Zeffy vs Localgiving: why pay £180 a year to fundraise?

Localgiving makes you pay £180 a year just to fundraise — then takes 1.9%+20p per donation, 5% on every gift over £200, 5% of your Gift Aid and 15% during match campaigns. Zeffy is completely free: no membership, no platform fee, no card fee, and you keep 100% of donations and 100% of Gift Aid.

Zeffy is trusted by 100,000+ nonprofits

Localgiving

Zeffy VS Localgiving

Zeffy VS Localgiving: What nonprofits should know before choosing.

Pricing

Completely free. Always. But how? →

£180/yr.

A £180/year membership just to start — plus per-donation and Gift Aid fees on top

Processing fees

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

1.9% + 20p.

1.9% + 20p on every UK card and PayPal donation — deducted before the money reaches you.

Platform fees

Zeffy never takes a cut. You keep 100% of every donation.

5%.

5% on every donation over £200, plus 15% during match-fund campaigns.

Monthly fees

0/month.

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

£180/yr.

£180 a year (£150 + £30 VAT), charged upfront — a paywall before you raise a penny.

Other fees

We've never charged a single penny to charities and we never will.

5% Gift Aid.

5% processing fee on Gift Aid claimed via the Localgiving Foundation — a cut of money meant for your cause.

Pricing transparency

10/10.

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

3/10.

Headline rates look low until you add the £180 membership, 5% large-gift fee and 5% Gift Aid cut.

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 charity teams, not tech pros. Launch a campaign in under 30 minutes.

3/5.

Donations and peer-to-peer fundraising only — and locked behind a £180/year membership.

Donations

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

Donation pages with recurring giving and Gift Aid — but with per-donation, large-gift and Gift Aid fees.

Ticketing

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

No event ticketing — you need a separate platform to sell tickets.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

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

Peer-to-peer fundraising pages are supported — under the same fee structure.

Auctions

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

No auction tools — you need separate software to run a fundraising auction.

Raffles

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

No raffle or lottery tools — charities need separate software to run a compliant raffle.

Online Store

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

No online store — can't sell merchandise or products for fundraising.

Memberships

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

No membership tools — built for donations, not ongoing member relationships.

Donor management/CRM

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

No donor CRM — you need a separate tool to track and segment supporters.

Emails & Newsletter

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

No email or newsletter tools — you need a separate platform for donor communication.

Payment Processing

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

1.9% + 20p on every card and PayPal donation — fees come straight out of the gift.

Payment Methods

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

Cards, PayPal and Apple/Google Pay are accepted — but every payment carries a 1.9% + 20p fee.

Credit Card Payments

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

Cards accepted, but at 1.9% + 20p per donation (2.9% + 26p for Amex).

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 are supported — under the same 1.9% + 20p card fee.

Bank Transfers

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

PayPal and card rails are the focus; per-transaction fees still apply.

Tap to Pay App

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

No in-person Tap to Pay — Localgiving is online donations only.

Support

5/5.

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

3/5.

Support is available, but you're a paying member — help is part of the £180/year you already hand over.

Help Center

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

Yes — a help centre with guides for charities and fundraisers.

Email Support

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

Email support is available to members.

Phone Support

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

No dedicated phone support listed.

Onboarding

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

Self-service setup — but only after you've paid the £180 annual membership.

Community

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

A community of UK local charities and fundraisers, behind the paid membership.

Zeffy is 100% free, always.

Calculate savings

How is Zeffy free?

Why Zeffy over Localgiving?

Stop paying to fundraise

💸

Stop paying £180 a year to fundraise

Localgiving charges UK charities a £180/year membership (£150 + £30 VAT) before you raise a single penny. Zeffy has no membership and no paywall — full access, completely free, for every charity.

🧮

Keep 100% of donations and 100% of Gift Aid

Localgiving stacks 1.9%+20p per donation, 5% on every gift over £200, 15% during match campaigns and a 5% cut of your Gift Aid. With Zeffy there's no platform fee, no transaction fee, no card fee. Ever — and your full Gift Aid reaches your cause.

🧰

Run your whole operation, not just donations

Localgiving covers donation pages and peer-to-peer only. Zeffy adds event ticketing, auctions, raffles, memberships, an online store, email and a donor CRM — all from the same free account.

Questions nonprofits ask when choosing between Zeffy and Localgiving

How much does Localgiving cost a UK charity?

Localgiving charges a £180/year membership (£150 + £30 VAT) just to fundraise, plus 1.9% + 20p on each UK card and PayPal donation, 5% on donations over £200, a 5% fee on Gift Aid claimed through the Localgiving Foundation, and 15% during match-fund campaigns. Zeffy charges charities nothing at all.

Is Zeffy really free for charities?

Yes. No platform fee, no transaction fee, no card fee. Ever. There's no membership and no subscription — every charity gets full access to donations, events, raffles, memberships, an online store, email and a donor CRM at no cost.

Does Zeffy support Gift Aid like Localgiving?

Yes — Zeffy supports Gift Aid on eligible donations so you can reclaim the extra from HMRC, and you keep 100% of it. Localgiving applies a 5% processing fee on Gift Aid claimed through its Foundation, so a slice of that HMRC money never reaches your cause.

How much could my charity save by switching to Zeffy?

Take a charity raising £20,000 a year, including £5,000 in single gifts over £200. On Localgiving that's roughly £180 membership, about £400 in 1.9%+20p card fees, around £250 in the 5% large-gift fee, plus 5% of any Gift Aid claimed — easily £800+ a year before match campaigns. On Zeffy the cost is £0, so that money stays with your mission. (Illustrative; your figures depend on donation mix and Gift Aid claimed.)

What does Localgiving offer that Zeffy doesn't?

Localgiving runs match-fund campaigns within its membership network, though donations during those campaigns carry a 15% fee. Zeffy focuses on giving charities a complete, genuinely free fundraising toolkit so you keep every penny you raise.

Is Zeffy available in the UK?

Yes. Zeffy is available to charities in the UK, alongside the US, Canada and Australia, with full Gift Aid support for UK organisations.

Still undecided?

Keep comparing — and see why nonprofits choose Zeffy

GivenGain

Givey

Wonderful.org

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!