailchimp and manually export donor data to send newsletters.

Payment Processing

Accepts donations via mobile app and web. Charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. No special nonprofit rates or fee-free options.

Payment methods

Credit cards and mobile tap-to-pay only

All payment types with transaction fees

Credit Card Payments

Yes - accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover with 2.6% + $0.15 fee per transaction

Yes - PayPal accepts all major credit and debit cards

Apple Pay & Google Pay

No - Cash App does not integrate with Apple Pay or Google Pay for business transactions

Yes - PayPal integrates with Apple Pay and Google Pay

ACH / Bank Transfers

No - Cash App does not support ACH bank transfers for business accounts

Yes - PayPal supports bank transfers and ACH payments for businesses

Tap to Pay App

Yes - mobile app allows tap-to-pay functionality for in-person transactions

Yes - PayPal offers Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android devices

Customer Support

4.2/5.

4.5/5.

Unlimited Support

Cash App offers limited support with no dedicated nonprofit assistance

PayPal offers tiered support based on account type and transaction volume

Phone Support / Office Hours

Cash App doesn't provide phone support or scheduled office hours

PayPal provides phone support during standard business hours for verified accounts

Webinars

Cash App doesn't offer webinars or training sessions for nonprofits

PayPal offers occasional webinars and educational sessions for business users

Help Center

Cash App has a basic help center with FAQs and troubleshooting guides

PayPal maintains an extensive help center with articles and troubleshooting guides

Cash App provides live chat support through their mobile app

PayPal provides live chat support during business hours for account holders

Nonprofit-Focused Support Team

Built for individuals, not nonprofits — limited support with no phone access or nonprofit guidance

Business-focused support with tiered access — no nonprofit expertise or specialized guidance

Zeffy is 100% free, always.

Calculate savings

How is Zeffy free?

Why Zeffy over Cash App and PayPal?

Why choose Zeffy over Cash App and PayPal if you're a nonprofit

🌱

Keep 100% of your donations

Cash App and PayPal take 2.9% of every donation. Zeffy charges zero fees, so your $1,000 fundraiser actually raises $1,000 for your mission.

🧰

Built for nonprofits, not just payments

Cash App and PayPal process payments but lack donor management, tax receipts, or fundraising tools. Zeffy includes everything nonprofits need in one place.

🤝

Real support when you need it

Cash App and PayPal offer basic help centers and limited phone support. Zeffy provides unlimited webinars and dedicated nonprofit expertise.

Frequently asked questions

How much do Cash App and PayPal actually cost nonprofits compared to Zeffy?

Cash App charges 2.6% + $0.15 per donation, while PayPal takes 2.9% + $0.30. For a nonprofit raising $10,000 annually, that's $260-$320 in fees. Zeffy charges zero fees, letting you keep every dollar donated.

Do Cash App and PayPal offer the fundraising tools nonprofits need?

No. Cash App and PayPal only process basic payments. They don't provide donor management, automated tax receipts, event ticketing, or peer-to-peer campaigns that nonprofits need to grow their impact.

Why should nonprofits choose Zeffy over Cash App or PayPal for donations?

Zeffy is built specifically for nonprofits and charges zero fees on donations. Cash App and PayPal charge 2.6-2.9% plus fixed fees per transaction, which can cost your organization hundreds or thousands annually.

Can Cash App and PayPal handle nonprofit-specific needs like tax receipts and donor management?

No. Cash App and PayPal are general payment processors that lack nonprofit essentials like automated tax receipts, donor profiles, and fundraising campaign tools. Zeffy includes all these features at no cost.

What fundraising features do Cash App and PayPal offer compared to Zeffy?

Cash App and PayPal only process basic payments. They don't offer event ticketing, peer-to-peer campaigns, auctions, or raffles. Zeffy provides a complete fundraising platform with all these tools included.

Looking for a better option?

Zeffy was built for nonprofits like yours

focus on what matters

Built for small teams with big missions.

Zeffy is the fundraising platform that cuts out the fees, clears up your tech mess, and puts your cause first — so your team, even if you're a small team wearing many hats or a one-person show, can focus on what really matters.

Start your nonprofit

ZERO-FEE

Keep 100% of every dollar.

No platform fees. No processing fees. No catch. We know it sounds too good to be true, but it's not. Every penny goes straight to your mission, while competitors take 2-3% off every donation.

Start your nonprofit

ALL-IN-ONE PLatform

Ditch the tech mess.

Stop bouncing between MailChimp, Eventbrite, and all those spreadsheets. Now you can handle donations, ticket sales, memberships, raffles, and all your donor info in one spot.

Start your nonprofit

plug-and-play

Get going, fast.

Built for teams like yours — whether you're volunteer-led or have limited staff. Set up donation forms, sell tickets, and launch campaigns without needing a tech wizard. It's super easy, and you'll be up and running in minutes.

Start your nonprofit

mobile-first

Fundraise from every device, anywhere.

From QR codes on flyers to Tap-to-Pay on a phone, Zeffy makes it easy to accept donations on the go. Mobile-optimized and offline-ready, so no donor slips through the cracks.

Start your nonprofit

No turnover

Never lose a donor to volunteer transition.

Centralize supporter relationships, automate thank-you messages, and preserve institutional knowledge when board members rotate out.

Start your nonprofit

100% free forever.

100,000+ nonprofits trust Zeffy — and keep their fees at $0.

For 7+ years, Zeffy has supported nonprofits with free, user-friendly fundraising tools.

As a startup nonprofit with only two members, and no funding (yet) we’d need something with low (or no) fees. Zeffy was a dream come true.

Masey, Loose Ends.

Read the full story

“We were incurring a ton of fees for our past fundraising platform and Zeffy has helped us receive so much more of our donations.”

Zeffy has been invaluable in helping me track our donors, sales, events, and revenue in one spot. The coolest thing about Zeffy is it really is free!

Everything about Zeffy suits us starting with (of course, NO fees) but also the ease of use and customer experience as well as their client support!!

Zeffy is very easy to use and ensures that every dollar quickly gets into our account.. A huge help to our work!

Zeffy is very simple, allows for a lot of customization and seamlessly integrates into our website. The fact that all of this is free is still wild to me.

We couldn't believe there was a free payment platform for our Girl Scout group. Zeffy took ZERO fees from us, which is huge when you run on very small amounts of money.

We were ready to sell tickets in less than 30 minutes. The reporting capabilities were better than some other paid-for sites.

Since using Zeffy, our conversion rate of donations has skyrocketed. It's an easy platform to use. Plus customer support has always been responsive and helpful!