Donorbox vs Steady
Small-to-medium nonprofits across verticals like churches, healthcare, education, and animal welfare that want recurring-donation tooling, donor fee-cover, and a managed donation-form product without a CRM-scale platform commitment.
European creators, independent journalists, podcasters, and publishers who want recurring income from paying members rather than one-off donation campaigns.
On a £100 donation, Donorbox delivers £7.45 more to the recipient than Steady.
Per-method pricing vs Steady.
| Payment method | Per transaction | Of £100, recipient gets | Notes | Steady · fee | Steady gets | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iDEAL | 2.95% + £0.29 | £96.76 | 2.95% platform fee + flat iDEAL processing. | not supported | — | — |
| SEPA Direct Debit | 3.3% + £0.25 | £96.45 | 2.95% platform fee + SEPA Direct Debit processing. | 11% + £0.00 | £89.00 | +£7.45 |
| Credit card | 5.15% + £0.30 | £94.55 | 2.95% platform fee + 2.2% + EUR 0.30 Stripe card. | 12.9% + £0.00 | £87.10 | +£7.45 |
Side-by-side.
| Metric | Donorbox | Steady |
|---|---|---|
| Recipient gets (£100) | £94.55★ winner | £87.10 |
| Platform fee | 2.95%★ winner | 10% |
| Payment processing fee | 2.2% + £0.30★ winner | 2.9% + £0.00 |
| Trustpilot | 4 (52)★ winner | 2.6 (4) |
| Country coverage | 23 countries | 32 countries★ winner |
| Data residency | — | — |
| Languages | 12★ winner | 5 |
| Payment methods supported | 19★ winner | 4 |
Winner by category.
£94.55 vs £87.10 reaches the recipient.
4 vs 2.6 on Trustpilot.
32 vs 23 countries.
Both share the same residency posture.
Choose based on who you are.
Small-to-medium nonprofits across verticals like churches, healthcare, education, and animal welfare that want recurring-donation tooling, donor fee-cover, and a managed donation-form product without a CRM-scale platform commitment.
- ✓Donor-cover-fees option at checkout — Donorbox frames opt-in as the default, so the recipient can receive the full donation amount.
- ✓Broad payment-rail support: iDEAL, Bancontact, SEPA, BACS, Klarna, PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, and Link by Stripe.
- ✓Standard plan has no monthly subscription — just per-transaction fees on the 2.95% / 3.95% tier.
- ✓First-class recurring-donation tooling with upsell prompts and donor-management features on the Pro tier.
European creators, independent journalists, podcasters, and publishers who want recurring income from paying members rather than one-off donation campaigns.
- ✓Purpose-built recurring-membership tooling for creators, journalists, and publishers.
- ✓Free to register and create a project; fees apply only once you earn.
- ✓European data handling with multi-currency support (euro, pound, Swiss franc, US dollar).
- ✓Members can pay by card, PayPal, Apple Pay, and SEPA direct debit.
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, Donorbox or Steady?
On a £100 donation, Donorbox delivers approximately £94.55 to the recipient and Steady delivers approximately £87.10. Real costs depend on the payment method donors choose.
Which is better for European nonprofits?
Both platforms operate inside the EEA framework. Choose based on local payment-method coverage and language support.
Which platform has more country coverage?
Donorbox operates in 23 countries; Steady operates in 32.
Rankings are produced by a public editorial methodology — open to peer review. We disclose ownership, scoring weights, and every change.