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Nonprofits · head to head

CharityEngine vs VolunteerHub

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
VolunteerHub logo

VolunteerHub

Nonprofits

Volunteer management platform for nonprofits

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; VolunteerHub both published plans are billed annually and carry a set up fee on top of the monthly figure
  • They diverge on capability: CharityEngine covers In-house payment processing, VolunteerHub covers Volunteer database.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CharityEngine and VolunteerHub actually diverge.

Attributes where CharityEngine and VolunteerHub differ
AttributeCharityEngineVolunteerHub
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWebWeb, IOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2011

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 VolunteerHub

  • Volunteer database
  • Scheduling
  • Task management
  • Communication tools
  • Reporting
  • Zapier
  • Google Calendar
  • Slack

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 VolunteerHub
  • Replacing a stack of a CRM, an email tool and a separate donation gateway with one contract and one reconciliationnot VolunteerHub
  • A direct mail heavy organisation that needs offline gift entry and mail file segmentation as first-class features, not add-onsnot VolunteerHub
  • An organisation whose finance team wants a single settlement file that already reconciles to donor recordsnot VolunteerHub

VolunteerHub

  • Scheduling and self-registration for volunteer shifts and eventsnot CharityEngine
  • Tracking volunteer hours and generating custom reportsnot CharityEngine
  • Recruiting volunteers through branded opportunity landing pagesnot 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.

VolunteerHub

  • Both published plans are billed annually and carry a set up fee on top of the monthly figure
  • The entry Plus plan starts at $143 per month and Pro at $288 per month, both quoted as starting prices
  • Plans carry a user limit; only volunteers inactive for a full twelve months stop counting against it
  • Single Sign-On is an optional paid add-on on every tier including Enterprise, not an included feature
  • Background check integrations with Sterling Volunteers and PeopleFacts are optional paid add-ons on every tier
  • CRM integrations such as Raiser's Edge are optional add-ons rather than included
  • Volunteer fundraising is optional on Plus and Pro and carries a processing fee when used
  • The Enterprise tier has no published price and requires contacting sales

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

VolunteerHub

On request
  • Starter$75/month
    • Volunteer database
    • Scheduling
  • Professional$150/month
    • Advanced reporting
    • Mobile app
    • Integrations

Which should you pick?

Choose CharityEngine if

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

Choose VolunteerHub if

  • You need volunteer database.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want scheduling.
VolunteerHub review

Questions people ask

Is CharityEngine or VolunteerHub better?
Neither clearly leads. CharityEngine starts at On request and VolunteerHub at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CharityEngine or VolunteerHub?
CharityEngine starts at On request and VolunteerHub at On request.
Does CharityEngine or VolunteerHub run on more platforms?
CharityEngine runs on Web. VolunteerHub runs on Web, IOS, Android.
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 VolunteerHub is typically brought in for.
What can CharityEngine do that VolunteerHub cannot?
CharityEngine covers In-house payment processing, Recurring giving recovery, Direct mail segmentation, Peer-to-peer and events. VolunteerHub covers Volunteer database, Scheduling, Task management, Communication tools.

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.

VolunteerHub: What is VolunteerHub's least expensive plan?

The Plus plan starts at $143 per month when billed annually, plus a setup fee.

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.

VolunteerHub: What additional costs might apply with VolunteerHub's Pro plan?

The Pro plan starting at $288/month includes most core features, but advanced features are marked as optional, suggesting additional costs may apply for add-ons like group management and data import/export.

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.

VolunteerHub: Are there any limitations on users or reports with VolunteerHub?

No, all three VolunteerHub tiers (Plus, Pro, and Enterprise) include unlimited users and unlimited event configuration.

Source
CharityEngine: How long is the contract?

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

VolunteerHub: What integrations does VolunteerHub support?

All VolunteerHub plans include integration with Zapier and access to CRM and background check integrations.

Source
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