What is the difference between Donorbox and Zeffy?

Zeffy is one free plan with no fee on any gift: donations, events, peer-to-peer, memberships, auctions, raffles, a store, a donor CRM, newsletters and automations. Donorbox's free Standard plan covers donations, events, peer-to-peer and memberships, with a platform fee on every gift. Its full CRM, email marketing and automations are a paid add-on, Zapier and API access need Pro, and auctions, raffles or a store need other tools.

Should we choose Donorbox or Zeffy?

Choose Zeffy if you want to stop paying a fee on every gift and keep your CRM, newsletters and automations in the same free plan, with unlimited contacts.

Choose Donorbox if you need crypto or stock gifts, text-to-give, kiosk hardware, or a native Salesforce or Raiser's Edge NXT integration. Many of its advanced features need Pro ($150/month) or a paid add-on, and every gift carries a platform fee.

Is Donorbox free? Does it take a cut?

Donorbox's Standard plan has no monthly fee, but Donorbox takes a cut of every gift: 2.95% on donations and 3.95% on event tickets. Card processing comes on top, at 2.2% + $0.30 with Stripe's nonprofit rate. Donors can choose to cover the processing fee at checkout. On Donorbox Standard, your nonprofit keeps $94.55 of a $100 donation, or $97.05 if the donor covers processing. With Zeffy, your nonprofit keeps $100, whether or not the donor leaves a contribution. Pro costs $150/month and Premium is priced on request, both with lower platform fees. Prices from donorbox.org/pricing, October 2026.

Which Donorbox features need a paid plan or add-on?

Donorbox's full CRM is a paid add-on. It includes email marketing, automations and the full supporter timeline. It is priced by number of contacts, so the cost grows as your nonprofit grows. Every plan includes donor profiles, notes and basic lists. Pro ($150/month) adds Zapier and API access, crypto and stock gifts, donor-advised fund gifts and Jay·AI, its AI assistant. Premium, priced on request, adds priority support and a dedicated success manager. Text-to-give starts at $19/month and Live Kiosk at $80/month. Pro plus these two add-ons comes to $2,988 a year, before the CRM quote and the fees on every gift. Zeffy includes every feature in one free plan.

Is Zeffy's donor CRM basic compared to Donorbox CRM?

No. Zeffy's CRM is complete, and it's free. Every donation, ticket, membership and order lands on the donor's record. You get a full timeline per contact, notes and reminders, and auto-updating lists. You can send newsletters, with AI drafts, and run automations like a welcome series for new subscribers. For reporting, the AI Data Assistant answers your questions in plain words and returns charts. Contacts are unlimited. Donorbox includes basic donor profiles and sells its full CRM as a paid add-on.

Do we need other tools with Donorbox or Zeffy?

Zeffy is built so you don't have to stack tools. Donations, ticketing, peer-to-peer, memberships, auctions, raffles, a store, a CRM and newsletters share one platform and one donor record. Zeffy still syncs with QuickBooks and connects through Zapier and a public API, for free. Donorbox relies more on other tools. It does not list auctions, raffles or a store, and offers a Shopify integration for selling. Its Zapier and API access need Pro, and some integrations cost extra.

Is Zeffy really free? How?

Yes. Zeffy has no monthly fee, no platform fee and no processing fee, at any volume. Zeffy relies on optional contributions from donors. At checkout, donors can leave one, lower it or set it to $0. Nonprofits can't turn it off, and it never comes out of the donation: your nonprofit keeps 100% of every gift. See how Zeffy is free.

What does Donorbox offer that Zeffy doesn't?

Donorbox offers a few features Zeffy doesn't: crypto and stock gifts, text-to-give, Live Kiosk hardware, and native Salesforce and Raiser's Edge NXT integrations. Crypto and stock gifts need Pro, and text-to-give and Live Kiosk are paid add-ons. If you need them, add their cost to the comparison.