Bonfire Charges 3.5-8% on Donations. Zeffy Charges Nothing.

Bonfire sells t-shirts. Zeffy handles donations, events, memberships, and donor management in one place.

Zeffy is trusted by 100,000+ nonprofits

Bonfire

Zeffy VS Bonfire

Zeffy VS Bonfire: What nonprofits should know before choosing.

Pricing

Completely free. Always. But how? →

8%.

platform cut on donations only

Processing fees

$0 in credit card and transaction fees. Zeffy covers these. How? →

8%.

processing fee on additional donations, reduced to 3.5% for verified nonprofits

Platform fees

Zeffy never takes a cut. Unlike platforms that skim 3–5%, you keep 100% of every donation.

$0.

No platform fees — Bonfire is 100% free to use with no platform fees.

Monthly fees

0/month.

No subscriptions, no paywalls. Every org, big or small, gets full access for free.

$0.

No monthly fees for basic campaigns; Bonfire Pro Essentials plan is $8.25/month with a 30-day free trial.

Other fees

We've never charged a single cent to nonprofits and we never will.

Varies.

Shipping fees with a tiered system based on package size and weight, plus product base costs that decrease with higher quantities.

Pricing transparency

10/10.

No platform fees, no credit card fees, no hidden fees, no fees period!

3/10.

No clear pricing page found. Fees scattered across help articles and third-party sites, not on main site.

Value for money

5/5.

450+ reviews on Capterra. All-in-one fundraising, zero fees, unbeatable value.

3.8/5.

Features

5/5.

No training needed. Built for busy nonprofit teams, not tech pros. Launch a campaign in under 30 minutes.

4.5/5.

Built for selling merchandise, not fundraising - no donation forms, donor tools, or year-round giving

Donations

Donations without the cut. Custom forms, tax receipts, donor tracking — all fee-free.

No donation tools - Bonfire is built for selling custom merchandise, not accepting contributions

Ticketing

Sell tickets, check in guests, track sales — and keep 100%. No fees. No fine print.

No ticketing or event registration - focuses only on product sales and fulfillment

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Teams or individuals launch fundraising pages in minutes. Track progress, keep 100%. No fees.

Team fundraising through merchandise sales - supporters create campaigns but limited to selling products

Auctions

Run auctions without giving up a percentage. List items, track bids, collect payments — all fee-free.

No auction support - Bonfire is a custom apparel and merchandise platform, not a fundraising tool

Raffles

Host online raffles and 50/50s. Track sales, set ticket limits, stay compliant — all without paying a cent.

No raffle or contest tools - designed for physical product campaigns only

Online Store

Skip the tool sprawl. Sell merch and manage your store in one place — no fees, no add-ons.

Custom apparel and merchandise stores with design tools, printing, and fulfillment handled for you

Memberships

Automate memberships with no per-member fees. Dues go straight to your org — perfect for clubs, alumni, and supporters.

No membership features - designed for one-time merchandise campaigns, not ongoing member relationships

Donor management/CRM

Ditch the expensive CRM. Track donations, send thank-yous, and build donor loyalty — all fee-free.

No donor management - order tracking only, no supporter profiles or giving history

Emails & Newsletter

Manage contacts and send newsletters from the same place you fundraise. Unlimited sends, no fees.

Campaign promotion emails only - no donor communication tools or fundraising newsletters

Payment Processing

Accept donations, ticket sales, and payments — all 100% fee-free. No cuts, no hidden fees, ever.

Built-in payment processing through Bonfire's platform with automatic payouts after campaign ends

Payment Methods

All-in-one fundraising: donations, events, memberships, email, and donor CRM — 100% free.

Bonfire supports credit card and Apple/Google Pay checkouts for merchandise purchases; ACH bank transfers and native in-person tap-to-pay tools are not available.

Credit Card Payments

Accept all major credit cards with zero processing fees. Zeffy covers the cost — you keep 100% of every donation.

Credit cards accepted through Bonfire's checkout - but only for merchandise sales, not direct donations

Apple Pay & Google Pay

One-tap donations and tickets with Apple Pay & Google Pay. No fees, just smooth mobile checkouts.

Apple Pay and Google Pay supported at checkout for t-shirt and merchandise purchases

ACH / Bank Transfers

Accept bank transfers with zero fees. Full donation amounts go straight to your mission.

No ACH payments available - card-only checkout limits large gift options for supporters

Tap to Pay App

Anyone on your team can take payments from their phone. No card reader, no fees, no friction.

No in-person payment tools - online merchandise platform only, no event or offline fundraising support

Support

5/5.

Real humans, real fast. Free email and phone support — no bots, no paywalls, no runaround.

4.5/5.

Support built for retail sellers, not nonprofits. Email and chat only - no phone support or fundraising expertise.

Help Center

Searchable help docs, video tutorials, and step-by-step guides — all free, all the time.

Searchable help center and knowledge base available, but content is geared toward retail sellers rather than nonprofit fundraising.

Email Support

Email us anytime. Most questions answered within hours — not days.

Email support available but built for commercial sellers - no nonprofit fundraising expertise.

Phone Support

Need to talk? Call us. Real support from real people who understand nonprofits.

No phone support available - email and chat only with standard business response times.

Onboarding

Get set up in under 30 minutes. No training required — but we're here if you need us.

Self-service onboarding only; no dedicated nonprofit onboarding or specialist training.

Community

Join thousands of nonprofits sharing tips, templates, and best practices.

No community forum or nonprofit user groups — any community resources are generic and retail-focused.

Zeffy is 100% free, always.

Calculate savings

How is Zeffy free?

Why Zeffy over Bonfire?

Run your whole fundraising operation, not just merch

🛠

Run your whole fundraising operation, not just merch

Bonfire handles t-shirts — Zeffy handles donations, events, memberships, and donor relationships in one place, with zero fees on everything.

🤝

Bonfire sells shirts — Zeffy builds donor relationships

Bonfire tracks orders, Zeffy tracks people. Accept donations, manage supporters, and send real thank-yous — all in one place, with zero fees.

⚡

Get started in minutes, not months

Bonfire's built for product fulfillment and inventory. Zeffy's built for small teams who need to fundraise today — no design skills, no setup fees, no waiting.

Questions nonprofits ask when choosing between Zeffy and Bonfire

Does Zeffy charge fees on merchandise sales like Bonfire does on donations?

Zeffy charges zero fees on everything, including merchandise sales. Bonfire charges 3.5-8% on donations added to orders. With Zeffy, you keep 100% of what supporters give, and donors can leave a voluntary contribution to keep the platform free.

Can I accept regular donations on Zeffy, or just sell products?

Zeffy handles donations, events, memberships, and merchandise in one place. Bonfire only sells products. You can accept one-time gifts, recurring donations, event tickets, and membership dues without switching platforms or paying fees.

How does Zeffy help me track donors beyond just order history?

Zeffy gives you real donor management tools with supporter profiles, giving history, and communication features. Bonfire only tracks orders. You can see who your supporters are, what they care about, and stay connected between campaigns.

Can I run events and sell tickets on Zeffy, or only merchandise?

Zeffy handles ticketed events, registrations, and merchandise sales in one platform with zero fees. Bonfire only sells products. You can sell event tickets, accept donations at the door, and manage attendees without paying platform or processing fees.

Is Bonfire really free for nonprofits?

Bonfire has no platform fees for selling merchandise, but it charges 3.5-8% on donations added to orders. Zeffy charges zero fees on everything, so you keep 100% of what supporters give.

How do I get paid from Bonfire vs Zeffy?

Bonfire sends payouts via PayPal, typically 1-3 business days after orders ship. Zeffy deposits funds directly to your bank account with no extra steps or third-party accounts required.

Can I run a full fundraising campaign on Bonfire?

Bonfire focuses on selling branded merchandise only. If you need donation forms, event tickets, memberships, or peer-to-peer campaigns, you'll need a separate platform. Zeffy handles all of these in one place.

Does Bonfire have a monthly subscription fee?

Bonfire's basic campaigns are free, but Bonfire Pro Essentials costs $8.25/month for extra features. Zeffy has no subscriptions or paywalls, and every feature is included at no cost.

What's the catch with Zeffy being free?

Zeffy stays free by letting donors leave an optional tip at checkout. The tip is never required, and nonprofits always keep 100% of what they raise with no platform, transaction, or credit card fees.

Still undecided?

Keep comparing — and see why nonprofits choose Zeffy

Shopify

Square Online

Print your cause

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!