GiveSmart Fees vs Zeffy: What Does Each Platform Actually Cost?

GiveSmart starts at $1,400/yr plus 3.5% per transaction. Zeffy charges $0 in fees, forever.

Zeffy is trusted by 100,000+ nonprofits

Zeffy VS GiveSmart

Zeffy VS GiveSmart: What nonprofits should know before choosing.

Pricing

Completely free. Always. But how? →

Varies.

$3,000/year subscription plus 3.5% card fees

Processing fees

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

3.5%.

credit card processing fees for Visa/Mastercard/Discover; 3.95% for American Express. No per-transaction fees.

Platform fees

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

Varies.

No separate platform fees beyond the annual subscription cost. Pricing depends on package and features.

Monthly fees

0/month.

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

$1,396/year.

No monthly fees; annual subscriptions from approximately $1,396/year up to around $3,000/year depending on package and features.

Other fees

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

$0.

No transaction fees or maintenance fees. Donors can optionally cover the credit card processing fees.

Pricing transparency

10/10.

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

3/10.

Pricing hidden behind contact forms, no public pricing page, fees only found in blog posts.

Value for money

5/5.

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

4.3/5.

Features

5/5.

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

4.4/5.

Built for large galas and auctions - complex event tools with subscription fees and limited year-round fundraising

Donations

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

Donation forms with recurring giving and campaign pages - requires paid plan for full features

Ticketing

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

Event ticketing with registration management and check-in tools - built for galas and large events

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

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

Peer-to-peer campaigns with fundraiser pages and team leaderboards on higher-tier plans

Auctions

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

Full auction platform with mobile bidding, item management, and real-time leaderboards for silent and live auctions

Raffles

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

Auction and raffle tools designed for live events - complex setup for simple online raffles

Online Store

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

No dedicated online store - would require workarounds or third-party integration

Memberships

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

No membership management tools - focused on events and campaigns, not ongoing member relationships

Donor management/CRM

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

Donor database with giving history, engagement tracking, and segmentation tools

Emails & Newsletter

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

Built-in email campaigns with templates and automation for donor communication and event promotion

Payment Processing

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

Integrated payment processing with multiple payment methods and automated receipts

Payment Methods

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

Credit cards, ACH, and digital wallets supported. Limited in-person options beyond event check-in.

Credit Card Payments

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

All major credit and debit cards accepted through integrated payment processing with standard transaction fees

Apple Pay & Google Pay

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

Digital wallet payments supported through checkout - Apple Pay and Google Pay available for donor convenience

ACH / Bank Transfers

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

ACH bank transfers available for larger donations - helps reduce processing costs on major gifts

Tap to Pay App

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

Mobile bidding and check-in tools for events - no standalone card reader or POS hardware for general fundraising

Support

5/5.

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

4.5/5.

Support access gated by pricing tier - priority help for enterprise customers only, with limited resources for smaller nonprofits.

Help Center

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

Comprehensive knowledge base with articles and FAQs — some advanced guides require login or paid access.

Email Support

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

Email support is available; response times vary by plan level, with priority given to enterprise customers.

Phone Support

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

Phone support available for higher-tier plans only — not included on starter packages.

Onboarding

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

Dedicated onboarding and priority setup offered to enterprise customers; smaller organizations get self-service onboarding resources.

Community

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

No community forum or user groups available.

Zeffy is 100% free, always.

Calculate savings

How is Zeffy free?

Why Zeffy over GiveSmart?

Run your fundraising without paying for the platform

🎉

Run your fundraising without paying for the platform

Zeffy gives you donations, ticketing, auctions, and donor management with zero subscription fees — so you can fundraise year-round, not just at events.

💸

Your budget shouldn't pay for software before it pays for your mission

Zeffy is 100% free for nonprofits. No annual subscription, no gated features, no surprise costs. Every dollar raised goes directly to your work.

🧰

Run year-round fundraising without switching between event tools

Zeffy handles donations, ticketing, raffles, auctions, and memberships in one place. No need to pay for event software when you're fundraising all year.

⚡

Get started in minutes, not months of onboarding calls

Zeffy is built for small teams who need to launch fast. No complex setup, no enterprise training required. Create your first form and start fundraising today.

Questions nonprofits ask when choosing between Zeffy and GiveSmart

How much does Zeffy actually cost compared to GiveSmart?

Zeffy is free forever. GiveSmart charges $1,400–$3,000 per year before you raise a single dollar. With Zeffy, 100% of donations go to your mission, and donors can choose to leave a voluntary contribution to keep the platform running.

Can I run online raffles and peer-to-peer campaigns without upgrading my plan?

Yes. Zeffy gives you raffles, peer-to-peer, donation forms, ticketing, and a donor CRM upfront with no plan tiers. GiveSmart locks key features behind higher-priced packages, so you pay more as your fundraising grows.

Will I get real support or just be sent to a help center?

Every Zeffy user gets free, unlimited support from real people who understand small nonprofits. GiveSmart gates phone support by plan level and prioritizes enterprise customers, leaving smaller organizations waiting longer for help.

Does Zeffy work for small fundraisers or just big events?

Zeffy works for everything from $50 raffles to year-round campaigns. GiveSmart is built for large galas with complex setups, making simple fundraisers harder than they need to be.

What percentage does GiveSmart take from donations?

GiveSmart charges platform fees around 5% plus processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. On a $10,000 event, that adds up to roughly $790 in fees. Zeffy charges zero platform or processing fees, so your nonprofit keeps every dollar.

Is Zeffy a legitimate fundraising platform for nonprofits?

Yes. Zeffy is trusted by over 100,000 nonprofits who've raised more than $2 billion through the platform. It's funded by optional donor tips, not fees from your organization, so there's no catch.

What's a good free alternative to GiveSmart?

Zeffy is a 100% free alternative that includes donations, ticketing, auctions, raffles, peer-to-peer campaigns, and donor management with no platform fees or monthly costs. You get all features upfront without paying for upgrades.

How much does GiveSmart cost per month?

GiveSmart pricing starts around $1,195 per month depending on your plan, plus processing fees on every transaction. Zeffy has no monthly fees and no per-transaction costs for nonprofits.

Can I use Zeffy for event ticketing like GiveSmart?

Yes. Zeffy includes free event ticketing with guest management, e-tickets, and real-time reporting. Unlike GiveSmart, there are no platform fees or ticketing charges eating into your event revenue.

Still undecided?

Keep comparing — and see why nonprofits choose Zeffy

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Airtable

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!