BetterWorld

Is There a Better Fundraising Platform than Donorbox?

Donorbox has been a good fit for many organizations, but it might not be the best choice at every stage of your journey.

If you’re looking for more features, greater flexibility, or even a way to cut costs, it might be time to explore alternatives. 

The fundraising world is constantly evolving, and so are the needs of your nonprofit. While sticking with the same platform may feel comfortable, it could also mean missing out on opportunities to grow more efficiently. 

In this blog, we'll highlight some of these options to help you find a platform that aligns with your nonprofit's unique needs. Whether you're looking to scale your efforts, streamline processes, or maximize your impact, the right platform can make all the difference. Let’s dive in!

What Is Donorbox?

Donorbox was founded by Charles Zhang in 2014. It began as a free WordPress plug-in that integrated with PayPal and Stripe for processing donations. 

Today, Donorbox is a technology company based in San Francisco, California. It offers an online fundraising platform for individuals and nonprofits to manage and receive online donations.

Organizations of all kinds use Donorbox, including charities, schools, religious groups, animal welfare organizations, and political campaigns. The platform provides several features to simplify fundraising. 

These include a text-to-give option, which allows donations via text message, and repeat donation options to encourage ongoing support. Peer-to-peer and crowdfunding tools let supporters create their personalized campaign pages to help raise funds.

Donorbox also supports memberships and event management and generates tax-deductible receipts automatically. The platform has grown significantly and is now used by over 80,000 organizations in 96 countries. 

Key Features To Consider in Alternatives to Donorbox

While Donorbox is popular, there are some areas where it falls short compared to other platforms. Let’s take a look at what you might want to consider when exploring Donorbox alternatives.

  • 01. All-in-One Fundraising Solutions

    Donorbox offers a variety of tools, but some competitors go beyond that. If you need a platform that truly has everything under one roof, you might find Donorbox lacking. 

    For instance, it doesn’t offer solutions for online auctions, which can be an important part of your fundraising strategy. When looking for an alternative, make sure it provides all the fundraising tools your nonprofit might need, including auction capabilities.

  • 02. Affordable Pricing Structure

    Donorbox’s standard plan may be free to use, but it comes with a 1.75% platform fee. If you're planning events, memberships, or peer-to-peer campaigns, there’s an additional 2.95% fee. The Pro plan costs $139 per month but still has a 1.5% platform fee. 

    Depending on how much you raise, these fees can add up, impacting your total funds for your cause. It's worth considering platforms that offer a more budget-friendly structure.

  • 03. Customization Options for Branding

    One area where Donorbox doesn’t quite measure up is in customization. Users have noted limited options for customizing their nonprofit branding, especially with the free plan. 

    This can be a drawback if you want your campaign to reflect your nonprofit’s unique identity. Platforms that offer more advanced customization tools can help you better connect with your supporters.

  • 04. User-Friendly Interface

    Not everyone is comfortable with complex tech. Unfortunately, some users find Donorbox challenging to navigate, with critical features hidden deep within menus. If you’re not tech-savvy, this can make the platform frustrating to use. 

    Choose an easy-to-use fundraising platform if you want to focus less on learning the platform interface.

  • 05. Responsive Customer Support

    Customer service is another point to consider. With Donorbox, help is only available through email, which is not ideal if you need a quick answer. Waiting on email replies can be frustrating when you’re in the middle of a campaign and need help fast. 

    Find a platform that offers more responsive customer support, like live chat or phone assistance, to save you a lot of headaches.

  • 06. Reliable Integration Capabilities

    Donorbox offers various integration options, but some users have reported issues. For example, one user mentioned difficulties with Stripe integration, which cost them donations. 

    A fundraising platform that provides seamless and reliable integration with payment processors and other tools is crucial to ensure your fundraising runs smoothly.

  • 07. Simplified Processing Fees

    Donorbox works with multiple payment processors like Stripe and PayPal, but the different processing fees have confused some users. There have been complaints about issues with payment processing integration, which makes things even more complicated. 

    Choose a platform with a clear and straightforward processing fee structure to make things easier for your nonprofit.

  • 08. Transparent Pricing Plans

    The pricing structure with Donorbox can be confusing since it involves a percentage of the donations you raise. All of their plans include platform fees based on a percentage, and there’s no option just to pay a fixed fee upfront. 

    This can make it difficult for nonprofits to budget effectively. An alternative with a more transparent pricing structure, ideally with upfront costs, can help you better manage your expenses.

Here are the top 10 alternatives to Donorbox, each offering unique features that may better suit your fundraising needs.

10 Best Alternatives to Donorbox

01. BetterWorld

The first alternative with a clear upper hand over Donorbox is BetterWorld

Founded in 2013 and based in Charlottesville, VA, BetterWorld was created by a team with deep experience in the nonprofit sector. They’ve been in the trenches themselves—serving on boards, working on teams, advising, donating, and hosting events. This background means they understand the needs and challenges nonprofits face.

BetterWorld is designed specifically to help nonprofits, churches, and educational institutions engage their donors and easily collect contributions. 

Unlike Donorbox, BetterWorld is truly comprehensive, offering everything you need for a successful campaign, including auctions, events, peer-to-peer fundraising, crowdfunding, impact giving, and donation forms.

Where Donorbox also supports fundraising for profit-making ventures, BetterWorld is focused solely on supporting nonprofits, individuals, and community-oriented businesses. It’s a platform with a clear mission: to make fundraising accessible and effective for organizations making a difference.

BetterWorld provides an entire suite of free best-in-class fundraising tools. No platform fees, no ads, and no data sharing. It’s that simple, so nonprofits can focus on what matters most: making an impact.

If you're looking for a platform that offers all the tools in one place with no hidden fees or extra charges, BetterWorld is the perfect choice. 

Sign up today and experience the fundraising as it should be!

BetterWorld Key Features

  • 5 Minute Set-up
  • Unlimited Everything
  • Always Free
  • Automated Payment & Receipts
  • Easy to Export
  • Specifically for Nonprofits

Pros

  • Works well for nonprofits of any size looking to keep costs down while using a digital platform for fundraising.
  • User-friendly interface with a full set of features, as noted by many users.

Cons

  • Not designed for for-profit fundraising.

Pricing

  • Platform Fee: $0 – no extra charges
  • Credit Card Fee: 2.9% + $0.30 (often covered by donors, letting you keep 100% of what you raise)
  • Includes unlimited campaigns, team members, data storage, and more.

Overall Rating

(Capterra)
4.7 / 5.0

We’re here to help!

We’re confident you will love BetterWorld. Our service is backed by our friendly, human support team.

Sign up for free Request a demo
© 2025 BetterWorld
Terms Privacy