iHelp vs Pledge
Spanish nonprofits and donors who value vetted, legitimacy-checked causes and a commission-light giving model, and who are comfortable with a single Santander payment gateway and a smaller catalogue of campaigns.
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, iHelp delivers 3.20 more per 100 to the recipient than Pledge.
Each platform is priced in its own currency: iHelp in EUR, Pledge in USD.
What the data says.
Paying by Credit card, iHelp delivers about 3.20 more of every 100 donated than Pledge (€100.00 vs $96.80 per 100).
iHelp stores donor data inside the EEA — a practical advantage for GDPR-sensitive campaigns — while Pledge does not.
Side-by-side.
| Metric | iHelp | Pledge |
|---|---|---|
| Recipient gets (per 100) | €100.00★ winner | $96.80 |
| Platform fee | 0% | 0% |
| Payment processing fee | 0% + €0.00★ winner | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Trustpilot | — (0) | — (0) |
| Country coverage | 1 countries | 1 countries |
| Data residency | EU★ winner | US |
| Languages | 2★ winner | 1 |
| Payment methods supported | 1 | 10★ winner |
Winner by category.
€100.00 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.
Spanish nonprofits and donors who value vetted, legitimacy-checked causes and a commission-light giving model, and who are comfortable with a single Santander payment gateway and a smaller catalogue of campaigns.
- ✓No platform commission charged to nonprofits or donors, per iHelp's FAQ.
- ✓NGOs and causes are vetted for legality and viability before listing.
- ✓Long heritage in Spanish online giving, continuing Cibersolidaridad.org which ran from 2001.
- ✓Post-donation follow-up and a stated focus on transparent, effective altruism.
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, iHelp or Pledge?
Of every 100 donated, iHelp delivers approximately €100.00 to the recipient and Pledge delivers approximately $96.80. Real costs depend on the payment method donors choose.
Which is better for European nonprofits?
iHelp is generally better suited to European nonprofits handling GDPR-sensitive donor data because of its EEA data residency.
Which platform has more country coverage?
iHelp 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.