Completely free. Always. But how? →
Donately Charges 4% Per Donation. What If You Kept It All?
Zeffy includes ticketing, donor CRM, and email tools free. Donately's free plan doesn't.
Zeffy is trusted by 100,000+ nonprofits
Sign up to Zeffy for free - 100% free forever.
Zeffy VS Donately
Pricing
Zeffy:
$
0.
Donately: 
Varies.
4% platform cut + card fees per gift
Processing fees
Donately: 
2.2% + $0.30.
per transaction for nonprofit credit cards via Stripe/PayPal; 2.9% + $0.30 for standard cards; 0.8% (capped at $5) for ACH/bank transfers via Stripe
Platform fees
Zeffy:
$
0.
Zeffy never takes a cut. Unlike platforms that skim 3–5%, you keep 100% of every donation.
Donately:
4%.
Startup (Free Plan): 4%; Team Plan: 2%; Lower Fees Plan: 2%; License Plan: 0.5%
Monthly fees
Zeffy:
$
0/month.
No subscriptions, no paywalls. Every org, big or small, gets full access for free.
Donately:
$0.
Startup (Free Plan): $0/month; Team Plan: $49/month billed annually or $69/month billed monthly; Lower Fees Plan: $99/month or $999/year; License Plan: one-time $5,000 payment with no monthly fee
Other fees
Zeffy:
$
0.
We've never charged a single cent to nonprofits and we never will.
Donately:
$0.
Donors can optionally cover processing and platform fees; no additional fees mentioned
Pricing transparency
Zeffy:
10/10.
No platform fees, no credit card fees, no hidden fees, no fees period!
Donately:
8/10.
Clear pricing page with all fees visible. Platform, processing, and monthly costs separated explicitly.
Value for money
Zeffy:
5/5.
450+ reviews on Capterra. All-in-one fundraising, zero fees, unbeatable value.
Donately:
4.4/5.
Features
Zeffy:
5/5.
No training needed. Built for busy nonprofit teams, not tech pros. Launch a campaign in under 30 minutes.
Donately:
5.0/5.
Requires paid plans for full features - limited tools without add-ons or third-party integrations
Donations
Zeffy: 
Donations without the cut. Custom forms, tax receipts, donor tracking — all fee-free.
Donately:
Donation forms with recurring giving and custom branding - requires paid plan for advanced features
Ticketing
Zeffy:
Sell tickets, check in guests, track sales — and keep 100%. No fees. No fine print.
Donately:
No event ticketing tools - requires separate platform or third-party integration for events
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
Zeffy:
Teams or individuals launch fundraising pages in minutes. Track progress, keep 100%. No fees.
Donately:
Peer-to-peer campaigns available but require higher-tier paid plans to access
Auctions
Zeffy:
Run auctions without giving up a percentage. List items, track bids, collect payments — all fee-free.
Donately:
No auction support - requires connecting external auction platforms for silent or live auctions
Raffles
Zeffy:
Host online raffles and 50/50s. Track sales, set ticket limits, stay compliant — all without paying a cent.
Donately:
No raffle or contest tools - not designed for fundraising campaigns beyond direct donations
Online Store
Zeffy:
Skip the tool sprawl. Sell merch and manage your store in one place — no fees, no add-ons.
Donately:
No online store or product sales - focused only on donation collection
Memberships
Zeffy:
Automate memberships with no per-member fees. Dues go straight to your org — perfect for clubs, alumni, and supporters.
Donately:
Recurring donation plans only - no membership portal, tiers, or member-specific benefits management
Donor management/CRM
Zeffy:
Ditch the expensive CRM. Track donations, send thank-yous, and build donor loyalty — all fee-free.
Donately:
Donor profiles with giving history, custom fields, and segmentation tools for targeted outreach
Emails & Newsletter
Zeffy:
Manage contacts and send newsletters from the same place you fundraise. Unlimited sends, no fees.
Donately:
Automated receipts and thank-you emails - no campaign builder or donor newsletter tools
Payment Processing
Zeffy:
Accept donations, ticket sales, and payments — all 100% fee-free. No cuts, no hidden fees, ever.
Donately:
Stripe integration with multiple payment methods including ACH bank transfers and digital wallets
Payment Methods
Zeffy:
All-in-one fundraising: donations, events, memberships, email, and donor CRM — 100% free.
Donately:
Credit cards and digital wallets with ACH. No in-person payment tools without third-party setup.
Credit Card Payments
Zeffy:
Accept all major credit cards with zero processing fees. Zeffy covers the cost — you keep 100% of every donation.
Donately:
All major credit and debit cards accepted through Stripe integration with 2.9% + 30¢ processing fees
Apple Pay & Google Pay
Zeffy:
One-tap donations and tickets with Apple Pay & Google Pay. No fees, just smooth mobile checkouts.
Donately:
Apple Pay and Google Pay supported through Stripe checkout on donation forms
ACH / Bank Transfers
Zeffy:
Accept bank transfers with zero fees. Full donation amounts go straight to your mission.
Donately:
ACH bank transfers available for US donors - reduces fees on larger donations to 0.8% + $5 cap
Tap to Pay App
Zeffy:
Anyone on your team can take payments from their phone. No card reader, no fees, no friction.
Donately:
No native in-person payment tools - requires separate hardware setup and third-party integration
Support
Zeffy:
5/5.
Real humans, real fast. Free email and phone support — no bots, no paywalls, no runaround.
Donately:
4.5/5.
Support available on all plans but limited to email-only support with slow response times during peak giving seasons; no phone support, live chat, or nonprofit-specific expertise.
Help Center
Zeffy:
Searchable help docs, video tutorials, and step-by-step guides — all free, all the time.
Donately:
Yes - Complete resource library with step-by-step guides, FAQs, and best practices for nonprofit fundraising
Email Support
Zeffy:
Email us anytime. Most questions answered within hours — not days.
Donately:
Email support available but response times are slow during peak giving seasons like year-end.
Phone Support
Zeffy:
Need to talk? Call us. Real support from real people who understand nonprofits.
Donately:
No phone support or scheduled calls available — support is email-only.
Onboarding
Zeffy:
Get set up in under 30 minutes. No training required — but we're here if you need us.
Donately:
Self-service onboarding only — no dedicated onboarding or nonprofit-specific setup assistance.
Community
Zeffy:
Join thousands of nonprofits sharing tips, templates, and best practices.
Donately:
No community forum or user groups available.
Zeffy is 100% free, always.
Keep more of every dollar without choosing between fees and features
💰
Keep more of every dollar without choosing between fees and features
Zeffy gives you donation forms, donor management, and email tools with zero platform fees, so you don't have to pay monthly or lose 2–4% per gift to fundraise.
⚖️
You shouldn't have to choose between lower fees and the tools you need
Donately's free plan charges 4% per donation, and unlocking peer-to-peer or advanced features means paying $49–$99/month. Zeffy gives you everything with zero platform fees.
🧾
Your donors deserve receipts that don't feel like an afterthought
Donately sends automated thank-yous, but there's no way to build real donor relationships through email. Zeffy includes donor CRM, segmentation, and campaign emails in one place.
🚀
Get started in minutes, not months
Donately's setup requires Stripe integration, form building, and figuring out what's locked behind paid tiers. Zeffy works out of the box with everything included from day one.
What payment methods can donors use on Zeffy?
Donors can give using credit cards, debit cards, ACH bank transfers, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. All payment methods are built in and ready to use without connecting external accounts or paying setup fees. No. Zeffy handles all payment processing for you at no cost. You don't need a Stripe account, PayPal setup, or any third-party integrations to start accepting donations and receiving funds.
Does Zeffy really charge zero platform fees for donation forms?
Yes. Zeffy charges zero platform fees and zero monthly fees. Donors have the option to leave a voluntary contribution to support our platform, so you keep 100% of every donation without paying for software.
Can I send personalized emails to donors without paying extra?
Yes. Zeffy includes donor management, segmentation, and email campaigns at no cost. You can send personalized thank-yous, updates, and appeals to specific donor groups without upgrading to a paid plan.
How long does it take to start accepting donations with Zeffy?
You can start accepting donations in minutes. Create your account, build a donation form, and start fundraising. No payment processor setup, no feature paywalls, and no waiting for approval.
What are Donately's fees compared to Zeffy?
Donately's free plan charges 4% per donation, plus 2.9% + $0.30 in processing fees. Paid plans run $49–$99/month. Zeffy charges zero platform fees and zero processing fees, so you keep 100% of every donation.
How much can my nonprofit save by switching from Donately to Zeffy?
A nonprofit raising $50,000 annually could save over $2,000 by switching to Zeffy. For $10,000 in monthly donations, Donately can cost $220–$789/month while Zeffy costs $0.
Does Zeffy take a percentage of donations?
No. Zeffy never takes a percentage of your donations. The platform is funded by optional donor tips, which are never required. Your nonprofit keeps 100% of what you raise.
Does Donately have hidden fees or monthly costs?
Donately's free plan takes 4% of each donation. To access advanced features like integrations or custom branding, you'll pay $49–$99/month plus processing fees on every transaction.
Is Zeffy or Donately better for small nonprofits with limited budgets?
Zeffy is built for small teams that need to keep every dollar. You get donation forms, CRM, ticketing, and email tools with zero fees. Donately offers more integrations but charges platform and processing fees that add up quickly.
Still undecided?
Keep comparing — and see why nonprofits choose Zeffy
100,000+ nonprofits trust Zeffy — and keep their fees at $0.
For 7+ years, Zeffy has supported nonprofits with free, user-friendly fundraising tools.
.webp)
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.”
%20(1).webp){kind=avatar}
Amy R
Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago
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!
%20(1).webp)
Debra B
Glory to Glory Women's Mentoring Ministry
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!!
.webp){kind=avatar}
Carmen M
DIVINA World Foundation
Zeffy is very easy to use and ensures that every dollar quickly gets into our account.. A huge help to our work!
.webp)
Nathan C
Jiwa International
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.
Ryan S
Jesters Theatre: Youth Unlimited
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.
%20(1).webp)
Jennifer H
GSCB Troop 144
We were ready to sell tickets in less than 30 minutes. The reporting capabilities were better than some other paid-for sites.
Mark B
Theta Mu Lambda Charitable Foundation
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!
.webp)
Stevie C
We Are HER
SUCCESS STORIES
Zero-fee fundraising in action — nonprofit stories worth sharing.
.webp)
Ready to get started for free?
Sign up for free
