Donorbox vs Give Lively
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.
US 501(c)(3) nonprofits seeking a fully underwritten, no-cost fundraising toolkit - campaign pages, text-to-donate, peer-to-peer, and events - backed by philanthropist founders rather than platform charges.
Of every 100 donated, Give Lively delivers 2.95 more per 100 to the recipient than Donorbox.
Each platform is priced in its own currency: Donorbox in NZD, Give Lively in USD.
Per-method pricing.
| Payment method | Per transaction | Of NZ$100, recipient gets | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| iDEAL | 2.95% + NZ$0.29 | NZ$96.76 | 2.95% platform fee + flat iDEAL processing. |
| SEPA Direct Debit | 3.3% + NZ$0.25 | NZ$96.45 | 2.95% platform fee + SEPA Direct Debit processing. |
| Credit card | 5.15% + NZ$0.30 | NZ$94.55 | 2.95% platform fee + 2.2% + EUR 0.30 Stripe card. |
Side-by-side.
| Metric | Donorbox | Give Lively |
|---|---|---|
| Recipient gets (per 100) | NZ$94.55 | $97.50★ winner |
| Platform fee | 2.95% | 0%★ winner |
| Payment processing fee | 2.2% + NZ$0.30 | 2.2% + $0.30★ winner |
| Trustpilot | 4 (52)★ winner | 3.3 (1) |
| Country coverage | 23 countries★ winner | 1 countries |
| Data residency | — | US |
| Languages | 12★ winner | 0 |
| Payment methods supported | 19★ winner | 6 |
Winner by category.
$97.50 vs NZ$94.55 reaches the recipient.
4 vs 3.3 on Trustpilot.
23 vs 1 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.
US 501(c)(3) nonprofits seeking a fully underwritten, no-cost fundraising toolkit - campaign pages, text-to-donate, peer-to-peer, and events - backed by philanthropist founders rather than platform charges.
- ✓Underwritten by philanthropist founders, so member nonprofits are not charged for the software.
- ✓Full toolkit: campaign pages, donation widgets, text-to-donate, peer-to-peer, team fundraising, and events.
- ✓Donors can opt to cover processing, helping organizations keep the full gift.
- ✓Rapid disbursement with no holding period.
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 Give Lively?
Of every 100 donated, Donorbox delivers approximately NZ$94.55 to the recipient and Give Lively delivers approximately $97.50. 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; Give Lively operates in 1.
Rankings are produced by a public editorial methodology — open to peer review. We disclose ownership, scoring weights, and every change.