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Nonprofits · head to head

CommCare vs Facebook Fundraisers

CommCare logo

CommCare

Nonprofits

Offline-first case management and mobile data collection for frontline health and development programmes

From
$100/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Facebook Fundraisers logo

Facebook Fundraisers

Nonprofits

Integrated fundraising on Facebook

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Facebook Fundraisers has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CommCare pricing is by included mobile user bands with a hard step between them, so a programme at 260 mobile users pays the Pro band plus per-user overage or jumps to Advanced, and neither option matches its actual size.; Facebook Fundraisers no donor email collection unless donor explicitly opts in, limiting donor stewardship and relationship-building
  • They diverge on capability: CommCare covers Case management, Facebook Fundraisers covers Campaign creation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CommCare and Facebook Fundraisers actually diverge.

Attributes where CommCare and Facebook Fundraisers differ
AttributeCommCareFacebook Fundraisers
Starting price$100/monthFree
Pricing modelPer month by mobile user countUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsAndroid, WebWeb, iOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2004

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 CommCare

  • Case management
  • Offline-first mobile app
  • App builder
  • Multi-language support
  • Two-way SMS
  • Report builder
  • API access
  • BI integration

Only in Facebook Fundraisers

  • Campaign creation
  • Donation collection
  • Social sharing
  • Donation tracking
  • Team fundraising
  • Facebook Pages
  • Instagram
  • Messenger

What people use each for

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

CommCare

  • A community health worker programme where each worker must see their own assigned households, what is overdue and what happened last visit, which a survey tool cannot representnot Facebook Fundraisers
  • A ministry of health digitising a national frontline protocol and requiring in-region data hosting for legal reasonsnot Facebook Fundraisers
  • An NGO running the same intervention in four countries that needs one application, several languages and consolidated reportingnot Facebook Fundraisers
  • A research team collecting longitudinal data on the same participants over years, where linking visits to a case rather than a submission is the whole requirementnot Facebook Fundraisers

Facebook Fundraisers

  • Business operationsnot CommCare
  • Productivitynot CommCare
  • Automationnot CommCare

Where each one falls short

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

CommCare

  • Pricing is by included mobile user bands with a hard step between them, so a programme at 260 mobile users pays the Pro band plus per-user overage or jumps to Advanced, and neither option matches its actual size.
  • The subscription is the small number; application design, device procurement, worker training and supervision dominate the real cost, and grant budgets that fund only the licence stall at deployment.
  • Grant funding cycles and subscription renewals rarely align, so programmes routinely face a year-four cliff where the software is embedded in a workflow and the money that paid for it has ended.
  • It is Android-only on the device side, which is usually right for the target markets but blocks iOS-issued staff and makes the platform a poor fit for programmes in higher-income settings.
  • The open source option is real but effectively theoretical: self-hosting CommCare HQ requires substantial engineering, so the licence being free does not translate into an escape from the subscription.

Facebook Fundraisers

  • No donor email collection unless donor explicitly opts in, limiting donor stewardship and relationship-building
  • Slow payouts of 15-45 days for enrolled nonprofits, up to 90 days for unenrolled organizations
  • No recurring giving option after discontinuation in 2023, limiting lifetime donor value
  • Limited customization and branding control compared to dedicated fundraising platforms
  • Not available in European Economic Area countries as of July 1, 2024

Pricing, plan by plan

CommCare

$100/month
  • Standard$100/month
    • 50 mobile users included
    • $2 per additional mobile user per month
    • Unlimited free web users
  • Pro$500/month
    • 250 mobile users included
    • Case sharing and child cases
    • Web report builder
  • Advanced$1000/month
    • 500 mobile users included
    • Power BI and Tableau integration
    • Web applications
  • Enterprise$4000/month
    • Custom mobile user count
    • Single sign-on
    • Named account management

Facebook Fundraisers

Free
  • Standard$undefined/mo
    • Donation collection
    • Birthday fundraisers
    • Matching donations on Instagram

Which should you pick?

Choose CommCare if

  • You need case management.
  • You work on Android, Web.
  • You also want offline-first mobile app.
CommCare review

Choose Facebook Fundraisers if

  • You need campaign creation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want donation collection.
Facebook Fundraisers review

Questions people ask

Is CommCare or Facebook Fundraisers better?
Neither clearly leads. CommCare starts at $100/month and Facebook Fundraisers at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CommCare or Facebook Fundraisers?
Facebook Fundraisers has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $100/month for CommCare and Free for Facebook Fundraisers.
Does CommCare or Facebook Fundraisers run on more platforms?
CommCare runs on Android, Web. Facebook Fundraisers runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Facebook Fundraisers for free?
Yes. Facebook Fundraisers has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CommCare starts at $100/month.
What is CommCare best used for?
CommCare is most often used for a community health worker programme where each worker must see their own assigned households, what is overdue and what happened last visit, which a survey tool cannot represent, a ministry of health digitising a national frontline protocol and requiring in-region data hosting for legal reasons, an ngo running the same intervention in four countries that needs one application, several languages and consolidated reporting, a research team collecting longitudinal data on the same participants over years, where linking visits to a case rather than a submission is the whole requirement. Of those, a community health worker programme where each worker must see their own assigned households, what is overdue and what happened last visit, which a survey tool cannot represent and a ministry of health digitising a national frontline protocol and requiring in-region data hosting for legal reasons are not what Facebook Fundraisers is typically brought in for.
What can CommCare do that Facebook Fundraisers cannot?
CommCare covers Case management, Offline-first mobile app, App builder, Multi-language support. Facebook Fundraisers covers Campaign creation, Donation collection, Social sharing, Donation tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CommCare: How much does CommCare cost?

Standard is $100 a month for 50 mobile users, Pro $500 for 250, Advanced $1,000 for 500 and Enterprise from $4,000. Extra mobile users are $2 each per month; web users are unlimited and free.

Facebook Fundraisers: Are there any fees for Facebook Fundraisers for nonprofits?

Meta covers payment processing fees for 501(c)(3) nonprofits in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. However, PayPal Giving Fund, which processes all donations, applies 1.99% + $0.49 per donation in the US. For eligible nonprofits, Meta covers these fees, so the nonprofit keeps 100% of donations.

Source
CommCare: Is CommCare open source?

Yes, CommCare HQ is open source, but self-hosting requires serious engineering capacity. Nearly all users take the hosted service.

Facebook Fundraisers: When will I receive my donations?

Enrolled nonprofits receive donations within 15-45 days. Unenrolled organizations wait up to 90 days. Payouts go through PayPal Giving Fund.

Source
CommCare: Where is our data stored?

You choose United States, European Union or India hosting, which is what makes it acceptable to ministries with data residency rules.

Facebook Fundraisers: Can I collect donor email addresses?

No. Facebook only provides the donor's name and donation amount unless the donor explicitly opts in to share their email during the donation process.

Source
CommCare: Who funds CommCare?

Dimagi is a for-profit B Corporation funded by customer subscriptions and services. Individual deployments are usually funded by donors such as USAID successors, the Gates Foundation or national health budgets.

Facebook Fundraisers: Does Facebook Fundraisers support recurring monthly donations?

No. Native recurring giving was discontinued in October 2023. Donors can only make one-time contributions.

Source
CommCare: Does it do case management or just forms?

Case management. Workers hold a caseload of individuals or households and see history and due actions, which is the main reason to choose it over a form tool.

Facebook Fundraisers: What platforms can I use to fundraise on?

Facebook Fundraisers are available on Facebook Pages, Instagram, and WhatsApp for verified 501(c)(3) nonprofits in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Donors can contribute via donation buttons on posts, stories, live streams, and matching donation features on Instagram.

Source
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