Zeffy VS Pledge

Keep 100% of every donation with zero fees while building stronger donor relationships through personalized follow-ups and branded campaigns.

Zeffy is trusted by 100,000+ nonprofits

Zeffy VS Pledge

Zeffy VS Pledge: What nonprofits should know before choosing.

Pricing

Completely free. Always. But how? →

Varies.

You cover fees if tips fail

Processing fees

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

2.9% + $0.30.

per transaction for donations over $1,000 (Pledge covers processing fees for donations of $1,000 or less)

Platform fees

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

0%.

Pledge does not charge platform fees for donations $1,000 or less; some partners may charge 5% platform fee

Monthly fees

0/month.

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

$5/month.

monthly disbursement fee

Other fees

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

Varies.

$5 disbursement fee per disbursement (whether ACH or paper check); 10% technology fee for Give & Grow product; ACH payment is 0.8% capped at $5

Pricing transparency

10/10.

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

4/10.

Pricing exists but scattered across help articles. No clear pricing page, fees buried in FAQs.

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.

4.8/5.

Requires paid plans for full features - limited tools without add-ons or third-party integrations

Donations

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

Donation forms with recurring giving options - requires paid plan for custom branding and advanced 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 - available on paid plans only

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

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

Peer-to-peer campaigns with team pages and fundraiser dashboards - requires higher-tier paid plan

Auctions

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

No auction features - platform focuses on peer-to-peer and event fundraising, not silent or live auctions

Raffles

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

No raffle tools - nonprofits need separate platform for compliance and winner selection

Online Store

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

No online store functionality - can't sell merchandise or products alongside fundraising

Memberships

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

No membership management - supports recurring donations but lacks member portals or membership tiers

Donor management/CRM

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

Donor database with giving history and contact management - limited segmentation tools

Emails & Newsletter

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

Basic donor communication and campaign updates - limited templates and automation features

Payment Processing

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

Stripe integration with multiple payment methods including Apple Pay and Google Pay

Payment Methods

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

Stripe integration for credit cards and digital wallets, plus ACH for recurring gifts; no native in-person Tap to Pay app (external hardware required for events).

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 Stripe integration with standard processing fees.

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 through Stripe checkout on donation forms.

ACH / Bank Transfers

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

ACH bank transfers available for recurring donations - helps reduce fees on larger gifts.

Tap to Pay App

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

No native in-person payment tools - requires separate hardware setup for events and galas.

Support

5/5.

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

4.95/5.

Support access depends on pricing tier - no dedicated nonprofit support team or clear response time commitments.

Help Center

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

Comprehensive help center with step-by-step guides, video tutorials, and nonprofit-specific resources

Live Chat

Talk to a real person in minutes. No chatbots, no queues — just fast, friendly help.

Live chat and timely responses are available, but access may be limited to paid plans or higher tiers

Email Support

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

Email support available but response times unclear and there is no dedicated nonprofit support team

Phone Support

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

No clear phone support or scheduled calls mentioned - appears to be email/chat only

Onboarding

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

Self-service onboarding only — dedicated onboarding or hand-holding requires enterprise plan or custom pricing

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 Pledge?

Keep more of every donation, no matter the size

💰

Keep more of every donation, no matter the size

Pledge charges fees on larger gifts and monthly disbursement costs. Zeffy is 100% free for donations of any amount, so you keep everything your donors give.

🚫

You shouldn't have to track fees every time you get paid

Zeffy never charges monthly fees or per-transfer costs, so you can focus on your mission instead of calculating what you'll actually receive each month.

🛠️

Run your whole fundraising year without switching tools

Zeffy includes donations, events, memberships, raffles, and auctions in one place, so you don't need to pay for multiple platforms or learn new systems mid-campaign.

🤝

Get help from people who understand nonprofit fundraising

Zeffy's support team responds in 2–6 business hours and includes nonprofit fundraising experts who speak your language, not corporate jargon.

Questions nonprofits ask when choosing between Zeffy and Pledge

Does Zeffy really charge zero fees for all donation amounts?

Yes. Zeffy charges zero platform fees, zero processing fees, and zero monthly fees on donations of any size. Donors have the option to leave a voluntary contribution to support our platform.

Can I run events, memberships, and raffles all in one platform?

Yes. Zeffy includes donation forms, event ticketing, membership management, raffles, and auctions in one platform, so you don't need to pay for or learn multiple tools throughout the year.

How quickly can I get help when I need it?

Our support team responds within 2–6 business hours and includes nonprofit fundraising experts who understand your day-to-day challenges and speak your language.

What happens to my donor data if I switch from Pledge to Zeffy?

You can export your donor information from Pledge and import it into Zeffy's donor management system. Our support team can walk you through the process to make sure nothing gets lost.

Does Zeffy really charge zero fees for all donation amounts?

Yes. Zeffy charges zero fees on gifts of any size, so a $5,000 donation stays $5,000. You don't lose hundreds of dollars to processing fees like you would with Pledge's 2.9% charge on larger gifts.

Still undecided?

Keep comparing — and see why nonprofits choose Zeffy

Planning Center

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Network for Good

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!