Donately vs Pledge
Nonprofits, churches, and schools that want embeddable, customizable donation forms and an API to add giving to an existing website, with Stripe and PayPal processing and CRM integrations.
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.
On a $100 donation, Pledge delivers $4.00 more to the recipient than Donately.
Side-by-side.
| Metric | Donately | Pledge |
|---|---|---|
| Recipient gets ($100) | $92.80 | $96.80★ winner |
| Platform fee | 4% | 0%★ winner |
| Payment processing fee | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30★ winner |
| Trustpilot | 4.5 (17)★ winner | — (0) |
| Country coverage | 0 countries | 1 countries★ winner |
| Data residency | — | US |
| Languages | 0 | 1★ winner |
| Payment methods supported | 5 | 10★ winner |
Winner by category.
$96.80 vs $92.80 reaches the recipient.
4.5 vs — on Trustpilot.
1 vs 0 countries.
Both share the same residency posture.
Choose based on who you are.
Nonprofits, churches, and schools that want embeddable, customizable donation forms and an API to add giving to an existing website, with Stripe and PayPal processing and CRM integrations.
- ✓Customizable, embeddable donation forms and campaign pages that drop into an existing site.
- ✓API access and native integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Constant Contact, and Mailchimp.
- ✓Card and ACH processing via Stripe and PayPal, with optional donor cost coverage.
- ✓Peer-to-peer, team fundraising, recurring giving, text-to-give, and event ticketing included.
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, Donately or Pledge?
On a $100 donation, Donately delivers approximately $92.80 to the recipient and Pledge delivers approximately $96.80. 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?
Donately operates in 0 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.