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Nonprofit & Fundraising · head to head

GiveWP vs GuideStar

GiveWP logo

GiveWP

Nonprofit & Fundraising

WordPress donation plugin for nonprofits

From
$199/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GuideStar logo

GuideStar

Nonprofit & Fundraising

Nonprofit profile and intelligence platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only GuideStar has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: GiveWP recurring donations and fee recovery only available in Pro and Elite tiers; Essentials tier ($199/year) limited to one-time donations; 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
  • They diverge on capability: GiveWP covers Donation forms, GuideStar covers Nonprofit profile.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GiveWP and GuideStar actually diverge.

Attributes where GiveWP and GuideStar differ
AttributeGiveWPGuideStar
Starting price$199/yearFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWordPress plugin (self-hosted on WordPress sites)Web, Mobile-responsive
Founded20121995

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 GiveWP

  • Donation forms
  • Recurring donations
  • Donor management
  • Fundraising campaigns
  • Stripe
  • PayPal
  • Mailchimp
  • Zapier

Only in GuideStar

  • Nonprofit profile
  • Impact data
  • Donor verification
  • Financial transparency
  • Ratings
  • Salesforce
  • Google Analytics
  • Mobile-responsive support

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

GiveWP

  • WordPress-hosted nonprofits managing donors with self-hosted data (no third-party donor database)not GuideStar
  • Organisations needing text-to-give and multi-gateway payment processing (Stripe, PayPal, Square, Apple Pay, Google Pay)not GuideStar

GuideStar

  • Business operationsnot GiveWP
  • Productivitynot GiveWP
  • Automationnot GiveWP

Where each one falls short

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

GiveWP

  • Recurring donations and fee recovery only available in Pro and Elite tiers; Essentials tier ($199/year) limited to one-time donations
  • Email marketing integrations (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Salesforce) require Pro tier or higher
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising only available in Elite tier ($599/year); not in lower tiers

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

GiveWP

$199/year

No published plan breakdown. See the GiveWP review.

GuideStar

Free
  • ProfileFree
    • Nonprofit profile
    • Basic data
  • Gold$300/month
    • Enhanced profile
    • Donor verification
    • Impact reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose GiveWP if

  • You need donation forms.
  • You work on WordPress plugin (self-hosted on WordPress sites).
  • You also want recurring donations.
GiveWP review

Choose GuideStar if

  • You need nonprofit profile.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile-responsive.
  • You also want impact data.
GuideStar review

Questions people ask

Is GiveWP or GuideStar better?
Neither clearly leads. GiveWP starts at $199/year and GuideStar at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GiveWP or GuideStar?
GuideStar has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $199/year for GiveWP and Free for GuideStar.
Does GiveWP or GuideStar run on more platforms?
GiveWP runs on WordPress plugin (self-hosted on WordPress sites). GuideStar runs on Web, Mobile-responsive.
Can I use GuideStar for free?
Yes. GuideStar has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. GiveWP starts at $199/year.
What is GiveWP best used for?
GiveWP is most often used for wordpress-hosted nonprofits managing donors with self-hosted data (no third-party donor database), organisations needing text-to-give and multi-gateway payment processing (stripe, paypal, square, apple pay, google pay). Of those, wordpress-hosted nonprofits managing donors with self-hosted data (no third-party donor database) and organisations needing text-to-give and multi-gateway payment processing (stripe, paypal, square, apple pay, google pay) are not what GuideStar is typically brought in for.
What can GiveWP do that GuideStar cannot?
GiveWP covers Donation forms, Recurring donations, Donor management, Fundraising campaigns. GuideStar covers Nonprofit profile, Impact data, Donor verification, Financial transparency. Both handle Web support.
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