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Nonprofit & Fundraising · head to head

Charity Navigator vs Little Green Light

Charity Navigator logo

Charity Navigator

Nonprofit & Fundraising

Nonprofit intelligence and rating platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Little Green Light logo

Little Green Light

Nonprofit & Fundraising

Affordable donor management for small nonprofits

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Charity Navigator has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Charity Navigator charity Navigator is a free 501(c)(3) nonprofit service funded by donor donations rather than charging the charities it rates, so it has no vendor pricing model to compare (own about-us page).; Little Green Light pricing is driven purely by constituent record count, so inactive and lapsed records still raise the bill
  • They diverge on capability: Charity Navigator covers Nonprofit ratings, Little Green Light covers Donor database.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Charity Navigator and Little Green Light actually diverge.

Attributes where Charity Navigator and Little Green Light differ
AttributeCharity NavigatorLittle Green Light
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreesubscription
Free tierYesNo
Founded20012008

Identical on both: platforms (Web, Mobile-responsive), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Nonprofit & Fundraising).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Charity Navigator

  • Nonprofit ratings
  • Financial analysis
  • Donor reviews
  • Impact metrics
  • Fundraising data
  • GiveWell
  • BBB Wise Giving Alliance

Only in Little Green Light

  • Donor database
  • Prospect tracking
  • Relationship management
  • Task management
  • PayPal
  • Stripe
  • Google Drive

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Mobile-responsive support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Charity Navigator

  • Business operationsnot Little Green Light
  • Productivitynot Little Green Light
  • Automationnot Little Green Light

Little Green Light

  • Donor management and gift tracking for small nonprofitsnot Charity Navigator
  • Segmenting constituents for appeals and mailingsnot Charity Navigator
  • Online donation forms with pay-as-you-go processingnot Charity Navigator

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Charity Navigator

  • Charity Navigator is a free 501(c)(3) nonprofit service funded by donor donations rather than charging the charities it rates, so it has no vendor pricing model to compare (own about-us page).

Little Green Light

  • Pricing is driven purely by constituent record count, so inactive and lapsed records still raise the bill
  • The base plan is $45 per month for up to 2,500 constituents, rising to $135 per month at 50,000
  • Above 50,000 records each additional 10,000 tier adds $15 per month
  • An account is hard-capped at 200,000 constituent records
  • Online donation processing costs from 2.2% plus $0.30 per transaction to the payment processor
  • The 10% saving requires annual rather than monthly billing

Pricing, plan by plan

Charity Navigator

Free
  • Free ProfileFree
    • Nonprofit profile
    • Ratings
    • Financial data

Little Green Light

On request
  • Basic$50/month
    • Donor database
    • Prospect tracking
  • Plus$80/month
    • Relationship management
    • Task management
    • Reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose Charity Navigator if

  • You need nonprofit ratings.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile-responsive.
  • You also want financial analysis.
Charity Navigator review

Choose Little Green Light if

  • You need donor database.
  • You work on Web, Mobile-responsive.
  • You also want prospect tracking.
Little Green Light review

Questions people ask

Is Charity Navigator or Little Green Light better?
Neither clearly leads. Charity Navigator starts at Free and Little Green Light at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Charity Navigator or Little Green Light?
Charity Navigator has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Charity Navigator and On request for Little Green Light.
Does Charity Navigator or Little Green Light run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Mobile-responsive, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Charity Navigator for free?
Yes. Charity Navigator has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Little Green Light starts at On request.
What is Charity Navigator best used for?
Charity Navigator is most often used for business operations, productivity, automation. Of those, business operations and productivity are not what Little Green Light is typically brought in for.
What can Charity Navigator do that Little Green Light cannot?
Charity Navigator covers Nonprofit ratings, Financial analysis, Donor reviews, Impact metrics. Little Green Light covers Donor database, Prospect tracking, Relationship management, Task management. Both handle Web support, Mobile-responsive support.
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