Auktiva

Auktiva is a free, open-source auction platform for charity, school, church, community, and personal events. It suits organizers who want flexible auction controls and can run a self-hosted web service. The decisive caveat is that payment collection and settlement happen outside the platform.

Overview

Auktiva brings auction creation, item listings, bidding, access controls, roles, and bidder alerts into one web application. An auction can be invite-only, shared through a link, or open to everyone, so the same system can support a private office sale or a public fundraiser. Anonymous bidding is configurable for an auction or an individual bid, useful when participants should not reveal their identities.

Its open-source, self-hosted approach gives technically capable organizers control over deployment and storage. It is less suitable for teams that want a hosted service with built-in checkout, because participants must arrange payment and transaction settlement offline.

Key features

Items and live bidding

Items support descriptions, multiple images, starting bids, and custom end dates. Bidders receive live updates without refreshing, which is important when bids arrive close together. Outbid alerts and notifications for watched items approaching their end help participants follow auctions without constantly monitoring every lot.

Access, roles, and privacy

Owner, Admin, Creator, and Bidder roles provide a practical separation between overall ownership, administration, content creation, and participation. Invite-only, link-shared, and public access settings let organizers match visibility to the event. Anonymous bidding adds privacy, although organizers must decide where anonymity is appropriate.

Infrastructure and safeguards

Auktiva supports automatic currency formatting for USD, EUR, GBP, and other currencies. Optional Google and Microsoft sign-in can simplify access, while Soketi or Pusher can provide WebSocket updates. Security documentation covers XSS sanitization, CSRF protection, rate limiting, API input validation, parameterized database queries, and security headers. Self-hosters can use SQLite or Turso and store images locally or in S3-compatible storage. These options are valuable for organizations with deployment expertise, but they also make hosting and maintenance the organizer’s responsibility.

Pricing

The Free plan costs free and is described as 100% free, with no fees, no limits, and open-source access. It includes both auction formats, a custom domain, and API access. There is no free trial because the product itself is free. The absence of platform charges makes it attractive for volunteer-run events, while the lack of payment processing can create extra work after bidding ends.

Platforms

Auktiva runs on the web and can be self-hosted. SQLite or Turso databases and local or S3-compatible image storage give deployment flexibility. It is not presented as a native Android, iOS, desktop, or mobile application.

Who it's for

Choose Auktiva for nonprofit, school, church, community, friends-and-family, or office auctions when you need configurable access, roles, privacy, and live bidding without software fees. It is particularly appropriate for organizers able to manage hosting and offline settlement. Look elsewhere if bidders need an integrated online payment flow or if your team does not want to operate the application and its supporting services.

Pros and cons

Pros

• No platform fees or usage caps: the Free plan is open source, unlimited, and costs 0.00 USD.
• Flexible event control: custom closing times, multiple images, starting bids, access modes, roles, and configurable anonymity cover varied auction formats.
• Current bidding information: live updates and outbid alerts reduce the need for manual page refreshes.
• Deployment choice: self-hosting, SQLite or Turso, and local or S3-compatible storage suit organizations with infrastructure control requirements.

Cons

• No payment processing: participants must settle transactions offline, adding reconciliation work and making it unsuitable for checkout-dependent fundraisers.
• Hosting responsibility: self-hosting requires the organizer to operate the web service, database, storage, and optional real-time or sign-in integrations.
• Web-focused delivery: users should not expect dedicated native mobile or desktop applications.

Alternatives

Auction Flex is the better choice when you need broad device coverage, a free 25 GB cloud-storage allowance, or paid workstation plans, rather than a self-hosted system.

Auctria fits organizers who want a hosted freemium service with defined bidder, team, event, income, and credit-card-fee limits.

BiddingOwl is an alternative for teams seeking a free service around traditional silent or live auction events and related services.

BidPro suits organizers who want a dedicated bidder tier and pay-as-you-go auction pricing.

32auctions is worth considering for small online auctions capped at 20 items, with one image per item and third-party ads on its free plan.

Indy.auction is an option for organizers comfortable with percentage charges on sold lots and small auction or lot limits.

Fish Auctions is another free web-based auction option.

GalaBid is preferable when you want a hosted free tier with optional participant tipping or a paid no-tip plan.

Browse more options in Auction Software.

Verdict

Auktiva is a strong fit for technically capable organizers running community or fundraising auctions who value open-source software, unlimited free use, flexible privacy, and self-hosting. Choose it for control over auction operations; choose another platform when integrated online payments, managed hosting, or native apps are essential.