GiveGrove
vs Zeffy
GiveGrove and Zeffy are both free for nonprofits to start, and both are funded by optional donor tips. As a Zeffy alternative, GiveGrove is built around auction night, with text outbid alerts, paddle and live auction tools, and a team on call during your event. Zeffy is a broad all-in-one toolkit that absorbs card processing itself.
Last updated September 2026 · Published by GiveGrove
GiveGrove vs Zeffy: the short version
Choose GiveGrove if your fundraiser centers on a silent or live auction and you want text outbid alerts, paddle management, real-time check-in and checkout, and people on call during the event.
Choose Zeffy if you want one free tool for donations, memberships, an online store and a donor CRM, and you want the platform to absorb card processing.
The biggest difference: who pays card processing and who controls the tip prompt. GiveGrove lets you decide who covers processing, lets you pick a tip model or a no-tip model, and returns up to 10% of donor tips to your organization. Zeffy covers processing and sets its contribution prompt itself.
GiveGrove vs Zeffy at a glance
| GiveGrove 🍋 | Zeffy | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Auction-centered events: silent auctions, live auctions, galas | Nonprofits that want one free toolkit for many kinds of fundraising |
| Pricing model | Your choice: GiveBack Guarantee (tip-funded) or Classic (percentage) | Free, funded by optional donor contributions |
| Platform fee | 0% (GiveBack) or 4% capped at $4,000 per event (Classic) | 0% |
| Card processing | 2.9% + $0.30; donors must cover, donors may cover, or you absorb | Covered by Zeffy |
| Tip prompt | Optional tip (GiveBack) or none (Classic) | Optional contribution shown twice; wording and suggested amounts can't be customized |
| Tips shared with you | Up to 10% of each tip | No; contributions fund Zeffy |
| Contracts or subscriptions | None | None |
| Silent auction | Mobile bidding, auto-charge, auto-bidding, anti-sniping, Buy It Now, multi-quantity items | Up to 200 items per form, auto-charge, auto-bidding, anti-sniping |
| Outbid alerts | Text message | |
| Live auction | Paddle assignment, paddle raises, manual bid entry, hybrid bidding | QR-code bidding alongside your event; optional cash or offline bids |
| Tickets, raffles and check-in | Ticketing with discount codes, custom questions for attendees, and raffles, with real-time check-in and checkout | Ticketing and raffles; in-person payments with the Tap to Pay app |
| Donor CRM | None by design; exports to your CRM | Built-in CRM with email tools |
| Support | Team on call during your event | Help center and weekly demos |
GiveGrove vs Zeffy pricing
Example: $25,000 raised across 250 card payments averaging $100.
| Setup | Organization pays | Donors pay | Comes back to you |
|---|---|---|---|
| GiveGrove 🍋 GiveBack, donors required to cover processing | $0 | About $800 in processing (2.9% + $0.30 per payment), plus an optional tip | Up to 10% of tips |
| GiveGrove 🍋 Classic, donors required to cover fees | $0 | About $1,800 ($1,000 platform fee at 4%, plus about $800 processing); no tip prompt | Not applicable |
| Zeffy | $0 | Optional contribution to Zeffy | Nothing extra |
Either platform can cost your organization nothing. With GiveGrove, donors usually cover processing (about $3.20 on a $100 payment), and you decide whether they also see a tip prompt. With Zeffy, donors see only an optional contribution.
GiveGrove 🍋 reports that donors cover fees 85 to 90% of the time when given the option.
GiveGrove vs Zeffy features
Auctions
GiveGrove runs silent auctions with real-time mobile bidding, starting bids and increments, auto-bidding, anti-sniping, outbid texts, automatic charging of winners, Buy It Now, and multi-quantity items such as a wine pull. Auctions can close at a set time or with your live event. Live auctions include paddle assignment (online and offline paddle numbers), paddle raises, and manual bid entry for guests without smartphones, in the room or streamed on Zoom, Facebook Live or YouTube.
Zeffy runs auctions through a form that holds up to 200 items, with starting bids and increments, auto-bidding, and anti-sniping that extends bidding in 3-minute steps for up to 30 minutes. Bidders get outbid emails with a private rebid link and reminders a day and an hour before close. Winners are charged automatically 10 to 30 minutes after close, and cash or offline bids can be turned on.
Tickets, raffles, check-in and payments
GiveGrove includes ticketing with real-time guest check-in and checkout, and the same ticketing module can run raffles. Guests can pay for live auction items on the spot. GiveGrove also accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Zeffy includes ticketing, raffles, and in-person payments through its Tap to Pay app, a card reader or a QR code.
Donations and other campaigns
Both offer donation pages and peer-to-peer fundraising.
GiveGrove adds fund-a-need, team fundraising and team voting. You can also add offline dollars to a team fundraiser or voting campaign.
Zeffy adds memberships, an online store, tax receipts, and integrations with QuickBooks Online and Zapier.
Donor data and messaging
GiveGrove has no CRM by design. You get each supporter's name, email, phone, purchases and fee coverage to export into your own CRM, and you can text supporters who opted in. GiveGrove never uses or sells donor data.
Zeffy includes a CRM with email campaigns and postal donor mail.
Support
GiveGrove's team is on call during your event, and you can text or call a real person for help while it's live. There's also a help button on every page and a post-event summary showing net raised and your actual cost.
Zeffy offers a help center, weekly demos and a contact form.
Where GiveGrove is stronger
- Built for auction night: paddle assignment, paddle raises, and hybrid bidding.
- Auto-bidding and outbid alerts by text message.
- A choice of model: tip-funded GiveBack, or Classic with no tip prompt and a fee capped at $4,000 per event.
- Tip sharing: up to 10% of each donor tip goes back to your organization.
- People on call during your event.
Where Zeffy is stronger
- Zeffy absorbs card processing, so donors are never asked to cover it.
- A broader toolkit: memberships, an online store, tax receipts, a CRM and email.
- More integrations, including QuickBooks Online, Zapier and an API.
- Built-in in-person payments through its Tap to Pay app.
GiveGrove or Zeffy: which should you choose?
School or PTO auction with parents bidding from their phones:
GiveGrove, for text outbid alerts and simple checkout.
Gala with an auctioneer and a paddle raise:
GiveGrove.
Year-round giving, memberships and merchandise in one free tool:
Zeffy.
You want a donor CRM and email tool included:
Zeffy, or keep your current CRM and run the event on GiveGrove.
How to switch from Zeffy to GiveGrove
-
Create your GiveGrove event. You need your organization's name and event basics, and setup takes a few minutes.
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Choose GiveBack Guarantee or Classic, then set how processing fees are handled.
-
Add your items and share your event page. Want a walkthrough first? Talk to a real person.
✦ Neither platform has a contract, so you can run your next auction on GiveGrove without closing your Zeffy account.
“GiveGrove makes fundraising so simple! Love the way we can customize the system for our events, and it streamlines the work to make it easy for donors to use. We definitely have seen an increase in giving when we made the switch to GiveGrove.”
GiveGrove vs Zeffy FAQ
Is GiveGrove free like Zeffy?
Yes. With the GiveBack Guarantee, GiveGrove charges no platform fee, is funded by optional donor tips, and returns up to 10% of each tip to your organization. Card processing (2.9% + $0.30) can be required of donors, made optional, or absorbed by you.
Is Zeffy really free?
Yes, for the organization. Zeffy says it charges no platform fee and covers all card processing, funded by voluntary contributions donors can add at checkout.
Which is better for a live auction or gala?
GiveGrove, if you need paddle assignment, paddle raises or manual bids for guests without phones. Zeffy runs auctions through an online form with QR-code bidding, plus optional cash or offline bids.
How many items can a Zeffy auction hold?
GiveGrove has no item limits. Zeffy allows up to 200 items per auction form, according to its help center.
Do bidders get a text when they're outbid?
On GiveGrove, yes. Zeffy sends outbid alerts by email, with a private link to bid again.
Can I change the tip prompt donors see?
On GiveGrove, yes: you can skip tips entirely with the Classic model, which uses a capped percentage fee instead. Not on Zeffy: its help center says the contribution wording and suggested amounts can't be customized.
Is Zeffy a good fit for a big gala?
It can be. One thing to plan for: Zeffy's help center says that in rare cases where an organization raises very large amounts by card with few donor contributions, Zeffy may reach out and suggest solutions such as a temporary card payment limit.
Does GiveGrove have a donor CRM like Zeffy?
No. GiveGrove focuses on auctions and events and exports supporter contact data to the CRM or email tool you already use.
Try GiveGrove free
No contracts, no upfront costs, no subscriptions.
How we compared
GiveGrove publishes this page. We checked GiveGrove's pricing and product pages and Zeffy's public help center on September 29, 2026, and link every source below. We have tried to be fair, including where Zeffy is the better fit. Prices and features change. If anything here is out of date, email info@givegrove.com and we will correct it.
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