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Nonprofits · head to head

CharityEngine vs Google Nonprofit Tools

CharityEngine logo

CharityEngine

Nonprofits

Nonprofit CRM with its own in-house payment processing rather than a third-party gateway

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Google Nonprofit Tools logo

Google Nonprofit Tools

Nonprofits

Free Google tools for nonprofits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Google Nonprofit Tools has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CharityEngine payment processing rates are negotiated and never published, so the total cost cannot be compared to a licence-only CRM without getting a quote and modelling your own volume in basis points.; Google Nonprofit Tools governmental entities and organizations are not eligible
  • They diverge on capability: CharityEngine covers In-house payment processing, Google Nonprofit Tools covers Email and collaboration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CharityEngine and Google Nonprofit Tools actually diverge.

Attributes where CharityEngine and Google Nonprofit Tools differ
AttributeCharityEngineGoogle Nonprofit Tools
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, IOS, Android
FoundedUnknown1998

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Nonprofits).

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 CharityEngine

  • In-house payment processing
  • Recurring giving recovery
  • Direct mail segmentation
  • Peer-to-peer and events
  • Advocacy and membership
  • Marketing automation

Only in Google Nonprofit Tools

  • Email and collaboration
  • Cloud storage
  • Ad Grants
  • Analytics
  • YouTube
  • Search Console
  • Google Workspace apps
  • Zapier

What people use each for

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

CharityEngine

  • A nonprofit processing high recurring gift volume that wants card updater and dunning built into the CRM rather than bought separatelynot Google Nonprofit Tools
  • Replacing a stack of a CRM, an email tool and a separate donation gateway with one contract and one reconciliationnot Google Nonprofit Tools
  • A direct mail heavy organisation that needs offline gift entry and mail file segmentation as first-class features, not add-onsnot Google Nonprofit Tools
  • An organisation whose finance team wants a single settlement file that already reconciles to donor recordsnot Google Nonprofit Tools

Google Nonprofit Tools

  • Email and productivity tools for nonprofits via Google Workspacenot CharityEngine
  • Online advertising credits through Google Ad Grantsnot CharityEngine
  • YouTube monetization for nonprofit contentnot CharityEngine

Where each one falls short

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

CharityEngine

  • Payment processing rates are negotiated and never published, so the total cost cannot be compared to a licence-only CRM without getting a quote and modelling your own volume in basis points.
  • Because the vendor is both the software provider and the merchant processor, switching CRM also means re-papering merchant services and re-tokenising every recurring donor, which is a far larger project than a normal migration.
  • Subscription pricing is quote-only and reported entry points come from third parties rather than the vendor, so small organisations often discover the floor is well above what they budgeted.
  • The interface is dense and configuration-heavy, and organisations without a dedicated database administrator tend to use a fraction of what they pay for.
  • Implementation and data migration are billed on top of the subscription and are commonly the largest first-year line item, which is easy to miss when comparing monthly figures.

Google Nonprofit Tools

  • Governmental entities and organizations are not eligible
  • Hospitals and health care organizations are not eligible, although their associated charitable arms or foundations are
  • Schools, academic institutions and universities are not eligible, although the philanthropic arms of educational organizations are
  • The organization must be registered as a charitable organization in one of the specific countries or regions where Google for Nonprofits has launched
  • Eligibility requirements vary by country, and every account must pass verification before access is granted

Pricing, plan by plan

CharityEngine

On request
  • CharityEngine$undefined/year
    • Donor CRM and gift processing
    • In-house payment processing at a negotiated rate
    • Email, SMS and direct mail tools

Google Nonprofit Tools

Free
  • Nonprofit ProgramFree
    • Google Workspace
    • Gmail
    • Drive

Which should you pick?

Choose CharityEngine if

  • You need in-house payment processing.
  • You also want recurring giving recovery.
CharityEngine review

Choose Google Nonprofit Tools if

  • You need email and collaboration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want cloud storage.
Google Nonprofit Tools review

Questions people ask

Is CharityEngine or Google Nonprofit Tools better?
Neither clearly leads. CharityEngine starts at On request and Google Nonprofit Tools at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CharityEngine or Google Nonprofit Tools?
Google Nonprofit Tools has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for CharityEngine and Free for Google Nonprofit Tools.
Does CharityEngine or Google Nonprofit Tools run on more platforms?
CharityEngine runs on Web. Google Nonprofit Tools runs on Web, IOS, Android.
Can I use Google Nonprofit Tools for free?
Yes. Google Nonprofit Tools has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CharityEngine starts at On request.
What is CharityEngine best used for?
CharityEngine is most often used for a nonprofit processing high recurring gift volume that wants card updater and dunning built into the crm rather than bought separately, replacing a stack of a crm, an email tool and a separate donation gateway with one contract and one reconciliation, a direct mail heavy organisation that needs offline gift entry and mail file segmentation as first-class features, not add-ons, an organisation whose finance team wants a single settlement file that already reconciles to donor records. Of those, a nonprofit processing high recurring gift volume that wants card updater and dunning built into the crm rather than bought separately and replacing a stack of a crm, an email tool and a separate donation gateway with one contract and one reconciliation are not what Google Nonprofit Tools is typically brought in for.
What can CharityEngine do that Google Nonprofit Tools cannot?
CharityEngine covers In-house payment processing, Recurring giving recovery, Direct mail segmentation, Peer-to-peer and events. Google Nonprofit Tools covers Email and collaboration, Cloud storage, Ad Grants, Analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CharityEngine: Does CharityEngine publish pricing?

No. Both the subscription and the payment processing rate are quoted. Third-party sites report a starter tier around 550 US dollars a month, but the vendor does not confirm this.

Google Nonprofit Tools: How much do Google Nonprofit Tools cost?

Google Nonprofit Tools are provided at no cost to eligible organizations. Eligible nonprofit organizations can access a suite of no-cost and discounted tools.

Source
CharityEngine: Is the payment processing optional?

In practice no. The processing is the product. Using an external gateway removes most of what distinguishes CharityEngine from cheaper CRMs.

Google Nonprofit Tools: What organizations qualify for free Google Nonprofit Tools?

Organizations must be registered as charitable entities in one of 180+ participating geographies and verified through Goodstack, Google's validation partner.

Source
CharityEngine: Is there a nonprofit discount?

Every customer is a nonprofit, so there is no separate discount; pricing is tiered by contact count and gift volume instead.

Google Nonprofit Tools: What tools are included in Google Nonprofit Tools?

Included tools are Google Workspace for Nonprofits, Google Ad Grants, YouTube Nonprofit Program, and Google Maps Platform credits. Some Workspace editions also receive nonprofit-specific discounts.

Source
CharityEngine: How long is the contract?

Annual terms are standard, and multi-year commitments are used to buy down the rate.

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Related pages

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