GiveKit vs Zeffy
Zeffy and GiveKit both cover the core of online fundraising: donation forms, events, memberships, auctions and a donor CRM. The biggest differences are how each one is paid for, and how much of your organization beyond fundraising each one runs.
Updated October 2026
At a glance
- What it is
- All-in-one fundraising, grants and nonprofit operations
- Pricing
- From $50/mo
- Features compared
- 14 of 14
Zeffy
- What it is
- Free, tip-funded fundraising platform
- Pricing
- Free to you
- Features compared
- 9 of 14
The short answer
Choose Zeffy if keeping software cost at zero matters most and you're comfortable with donors being asked to tip Zeffy at checkout. Choose GiveKit if you want one simple plan with no tip prompts, and grants, volunteer shifts and board management in the same system as your fundraising.
GiveKit and Zeffy features
Based on what each company lists on its own website.
| Feature | | Zeffy |
|---|---|---|
| Fundraising | ||
| Donation forms & campaigns | Yes | Yes |
| Peer-to-peer fundraising | Yes | Yes |
| Events & ticketing | Yes | Yes |
| Memberships | Yes | Yes |
| Silent auctions | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic max bids | Yes | Yes |
| Soft close on late bids | Yes | Yes |
| Grants | ||
| Grant discovery & matching | Yes | Search only |
| Guided grant writing | Yes | Not listed |
| Grant pipeline tracking | Yes | Not listed |
| Relationships & operations | ||
| Donor CRM | Yes | Yes |
| Email newsletters | Add-on | Yes |
| Volunteer shift scheduling | Yes | Sign-ups |
| Board management | Yes | Not listed |
Offered · — Not listed on their website · "Add-on" means available for an extra charge
How GiveKit and Zeffy charge
GiveKit
From $50/mo
- Plan
- One monthly price by size, with every feature included
- Card fee
- 4.9% + $0.30, covered by 98% of donors
- ACH bank transfer fee
- 1.8%, capped at $10
- Donor tips
- None. Every ask on your form is for your cause
Zeffy
Free to you
- Cost to you
- Free
- Who pays instead
- Your donors, through a tip Zeffy prefills inside your form
- Where the tip goes
- To Zeffy. None of it reaches your mission
- Can you turn it off?
- No. Zeffy says nonprofits can't remove or customize it
Zeffy is free because your donors fund it: Zeffy says about two in three leave a contribution, and it's easy to mistake for part of their gift to you. With GiveKit you pay one monthly plan, donors almost always cover the transaction fee, and every ask on your form is for your cause.
"Free" costs you your donors' trust
Tip-funded platforms don't charge you. They add a tip for themselves inside your form, right as your supporters decide how much to give to you, and it's easy to mistake for part of the gift.
Donors think the tip is part of their gift
Zeffy's contribution sits inside your form, under your name, already filled in. It's easy to mistake for an extra gift to your cause, and Zeffy's own help center has instructions for donors who added one "accidentally" or "did not intend to contribute."
When they find out, they blame you
Donors don't remember Zeffy's name. They remember your form. When a supporter realizes part of what they paid went to a software company, the bad feeling lands on your organization, and that's trust you spent years building.
You can't turn it off or tone it down
Zeffy prefills the amount using its own algorithm. Its help center says nonprofits can't remove or customize it, so every supporter sees it.
It isn't a gift to you at all
The contribution goes to Zeffy, not your nonprofit, so none of it reaches your mission. Zeffy says about two in three donors leave one.
What Zeffy offers, and the catch
- Free to you, not to your donorsNo platform or card fees for the nonprofit. Donors are asked to cover the cost with a tip instead.
- Core fundraising toolsForms, events, memberships, auctions, raffles, peer-to-peer and a store. Grant writing, volunteer shifts and board management aren't included.
- Auctions with auto-bidMax bids and a soft close, which GiveKit auctions include too.
- Grant discovery onlyA grant finder helps you spot opportunities, but drafting and tracking applications happens somewhere else.
What GiveKit does differently
- No tip promptsGiveKit doesn't ask your donors to tip the software company at checkout.
- Grant writing and trackingZeffy's grant finder is for discovery. GiveKit adds guided application drafting and a pipeline from backlog to awarded.
- Volunteer shift schedulingZeffy offers volunteer sign-ups. GiveKit publishes shifts, tracks who claims them and ranks volunteers by hours.
- Board managementGiveKit includes board members, committees, meetings, agendas and documents.
Which one is right for you?
Zeffy may suit you if…
- Keeping software cost at zero is the top priority
- You're comfortable with donors seeing a tip request
- You mainly need donation forms, events and ticketing
GiveKit is a great fit if…
- You'd rather not show donors a tip request
- You apply for grants and want them tracked next to fundraising
- You schedule volunteer shifts or manage a board
GiveKit vs Zeffy: common questions
Is Zeffy really free?
Zeffy doesn't charge nonprofits platform or card processing fees. It's funded by a contribution donors are asked to add when they give, and because it appears inside your form, prefilled, some donors mistake it for part of their gift. Zeffy's help center has instructions for donors who added one by accident.
Why choose GiveKit over Zeffy if Zeffy is free?
Zeffy is free to you because your donors are asked to fund it, with a contribution Zeffy prefills at checkout and nonprofits can't remove. GiveKit is one monthly plan instead, with no tip requests, so your checkout asks for your cause only. It also covers more of your organization in one place, including grant drafting and tracking, volunteer shift scheduling and board management.
Can I move from Zeffy to GiveKit?
Yes. We help bring your contacts and giving history into GiveKit so you don't start from scratch.
Zeffy information is based on its public website as of October 2026 and may change. Zeffy is a trademark of its owner. Spot something out of date? Let us know.
Thinking about switching from Zeffy?
Get started today, and we'll help move your contacts and giving history over.