MailerLite Sends Emails. Zeffy Sends Emails and Collects Donations.

MailerLite charges $10/month once you pass 500 subscribers and still needs separate donation tools. See the full breakdown.

Zeffy is trusted by 100,000+ nonprofits

MailerLite

Zeffy VS MailerLite

Zeffy VS MailerLite: What nonprofits should know before choosing.

Pricing

Completely free. Always. But how? →

Varies.

Monthly fees plus card fees

Processing fees

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

N/A.

MailerLite itself does not charge commission on digital product sales; users pay separate Stripe processing fees, which are not listed here

Platform fees

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

$0.

No separate platform fees beyond subscription pricing; 30% discount on paid plans for verified nonprofits

Monthly fees

0/month.

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

$0.

Free plan up to 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails/month; paid plans start at $10/month (or $9/month annually) with higher tiers and Enterprise custom pricing

Other fees

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

$7/month.

MailerSend transactional email starts at $7/month for 5,000 emails, with 30% nonprofit discount on paid plans

Pricing transparency

10/10.

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

4/10.

Pricing page exists but fees buried in Google snippets; no clear fee breakdown on main site

Value for money

5/5.

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

N/A.

Features

5/5.

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

4.7/5.

Email marketing platform only - no donation forms, fundraising tools, or nonprofit-specific features

Donations

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

No donation forms or fundraising tools - built for email marketing, not accepting contributions

Ticketing

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

No event ticketing or registration - requires separate platform for selling tickets

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

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

No peer-to-peer fundraising - lacks campaign pages, fundraiser tools, or donation processing

Auctions

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

No auction tools - MailerLite is an email platform only, not designed for fundraising events

Raffles

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

No raffle or contest management - email-only platform without fundraising features

Online Store

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

Basic digital product sales on paid plans - not designed for nonprofit merchandise or fundraising

Memberships

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

No membership management - email list segmentation only, no member portals or recurring billing

Donor management/CRM

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

Basic subscriber data only - no donor profiles, giving history, or nonprofit-specific CRM features

Emails & Newsletter

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

Full email campaigns with drag-and-drop builder, automation, and list segmentation

Payment Processing

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

No payment processing - requires third-party integration for donations or transactions

Payment Methods

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

Email platform only. No built-in payment processing, digital wallets, ACH, or in-person payment collection — requires external donation tools to accept payments.

Credit Card Payments

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

No payment processing - email platform only, requires separate donation tools for card acceptance.

Apple Pay & Google Pay

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

No digital wallet support - email platform without integrated payment processing capabilities.

ACH / Bank Transfers

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

No ACH or bank transfer capabilities - focuses on email marketing, not payment collection.

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 features - email newsletters can't collect donations at events or meetings.

Support

5/5.

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

4.65/5.

Email-first support with limited free-tier assistance; priority help and faster responses require a paid upgrade starting at $10/month. Phone support is not offered.

Help Center

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

Complete resource library with nonprofit-specific guides and tutorials at no charge

Email Support

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

Email support available but response times slow on free plan - priority given to paid subscribers

Phone Support

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

No phone support on any plan — chat and email only, with slower response on the free tier.

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 onboarding assistance or training included.

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 MailerLite?

Email your supporters and collect donations in one place

📧

Email your supporters, accept their donations, all in one place

MailerLite sends great emails, but you still need separate tools to collect donations, sell tickets, or manage donors. Zeffy does it all without monthly fees.

🤝

Built for nonprofits, not e-commerce businesses

MailerLite's support and features are built for online stores. Zeffy's team understands nonprofit fundraising and helps you succeed without upgrading to paid plans.

⚡

Get started in minutes, not months

MailerLite requires paid plans to unlock key features as you grow. Zeffy gives you everything free from day one, so you can launch your first campaign today.

Questions nonprofits ask when choosing between Zeffy and MailerLite

Does Zeffy charge monthly fees like MailerLite?

No. Zeffy is completely free for nonprofits. MailerLite starts at $10/month once you exceed 500 subscribers, and costs increase as your list grows. With Zeffy, you keep 100% of donations with zero monthly fees, no matter how many supporters you have.

Can I accept donations directly through my email campaigns?

Yes. Zeffy lets you send emails and collect donations in one platform. MailerLite only sends newsletters, so you need separate tools to accept gifts, sell tickets, or manage donors. Zeffy handles everything without switching between platforms.

Do I need to upgrade to a paid plan as my donor list grows?

No. Zeffy gives you full access to donation forms, email campaigns, donor management, and event ticketing from day one. MailerLite locks key features behind paid plans that start at $10/month and increase as you grow.

How does Zeffy help me track donor engagement and giving history?

Zeffy includes donor management tools that track giving history, engagement, and contact details in one place. MailerLite only tracks email subscribers, so you need separate systems to manage donor relationships and fundraising data.

Does MailerLite offer a nonprofit discount?

Yes, MailerLite offers a 30% discount on paid plans for nonprofits. But even with that discount, you're still paying monthly fees that increase as your list grows. Zeffy is 100% free for nonprofits with no monthly costs at any size.

Can I sell event tickets and collect donations with MailerLite?

No. MailerLite is an email marketing tool only. You'd need separate platforms for ticketing and donations. Zeffy combines email, donations, event ticketing, and donor management in one free platform.

Does Zeffy support webhooks or integrations?

Yes. Zeffy offers webhooks so you can connect your fundraising data to other tools you use. This lets you automate workflows without paying for third-party integration services.

What's the catch with Zeffy being free?

There's no catch. Zeffy is funded by optional tips from donors, never required. Nonprofits keep 100% of what they raise with zero platform, transaction, or credit card fees.

Is MailerLite or Zeffy better for small nonprofits just getting started?

For nonprofits, Zeffy is the better choice. MailerLite's free plan limits you to 1,000 subscribers and email-only features. Zeffy gives you unlimited contacts plus donations, ticketing, and donor management from day one.

Still undecided?

Keep comparing — and see why nonprofits choose Zeffy

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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!