6 GoFundMe alternatives in 2026, and what each one really costs

Key takeaways

• GoFundMe has no platform fee. You pay 2.9% + $0.30 per donation, or 2.2% if you are a certified charity.
• On a $20,000 raise with 200 donations, that comes to about $640, so you keep roughly $19,360.
• Recurring donations carry an extra 5% per gift. This is the line most comparison articles leave out.
• Zeffy is free by default, with no tip toggle to manage, funded by optional donor contributions that about two donors in three leave.
• Tiing charges $1 per contribution plus 4% at withdrawal, so you can calculate your exact cost before you launch.

People leave GoFundMe for three reasons: the fees they think they are paying, the fees they did not see coming, and the donation prompts their supporters keep complaining about. Only one of those is about the platform fee, and GoFundMe stopped charging one years ago.

This guide compares 6 GoFundMe alternatives and what each one actually takes from a raise in 2026, with the numbers on a real $20,000 campaign rather than a list of percentages. The short version: Zeffy is the only true 0% option, GoFundMe is cheaper than its reputation suggests, and Tiing gives you a fixed cost you can calculate before you launch.

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GoFundMe and 6 alternatives compared: what each one costs

Fees verified July 2026 on official pricing pages. The $20,000 column assumes 200 donations of $100 and no recurring gifts. Processing fees are charged by Stripe, PayPal or Adyen.

What percentage does GoFundMe take?

GoFundMe removed its 5% platform fee for US campaigns in 2017. What remains is the transaction fee, plus one exception most people miss.

• Personal or business fundraiser: 2.9% + $0.30 per donation
• Certified charity: 2.2% + $0.30 per donation
• Recurring donations: an additional 5% per donation
• The donor contribution is optional and added on top of the gift. It never reduces what you receive.

How much does GoFundMe take out of $20,000?

Because the $0.30 is charged per donation, the answer depends on how many people gave.

So roughly $610 to $700 on $20,000, or 3.1% to 3.5%. The more donors you have, the more the fixed $0.30 adds up, which is why encouraging fewer, larger gifts is the simplest way to cut your cost on any platform. GoFundMe pricing

The 6 best GoFundMe alternatives in 2026

1. Tiing: fixed, predictable cost

• Platform fee: 4%, charged at withdrawal
• Per contribution: $1, which covers payment processing
• Transfer fee: none for the organizer, funds arrive in 24 to 48 hours
• Currencies: USD and CAD, no conversion
• Donor account: not required to contribute

Tiing is a money pool rather than a charity platform. It does not issue tax receipts and it is not built for registered nonprofits running year-round donation programs. If that is your situation, Zeffy or Donorbox will serve you better, and it is worth saying so plainly.

Where Tiing wins is predictability. $1 per contribution plus 4% at withdrawal, calculable to the dollar before you launch, with no monthly fee, no success fee and no tip prompt shown to your donors. On a $20,000 raise with 200 contributors, that is $200 plus $800, so you keep $19,000 and you knew that number on day one. It fits personal fundraisers, medical costs, memorials, group gifts and community campaigns.

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2. Zeffy: genuinely 0%, and here is how

• Platform fee: 0%
• Processing: 0%, Zeffy covers card and transaction costs
• Eligibility: registered nonprofits in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland and Australia

Zeffy is the only platform here that charges nothing at all, platform fee and payment processing included. The model is straightforward and Zeffy states it openly: its only source of revenue is optional contributions from your donors, and roughly two donors in three leave one. On a $20,000 raise, you keep $20,000.

Two things to know before you switch. The suggested contribution percentage is not published and cannot be customized: it varies with the donation amount, and larger gifts see a smaller percentage. And Zeffy is restricted to registered nonprofits, so it is not an option for an individual or an informal group.

3. Givebutter: free when donors tip

• Platform fee: 0% when tips are enabled, 3% flat when they are disabled
• Processing: 0% for the nonprofit when tips are on, otherwise 2.9% + $0.30, ACH at 1.9% + $0.30
• Optional plan: Givebutter Plus at $29, $79 or $129 per month

Givebutter is genuinely free when donor tips are on, and it states that 92% of donors cover them. That is the Givebutter Guarantee: if a donor does not cover the processing fee, Givebutter absorbs it. Two caveats worth publishing: the guarantee does not extend to DAFpay or in-person card terminals, and turning tips off costs you 3% plus full processing, or about $1,240 on a $20,000 raise. Note also that Givebutter requires a US bank account and an EIN.

4. Donorbox: built for recurring giving

• Platform fee: 2.95% on the free Standard plan, 1.75% on Pro at $150 per month
• Processing: 2.2% + $0.30 for registered nonprofits via Stripe, ACH at 0.8% capped at $5
• Other rails: PayPal at 1.99% + $0.49, crypto and stock at 3.95% all in

Donorbox is the strongest option if recurring giving drives your model. The Standard plan is free to start and the ACH rate, capped at $5, is the cheapest way to take a large gift on this list. The Pro plan only pays for itself above roughly $9,000 a month in donations, so run the arithmetic before upgrading. Like Zeffy, it is built for registered nonprofits rather than personal causes.

5. FundRazr: three fee models to pick from

• Optional tips: 0% platform fee, tips covered by 95% of donors according to FundRazr
• Fee recovery: 1% on donation forms, 5% on fundraising pages
• Flat plan: 5%

FundRazr is the most configurable option here: you decide who absorbs the cost. There are no monthly, yearly or hidden fees. It also offers both all-or-nothing and keep-it-all funding on the same platform, which no other option on this list does for donation campaigns. It accepts personal fundraisers as well as nonprofits, which matters if you do not have charitable status.

6. CauseVox: peer-to-peer campaigns

• Platform fee: 0% with CauseVox Tip, otherwise 3% flat online
• Processing: 2.9% + $0.30, or 2.2% + $0.30 at the US nonprofit rate, ACH at 0.8% capped
• Plans: free tier, then $100, $300 or $900 and up per month

CauseVox is built around peer-to-peer fundraising, where each participant runs their own page and solicits their own network. That is the format behind most large campaigns, and it is where CauseVox earns its place. The tip is always on for the free plan and can be switched off on paid plans. Best suited to an organization already running structured campaigns rather than a one-off collection.

Are free fundraising platforms really free?

Two platforms on this list can bring your cost to a true zero, platform fee and payment processing included: Zeffy always, and Givebutter when donor tips are enabled. Two others waive their platform fee but still pass on processing. None of them is free in economic terms. The cost simply moves to the donor.

Two practical warnings. First, Zeffy does not publish or let you customize the suggested contribution percentage. Second, do not confuse this model with GoFundMe or Kickstarter tips: on those platforms the tip sits on top of the fees, it does not replace them.

Real examples: how much you actually keep

$5,000 medical fundraiser, 100 gifts of $50

• Tiing: $100 in contribution fees plus $200 at withdrawal, you keep about $4,700
• Zeffy: $0, you keep $5,000. Donors are asked for a voluntary contribution on top
• GoFundMe: $145 plus $30, you keep about $4,825
• FundRazr with tips enabled: $0 in platform fees plus $175 in processing, you keep about $4,825

$20,000 memorial campaign, 200 gifts of $100

• Tiing: $200 in contribution fees plus $800 at withdrawal, you keep about $19,000
• Zeffy: $0, you keep $20,000
• GoFundMe: $580 plus $60, you keep about $19,360
• Givebutter with tips off: $600 plus $640, you keep about $18,760

$8,000 nonprofit event, 160 gifts of $50

• Tiing: $160 in contribution fees plus $320 at withdrawal, you keep about $7,520
• Zeffy: $0, you keep $8,000
• GoFundMe at the certified charity rate: $176 plus $48, you keep about $7,776
• Donorbox on the Standard plan: $236 plus $176 plus $48, you keep about $7,540

The pattern is consistent: on a personal cause, where charity platforms are not an option, GoFundMe and Tiing are within a few hundred dollars of each other on a $20,000 raise. The deciding factors are the tip prompt shown to your donors and whether you want a cost you can calculate in advance.

What are the disadvantages of GoFundMe?

• Recurring gifts cost 5% extra. If your model depends on monthly donors, that surcharge changes the maths entirely.
• Donor tip prompts. Supporters are asked to add a contribution for GoFundMe at checkout, which some organizers find awkward to explain.
• Fixed per-donation cost. The $0.30 charge hits small gifts hardest: on a $10 donation it is 3% on its own, before the percentage fee.
• Limited campaign customization compared with platforms built for nonprofits, particularly on recurring programs and donor management.

How to choose the best alternative for your nonprofit

• Start with your status. Registered nonprofit or individual. Zeffy, Donorbox and CauseVox are closed to personal causes, which eliminates half the list immediately.
• Add up total cost, not the headline rate. A 0% platform still charges processing unless tips are enabled and your donors cover them.
• Decide who absorbs the fee. A tip model is cheaper for you and slightly more expensive for your supporters. Some audiences accept it, some do not.
• Match the format. One-off collection, recurring program or peer-to-peer campaign. The best platform is different for each.

How to reduce fundraising fees on any platform

• Encourage larger gifts. One $100 donation costs far less in fixed fees than ten $10 gifts. On a $20,000 raise, moving from 400 donors to 100 saves about $90 in fixed charges alone.
• Enable donor tips if your audience accepts them. It is the single biggest lever, taking your platform fee to zero on three of the six platforms here.
• Use the right rail. ACH costs 0.8% capped at $5 on Donorbox and CauseVox, against 2.9% on a card. On a $2,000 gift that is a $53 difference.
• Check your nonprofit rate. Registered organizations get 2.2% + $0.30 instead of 2.9% + $0.30 on most processors, and it is not always applied automatically.
• Raise in your native currency. Cross-border conversion adds 2% to 3% that never appears in advertised fees.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQ)