CiviCRM vs Salesforce for Nonprofits: Open Source vs Per-User Pricing (2026)

CiviCRM is free open source software you host yourself or on Spark from $15 a month. Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud lists $60 per user a month, with 10 free licenses. Zeffy is free, with no setup.

Zeffy is trusted by 100,000+ nonprofits

Salesforce

Civi CRM VS Salesforce

Civi CRM VS Salesforce: What nonprofits should know before choosing.

Donor Management CRM Features

Easy Donor Database

Donation History & Notes per Donor

Donor Tags / Segments

Built-in Donation Tracking (No Integrations Needed)

Emailing to Donors (Receipts, Thank yous, Newsletters)

Smart Filters (Search by Donation, Campaign, Date...)

Export Donor Data Anytime

Offline Donations Tracking

Pre-filled donation forms

Information not available

Pricing

$0.

Free to self-host; CiviCRM Spark hosting from $15/month, plus your processor's card fees

$60/user/month.

$60/user/month plus card fees

Processing fees

$0.

No CiviCRM fee on payments. You pay only your processor's rate.

N/A.

No pricing information available

Platform fees

$0.

No platform fees.

N/A.

No separate platform fees - pricing is included in the per-user monthly subscription costs. Power of Us Program provides 10 free licenses to eligible nonprofits. Experience Cloud for Nonprofits: Customer Community $0.50/login/month or $1.25/member/month; Customer Community Plus $1.50/login/month or $3.75/member/month; Partner Community $2.50/login/month or $6.25/member/month

Monthly fees

$15/mo.

$0 self-hosted. Spark: $15, $30 or $50 a month; partners quote their own hosting.

$60/user/month.

Enterprise Edition is the lowest-priced option; pricing varies by product and edition.

Value for money

4.0.

4.4.

Features

3.9/5.

Capterra rating. A flexible open source CRM built for nonprofits; setup takes technical help.

4.5/5.

Capterra rating. A configurable CRM; reviewers note setup takes time and expertise.

Donations

CiviCRM handles donations through its CiviContribute component, but requires technical setup and ongoing maintenance that many small nonprofits find challenging.

Salesforce handles donor data well but requires separate payment processing. You'll pay transaction fees plus monthly CRM costs.

Ticketing

Event registration pages that take payment, per CiviCRM Spark.

Salesforce can store attendee data but doesn't include event ticketing. You'll need separate ticketing software and integrations.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Peer-to-peer fundraising pages are included, per CiviCRM Spark.

Salesforce can track fundraiser relationships but lacks built-in peer-to-peer campaign tools. Requires third-party integrations.

Auctions

CiviCRM doesn't offer auction functionality out of the box - running auctions would require custom development or third-party solutions that add complexity and cost.

Salesforce doesn't include auction tools. You'd need third-party auction software and complex integrations to track bidders in your CRM.

Raffles

CiviCRM doesn't include built-in raffle functionality - you'd need custom development or third-party extensions to run raffles through the platform.

Salesforce doesn't offer raffle functionality. You'd need separate raffle software and manual data entry to track participants.

Online store

CiviCRM has limited e-commerce capabilities and would require significant customization or integration with external platforms to function as an online store.

Salesforce doesn't include e-commerce features. You'd need separate store software and custom integrations to sync sales data.

Memberships

CiviCRM offers membership management with custom membership types, renewal tracking, and automated reminders. However, setup requires technical knowledge and ongoing maintenance can be complex for small nonprofit teams.

Salesforce requires custom development and third-party apps to handle membership management, making it complex and expensive for small nonprofits to set up and maintain.

Donor Management/CRM

CiviCRM provides robust donor tracking, custom fields, and relationship management. Built specifically for nonprofits but requires significant time investment to configure properly and ongoing technical maintenance.

Salesforce offers powerful donor management through Nonprofit Cloud, but it's built for large organizations with dedicated IT teams and comes with a steep learning curve for small nonprofit staff.

Emails & Newsletter

CiviCRM includes email marketing tools with segmentation and automation features. The interface can be overwhelming for small teams, and email deliverability may require additional technical setup and monitoring.

Salesforce's email marketing requires the Marketing Cloud add-on, which costs hundreds more per month and is designed for enterprise-level organizations, not small nonprofits.

Payment Processing

Cards, ACH and SEPA through processors you connect, such as PayPal, TSYS or iATS. No CiviCRM fee on top.

No built-in processing listed. Gifts come through a connected payment processor, at its rates.

Payment methods

Cards, ACH and SEPA through processors you connect, such as PayPal, TSYS or iATS.

Third-party processors only - extra fees apply

Credit Card Payments

Card payments through the processor you connect, at that processor's rate.

Requires third-party integration - Additional transaction fees and setup costs apply

Apple Pay & Google Pay

Depends on the processor you connect; CiviCRM Spark does not list digital wallets.

Available through third-party processors - Extra fees and complex setup required

ACH / Bank Transfers

ACH and SEPA through the processor you connect, per CiviCRM Spark.

Not supported - Salesforce requires third-party payment processors with additional fees

Tap to Pay App

No tap-to-pay app listed for CiviCRM.

Not available - Must use separate payment hardware or apps with additional costs

Customer Support

3.3/5.

4.3/5.

Unlimited Support

Community Chat and documentation are free. Paid help comes from CiviCRM partners, priced by each.

Salesforce offers tiered support based on subscription level - unlimited support available on higher-tier plans only

Phone Support / Office Hours

No phone line is listed by CiviCRM itself; partners offer direct help.

Salesforce provides phone support during business hours for most paid plans, with premium support for higher tiers

Webinars

CiviCRM offers community-led training sessions and educational webinars for users

Salesforce offers Trailhead Academy with regular training sessions and educational webinars for users

Help Center

CiviCRM maintains documentation and community-driven knowledge base resources

Salesforce maintains an extensive help center with documentation, guides, and community forums

Community Chat in real time; partners offer direct support.

Salesforce provides live chat support for paid plans, though availability varies by subscription tier

Nonprofit-Focused Support Team

Built by and for nonprofits; help comes from the community and partners.

Support access varies by plan tier — built for businesses, not nonprofit-specific guidance

Zeffy is 100% free, always.

Calculate savings

How is Zeffy free?

Why Zeffy over CiviCRM and Salesforce?

Why choose Zeffy over CiviCRM and Salesforce if you're a nonprofit

🆓

Pay nothing before you raise a dollar

CiviCRM needs hosting and Salesforce charges per user beyond its free licenses. Zeffy charges zero fees, so every donation goes to your mission.

⚙️

Skip the setup and the maintenance

CiviCRM and Salesforce are both built to be configured. Zeffy works right out of the box, with no technical knowledge required.

🎟️

Run events without juggling platforms

Zeffy includes raffles, auctions, and ticketing so you can run events without connecting extra tools.

Frequently asked questions

Is CiviCRM a good free alternative to Salesforce?

CiviCRM is open source and free to license, built for nonprofits, and you host it yourself or on CiviCRM Spark from $15 a month. Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud is priced per user, from $60 a month, with 10 free licenses for eligible nonprofits. CiviCRM costs less to license; both take real setup.

How much do CiviCRM and Salesforce cost?

CiviCRM: $0 self-hosted, or $15, $30 or $50 a month on Spark, plus your payment processor's fees. Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud: Enterprise $60 and Unlimited $100 per user a month, billed annually, after 10 free licenses. Zeffy has no subscription and no fees.

Can CiviCRM and Salesforce process donations?

CiviCRM takes cards, ACH and SEPA through processors you connect, with no CiviCRM fee on top. Salesforce lists no built-in processing, so gifts also come through a connected processor. Zeffy processes gifts itself, with no fees.

Which is easier to set up, CiviCRM or Salesforce?

Neither is quick. CiviCRM Spark removes the hosting setup; Salesforce is built to be customized, often with a consultant. Zeffy works right away, with no configuration.

Why choose Zeffy over CiviCRM or Salesforce for donor management?

Zeffy combines donor management, payment processing and fundraising tools in one platform with no subscription, no hosting and no fees.

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!