Donorbox vs Donately:
Which is better for small nonprofits

Looking for a Donorbox alternative? Donately provides flat, transparent pricing and full access to donation tools—no add-ons, no hidden costs, no donor confusion. *

* Disclaimer: The comparison details on this page are based on publicly available data as of August 2025.¹
Best fit breakdown

When Donately wins and when Donorbox might

Every platform has its sweet spot. Here’s when Donately makes the most sense and when Donorbox might be the better fit based on your fundraising needs and team setup.

Donately is your match if:
You want all essential fundraising tools (P2P, Text-to-Give, Forms, Campaigns) included—no à la carte add-ons.
You prefer transparent, tier-based pricing without surprises.
You need real human support included from day one—no extra fees.
Donorbox might work if:
You’re optimizing for recurring giving or international support.
You’re okay paying for core features like Text-to-Give, custom styling, or kiosk tools separately.
You want the flexibility to start free and selectively add features as needed.
Customization shouldn’t come at a premium

When “modular” gets expensive

Many tools claim “pay for what you use,” but modular platforms often hide critical features behind add-ons—making growth costly and complex. Here’s how Donately delivers full access without the fragmentation or surprise fees.

Donorbox says...

“Start for free.”

But the reality? You’ll pay 2.95% platform fees and add-on charges for common tools like CSS, texting, or campaign branding.

Donately says: No tipping. No nickel-and-diming. Everything you need—up front.

Donorbox says...

“Only pay for what you need.”

But the reality? Even essential features like custom branding, donor migration, and kiosk tools come at an extra cost.

Donately says: All plans include embeddable forms, P2P, recurring, and text-to-donate—with flat pricing.

Donorbox says...

“Let donors cover the fees.”

But the reality? That still affects donor trust, and you pay if they don’t.

Donately says: Check out our transparent costs that you can budget for—no surprise opt-outs.

Donately vs Donorbox:
feature comparison

Fundraising platforms can look similar—until you dig in. From native integrations to transparent pricing and real support, Donately gives small teams everything upfront. Here’s how we compare:

Donately
Donorbox
Flexibility
Transparent pricing tiers 
Tiered pricing + à la carte add-ons (Text-to-Give, CSS, Kiosk, etc.)
Customization
Full customization available on all plans
Basic customization included; advanced custom CSS requires $85/month add-on for both Standard and Pro plans
Usability
Clean UX designed for small fundraising teams
User-friendly UI, but piecemeal setup may require configuration
Support
Real-time human support for all users
Customer support included; optional recurring donor migration service available for $195 flat fee
Integrations
Deep integrations with Zapier, Salesforce, Webflow, HubSpot, Constant Contact
Zapier, QuickBooks, Salesforce, API access included across plans
Time to launch
Instant self-serve access, go live in minutes
Fast setup, but complete configuration may require premium services
Pricing clarity
Fully public, all-in-one feature access at each plan
Base pricing is clear, but costs increase with each add-on
Team fit
Ideal for lean fundraising teams and fast-moving small orgs
Flexible for orgs scaling through recurring giving, texting, and event add-ons
Top goal
Raise more with less stress—no feature gating or tipping
Optimize recurring giving with international reach and modular upgrades

For $10,000 monthly donation volume

You save: $50–300+ per month with Donately*

Donately offers all fundraising features upfront, no hidden upgrade costs, and free integrations—ideal for nonprofits tired of piecemeal pricing.
Donorbox starts low, but add-ons and donor migration fees stack up quickly as your needs grow.

All features. No surprises.
Donorbox
Built to expand—with price tags.
Platform fees
$0–$400
(0%–4%)
$295/month on Standard Plan (2.95%)
or
$175/month on Pro Plan (1.75% + $150/mo)
Processing fees
$220–$290 (2.2%–2.9% via Stripe)
$220–$290 (2.2%–2.9%)
Subscription fees
$0–$99/month depending on chosen tier
Standard: $0
Pro: $150/month
Setup/Onboarding
$0
$0 (but charges apply for data migration: $195)
Support
Same-day, real-human support on all plans
Basic support for Standard users
Priority support for Pro/Premium
Integrations
$0
CRM + email integrations available; some gated behind higher tiers or paid add-ons
Customization/Tools
$0
À la carte pricing
Text-to-give: $19/mo
Custom CSS: $85/mo
Kiosk: $50–$65/mo
Total monthly
$220-$689 /monthly
$295-$510+ /monthly

Ask yourself before choosing Donorbox

If you answered “no” to any of these, Donately gives you what Donorbox can’t.

Are you okay paying add-on fees for basic tools like text-to-give, donor migration, or custom branding?

Can your team afford rising monthly costs as contact volume or features increase?

Are you comfortable relying on donor tipping to keep costs manageable?

Why nonprofits choose Donately instead

Donately offers branded peer-to-peer, recurring, and text-to-donate campaigns with extensive integrations (HubSpot, Webflow, Zapier, etc.), human support during business hours, and transparent pricing without feature paywalls or hidden costs.

All-inclusive tools

Peer-to-peer, text-to-donate, recurring giving, team fundraising—all built-in.

No surprise fees

No added costs for custom CSS, donor migration, or platform essentials.

Built-in support

No hidden paywalls—just real people helping you raise more, faster.

Transparent pricing

No tipping pressure, no feature gates, no guesswork.

Designed to scale

Whether you’re just starting or scaling fast, Donately adapts with you.

Donately vs Donorbox — frequently asked questions

Is Donorbox free to use?

Yes, but core features like texting, branding, or advanced donor migration cost extra. Platform fees (2.95%) still apply unless you upgrade.

Can I customize my donation forms and campaigns?

Yes, Donately provides self-serve customization tools backed by in-house developer assistance when needed. You can fully brand your campaigns, donation forms, and fundraising pages without requiring technical expertise or additional development costs.

Is Donorbox a CRM?

Donorbox offers a comprehensive CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system specifically designed for nonprofits called Donorbox CRM, which is an AI-powered, all-in-one donor management platform.

How much does Donately cost?

Donately offers transparent pricing without feature paywalls or hidden costs, allowing organizations to grow at their own pace. Unlike competitors with percentage-based fees and surprise charges, Donately provides predictable pricing structures that scale with your organization's needs.

Is Donorbox just a donation platform or does it offer full nonprofit management?

Donorbox is a comprehensive all-in-one nonprofit CRM with AI-powered donor management, email tools, and integrations with QuickBooks and Salesforce.

Does Donately lack the reporting and analytics features larger nonprofits need?

Donately integrates with Google Analytics 4 and CRM systems like HubSpot and Salesforce for best-in-class reporting without redundant features.

Should I worry about vendor lock-in and losing control of donor data with Donately?

Donately emphasizes data portability with easy export capabilities, ensuring you maintain full ownership unlike platforms that make migration difficult.

BEST IN CLASS SOFTWARE FOR BEST IN CLASS ORGANIZATIONS

Trusted by thousands of schools, churches and organizations

Secure, high-converting donation forms

Platform fees as low as 0%

Built-in campaign templates and marketplace

Sign up and launch in 5 minutes

Fully customizable to your brand

No feature limits—everything included

No setup fees. No surprise costs.

Integrates with your favorite tools