Donately vs GoFundMe Comparison 2026
GoFundMe hosts a one-off fundraiser built to travel through social sharing, with no platform fee on a personal campaign, just standard processing at 2.9 percent plus 30 cents. Donately embeds a donation form on a site you already run, aimed at recurring giving rather than a single ask, with a 2 percent platform fee on its free plan plus the same kind of processing on top. GoFundMe is for a specific, one-off need with a number attached. Donately is for an organisation collecting ongoing support on its own page.
At a glance
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Donately | GoFundMe | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $99 | Free |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free plan, paid tiers | Free |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing (they differ) | Monthly or annual | Usage-based |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Yes |
Donately
Donation forms with the fee written down
Donately puts donation forms and recurring giving on a site you already have, and states its own cut on the pricing page rather than after signup. Every plan carries every feature, so what the money buys is a lower fee rather than more product. It argues openly against the platforms that call themselves free and then take a fifth through donor-paid fees.
Our note
The arithmetic is straightforward: below about $60,000 raised a year the free plan is cheaper, and above it the monthly plan starts winning. Ask what the $99 plan's fee actually is before you sign, because the page never says.
Only on this side
- Covers tips & donations
GoFundMe
Raise money from a page anyone can share
GoFundMe is where a one-off ask goes when it needs to travel further than an audience already reaches. There is no platform fee on a personal fundraiser in the countries listed on its pricing page, and the company is funded by an optional tip donors choose at checkout. Card processing still comes off the top.
Why people weigh these two
- GoFundMe instead of Donately
- GoFundMe raises money from a page anyone can share rather than forms on your own site, free, a fit for a one-off appeal over recurring giving.
- Donately instead of GoFundMe
- Donately writes its fee down as a flat $99 a month plan rather than folding it into an optional tip, the pick for an organization that wants a predictable bill.
Which one should you pick
Buy GoFundMe if the need is a single ask that has to travel further than your own audience: a medical bill, replacing stolen gear, funding one project. There is no platform fee to create it, only the standard 2.9 percent plus 30 cents processing charge, lower at 2.2 percent for certified nonprofits.
Buy Donately if the goal is a donation form that lives permanently on your own site, built for recurring giving rather than a single campaign. The free plan carries a 2 percent platform fee on top of processing, and prepaying $5,000 removes that platform fee entirely for up to $1 million raised. Anybody wanting ongoing audience support rather than a one-off ask should also weigh Patreon or Ko-fi, which neither of these two is built to replace.
Common questions
- Which has a lower fee?
- GoFundMe, on a single fundraiser: no platform fee at all, only standard processing at 2.9 percent plus 30 cents, or 2.2 percent for certified nonprofits. Donately's free plan adds a 2 percent platform fee on top of similar processing costs.
- Which is better for an ongoing donation form on my own site?
- Donately. It is built to embed on a site you already run, with recurring giving tracked as a first-class number. GoFundMe is built around a shareable campaign page for a specific, one-off ask rather than a permanent fixture on your own site.
- Is GoFundMe good for ongoing creator support rather than a one-off ask?
- No, by its own guidance: a creator wanting ongoing audience support is better served by Patreon or Ko-fi. GoFundMe and Donately are both built around donations to a cause or a specific need, not a recurring membership.
- Does GoFundMe charge more for individuals than nonprofits?
- Yes: 2.9 percent plus 30 cents for US individuals and businesses, against 2.2 percent plus 30 cents for certified US nonprofits. Donately's fee structure does not distinguish by nonprofit status in the same way; its 2 percent platform fee applies on the free plan regardless.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.