Completely free. Always. But how? →
PayPal vs Zeffy: What UK Charities Actually Pay (and Keep)
PayPal Giving Fund is free, but it only passes donations through — there are no fundraising tools. A standard PayPal charity account costs 1.4% + 20p per donation. Zeffy is a full fundraising platform that's 100% free: no platform fee, no transaction fee, no card fee. Ever.
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PayPal
Zeffy
Zeffy VS PayPal
PayPal
Pricing
Zeffy:
£
0.
PayPal: 
1.4% + 20p.
per donation (standard charity account)
Processing fees
PayPal:
1.4% + 20p.
per transaction on a standard PayPal charity account (discounted UK charity rate). PayPal Giving Fund is 0%, but it is a donation pass-through only — no fundraising tools.
Platform fees
Zeffy:
£
0.
Zeffy never takes a cut. Unlike platforms that skim a percentage of every gift, you keep 100% of every donation.
PayPal:
£0.
No platform fee — but PayPal is a payment processor, not a fundraising platform.
Monthly fees
Zeffy:
£
0/month.
No subscriptions, no paywalls. Every charity, big or small, gets full access for free.
PayPal:
£0.
No monthly fee on a standard charity account.
Other fees
Zeffy:
£
0.
We've never charged a single penny to charities and we never will.
PayPal:
Varies.
International donations may incur currency conversion fees, and PayPal Zettle card readers for in-person giving are sold separately. PayPal Giving Fund (0%) claims Gift Aid for you, but only as a donation pass-through.
Pricing transparency
Zeffy:
10/10.
No platform fee, no transaction fee, no card fee. Ever.
PayPal:
7/10.
Fees are published, but you have to work out which path applies — PayPal Giving Fund (0%) versus a standard charity account (1.4% + 20p) — to see what you actually pay.
Value for money
Zeffy:
5/5.
450+ reviews on Capterra. All-in-one fundraising, zero fees, unbeatable value.
PayPal:
4.6/5.
Features
Zeffy:
5/5.
No training needed. Built for busy charity teams, not tech pros. Launch a campaign in under 30 minutes.
PayPal:
4.6/5.
Payment processing only — no donor management, event tools, or fundraising features beyond a basic donate button.
Donations
Zeffy: 
Donations without the cut. Custom forms, Gift Aid declarations, donor tracking — all fee-free.
PayPal:
PayPal donate button and PayPal Giving Fund accept one-off and recurring gifts — but there are no donor management, campaign pages, or fundraising tools beyond a basic donate button.
Ticketing
Zeffy:
Sell tickets, check in guests, track sales — and keep 100%. No fees. No fine print.
PayPal:
No ticketing features — you would need a separate event platform or manual ticket management outside PayPal.
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
Zeffy:
Teams or individuals launch fundraising pages in minutes. Track progress, keep 100%. No fees.
PayPal:
Partial peer-to-peer at best — supporters can share a payment link, but there are no personal campaign or fundraising pages.
Auctions
Zeffy:
Run auctions without giving up a percentage. List items, track bids, collect payments — all fee-free.
PayPal:
No auction tools — payment processing only, with no bidding or auction management.
Raffles
Zeffy:
Host online raffles and prize draws. Track sales, set ticket limits, stay compliant — all without paying a penny.
PayPal:
No raffle or prize-draw tools — you would need separate software to manage entries, draws, and winner selection.
Online Store
Zeffy:
Skip the tool sprawl. Sell merch and manage your store in one place — no fees, no add-ons.
PayPal:
PayPal checkout can sell products — but with no charity-specific features like Gift Aid or donor tracking.
Memberships
Zeffy:
Automate memberships with no per-member fees. Dues go straight to your org — perfect for clubs, alumni, and supporters.
PayPal:
Recurring payments only — no member management, portals, or membership tiers.
Donor management/CRM
Zeffy:
Ditch the expensive CRM. Track donations, send thank-yous, and build donor loyalty — all fee-free.
PayPal:
No donor management — payment data only, with no giving history or donor profiles.
Emails & Newsletter
Zeffy:
Manage contacts and send newsletters from the same place you fundraise. Unlimited sends, no fees.
PayPal:
No email tools — you would need a separate email platform and manual contact management.
Payment Processing
Zeffy:
Accept donations, ticket sales, and payments — all 100% fee-free. No cuts, no hidden fees, ever.
PayPal:
First-party processing, with a discounted charity rate of 1.4% + 20p (or 0% via PayPal Giving Fund as a donation pass-through).
Payment Methods
Zeffy:
All-in-one fundraising: donations, events, memberships, email, and donor CRM — 100% free.
PayPal:
PayPal wallet, cards, bank transfer, Pay in 3, Apple Pay and Google Pay. In-person payments need a separate PayPal Zettle reader.
Credit Card Payments
Zeffy:
Accept all major credit cards with zero processing fees. Zeffy covers the cost — you keep 100% of every donation.
PayPal:
All major credit and debit cards through PayPal checkout — but donors are pushed towards a PayPal account or a fiddly guest checkout.
Apple Pay & Google Pay
Zeffy:
One-tap donations and tickets with Apple Pay & Google Pay. No fees, just smooth mobile checkouts.
PayPal:
Available within the PayPal checkout flow, but not as a standalone option — which adds extra steps for mobile donors.
Bank Transfers
Zeffy:
Accept bank transfers with zero fees. Full donation amounts go straight to your cause.
PayPal:
Bank transfers are available, but donors must link a bank account to PayPal — which adds friction for one-off givers.
Tap to Pay App
Zeffy:
Anyone on your team can take payments from their phone. No card reader, no fees, no friction.
PayPal:
PayPal Zettle hardware is available, but it requires buying and setting up a separate card reader.
Support
Zeffy:
5/5.
Real humans, real fast. Free live chat, email, and phone support — no bots, no paywalls, no runaround.
PayPal:
4.2/5.
Support access depends on the account type — no dedicated charity team or specialised guidance for mission-driven work.
Help Centre
Zeffy:
Searchable help docs, video tutorials, and step-by-step guides — all free, all the time.
PayPal:
Knowledge base and FAQs are available, but resources aren’t tailored to charity fundraising or donor management.
Email Support
Zeffy:
Email us anytime. Most questions answered within hours — not days.
PayPal:
Email support with 24-72 hour response times — no dedicated charity team.
Phone Support
Zeffy:
Need to talk? Call us. Real support from real people who understand charities.
PayPal:
Phone support available but with long wait times and scripted responses.
Onboarding
Zeffy:
Get set up in under 30 minutes. No training required — but we're here if you need us.
PayPal:
Self-service onboarding with documentation; dedicated onboarding or training is reserved for higher-tier plans.
Community
Zeffy:
Join thousands of charities sharing tips, templates, and best practices.
PayPal:
No community forum or user groups available — interaction limited to official support channels.
Zeffy is 100% free, always.
Keep every pound raised, not just most of it
💰
Keep 100% of every donation
A standard PayPal charity account takes 1.4% + 20p from every gift. PayPal Giving Fund is 0%, but it only passes donations through — you get no fundraising tools at all. With Zeffy there's no platform fee, no transaction fee, no card fee. Ever. Your charity keeps every penny.
🛠️
Get a full fundraising platform, not just payments
PayPal processes payments but leaves you juggling spreadsheets for donor tracking. Zeffy gives you donation forms, Gift Aid declarations, donor management, events, raffles and email — all in one place, all free.
🤝
Get help from people who understand charities
PayPal's support assumes you're running a business. Zeffy's team knows UK charity fundraising and Gift Aid, with free email and phone support — no paywalls, no runaround.
Is Zeffy really free for UK charities?
Yes. Zeffy is 100% free for charities: no platform fee, no transaction fee, no card fee. Ever. Donors can choose to leave an optional contribution to keep Zeffy running, but your charity keeps every penny raised either way.
What's the difference between PayPal Giving Fund and a standard PayPal charity account?
PayPal Giving Fund is free (0%) and claims Gift Aid for you, but it is only a donation pass-through — there are no fundraising tools, campaign pages, events or donor management. A standard PayPal charity account gives you a donate button and checkout, but charges 1.4% + 20p per donation. Neither is a full fundraising platform; Zeffy is, and it's free.
How much does PayPal cost a UK charity per donation?
On a standard PayPal charity account, the discounted UK charity rate is 1.4% + 20p per transaction, with no monthly fee. PayPal Giving Fund is 0%, but works only as a donation pass-through with no fundraising tools. Zeffy charges nothing on any path.
Can I run events, raffles and peer-to-peer campaigns on PayPal?
No. PayPal only processes payments — it has no ticketing, raffle, auction or peer-to-peer tools, so you'd need separate software. Zeffy handles donation forms, event ticketing, peer-to-peer fundraising, raffles, auctions, memberships and an online store in one place, all with no fees.
Does Zeffy support Gift Aid?
Yes. Zeffy lets UK charities collect Gift Aid declarations from donors at checkout, and you keep 100% of the Gift Aid claimed — Zeffy takes no admin fee.
Does Zeffy offer donor management that PayPal doesn't?
Yes. PayPal gives you payment data only — no giving history or donor profiles. Zeffy includes a built-in CRM at no cost: full giving history, automated acknowledgements, and contact segmentation, with no separate tools needed.
What payment methods can my donors use, including in person?
Zeffy accepts cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and bank transfers online, all with zero fees. You can also collect donations in person using Zeffy's tap-to-pay app from any phone — no card reader, no fees. PayPal supports its wallet, cards, bank transfer and Pay in 3, but in-person giving needs a separate PayPal Zettle reader.
Is Zeffy legitimate and secure?
Yes. Zeffy is a legitimate platform with SOC 2 certification and encrypted payment processing. Charities keep 100% of donations with no hidden fees, and donors can optionally leave a voluntary contribution to support Zeffy's operations.
What's the catch with Zeffy being free?
There's no catch. Zeffy is 100% free for charities, with no platform, transaction or card fees. Donors can optionally leave a voluntary contribution to support Zeffy, but this never reduces the donation your charity receives.
Is Zeffy available in the UK?
Yes. Zeffy is available in the UK, alongside the US, Canada and Australia, so UK charities can fundraise with zero fees.
Still undecided?
Keep comparing — and see why nonprofits choose Zeffy
100,000+ nonprofits trust Zeffy — and keep their fees at £0.
For 7+ years, Zeffy has supported nonprofits with free, user-friendly fundraising tools.
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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.”
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Amy R
Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago
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!
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Debra B
Glory to Glory Women's Mentoring Ministry
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!!
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Carmen M
DIVINA World Foundation
Zeffy is very easy to use and ensures that every dollar quickly gets into our account.. A huge help to our work!
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Nathan C
Jiwa International
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SUCCESS STORIES
Zero-fee fundraising in action: charity stories worth sharing.
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