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Nonprofits · head to head

Donorbox vs GrantStation

Donorbox logo

Donorbox

Nonprofits

Online fundraising platform for nonprofits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GrantStation logo

GrantStation

Nonprofits

A low-cost grant opportunity database sold on annual membership, usually at a heavy standing discount

From
$199/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Donorbox has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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); GrantStation it is a database with no pipeline, no deadline tracking against your own applications and no post-award reporting, so any team of more than one ends up managing grants in a spreadsheet anyway.
  • They diverge on capability: Donorbox covers Custom donation forms, GrantStation covers US grantmaker database.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Donorbox and GrantStation actually diverge.

Attributes where Donorbox and GrantStation differ
AttributeDonorboxGrantStation
Starting priceFree$199/year
Pricing modelfreemiumPer organisation per year
Free tierYesNo
Founded2016Unknown

Identical on both: 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
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising
  • Payment processing
  • Donor management
  • Stripe
  • PayPal
  • Mailchimp
  • Zapier

Only in GrantStation

  • US grantmaker database
  • Federal and state funding
  • International and Canadian databases
  • Weekly opportunity bulletin
  • PathFinder library
  • Saved searches

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 GrantStation
  • Organisations seeking integrated event ticketing and peer-to-peer fundraisingnot GrantStation
  • Multi-channel giving strategies including text-to-give and membership programmesnot GrantStation

GrantStation

  • A small nonprofit with no grants budget that needs a starting list of plausible funders in its statenot Donorbox
  • A solo grant writer validating whether a cause area has enough funders to justify a grants strategynot Donorbox
  • An organisation whose state nonprofit association resells the membership at 75 to 139 dollars, making it near-free researchnot Donorbox
  • Supplementing an existing donor CRM with opportunity discovery without adding a second four-figure subscriptionnot 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

GrantStation

  • It is a database with no pipeline, no deadline tracking against your own applications and no post-award reporting, so any team of more than one ends up managing grants in a spreadsheet anyway.
  • The published 699 dollar list price bears no relation to the market price, which means buyers who purchase direct without checking association rates routinely overpay by three to nine times.
  • Funder records are broad but shallow compared with 990-derived tools, so vetting whether a foundation actually funds organisations like yours still requires separate research.
  • There are no integrations with donor CRMs or accounting systems, so nothing found in GrantStation flows anywhere else without manual re-entry.
  • Data freshness varies by database, and the international pool in particular is thin relative to the US listings it is bundled with.

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

GrantStation

$199/year
  • Membership (promotional or association rate)$199/year
    • Full US, Canadian and international databases
    • Weekly opportunity bulletin
    • PathFinder training library
  • Membership (list price)$699/year
    • Identical access to the promotional rate
    • Rarely the price actually paid

Which should you pick?

Choose Donorbox if

  • You need custom donation forms.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want peer-to-peer fundraising.
Donorbox review

Choose GrantStation if

  • You need us grantmaker database.
  • You also want federal and state funding.
GrantStation review

Questions people ask

Is Donorbox or GrantStation better?
Neither clearly leads. Donorbox starts at Free and GrantStation at $199/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Donorbox or GrantStation?
Donorbox has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Donorbox and $199/year for GrantStation.
Does Donorbox or GrantStation run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Donorbox for free?
Yes. Donorbox has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. GrantStation starts at $199/year.
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 GrantStation is typically brought in for.
What can Donorbox do that GrantStation cannot?
Donorbox covers Custom donation forms, Peer-to-peer fundraising, Payment processing, Donor management. GrantStation covers US grantmaker database, Federal and state funding, International and Canadian databases, Weekly opportunity bulletin.

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
GrantStation: What does GrantStation actually cost?

List price is 699 USD a year but the standing promotional rate is 199, and nonprofit associations resell it to members for 75 to 139. Check your association before buying direct.

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
GrantStation: Does it track my applications?

No. It finds opportunities. Pipeline, deadlines and reporting have to live elsewhere.

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
GrantStation: How does it compare with Instrumentl?

It is roughly a tenth of the price and does roughly a tenth of the job. Instrumentl adds matching, pipeline and post-award tracking.

GrantStation: Is there a free trial?

GrantStation offers a limited free search tool and periodic trials, but the full databases require membership.

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