Nonprofit & Fundraising · head to head
Funraise vs GuideStar
Funraise
Nonprofit & Fundraising
Nonprofit fundraising and donor management with revenue-based free tier
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
GuideStar
Nonprofit & Fundraising
Nonprofit profile and intelligence platform
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Funraise free plan is restricted to organizations raising under $1 million annually and carries a 5% platform fee on top of processing fees, as of August 2026; GuideStar guideStar and Foundation Directory are being retired and merged into a single Candid platform, per Candid's own learning.candid.org help pages, with existing subscribers redirected to log in at app.candid.org
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Funraise and GuideStar actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Nonprofit & Fundraising).
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 Funraise
Nothing recorded that GuideStar does not also cover.
Only in GuideStar
- Nonprofit profile
- Impact data
- Donor verification
- Financial transparency
- Ratings
- Salesforce
- Google Analytics
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Funraise
No use cases recorded yet. See the Funraise review.
GuideStar
- Business operationsnot Funraise
- Productivitynot Funraise
- Automationnot Funraise
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Funraise
- Free plan is restricted to organizations raising under $1 million annually and carries a 5% platform fee on top of processing fees, as of August 2026
- Wealth screening, SMS messaging and dedicated success manager access require the Premium plan starting at $99 per month, as of August 2026
GuideStar
- GuideStar and Foundation Directory are being retired and merged into a single Candid platform, per Candid's own learning.candid.org help pages, with existing subscribers redirected to log in at app.candid.org
- Candid's own pricing page lists Candid Premium (annual) at $1,199 per year in USD, and $219 per month if billed monthly, with an Ultimate annual tier at $1,699 per year adding compliance monitoring features
- Candid's free tier limits search results, profile views and dashboards; full grants and profile data downloads are capped even on Premium annual, at 1,000 grants downloads and 5,000 profile downloads per month
Pricing, plan by plan
Funraise
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Funraise review.
GuideStar
Free- ProfileFree
- Nonprofit profile
- Basic data
- Gold$300/month
- Enhanced profile
- Donor verification
- Impact reporting
Which should you pick?
Choose GuideStar if
- You need nonprofit profile.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile-responsive.
- You also want impact data.
Questions people ask
- Is Funraise or GuideStar better?
- Neither clearly leads. Funraise starts at Free and GuideStar at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Funraise or GuideStar?
- Funraise starts at Free and GuideStar at Free.
- Does Funraise or GuideStar run on more platforms?
- Funraise runs on Web. GuideStar runs on Web, Mobile-responsive.
- Can I use Funraise for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What can Funraise do that GuideStar cannot?
- GuideStar covers Nonprofit profile, Impact data, Donor verification, Financial transparency.