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.
On a $100 donation, Give Lively delivers $2.95 more to the recipient than Donorbox.
Per-method pricing vs Give Lively.
| Payment method | Per transaction | Of $100, recipient gets | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| iDEAL | 2.95% + $0.29 | $96.76 | 2.95% platform fee + flat iDEAL processing. |
| SEPA Direct Debit | 3.3% + $0.25 | $96.45 | 2.95% platform fee + SEPA Direct Debit processing. |
| Credit card | 5.15% + $0.30 | $94.55 | 2.95% platform fee + 2.2% + EUR 0.30 Stripe card. |
Side-by-side.
| Metric | Donorbox | Give Lively |
|---|---|---|
| Recipient gets ($100) | $94.55 | $97.50★ winner |
| Platform fee | 2.95% | 0%★ winner |
| Payment processing fee | 2.2% + $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 $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?
On a $100 donation, Donorbox delivers approximately $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.