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Nonprofits · head to head

Givebutter vs Keela

Givebutter logo

Givebutter

Nonprofits

Free nonprofit fundraising with donor management and campaign tools

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Keela logo

Keela

Nonprofits

Nonprofit CRM and fundraising platform with Canadian tax receipting built in

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Givebutter has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Givebutter free tier includes 3% platform fee when donor tips are disabled; Keela pricing scales with contact count, so a charity that keeps twenty years of lapsed donors pays every month for records it never contacts, and the only fix is deleting history it may need for reporting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Givebutter and Keela actually diverge.

Attributes where Givebutter and Keela differ
AttributeGivebutterKeela
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumPer month by contact count
Free tierYesNo

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 Givebutter

Nothing recorded that Keela does not also cover.

Only in Keela

  • Donor records and segmentation
  • CRA and IRS receipting
  • Donation forms and pages
  • Email and automation
  • Grant and pledge tracking
  • Reporting dashboards

What people use each for

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

Givebutter

  • Launching donation pages where donors cover feesnot Keela
  • Managing peer-to-peer and event fundraising togethernot Keela
  • Automating donor thank-you workflows and tasksnot Keela
  • Accepting donations across Venmo, PayPal, cards, ACHnot Keela

Keela

  • A Canadian registered charity that must issue CRA compliant receipts without building templates itselfnot Givebutter
  • A development team of two to five people replacing spreadsheets and a mailing toolnot Givebutter
  • An organisation already running Aplos fund accounting that wants gifts to post through automaticallynot Givebutter
  • A bilingual charity sending French and English donor communications from one contact listnot Givebutter

Where each one falls short

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

Givebutter

  • Free tier includes 3% platform fee when donor tips are disabled
  • Plus pricing varies by contact volume: up to $129/month for 2,500+ contacts

Keela

  • Pricing scales with contact count, so a charity that keeps twenty years of lapsed donors pays every month for records it never contacts, and the only fix is deleting history it may need for reporting.
  • The email marketing tools are adequate for donor appeals but weaker than a dedicated platform, so organisations with heavy newsletter programmes end up paying for a second tool and syncing lists.
  • Custom reporting is limited to the fields and filters Keela exposes, so questions the product did not anticipate require exporting to a spreadsheet.
  • The integration list is short next to Salesforce or Blackbaud, so a charity running an unusual event, membership or advocacy tool will be moving data by CSV.
  • Since the 2023 Aplos acquisition the roadmap serves a combined accounting and fundraising suite, so investment favours the accounting join rather than standalone CRM depth.

Pricing, plan by plan

Givebutter

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Donation forms
    • Fundraising pages
    • Donor CRM
  • Givebutter Plus$29/month
    • For 250 or fewer contacts: $29/month or $348/year
    • Automated workflows
    • Task management

Keela

On request
  • Keela$undefined/month
    • Published tiers priced by number of contacts held, not by user seat
    • Higher tiers unlock automation, custom fields and additional reporting
    • Card processing is charged separately by the payment processor

Which should you pick?

Choose Givebutter if

  • You want to start without paying.
Givebutter review

Choose Keela if

  • You need donor records and segmentation.
  • You also want cra and irs receipting.
Keela review

Questions people ask

Is Givebutter or Keela better?
Neither clearly leads. Givebutter starts at Free and Keela at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Givebutter or Keela?
Givebutter has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Givebutter and On request for Keela.
Does Givebutter or Keela run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Givebutter for free?
Yes. Givebutter has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Keela starts at On request.
What is Givebutter best used for?
Givebutter is most often used for launching donation pages where donors cover fees, managing peer-to-peer and event fundraising together, automating donor thank-you workflows and tasks, accepting donations across venmo, paypal, cards, ach. Of those, launching donation pages where donors cover fees and managing peer-to-peer and event fundraising together are not what Keela is typically brought in for.
What can Givebutter do that Keela cannot?
Keela covers Donor records and segmentation, CRA and IRS receipting, Donation forms and pages, Email and automation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Givebutter: How much does Givebutter cost?

Givebutter's core platform is free to use. The optional Givebutter Plus upgrade starts at $29 per month for nonprofits with 250 or fewer contacts, scaling to $129 per month for 2,500+ contacts.

Source
Keela: Does Keela issue CRA compliant tax receipts?

Yes, receipt numbering, required wording and batch issuance are built in, which is the main reason Canadian charities choose it over US products.

Givebutter: How does Givebutter stay free?

Givebutter remains free when nonprofits enable optional donor tips. Donors can choose to tip when donating, and Givebutter covers any uncovered transaction costs through the Givebutter Guarantee. Without tips enabled, a 3% platform fee applies plus standard processor fees.

Source
Keela: Who owns Keela?

Aplos Software, a US fund accounting vendor, acquired it in 2023. Keela is still sold as its own product but shares a roadmap with Aplos.

Givebutter: Can I cancel Givebutter Plus anytime?

Yes, Givebutter Plus subscriptions can be cancelled anytime; cancellation takes effect at the end of the billing period. A 30-day Plus trial is available.

Source
Keela: Is pricing per user?

No, it is by contact count. Adding staff does not raise the bill, growing the mailing list does.

Keela: Can it replace a fund accounting system?

No. It records income and pledges but does not do fund accounting, so you still need Aplos, QuickBooks or an equivalent.

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