Altruism Ireland vs Pledge
Irish donors and registered Irish charities that want zero-platform-fee giving with a strong emphasis on charity transparency and accountability.
US-based individuals, nonprofits and purpose-driven companies that want a free-to-start fundraiser with a wide range of giving methods - cards, ACH, PayPal, Venmo, stock, donor-advised funds and crypto - plus Shopify and API-based embedded giving.
Of every 100 donated, Altruism Ireland delivers 1.75 more per 100 to the recipient than Pledge.
Each platform is priced in its own currency: Altruism Ireland in EUR, Pledge in USD.
What the data says.
Paying by Credit card, Altruism Ireland delivers about 1.75 more of every 100 donated than Pledge (€98.55 vs $96.80 per 100).
Altruism Ireland stores donor data inside the EEA — a practical advantage for GDPR-sensitive campaigns — while Pledge does not.
Side-by-side.
| Metric | Altruism Ireland | Pledge |
|---|---|---|
| Recipient gets (per 100) | €98.55★ winner | $96.80 |
| Platform fee | 0% | 0% |
| Payment processing fee | 1.2% + €0.25★ winner | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Trustpilot | — (0) | — (0) |
| Country coverage | 1 countries | 1 countries |
| Data residency | EU★ winner | US |
| Languages | 1 | 1 |
| Payment methods supported | 1 | 10★ winner |
Winner by category.
€98.55 vs $96.80 reaches the recipient.
— vs — on Trustpilot.
1 vs 1 countries.
EEA data residency for GDPR-sensitive donor data.
Choose based on who you are.
Irish donors and registered Irish charities that want zero-platform-fee giving with a strong emphasis on charity transparency and accountability.
- ✓0% platform fee, so listed charities keep the full donation apart from payment-processing costs.
- ✓Operated by a registered Irish charity (CRA 20082475), aligning its incentives with the causes it lists.
- ✓Transparency focus helps donors assess how charities use their funds.
- ✓Education programmes offered to high-performing charities.
US-based individuals, nonprofits and purpose-driven companies that want a free-to-start fundraiser with a wide range of giving methods - cards, ACH, PayPal, Venmo, stock, donor-advised funds and crypto - plus Shopify and API-based embedded giving.
- ✓No mandatory platform fee - funded by optional donor tipping, with most donors choosing to cover the fees.
- ✓Exceptionally broad giving methods: cards, ACH, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay, stock, donor-advised funds and cryptocurrency.
- ✓Donations are regranted through the Pledgeling Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) public charity, with multi-state US fundraising compliance.
- ✓Shopify "Give & Grow" app and embedded-giving APIs and widgets for e-commerce and product integrations.
A third option.
Dutch and other social-impact initiators running Global-Goals-aligned campaigns who value personal coaching and community-building over a high-volume, self-serve crowdfunding marketplace.
Other comparisons.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, Altruism Ireland or Pledge?
Of every 100 donated, Altruism Ireland delivers approximately €98.55 to the recipient and Pledge delivers approximately $96.80. Real costs depend on the payment method donors choose.
Which is better for European nonprofits?
Altruism Ireland is generally better suited to European nonprofits handling GDPR-sensitive donor data because of its EEA data residency.
Which platform has more country coverage?
Altruism Ireland operates in 1 countries; Pledge operates in 1.
Rankings are produced by a public editorial methodology — open to peer review. We disclose ownership, scoring weights, and every change.