Side by side
Better Giving vs Charitable
Both stand on nonprofit fundraising software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb
Better Giving combines donation collection, fundraising tools, and donor-data exports for nonprofits. Organizations can use the free hosted plan or self-host, while fiscal sponsorship is priced separately per sponsored gift.
Visit Better Giving Free plan Self-hostedWeb
Charitable provides campaign building and donor management within a self-hosted WordPress setup, with a free tier and paid options for additional gateways and fundraising features. Check the WordPress and PHP requirements and plan thresholds before choosing it.
Visit CharitableThe facts
| Better Giving | Charitable | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Self-hosted, Web | Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | See the plans | Basic: $69 a year |
| Plans published | 3 | 5 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | better.giving | wpcharitable.com |
| On nonprofit fundraising software | #1 of 48 | #3 of 48 |
Better Giving: what it does well
- Donation form accepts a broad range of gift types
- Recurring and peer-to-peer fundraising tools
- Donor data export by CSV or API at no charge
- Fundraising plan costs nothing
- Self-hosting is available with an organization’s own gateway
What to know first
- Self-hosting organizations handle receipts, compliance, and operations
- Self-hosting requires paying gateway processing costs
- Fiscal sponsorship costs $2.90, paid once per sponsored gift
- Stored card transfers depend on card-network and compliance rules
Charitable: what it does well
- Free plan includes unlimited campaigns and donations.
- Campaign builder has drag-and-drop controls and live preview.
- Accepts Stripe, Square, PayPal, and offline donations.
- Donor management includes profiles, history, and notes.
- Integrates with 5,000+ listed platforms.
What to know first
- Requires WordPress 5.9 or later and PHP 7.4 or later.
- Recurring donations require Plus or higher.
- Peer-to-peer fundraising requires Pro or higher.
- Free support is through the WordPress.org forum.
Alternatives to Better Giving Alternatives to Charitable The whole list