ActBlue vs Zeffy: Fees and Features for Nonprofits Compared
AB Charities, ActBlue's arm for 501(c)(3)s, takes 3.95% of every gift. Zeffy is free for any eligible nonprofit, with donations, events and a donor CRM in one account.
Zeffy is trusted by 100,000+ nonprofits
Every gift reaches your nonprofit in full
💵
Keep the 3.95%
AB Charities takes 3.95% of every gift. On Zeffy, a $100 gift arrives as $100, and a $50,000 year stays $50,000.
🔓
Open to every eligible nonprofit
AB Charities lists 501(c)(3)s at its discretion. Zeffy is open to any nonprofit or registered charity with an EIN and a bank account in its name.
🧩
More than a donation form
Events, auctions, a store, memberships and a donor CRM run in the same free account, so every supporter has one record.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ActBlue and Zeffy?
Zeffy is a free fundraising platform for nonprofits, with a donor CRM built in. One plan covers donations, events, auctions, a store and memberships, and no fee comes out of any gift. ActBlue is the online fundraising platform behind Democratic campaigns and committees. Its charity arm, AB Charities, offers the same contribution forms to 501(c)(3)s and charges a 3.95% processing fee on each contribution.
What percentage does ActBlue take?
ActBlue takes 3.95% of each contribution. Its pricing page describes "a 3.95% processing fee on each contribution", with no platform fee or subscription on top:
- ActBlue and AB Charities: 3.95% per contribution. AB Charities calls it "the only fee you'll ever be charged".
- Raise by ActBlue, for state and local campaigns raising under $25k: 3.5% per transaction.
- On a $100 contribution at 3.95%: $3.95 goes to ActBlue and $96.05 to the organization.
Zeffy charges nonprofits no fee on any gift: see how Zeffy is free. Source: actblue.com, October 2026.
Does ActBlue take a cut of donations?
Yes. The 3.95% fee comes out of each contribution, so the organization receives the gift minus the fee. Over a year, a nonprofit raising $50,000 through AB Charities keeps $48,025 and pays $1,975 in fees. With Zeffy, the full gift reaches your nonprofit, whether or not the donor adds a contribution to Zeffy.
Can a 501(c)(3) nonprofit use ActBlue?
Yes, through AB Charities, a separate entity that works with 501(c)(3)s. ActBlue lists them at its discretion: the organization must do grassroots fundraising, and its work must not be at odds with the values set out in ActBlue's Account Use Policy. It may be asked for a Form 990 or its determination letter. Zeffy is open to any nonprofit or registered charity with an EIN and a bank account in its name, whatever its cause.
Should our nonprofit use AB Charities or Zeffy?
Choose Zeffy if you want donation forms, events, auctions, memberships and a donor CRM in one account, with no fee taken from any gift.
Choose AB Charities if many of your supporters already give through ActBlue Express and you want their one-click checkout, with 3.95% of each gift going to ActBlue.
What does ActBlue offer that Zeffy doesn't?
ActBlue Express lets over 15.5 million saved donors give in one click to any organization on ActBlue. ActBlue also runs A/B tests on contribution forms, answers your donors' customer service questions for you, and offers to build an integration with a platform it does not yet connect to. Zeffy does not offer a checkout shared across organizations or A/B tests on forms today.
Who can use Zeffy?
Any nonprofit or registered charity in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia or Germany, with a bank account in the organization's name. In the US, 501(c)(3) status is not required: any 501(c) type qualifies, but the organization needs an EIN. Individuals and for-profit businesses cannot use Zeffy.
Is Zeffy really free?
Yes. Zeffy charges your nonprofit no processing fee, no platform fee and no subscription. Where ActBlue keeps 3.95% of each contribution, Zeffy keeps nothing from the gift. Donors can add an optional contribution to Zeffy at checkout, on top of what they give. See how Zeffy is free.
Keep comparing — and see why nonprofits choose Zeffy
Zeffy was built for nonprofits like yours
focus on what matters
Built for small teams with big missions.
Zeffy is the fundraising platform that cuts out the fees, clears up your tech mess, and puts your cause first — so your team, even if you're a small team wearing many hats or a one-person show, can focus on what really matters.
ZERO-FEE
Keep 100% of every dollar.
No platform fees. No processing fees. No catch. We know it sounds too good to be true, but it's not. Every penny goes straight to your mission, while competitors take 2-3% off every donation.
ALL-IN-ONE PLatform
Ditch the tech mess.
Stop bouncing between MailChimp, Eventbrite, and all those spreadsheets. Now you can handle donations, ticket sales, memberships, raffles, and all your donor info in one spot.
plug-and-play
Get going, fast.
Built for teams like yours — whether you're volunteer-led or have limited staff. Set up donation forms, sell tickets, and launch campaigns without needing a tech wizard. It's super easy, and you'll be up and running in minutes.
mobile-first
Fundraise from every device, anywhere.
From QR codes on flyers to Tap-to-Pay on a phone, Zeffy makes it easy to accept donations on the go. Mobile-optimized and offline-ready, so no donor slips through the cracks.
No turnover
Never lose a donor to volunteer transition.
Centralize supporter relationships, automate thank-you messages, and preserve institutional knowledge when board members rotate out.
100,000+ nonprofits trust Zeffy — and keep their fees at $0.
For 7+ years, Zeffy has supported nonprofits with free, user-friendly fundraising tools.
.webp)
As a startup nonprofit with only two members, and no funding (yet) we’d need something with low (or no) fees. Zeffy was a dream come true.
Masey, Loose Ends.
%20(1).webp){kind=avatar}
%20(1).webp)
.webp){kind=avatar}
.webp)
%20(1).webp)
.webp)
SUCCESS STORIES
Zero-fee fundraising in action — nonprofit stories worth sharing.
.webp)
