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Nonprofits · head to head

CharityEngine vs Zeffy

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
Zeffy logo

Zeffy

Nonprofits

100% free fundraising platform for nonprofits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Zeffy 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.; Zeffy revenue model relies entirely on donor voluntary tips with no guaranteed income
  • They diverge on capability: CharityEngine covers In-house payment processing, Zeffy covers Donation forms.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CharityEngine and Zeffy actually diverge.

Attributes where CharityEngine and Zeffy differ
AttributeCharityEngineZeffy
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, IOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2019

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 Zeffy

  • Donation forms
  • Event ticketing
  • Membership management
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising
  • Recurring donations
  • Mailchimp
  • Zapier
  • Facebook

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

Zeffy

  • Donation collection for nonprofitsnot CharityEngine
  • Event ticketing with check-innot CharityEngine
  • Membership sales with tiersnot CharityEngine
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising campaignsnot CharityEngine
  • In-person payment with Tap to Paynot 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.

Zeffy

  • Revenue model relies entirely on donor voluntary tips with no guaranteed income
  • All features included equally with no upgrade path for additional capabilities

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

Zeffy

Free
  • Free ForeverFree
    • Unlimited donations
    • Ticketing
    • Memberships

Which should you pick?

Choose CharityEngine if

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

Choose Zeffy if

  • You need donation forms.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want event ticketing.
Zeffy review

Questions people ask

Is CharityEngine or Zeffy better?
Neither clearly leads. CharityEngine starts at On request and Zeffy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CharityEngine or Zeffy?
Zeffy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for CharityEngine and Free for Zeffy.
Does CharityEngine or Zeffy run on more platforms?
CharityEngine runs on Web. Zeffy runs on Web, IOS, Android.
Can I use Zeffy for free?
Yes. Zeffy 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 Zeffy is typically brought in for.
What can CharityEngine do that Zeffy cannot?
CharityEngine covers In-house payment processing, Recurring giving recovery, Direct mail segmentation, Peer-to-peer and events. Zeffy covers Donation forms, Event ticketing, Membership management, Peer-to-peer fundraising.

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.

Zeffy: How much does Zeffy cost for nonprofits?

Zeffy is completely free for nonprofits. There are no platform fees, transaction fees, credit card processing fees, monthly subscriptions, or setup costs. Nonprofits retain 100% of funds raised.

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.

Zeffy: How does Zeffy make money if it's free?

Zeffy relies on voluntary donor tips at checkout. On average, 2 out of 3 donors leave a tip. Tips are optional and donors can opt out, but Zeffy operates on this voluntary contribution model.

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.

Zeffy: What nonprofit organizations can use Zeffy?

Schools, churches, sports teams, animal rescues, food banks, volunteer fire departments, arts organizations, and PTAs can all use Zeffy. Over 100,000 nonprofits globally use the platform.

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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