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The sharpest difference between these two nonprofit fundraising platforms isn’t features — it’s how they charge you. Donorbox keeps its base plan free but clips a platform fee from every donation you collect. Givebutter positions itself as free too, but layers a paid plan (Givebutter Plus) on top for organizations that need a larger contact database. Understanding that pricing logic first makes the feature comparison much easier to read.
Pricing: What You’ll Actually Pay
Donorbox
Donorbox publishes three tiers:
- Standard Plan — Free (no monthly fee), billed monthly
- Pro Plan — $150/month, billed monthly
- Premium Plan — Quote only; contact their sales team for pricing
Across all plans, Donorbox charges a 2.95% platform fee on every donation, on top of whatever your payment processor charges. The Standard plan advertises itself with “no contracts, no monthly fees” — but that 2.95% cut is always in play. Peer-to-peer supporters’ campaigns carry a slightly different fee structure: 3.95% for sub-campaigns. There’s also a separate text-to-donate add-on with its own monthly fee, offered in Basic and Short Code versions.
Givebutter
Givebutter’s core platform is presented as free (their positioning explicitly says “for free”), with one paid upgrade:
- Givebutter Plus — three pricing bands based on contact count (250 / 1,000 / 2,500 contacts): $29, $79, or $129/month, billed annually
The free tier appears to cover the platform’s broad fundraising feature set. Givebutter Plus is positioned as the next step up for organizations that outgrow the contact limits of the free experience.
Side-by-Side Pricing Table
| Donorbox | Givebutter | |
|---|---|---|
| Free entry point | Free (Standard Plan) | Free |
| First paid tier | $150/month, billed monthly | $29/month, billed annually (250 contacts) |
| Mid-tier | — | $79/month, billed annually (1,000 contacts) |
| Upper paid tier | — | $129/month, billed annually (2,500 contacts) |
| Enterprise / top tier | Quote only (Premium) | — |
| Per-donation platform fee | 2.95% (standard); 3.95% (P2P sub-campaigns) | Not captured |
| Text-to-donate add-on | Separate paid add-on (Basic and Short Code versions) | Not captured |
Honest note: Givebutter’s fee structure on donations isn’t captured in our data — check their site directly before assuming there’s no transaction percentage.
Features: What Each Platform Actually Does
Donorbox
Donorbox’s captured features center on donation infrastructure and giving mechanics. What the data shows:
- Donation Forms & Pages — embeddable, customizable forms and standalone donation pages with goal meters and donor walls
- QuickDonate™ Donor Portal — lets donors save payment info and give again faster
- Recurring Donations — subscription-style giving for campaigns
- Donor Management — captured as a feature category
- Donorbox Live™ Kiosk & Tap to Donate — in-person giving tools
- Text-to-Donate — donors text a campaign ID and receive a donation link back
- Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Campaigns — supporters create their own sub-pages; organizers can send invites through the platform
- Memberships — unlimited customizable membership tiers, monthly and annual options
- Crypto & Stock Donations — explicitly called out as an accepted donation type
- Event Ticketing — listed as a feature category, described as simplifying tax work
- 52+ currencies, 15 languages — international payment support
- Integrations — includes named connections to Raiser’s Edge NXT, Salesforce, Stripe, and PayPal
- Guides, Templates & Case Studies — onboarding and educational resources
The fee-coverage option appears across multiple formats: donors can opt to cover transaction fees so the organization receives 100% of the donated amount.
Givebutter
Givebutter’s feature data is captured at the category level. The platform organizes its offering around these areas:
- Auctions
- Donation Forms
- Marketing & Engagement
- Donor Management & CRM
- Fundraising Events
- Fundraising Pages
- Payment Processing
- Widgets
- Givebutter Plus (the paid upgrade tier)
- Mobile App
- Platform Integrations
The positioning statement describes “more than 160 features designed for raising funds, tracking progress, and engaging your supporters.” Because our data captured Givebutter’s features at the category level only — without granular feature items — we can confirm these areas exist but can’t describe the mechanics of each in detail. The Auctions and Marketing & Engagement categories stand out as areas not explicitly listed in Donorbox’s captured features.
A Word on Reviews
For Donorbox, some users in third-party reviews report friction around invoicing and payments, price and value, features and functionality, ease of use, and onboarding and setup. None of these are dealbreakers on their face, but they’re worth keeping in mind if you’re evaluating the $150/month Pro tier or rolling out the platform for a non-technical team.
For Givebutter, we scanned available reviews and no recurring complaint themes stood out in the sample — which we’re reporting neutrally, not as a positive endorsement.
The “Choose” Call
Choose Donorbox if:
– You want transparent, published pricing across most tiers right now
– You need specific capabilities you can verify today: crypto/stock donations, text-to-donate, a Live Kiosk for in-person giving, peer-to-peer with invite tools, memberships, or named integrations like Raiser’s Edge NXT or Salesforce
– You operate internationally and need multi-currency or multi-language support (52+ currencies, 15 languages)
– You want a free starting point and are comfortable with a per-donation platform fee model
Choose Givebutter if:
– You want a platform that includes Auctions and Marketing & Engagement as explicit feature categories — neither appears in Donorbox’s captured features
– You prefer a contact-count-based paid tier structure (starting at $29/month, billed annually) over a flat $150/month jump to the first paid Donorbox plan
– You want to evaluate a mobile app as part of the platform (captured for Givebutter; not in Donorbox’s captured feature items)
– The free tier covers your needs and you want to stay there longer before committing to a paid plan
Pricing and features reflect data captured in July 2026. Verify current terms directly with each vendor before making a final decision.