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Nonprofits · head to head

Donorbox vs Give Lively

Donorbox logo

Donorbox

Nonprofits

Online fundraising platform for nonprofits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Give Lively logo

Give Lively

Nonprofits

Fundraising software given free to nonprofits, funded by its founders rather than by fees

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Donorbox standard plan charges 2.95-3.95% platform fee per donation on top of payment processor fees (2.2-2.49% + card processing); Give Lively eligibility is limited to US 501(c)(3) organisations, so charities registered in the UK, Canada, Australia or the EU cannot use it at all regardless of fit.
  • They diverge on capability: Donorbox covers Custom donation forms, Give Lively covers Branded donation pages.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Donorbox and Give Lively actually diverge.

Attributes where Donorbox and Give Lively differ
AttributeDonorboxGive Lively
Pricing modelfreemiumFree to nonprofits, card processing charged by the processor
Founded2016Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), 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 Donorbox

  • Custom donation forms
  • Payment processing
  • Donor management
  • Stripe
  • PayPal
  • Mailchimp
  • Zapier
  • Web support

Only in Give Lively

  • Branded donation pages
  • Text-to-donate
  • Event ticketing
  • Donor database
  • DAFpay
  • Multiple processors

Both cover

  • Peer-to-peer fundraising

What people use each for

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

Donorbox

  • Small to mid-sized nonprofits needing affordable donation processing in 96+ countriesnot Give Lively
  • Organisations seeking integrated event ticketing and peer-to-peer fundraisingnot Give Lively
  • Multi-channel giving strategies including text-to-give and membership programmesnot Give Lively

Give Lively

  • A US nonprofit currently paying a percentage platform fee on every gift and wanting that money back in programme budgetnot Donorbox
  • Running a peer-to-peer campaign where thin margins make a per-donation platform cut painfulnot Donorbox
  • A small organisation with no software budget that still needs branded, mobile-ready donation pagesnot Donorbox
  • Adding donor advised fund giving at checkout without paying for a separate DAF integrationnot Donorbox

Where each one falls short

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

Donorbox

  • Standard plan charges 2.95-3.95% platform fee per donation on top of payment processor fees (2.2-2.49% + card processing)
  • Premium plan pricing requires contacting sales, not displayed publicly
  • Pro plan limited to growing organisations; larger nonprofits must upgrade to Premium with custom pricing

Give Lively

  • Eligibility is limited to US 501(c)(3) organisations, so charities registered in the UK, Canada, Australia or the EU cannot use it at all regardless of fit.
  • The platform is funded by its founders' personal philanthropy rather than by revenue, so there is no contractual commitment to a roadmap or a service level and no paying customer base to keep it alive if that funding stops.
  • Support is email based with no paid escalation tier, so an organisation mid-campaign with a broken form has no way to buy faster attention.
  • The donor database is adequate for gift tracking but thin compared with a real CRM, so most organisations still pay for Bloomerang, DonorPerfect or Salesforce alongside it and maintain a sync.
  • Optional donor tips appear at checkout to fund the platform, which some boards object to because it puts a second ask in front of a donor who has already decided what to give.

Pricing, plan by plan

Donorbox

Free
  • StandardFree
    • Unlimited donation forms and pages
    • Basic reporting
    • 2.95-3.95% transaction fees
  • Pro$150/month
    • Advanced customizations
    • Crypto and stock donations
    • AI assistant included

Give Lively

Free
  • Give LivelyFree
    • All fundraising products included
    • No platform fee on donations
    • No setup or subscription charge

Which should you pick?

Choose Donorbox if

  • You need custom donation forms.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want payment processing.
Donorbox review

Choose Give Lively if

  • You need branded donation pages.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want text-to-donate.
Give Lively review

Questions people ask

Is Donorbox or Give Lively better?
Neither clearly leads. Donorbox starts at Free and Give Lively at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Donorbox or Give Lively?
Donorbox starts at Free and Give Lively at Free.
Does Donorbox or Give Lively run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Donorbox for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Donorbox best used for?
Donorbox is most often used for small to mid-sized nonprofits needing affordable donation processing in 96+ countries, organisations seeking integrated event ticketing and peer-to-peer fundraising, multi-channel giving strategies including text-to-give and membership programmes. Of those, small to mid-sized nonprofits needing affordable donation processing in 96+ countries and organisations seeking integrated event ticketing and peer-to-peer fundraising are not what Give Lively is typically brought in for.
What can Donorbox do that Give Lively cannot?
Donorbox covers Custom donation forms, Payment processing, Donor management, Stripe. Give Lively covers Branded donation pages, Text-to-donate, Event ticketing, Donor database. Both handle Peer-to-peer fundraising.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Donorbox: How much does Donorbox cost?

Donorbox Standard is free with 2.95-3.95% transaction fees. Pro is $150/month with 1.75-2% transaction fees, advanced customizations, and AI assistance. Premium requires a custom quote.

Source
Give Lively: Is it genuinely free, or free with a percentage taken?

Genuinely free. Give Lively takes no cut of donations and charges no subscription. You pay only the card processing fee, which goes to Stripe, Shift4 or PayPal, starting around 1.99% plus $0.25.

Donorbox: Is Donorbox free?

Yes, Donorbox Standard is free with unlimited donation forms and basic reporting, though transaction fees of 2.95-3.95% apply.

Source
Give Lively: How does the company make money?

It does not, in the ordinary sense. Operating costs are covered by its founders as a philanthropic commitment, plus voluntary tips donors can add at checkout.

Donorbox: What are Donorbox's transaction fees by plan?

Standard plan charges 2.95-3.95% per transaction. Pro charges 1.75-2%. Premium charges 1.6-2%. All plans allow donors to cover processing fees.

Source
Give Lively: Can a UK or Canadian charity use it?

No. Give Lively requires US 501(c)(3) status.

Give Lively: Does it replace a donor CRM?

Not for most organisations. It stores donors and gift history, but fundraisers running major gift or grant pipelines usually keep a dedicated CRM and sync to it.

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