Donation processing
Givebutter
Some links on this page are affiliate links. Disclosure
Givebutter is a free fundraising platform covering donation forms, ticketing, auctions, and peer-to-peer campaigns. The pricing is a clean either/or: leave optional donor tips on and pay a 0% platform fee, or turn tips off and pay a flat 3%. Payment processing applies either way. For campaign and event fundraising, it’s the most polished free option available.
Who it fits
Organizations whose fundraising has a public face: giving days, galas, walk-a-thons, team pages. The donor experience (modern pages, wallet payments, live displays) is Givebutter’s real edge, and donor-facing polish moves conversion more than fee points do.
Pricing
| Configuration | Platform fee |
|---|---|
| Donor tips enabled | 0% |
| Tips disabled | 3% flat |
| Processing (always) | ~2.9% + 30¢ cards / 1.9% + 30¢ ACH |
| Givebutter Plus (optional CRM tools) | from ~$29/mo |
The tips-off option is a fair, known cost if the tip prompt isn’t for you.
One thing the integrations page buries
Givebutter’s integrations directory lists around fifty integrations, including QuickBooks Online, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Salesforce, Zapier and WordPress. Scanning that page, QuickBooks Online looks like one free integration among many.
It is not. The QuickBooks Online entry is annotated as available with Givebutter Plus, the paid tier from around $29/mo. If accounting sync is the reason you are choosing Givebutter, that is a subscription rather than a free platform feature, and it is the easiest thing on the page to miss. Verified against their own integrations directory on 3 August 2026.
How it compares
Zeffy is the purer free deal, with no processing fees at all, and fits simple forms-and-tickets needs. Donorbox is deeper on recurring-gift management. OneCause takes over when a signature gala needs live-auction machinery. Givebutter owns the middle: real events and campaigns, zero platform cost, modern donor experience.
Bottom line
Setting up costs nothing, so run your next campaign on it and judge the results. One habit worth keeping: export attendees and donors into your CRM after every event, so this year’s gala feeds next year’s asks.
Strengths
- Free platform spanning donations, ticketing, auctions, and peer-to-peer
- The most modern donor-facing experience among the free options
- Clean pricing switch: tips on for 0%, tips off for a flat 3%
Other options
- Want fees that don't depend on donor behavior? The 0% headline holds only while tips are on and donors leave them on; turn tips off and a platform fee applies. Read our 4aGoodCause write-up →
- Running a large auction? Event-night hardware, check-in and bidding support are a different product from a free campaign page. Read our Greater Giving write-up →
- Need a donor database? The built-in donor tracking is contact storage, not a CRM: no soft credits, no household records, no retention reporting. Read our DonorDock write-up →
Keep comparing
Givebutter head to head
Already on Givebutter and shopping to replace it? Givebutter alternatives covers why shops leave, what to move to, and when staying put is the right call.
We recommend Givebutter to shops leaving Classy and Donorbox.