Donorbox vs GiveButter vs Bloomerang: 2026 Comparison
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Table of Contents
Quick Verdict
If you just want the short answer, here it is:
| Donorbox | GiveButter | Bloomerang | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Recurring donations | Small nonprofits on a budget | Donor management + giving |
| Pricing | Free to $139+/mo | 100% free (tip model) | From $99/mo |
| Platform fee | 0 to 1.5% | 0% (donor tips) | Varies |
| Ease of setup | Very easy | Easiest | Moderate |
| Our rating | 4.7/5 | 4.8/5 | 4.5/5 |
Our pick for most nonprofits: GiveButter. It is genuinely free, takes minutes to set up, and handles 90% of what small-to-mid nonprofits need.
Our pick for growing organizations: Donorbox. If you need advanced recurring donation tools, multi-currency support, and embeddable forms, Donorbox offers the best feature-to-price ratio.
Our pick for donor management: Bloomerang. If you need a donor CRM with built-in giving tools, Bloomerang bundles both into one platform.
Overview
What Is Donorbox?
Donorbox is a donation platform used by over 80,000 organizations worldwide. It is best known for its embeddable donation forms, recurring giving tools, and multi-currency support. Donorbox offers a free plan (with branding) and paid plans starting at $139/month that remove branding and add features like text-to-give and Salesforce integration.
Founded: 2014 | HQ: San Francisco, CA | Used by: 80,000+ nonprofits
What Is GiveButter?
GiveButter is a 100% free fundraising platform that makes money through optional donor tips instead of charging nonprofits. It offers donation forms, events, peer-to-peer fundraising, and a built-in CRM. GiveButter has become especially popular with small nonprofits and student organizations because there is genuinely no cost to the organization.
Founded: 2016 | HQ: Washington, DC | Used by: 30,000+ nonprofits
What Is Bloomerang?
Bloomerang is primarily a donor management CRM that also offers integrated online giving tools. It is designed for small-to-mid-sized nonprofits that want donor engagement tracking, retention analytics, and giving tools in one platform. Plans start at $99/month.
Founded: 2012 | HQ: Indianapolis, IN | Used by: 15,000+ nonprofits
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Donorbox | GiveButter | Bloomerang | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donation forms | Embeddable, popup, full-page | Embeddable, full-page | Basic embedded forms |
| Recurring giving | Advanced (quarterly, annual, custom) | Monthly, weekly, custom | Basic monthly/annual |
| Peer-to-peer | Yes (paid plans) | Yes (free) | No |
| Text-to-give | Yes (paid plans) | Yes (free) | No |
| Events/ticketing | No | Yes (free) | No |
| Donor CRM | Basic built-in | Basic built-in | Full-featured CRM |
| Multi-currency | Yes (20+ currencies) | USD, CAD, GBP | USD only |
| Payment methods | Card, ACH, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, crypto | Card, ACH, PayPal, Venmo | Card, ACH |
| Integrations | Salesforce, Mailchimp, Zapier, 15+ | Mailchimp, Zapier, 10+ | Mailchimp, QuickBooks, 10+ |
| Custom branding | Paid plans only | Yes (free) | Yes |
| Reporting | Good | Good | Excellent (retention-focused) |
| Mobile app | No | Yes | Yes |
Pricing Deep Dive
This is where these platforms differ the most. Let us break down exactly what each costs.
Donorbox Pricing
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Platform Fee | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1.5% | Basic forms, Donorbox branding |
| Standard | $139/mo | 1.5% | Remove branding, text-to-give |
| Pro | $279/mo | 1.5% | Salesforce, priority support |
| Premium | Custom | 1.5% | Dedicated manager, custom features |
Payment processing fee: 2.2% + $0.30 per transaction (Stripe). This is on top of the platform fee.
Example cost for $10,000/month in donations:
- Free plan: $150 (platform) + $250 (processing) = $400/month
- Standard plan: $139 (subscription) + $150 (platform) + $250 (processing) = $539/month
GiveButter Pricing
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Platform Fee | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 0% | Everything: forms, events, P2P, CRM |
How GiveButter makes money: Donors see an optional tip prompt during checkout. GiveButter suggests 10-15% and most donors opt in. The nonprofit pays nothing.
Payment processing fee: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction (passed through from Stripe).
Example cost for $10,000/month in donations:
- $0 (platform) + $320 (processing) = $320/month
That is up to $220/month cheaper than Donorbox for the same donation volume.
Bloomerang Pricing
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Lite | $99/mo | CRM + basic giving (up to 1,000 contacts) |
| Standard | $199/mo | CRM + giving (up to 5,000 contacts) |
| Professional | $349/mo | Advanced features (up to 15,000 contacts) |
Payment processing fee: Varies by processor, typically 2.2-2.9% + $0.30.
Example cost for $10,000/month in donations:
- Standard plan: $199 (subscription) + $250 (processing) = $449/month
Pricing Summary
| Donorbox (Standard) | GiveButter | Bloomerang (Standard) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $139 | $0 | $199 |
| Platform fee | 1.5% | 0% | Included |
| Processing fee | 2.2% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 | ~2.5% + $0.30 |
| Total cost at $10K/mo | $539 | $320 | $449 |
| Total cost at $50K/mo | $1,939 | $1,480 | $1,449 |
Key insight: GiveButter is cheapest for nonprofits under ~$50K/month in donations. At higher volumes, Bloomerang becomes competitive because its processing fees can be lower.
Best For: Which Platform Fits You?
Best for Small Nonprofits: GiveButter
If your annual revenue is under $500,000 and you need a solid, all-in-one platform, GiveButter is hard to beat. No monthly fee, no platform fee, and it includes events, peer-to-peer fundraising, and a basic CRM. All free.
Best for Recurring Donations: Donorbox
If recurring giving is your primary strategy (monthly giving programs, sustainer campaigns), Donorbox has the most flexible recurring donation tools. You can set quarterly, annual, or custom schedules, and it supports 20+ currencies for international donors.
Best for Churches: GiveButter or Donorbox
Churches need recurring tithe collection and text-to-give for services. GiveButter offers both for free. Donorbox offers text-to-give on paid plans with more customization options.
Best for Events: GiveButter
Only GiveButter includes event management and ticketing in its free plan. If you run galas, auctions, or community events, GiveButter saves you from needing a separate events platform.
Best for Donor Management: Bloomerang
If donor retention is your top priority and you want engagement scoring, interaction timelines, and retention analytics alongside your giving tools, Bloomerang is the only one that offers a full-featured CRM.
Best for International Nonprofits: Donorbox
With support for 20+ currencies, multiple languages, and payment methods like SEPA and cryptocurrency, Donorbox is the clear choice for organizations that accept donations globally.
Donorbox Pros & Cons
What we like
- +Best recurring donation tools (quarterly, annual, custom schedules)
- +20+ currency support, great for international nonprofits
- +Accepts crypto, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal
- +Embeddable forms look great on any website
- +Salesforce integration on Pro plan
- +Free plan available for getting started
What we don't
- −1.5% platform fee on ALL plans, including paid ones
- −Free plan has Donorbox branding on forms
- −No event management or ticketing
- −No mobile app for donors or admins
- −Paid plans start at $139/mo, steep for small nonprofits
GiveButter Pros & Cons
What we like
- +100% free: no subscription, no platform fee
- +Events, peer-to-peer, and CRM included at no cost
- +Text-to-give included for free
- +Easiest setup of the three, minutes to first form
- +Mobile app for admins and donors
- +Modern, clean interface donors enjoy using
What we don't
- −Donor tip model means some donors pay more (optional, but some find it awkward)
- −Limited currency support (USD, CAD, GBP only)
- −Processing fee is 2.9%, higher than Donorbox's 2.2%
- −Fewer integrations than Donorbox
- −CRM is basic compared to Bloomerang
Bloomerang Pros & Cons
What we like
- +Full-featured donor CRM with engagement scoring
- +Retention analytics help you keep donors year-over-year
- +Interaction timeline shows complete donor history
- +Email marketing built-in (basic)
- +QuickBooks integration for accounting
- +Great customer support with dedicated onboarding
What we don't
- −Starts at $99/mo, no free plan
- −Online giving tools are basic compared to Donorbox/GiveButter
- −No peer-to-peer fundraising or events
- −No text-to-give
- −USD only, not suitable for international organizations
- −Steeper learning curve due to CRM complexity
Our Recommendation
For most nonprofits, we recommend starting with GiveButter. Here is why:
- Zero financial risk. No subscription, no platform fee. You only pay standard payment processing fees.
- Everything you need in one place. Forms, events, P2P, text-to-give, and a basic CRM, all free.
- Fast to set up. You can have your first donation form live in under 10 minutes.
When to choose Donorbox instead:
- You accept international donations (need multi-currency)
- Recurring giving is your core strategy and you need advanced scheduling
- You need Salesforce integration
- You prefer no tip prompts on your donation forms
When to choose Bloomerang instead:
- Donor retention is your #1 challenge
- You need a full CRM with engagement scoring
- You want giving tools and donor management in one platform
- You are okay with paying $99-349/month for a combined solution
No matter which platform you choose, all three are reputable, well-supported, and trusted by thousands of nonprofits.
FAQ
Is GiveButter really free?
Yes. GiveButter does not charge nonprofits any subscription or platform fees. It makes money through optional tips that donors can add during checkout. The tip is fully optional and donors can set it to $0. You still pay standard payment processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction).
Does Donorbox charge a platform fee on top of the subscription?
Yes. Donorbox charges a 1.5% platform fee on all transactions across all plans, including paid ones. This is in addition to the monthly subscription fee and payment processing fees. This is one of the most common surprises for new users.
Can I use Bloomerang just for donations without the CRM?
Bloomerang is designed as an integrated platform. The CRM and giving tools come together. You cannot purchase just the donation forms separately. However, if you only use the giving features, you still get access to basic donor records.
Which platform is best for accepting donations on my website?
Both Donorbox and GiveButter offer embeddable donation forms that integrate with any website. Donorbox offers more customization options (popup, inline, full-page), while GiveButter is easier to set up. Bloomerang's forms are more basic and better suited as part of its CRM workflow.
Can I switch between these platforms later?
Yes. All three platforms allow you to export your donor data. The switch typically takes a few hours to set up new forms and import data. GiveButter and Donorbox make this especially easy with CSV export/import.
Which platform has the lowest total fees?
For most nonprofits processing under $50,000/month, GiveButter has the lowest total cost because it has no subscription or platform fee. At higher volumes, the total cost depends on your processing rates, which can be negotiated with all three platforms.