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Nonprofits · head to head

Fundraise Up vs InitLive

Fundraise Up logo

Fundraise Up

Nonprofits

Donation checkout layer that replaces the giving form on an existing nonprofit website

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
InitLive logo

InitLive

Nonprofits

Event management and mobile app platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Fundraise Up the fee is a percentage of donations, so cost rises exactly as the product succeeds, and a single large gift routed through the checkout carries the same rate as a twenty pound one unless the agreement caps it.; InitLive email notification system is weak, lacking ability to track sent emails and resend to unopened recipients
  • They diverge on capability: Fundraise Up covers Embedded donation checkout, InitLive covers Event creation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fundraise Up and InitLive actually diverge.

Attributes where Fundraise Up and InitLive differ
AttributeFundraise UpInitLive
Pricing modelPercentage of each donationsubscription
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2013

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 Fundraise Up

  • Embedded donation checkout
  • Digital wallet payments
  • Recurring gift upgrade prompts
  • Multi currency and multi language
  • Donor covered fees
  • CRM sync

Only in InitLive

  • Event creation
  • Mobile app
  • Registration
  • Check-in
  • Feedback collection
  • Networking tools
  • Stripe
  • PayPal

What people use each for

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

Fundraise Up

  • A charity with a working CRM and website that wants to raise online conversion without replatformingnot InitLive
  • An international organisation needing donors to give in local currency and languagenot InitLive
  • A campaign pushing one time givers into monthly recurring support at the point of donationnot InitLive
  • A digital team that can measure conversion before and after and justify a percentage fee with datanot InitLive

InitLive

  • Business operationsnot Fundraise Up
  • Productivitynot Fundraise Up
  • Automationnot Fundraise Up

Where each one falls short

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

Fundraise Up

  • The fee is a percentage of donations, so cost rises exactly as the product succeeds, and a single large gift routed through the checkout carries the same rate as a twenty pound one unless the agreement caps it.
  • It is a checkout, not a CRM, so it is always an additional cost on top of a donor database rather than a replacement for one.
  • Donor covered fee opt in rates vary widely by audience, so an organisation with an older or offline leaning donor base absorbs more of the fee than the sales model assumes.
  • Design control is limited to what the embedded component exposes, so brand teams that want full control over the giving experience will hit boundaries.
  • Live recurring gift authorisations are held in the platform, which makes leaving considerably harder than adopting, because migrating active mandates risks lapsing donors.

InitLive

  • Email notification system is weak, lacking ability to track sent emails and resend to unopened recipients
  • Discrepancy between mobile app and web version features and functionality
  • Mobile app tablet optimization is suboptimal compared to phone version
  • Initial setup requires substantial preparation time and configuration

Pricing, plan by plan

Fundraise Up

On request
  • Fundraise Up$undefined/year
    • Platform fee taken as a percentage of every donation processed
    • Card processing billed separately on top of the platform fee
    • Optional donor covered fee prompt shifts the cost to the giver rather than removing it

InitLive

On request
  • Starter$100/month
    • Event creation
    • Basic mobile app
  • Professional$250/month
    • Advanced features
    • Customization
    • Integrations

Which should you pick?

Choose Fundraise Up if

  • You need embedded donation checkout.
  • You also want digital wallet payments.
Fundraise Up review

Choose InitLive if

  • You need event creation.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want mobile app.
InitLive review

Questions people ask

Is Fundraise Up or InitLive better?
Neither clearly leads. Fundraise Up starts at On request and InitLive at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fundraise Up or InitLive?
Fundraise Up starts at On request and InitLive at On request.
Does Fundraise Up or InitLive run on more platforms?
Fundraise Up runs on Web. InitLive runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Fundraise Up best used for?
Fundraise Up is most often used for a charity with a working crm and website that wants to raise online conversion without replatforming, an international organisation needing donors to give in local currency and language, a campaign pushing one time givers into monthly recurring support at the point of donation, a digital team that can measure conversion before and after and justify a percentage fee with data. Of those, a charity with a working crm and website that wants to raise online conversion without replatforming and an international organisation needing donors to give in local currency and language are not what InitLive is typically brought in for.
What can Fundraise Up do that InitLive cannot?
Fundraise Up covers Embedded donation checkout, Digital wallet payments, Recurring gift upgrade prompts, Multi currency and multi language. InitLive covers Event creation, Mobile app, Registration, Check-in.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fundraise Up: Is Fundraise Up a CRM?

No. It is a donation checkout that syncs into a CRM you already run, so budget for both.

InitLive: What communication features does InitLive have?

InitLive includes a broadcasting system that allows sending messages to staff lists with ease, real-time communication during events, and staff can delegate volunteer management to other volunteers.

Source
Fundraise Up: How does it charge?

A percentage of each donation, plus separately billed card processing. There is no flat licence that insulates you from volume.

InitLive: How is InitLive licensed to nonprofits today?

InitLive was acquired by Bloomerang in March 2023 and rebranded as Bloomerang Volunteer in July 2023. The product continues to operate as part of the Bloomerang nonprofit relationship management platform.

Source
Fundraise Up: Does the donor covered fee option remove the cost?

It shifts it. When donors opt in they pay the platform and processing fee; when they do not, the charity does.

Fundraise Up: What happens to recurring donors if we leave?

Active recurring authorisations sit with the platform and its processor, and migrating them is the part of an exit most organisations underestimate.

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