DonorSnap vs. Zeffy

Outgrowing free? DonorSnap is built for what comes next.

Free software is a fine place to start. It’s a harder place to grow. DonorSnap pairs deep donor management and serious reporting with pricing that works from day one, and a donor experience with no surprise tipping prompts at checkout. The CRM you grow into, not the one you outgrow.

Choose DonorSnap If:

You want a full-featured donor database with honest flat-rate pricing, advanced reporting, unlimited users, and the option to add native event and auction tools as you grow.

Chose Zeffy If:

You’re a very small or grassroots nonprofit with minimal donor management needs, no budget for software, and you’re comfortable explaining the optional donor tip model to your supporters.

The Honest Breakdown of DonorSnap vs. Zeffy

DonorSnap is a nonprofit donor management CRM starting at $50 per month for up to 1,000 contacts, with plans scaling by contact count up to $250 per month for up to 30,000 contacts. Every plan includes all features and unlimited users. There is a one-time $200 setup fee that covers data conversion and two private training sessions. Annual plans are available at approximately 10% off. DonorSnap does not charge per user and does not lock features behind higher tiers.

Zeffy is a fundraising platform that charges nonprofits no monthly or transaction fees. Instead, it is funded by an optional tip added to donor checkouts — up to 17% of the transaction amount — which defaults to on. Donors can adjust or remove it, but many do not. Some nonprofits have reported donor confusion and lost contributions as a result.

As donor management software, DonorSnap offers a full CRM with custom fields, advanced donor segmentation, batch data entry, pledge tracking, customizable reporting, native QuickBooks integration, and Constant Contact integration. Zeffy offers basic donor tracking but is primarily built for fundraising rather than donor relationship management. DonorSnap does not offer peer-to-peer fundraising or raffle tools; Zeffy does not offer advanced CRM features, batch entry, or pledge tracking.

Both platforms include event ticketing and registration. DonorSnap offers this through EventSnap, a native product built by the same team. DonorSnap also offers AuctionSnap for silent and live auctions with mobile bidding. Zeffy offers limited auction tools. DonorSnap does not offer peer-to-peer fundraising; Zeffy does not offer a native auction management system.

For support, DonorSnap includes email support with typical response times of a few hours, two private one-on-one training sessions, weekly group webinars, and a full help site and video library — all included at every plan level. Zeffy offers email and chat support with a 2–6 hour response time. DonorSnap has been serving nonprofits since 2007. Zeffy was founded in 2017 and rebranded from its original name to Zeffy in 2022.

Pricing

Zeffy markets itself as "100% free." It's worth understanding exactly how that works before making a decision.

Pricing	DonorSnap	Zeffy
Starting price	$50/month	$0/month
Pricing model	Flat monthly fee by contact count	Free to nonprofits; funded by optional donor tips at checkout
Setup fee	$200 one-time (includes data conversion + training)	None
Per-user fees	✓ None — unlimited users on every plan	✓ None
Online payment processing	Stripe integration $10/mo. Cards 2.2% + $0.30 (Amex 3.5%). ACH 0.8%, capped at $5	No fees to nonprofit when donor tips are enabled
Cost to donors	Standard card processing only	Optional tip (up to 17%) added to donor checkout — defaults to on
Annual discount	✓ ~10% off (approx. 2 months free)	N/A
Pricing transparency	✓ All pricing public on pricing page	✓ All pricing public

Features

DonorSnap is a donor management system first. Zeffy is a fundraising platform first. The feature sets reflect that difference.

Feature	DonorSnap	Zeffy
Donor database (CRM)	✓ Full-featured	Basic
Custom fields	✓ Unlimited	✗
Donor segmentation	✓ Advanced query builder	Limited
Reporting & analytics	✓ Customizable, exportable	Basic
Donor retention & lapsed donor reporting	✓	Limited
Batch data entry	✓	✗
Pledge tracking	✓	✗
Online donation forms	✓ Native	✓
Recurring donations	✓	✓
Email marketing	✓ Native + Constant Contact integration	Basic
QuickBooks integration	✓ Native (Desktop & Online)	Via Zapier only
Acknowledgement letters	✓	Basic receipts only
Volunteer tracking	✓	✗
Membership tracking	✓	✓
Event ticketing & registration	✓ via EventSnap (native suite)	✓
Silent & live auction tools	✓ via AuctionSnap (native suite)	Limited auction tools available
Peer-to-peer fundraising	✗	✓
Raffle / lottery tools	✗	✓
AI-powered reporting	✓ DonorSnap Analytics ($12/mo add-on)	✗
Unlimited users	✓ All plans	✓
Full data export	✓	✓

Support

When you're learning new software, having a team in your corner makes all the difference.

Support	DonorSnap	Zeffy
Email support	✓ Typically within a few hours	✓ 2–6 hour response time
Phone support	$40/month add-on	✗
Live chat	✗	Chat support (2–6 hour response)
Private training sessions	✓ 2 included with setup	✗
Weekly group webinars	✓ Free, all plans	✗
Help center & video library	✓ Extensive	✓
Nonprofit-specific expertise	✓ Same team since 2007	Founded 2017; rebranded to Zeffy in 2022