# Best ActBlue Alternatives in 2026 for Nonprofits

**URL:** https://www.raklet.com/alternatives/best-actblue-alternatives/
**Description:** Looking for the best ActBlue alternatives? Most nonprofits cannot use ActBlue at all. Compare 8 platforms open to any organization, ranked by fees and features.
**Published:** 2026-09-23
**Updated:** 2026-09-23

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![Best ActBlue alternatives in 2026 for nonprofits](https://www.raklet.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/og-hero-13.jpg)

**Last Updated: September 2026**

If you are searching for ActBlue alternatives, there is a good chance you cannot use ActBlue in the first place. ActBlue is a political fundraising platform built for Democratic candidates and progressive organizations. Its own [eligibility policy](https://help.actblue.com/hc/en-us/articles/16870103876631-can-i-use-actblue) lists who may open an account. It excludes any Republican candidate or committee, any candidate in a nonpartisan race affiliated with the Republican Party, and any 501(c)(3) whose work it judges “at odds with” a stated set of values. Most associations, clubs, chambers, alumni groups, faith communities and politically neutral nonprofits fall outside that door, and no amount of feature comparison changes it.

So this page treats eligibility as the first filter, not a footnote. It then does the ordinary work of a roundup: what ActBlue costs, why the organizations that can use it still look elsewhere, and eight platforms that take donations from anyone, ranked by fees, ownership and how much of your work they cover beyond the donation form. If you want the wider category rather than this one platform, browse our other [alternatives to ActBlue and similar platforms](/alternatives/).

## Key Takeaways

- ActBlue is restricted to Democratic and progressive campaigns and aligned nonprofits, so most associations, clubs and nonpartisan nonprofits cannot use it at all.
- ActBlue charges a 3.95 percent fee on every contribution with no subscription. On $50,000 raised in a year that is $1,975, before anything else.
- Zeffy charges nothing at all, platform or processing, and funds itself through optional donor tips. It is the right pick if the fee is the only reason you are here.
- Raklet is the pick if you need members and donors in the same record, with dues, events and a private community alongside the donation form.
- Anedot and NationBuilder both serve organizations across the political spectrum, which is exactly the gap ActBlue’s policy creates.
- Check the eligibility policy before you build anything, because ActBlue can decline or close an account it judges outside its mission. Then scan the comparison table below to shortlist.

## Why Organizations Look for ActBlue Alternatives

ActBlue has processed more than $16 billion for Democratic candidates and causes since 2004 and is, for the campaigns it serves, close to infrastructure. The reasons organizations go looking for something else fall into two groups: the ones who were never eligible, and the ones who are eligible but have hit a specific wall. Both matter here.

### Most Organizations Are Not Eligible to Use It

This is the reason that decides the question for the majority of readers, so it comes first. ActBlue’s [account eligibility article](https://help.actblue.com/hc/en-us/articles/16870103876631-can-i-use-actblue) is explicit. Permitted users include a candidate registered, running or filed as a Democrat, and nonprofit organizations that are engaged in grassroots fundraising and whose work is not at odds with values the policy lists, including social equality, women’s rights, LGBTQIA2S+ rights and racial justice. Impermissible users include a registered Republican or a candidate running or filed as a Republican, any Republican committee, PAC or organization, and a candidate in a nonpartisan race affiliated with the Republican Party. A 501(c)(3) also needs a public Form 990 and a website to be considered.

Read plainly, that means a nonpartisan civic association, a chamber of commerce, a faith community, a sports club or a professional body has no path onto the platform regardless of its politics, because its work is not the kind of work the policy is written for. This page does not take a position on whether that policy is right. It is a fact about the product, stated in the vendor’s own words, and it is the reason the alternatives below are all open to any organization.

### A 3.95 Percent Fee on Every Contribution

ActBlue charges no subscription. Its [pricing page](https://www.actblue.com/pricing/) states a 3.95 percent processing fee on each contribution, with a 3.5 percent rate for qualifying down-ballot campaigns on Raise by ActBlue. That rate includes card processing, which makes it simpler than a subscription plus a processor, but it is high for the category. Zeffy charges nothing. Donorbox’s free plan runs 2.95 to 3.95 percent and its Pro plan 1.75 to 2 percent, plus processing. For a nonprofit receiving $50,000 a year, the ActBlue fee is $1,975 a year. At $250,000 it is $9,875. There is no volume discount published.

### Pre-Checked Recurring Boxes and Charges That Outlive the Cancellation

The most consistent theme in donor-side reviews is the recurring donation experience. Reviewers on [Capterra](https://www.capterra.com/p/166188/ActBlue/reviews/) and elsewhere describe monthly giving boxes that were pre-checked, charges that continued after a cancellation request, and in at least one case a donor cancelling a credit card to stop them. State attorneys general examined pre-checked recurring boxes on the platform in 2021 as a potentially deceptive practice. If your donors are also your members, a billing dispute with them costs more than the fee did.

### No Live Phone Support and Slow Refund Resolution

ActBlue’s Capterra listing sits at 2.6 out of 5 across 38 reviews, with 45 percent of them one star. That number needs a caveat. Most of the one-star reviews come from donors, not from the campaigns and organizations that are ActBlue’s actual customers. The [G2 listing](https://www.g2.com/products/actblue/reviews), written by campaign staff, sits at 4.3 out of 5 across 11 reviews. The overlap between the two is support. Both groups describe slow responses during peak fundraising moments, and donors describe no way to reach a person by phone when a refund goes wrong. For an organization whose reputation is attached to every receipt, that is the part to weigh.

### Donor Contact Data Shared Across Organizations

ActBlue Express stores a donor’s payment details so they can give to any campaign on the platform in one click, and it works: more than 21 million donors have saved profiles. The cost is that donor reviewers describe being contacted by dozens of other political organizations after a single small gift, with 30 to 50 texts and emails a day in the worst cases. That is a feature of a shared political network. It is a problem for an organization that wants its donor list to stay its own.

### No Membership, Community or Member Lifecycle Tools

ActBlue is a donation and organizing platform. It has no membership tiers, no dues automation, no member portal, no digital membership cards, no discussion boards and no directory. Organizations that need those pair it with a separate CRM such as Action Network or NGP VAN. If the people giving to you are also the people who renew, attend and volunteer, that is two or three systems where one would do, and it is the gap several platforms below exist to close.

## What to Look for in an ActBlue Alternative

Each of these criteria answers one of the reasons above. Score a shortlist against them and the decision usually makes itself.

### Whether Your Organization Is Eligible at All

Read the vendor’s account policy before the feature list. Every platform on this page accepts organizations regardless of political affiliation, and two of them, Anedot and NationBuilder, make a point of serving campaigns on all sides. If a vendor reserves the right to close your account for reasons unrelated to fraud, that is a risk to price in, not a footnote.

### Total Cost Per Donation, Not Just the Headline Rate

Compare subscription plus the vendor’s own transaction fee plus card processing, per gift and per year, at your actual volume. Vendors name that middle layer differently: several call it a platform fee, and it is money the software company keeps on top of whatever the card processor takes. A 3.95 percent all-in rate can beat a $150 a month subscription plus 2 percent plus processing at low volume. At higher volumes it typically costs more, because the lower percentage outweighs the fixed subscription. The cost table further down does that arithmetic for eight platforms at four donor counts.

### Recurring Consent Defaults

Look at the donation form as a donor. Is monthly giving opt-in or pre-checked? Can a donor cancel a recurring gift themselves, without emailing anyone? Can your staff issue a refund from the admin side without a ticket to the vendor? The platforms that get this right rarely appear in complaint threads, and the ones that get it wrong appear constantly.

### Who Owns the Donor Data

Confirm in writing that your donor and contact records are yours, that you can export them in full whenever you like, and that the vendor does not share or market to them. A saved-payment network is convenient for donors and expensive for the organization that loses control of its list.

### Support You Can Reach When Money Is Involved

Find out which channels exist on the plan you would actually buy, not the top one. Email-only support is workable for a donation form. It is not workable the week a recurring charge misfires across your whole donor base. Prefer vendors that publish a phone or chat path, and check reviews for response times during peak periods.

### Whether You Need Members as Well as Donors

If your donors renew a membership, register for events, log in to a portal or talk to each other, a donation processor is the wrong category. You want a platform where the donation is one line in a contact’s timeline next to their dues, their RSVPs and their posts. If your donors only ever give, skip this criterion and optimize for fees.

## The Best ActBlue Alternatives in 2026

## How we evaluated these alternatives

Every platform below was assessed on four dimensions: pricing transparency, ownership stability, product cadence, and the depth of its fundraising and membership features. Sources were Raklet sales-call transcripts with organizations evaluating these tools, verified G2 and Capterra reviews, and each vendor’s own public documentation. Pricing comes from published pricing pages where they exist, checked live on 11 September 2026, and the research notes behind each figure are kept with this page. For vendors that publish nothing at a given tier, we show third-party estimate ranges from review-site aggregators and verified customer reports, labeled as estimates rather than presented as vendor figures. Where we could not confirm a feature from a primary source, the comparison table says “not confirmed” instead of guessing. One disclosure that matters: Raklet is one of the alternatives on this list, and we list ourselves first because this is our page. The other seven are ranked on the criteria above, and several of them are the better choice for a pure donation form.

### 1. Raklet: Best for Organizations That Need Members and Donors in One Record

Founded 2013 · Privately held · 10+ employees

Start with what Raklet is not, because it saves you a demo. Raklet is not a zero-fee donation processor and it has no political compliance tooling, no FEC reporting, no peer-to-peer texting and no saved-payment donor network. If all you need is a donation form with the lowest possible fee, Zeffy is two cards down and you should go there.

What Raklet is, is a membership and community platform that takes donations rather than a donation platform that stores contacts. A contact CRM with a timeline, membership types and renewals, event registration with QR check-in, email campaigns, a member directory, a private social network and donation forms all live in one account. The practical consequence is that a donor who also pays dues, attends the annual dinner and posts in the members’ board is one record with one history, not a row in three exports. Refunds are processed natively from the admin side, which matters given how much of the ActBlue complaint volume is about exactly that. Raklet is nonpartisan and open to any organization.

Pricing is published in full. There is a permanent free plan covering 100 contacts with no credit card, then Essentials at $49 per month, Professional at $99 and Premium at $399, all at annual billing. Tiers raise the contact ceiling and unlock capabilities together: Essentials adds digital membership cards and the email designer, Professional adds integrations, automated reminders and event check-ins, Premium adds API access, single sign-on and a custom domain. Add-on contact packs, $29 a month or $290 a year on annual billing, let you scale capacity without jumping a whole tier. Full figures are on the [Raklet pricing plans](/pricing/) page. Beyond the subscription, Raklet charges a transaction fee that varies by plan, from 4 percent on Free down to 1 percent on Premium, on top of standard Stripe processing, so on a pure fee basis it is not cheaper than ActBlue at every volume. Compare total cost against what else the plan covers. Every plan includes free native iOS and Android apps for members; a custom-branded app under your own name is a paid add-on. About half of Raklet’s customers are outside the United States and the platform is natively multilingual. That matters for the many non-US organizations that were never eligible for ActBlue regardless of politics.

**Best for:** associations, nonprofits, chambers, alumni groups and clubs whose donors are also members, and who want dues, events, community and giving in one system with native refunds.

**Not ideal for:** political campaigns needing compliance reporting, organizations that only ever need a donation form, and anyone for whom the lowest fee is the whole decision.

For the feature-level version of this against the incumbent, see our [ActBlue vs Raklet comparison](/alternatives/actblue-vs-raklet/).

### 2. Zeffy: Best Zero-Fee Fundraising Open to Any Nonprofit

Registered B Corp · Privately held · Montreal · 100,000+ nonprofits

Zeffy is the cleanest answer to the fee complaint because there is no fee. Its [pricing page](https://www.zeffy.com/pricing) states no platform fee and no processing fee: Zeffy covers card and transaction costs, so 100 percent of a donation reaches the nonprofit. The model is funded by an optional contribution donors are asked for at checkout, which Zeffy’s own pricing page says two in three donors leave. Donors are never required to tip, and the nonprofit keeps the full gift either way. There is no paid tier, no per-user cost, no contract and no cap you grow out of.

The platform covers donation forms, ticketing, peer-to-peer campaigns, raffles, memberships and a donor CRM, all at the same price of nothing. The limits are the ones you would expect from a free product: no public API, no white-label option, and a membership module that is a list of paying members rather than a portal with a directory and community. The tip request at checkout is also worth seeing for yourself before you commit, since a small number of donors object to it. Zeffy is open to any registered nonprofit regardless of affiliation.

**Best for:** nonprofits of any size whose main goal is to stop paying fees on donations and event tickets, and who do not need an API or a branded member experience.

**Not ideal for:** organizations that need deep membership management, developer access, or full control over the donor checkout experience.

### 3. Donorbox: Best for Embedded Donation Forms With a Published Fee Ladder

Founded 2014 · Privately held · 100,000+ nonprofits

Donorbox is the most direct like-for-like replacement for the ActBlue form itself: an embeddable, mobile-first donation form with recurring giving, crowdfunding pages, peer-to-peer campaigns and event ticketing, open to any nonprofit. Its [pricing page](https://donorbox.org/pricing) publishes three plans. Standard is free with a platform fee between 2.95 and 3.95 percent. Pro is $150 a month with a discount for annual billing and a platform fee between 1.75 and 2 percent, and adds Zapier and API access, receipt white-labeling, crypto and stock donations and an AI assistant. Premium is quote-based with a fee between 1.6 and 2 percent. Card processing through Stripe is separate at 2.2 percent plus 30 cents on the page.

The fee ladder is the point. At low volume the free plan costs about what ActBlue does; above roughly $100,000 a year the Pro subscription pays for itself through the lower percentage. Recurring gifts default to opt-in and donors manage their own plans from a portal, which addresses the single biggest complaint in ActBlue’s reviews. What Donorbox does not do is membership: there is a basic membership campaign type, but no member portal, directory or community.

**Best for:** nonprofits that want a donation form they control on their own site, with a fee that drops as volume grows and donors who manage their own recurring gifts.

**Not ideal for:** organizations that need member management, or that raise too little for the Pro plan’s lower rate to offset its subscription.

### 4. Givebutter: Best Free Platform With Events and Auctions Built In

Founded 2016 · Privately held · BVP Forge backed · around 100 to 150 employees

Givebutter runs on a similar model to Zeffy with a wider feature set. With donor tips enabled, the platform fee is zero and Givebutter covers any processing shortfall under what it calls the Givebutter Guarantee. With tips disabled, it charges a 3 percent platform fee plus card processing. On top of donation forms it offers event ticketing, silent and live auctions with mobile bidding, peer-to-peer campaigns with team leaderboards, a donor CRM and the widest payment-method support in the group, including PayPal, Venmo, Cash App Pay and Apple Pay. Givebutter Plus, a paid tier from $29 a month by contact count, adds workflow automation, outbound SMS and a QuickBooks sync.

It is the pick for organizations that run a gala or an auction alongside their giving, and its migration tooling imports from ten or more platforms. The gaps are the same as Zeffy’s: no true member portal, no white-label, and a tip prompt donors will see. Givebutter is open to any nonprofit.

**Best for:** nonprofits with an events and auction calendar that want free core fundraising and the broadest set of payment methods for donors.

**Not ideal for:** organizations that need a branded, tip-free checkout, or a membership layer beyond a contact list.

If Givebutter is already on your list, our [Givebutter alternatives](/alternatives/best-givebutter-alternatives-ranked-and-reviewed/) roundup covers the same category from that starting point.

### 5. Bloomerang: Best for Donor Retention and CRM Depth

Founded 2012 · PE-backed by JMI Equity and Warburg Pincus · 385 to 579 employees

Bloomerang is a different category from a donation processor: a nonprofit CRM whose organizing idea is donor retention, with a retention status on every record, integrated wealth screening through DonorSearch, an AI writing assistant in the email builder and behavior-triggered donor journeys. Pricing is modular. The CRM starts at $125 a month billed annually for up to about 1,000 constituents, Fundraising adds from $40 a month, and a full Giving Platform bundle starts at $524 a month. Online donations carry a 1 percent platform fee plus 2.2 percent and 30 cents processing. Above 1,000 constituents the price escalates by count, and above roughly 5,000 it is quote-based.

The limitations are those of a full CRM rather than a form. Setup is a project, not an embed, and a small team can spend weeks configuring records and reports before the retention tooling pays off. The membership module is a $25 a month add-on for tracking member status, not a portal or community. Organizations with members get a donor database with a membership flag rather than a member-facing product. Bloomerang is majority owned by JMI Equity and Warburg Pincus. That usually means steady product investment and steady price rises, and it is worth knowing before a multi-year commitment. Open to any nonprofit.

**Best for:** nonprofits raising enough that improving donor retention by a few points pays for a real CRM, and that have staff to use it.

**Not ideal for:** small organizations for whom $2,000 a year of software is the whole fundraising budget, or anyone who needs a member-facing portal.

### 6. NationBuilder: Best for Campaigns and Advocacy Groups of Any Affiliation

Founded 2009 · Privately held · Los Angeles

NationBuilder is the closest thing on this list to what ActBlue plus an organizing CRM does, and it is open to campaigns, advocacy organizations and nonprofits on every side. It combines a supporter database, a website builder, email and SMS, event tools, donation pages and volunteer management in one product. Its [pricing page](https://nationbuilder.com/pricing) publishes a Starter plan from $34 a month at up to 500 contacts, with bands running to 5,000 contacts, and a Pro plan from $160 a month with bands to 10,000 contacts and developer API access. Annual billing is 20 percent cheaper than monthly, there is a 14-day trial, and Enterprise is custom. Payment processing rates are not published on the pricing page.

NationBuilder is a political-grade tool, and that is both its strength and its weight. If you need voter-file style supporter tracking, walk lists and a campaign website, it fits. If you are a membership organization, the database is more machinery than you need, and there is no dues or member-portal layer.

**Best for:** political campaigns, advocacy groups and movement organizations that ActBlue’s eligibility policy excludes, and that need organizing tools with the donation page.

**Not ideal for:** membership associations and clubs, and organizations that want a simple donation form without a supporter database attached.

### 7. Neon One: Best All-in-One Nonprofit CRM With Revenue-Based Pricing

Privately held · CEO Keith Reed since January 2025 · around 175 to 190 employees

Neon CRM, the flagship of Neon One, is an integrated nonprofit platform: CRM, online fundraising, events, memberships, volunteer management and native payments under one login. Its pricing is based on revenue raised rather than contact count, with unlimited contacts and users on every plan. Essentials starts at $99 a month, Impact at $209 and Empower at $409, with add-on modules for memberships, volunteers and events priced as a percentage of the CRM fee. Neon Pay processing applies on top. Annual contracts with auto-renewal are the default, and live chat and phone support are reserved for the top tier.

The revenue-based model is the thing to understand: it rewards small organizations and charges more as you raise more, which is the opposite of a subscription. Neon One changed CEOs in January 2025 and holds four acquired products, so check the roadmap for the module you care about. Open to any nonprofit.

**Best for:** mid-size nonprofits that want fundraising, events, memberships and volunteers in one CRM and do not want a contact cap.

**Not ideal for:** organizations that dislike auto-renewing annual contracts, or that need phone support on a lower tier.

### 8. Anedot: Best Pay-Per-Transaction Processor Open to All Sides

Founded 2010 · Privately held · Baton Rouge

Anedot is the structural mirror of ActBlue: a donation processor with no monthly fee, no contract and no setup fee, that serves nonprofits, churches, schools and campaigns regardless of affiliation. Its [pricing page](https://www.anedot.com/pricing) publishes 3.3 percent plus 30 cents per card transaction for 501(c)(3) organizations and 4 percent plus 30 cents for other organizations, with ACH at 0.3 percent plus 30 cents for charities. Those rates include processing. A donor-covers-fees option drops the organization’s cost to 30 cents per gift. Unlimited donation, event and lead pages, unlimited team members and CRM integrations are included at no extra charge.

For an organization that wants exactly what ActBlue offers, a pay-as-you-raise form with no subscription, and simply cannot use ActBlue, Anedot is the direct substitute. It does not try to be a CRM or a membership system, and it does not publish API access on its pricing page.

**Best for:** campaigns, churches and nonprofits that want a no-subscription donation processor with published rates and no eligibility gate.

**Not ideal for:** organizations that need membership, community or a full CRM, or that raise enough for a lower-percentage subscription plan to win on cost.

## ActBlue Alternatives Compared

*Prices as of September 2026 based on published pricing pages. Quote-based figures are ranges from verified customer reports. Cells marked “not confirmed” are features we could not verify from a primary source, and we would rather say so than guess.*

| Tool | Ownership | Best for | Starting price | Support | Contract | Mobile app | Public API | AI features |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Raklet | Privately held, independent | Members and donors in one record | Free (100 contacts); $49/mo annual | Email and chat from Essentials; phone add-on | Monthly or annual | Yes, free native iOS and Android | Yes (Premium) | On the roadmap |
| Zeffy | Privately held, B Corp | Zero-fee giving for any nonprofit | $0, no fees, donor tips optional | Email and chat | None | Not confirmed | No | No |
| Donorbox | Privately held | Embedded forms with a fee ladder | Free (2.95 to 3.95% fee); Pro $150/mo | Email; priority on Pro | Monthly or annual | Not confirmed | Yes (Pro) | Yes (Jay AI on Pro) |
| Givebutter | Privately held, BVP Forge backed | Free fundraising with events and auctions | $0 with tips on; 3% fee with tips off | Email and chat | None; Plus monthly | Yes | Yes | No |
| Bloomerang | PE-owned (JMI Equity, Warburg Pincus) | Donor retention and CRM depth | $125/mo annual, CRM only | Email, chat and phone | Annual | Yes | Yes | Yes (AI writing, journeys) |
| NationBuilder | Privately held | Campaigns and advocacy of any affiliation | $34/mo monthly (500 contacts) | Email and chat; not confirmed by tier | Monthly or annual | Not confirmed | Yes (Pro and up) | Not confirmed |
| Neon One | Privately held | All-in-one CRM, revenue-based pricing | $99/mo (Essentials) | Ticket; chat and phone on Empower only | Annual, auto-renews | Yes | Yes | Yes (Gen assistant, beta) |
| Anedot | Privately held | No-subscription processor open to all | $0/mo; 3.3% + 30 cents (501(c)(3)) | Email and chat | None | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | No |

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| Tool | Ownership | Best for | Starting price | Support | Contract | Mobile app | Public API | AI features |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Raklet | Privately held, independent | Members and donors in one record | Free (100 contacts); $49/mo annual | Email and chat from Essentials; phone add-on | Monthly or annual | Yes, free native iOS and Android | Yes (Premium) | On the roadmap |
| Zeffy | Privately held, B Corp | Zero-fee giving for any nonprofit | $0, no fees, donor tips optional | Email and chat | None | Not confirmed | No | No |
| Donorbox | Privately held | Embedded forms with a fee ladder | Free (2.95 to 3.95% fee); Pro $150/mo | Email; priority on Pro | Monthly or annual | Not confirmed | Yes (Pro) | Yes (Jay AI on Pro) |
| Givebutter | Privately held, BVP Forge backed | Free fundraising with events and auctions | $0 with tips on; 3% fee with tips off | Email and chat | None; Plus monthly | Yes | Yes | No |
| Bloomerang | PE-owned (JMI Equity, Warburg Pincus) | Donor retention and CRM depth | $125/mo annual, CRM only | Email, chat and phone | Annual | Yes | Yes | Yes (AI writing, journeys) |
| NationBuilder | Privately held | Campaigns and advocacy of any affiliation | $34/mo monthly (500 contacts) | Email and chat; not confirmed by tier | Monthly or annual | Not confirmed | Yes (Pro and up) | Not confirmed |
| Neon One | Privately held | All-in-one CRM, revenue-based pricing | $99/mo (Essentials) | Ticket; chat and phone on Empower only | Annual, auto-renews | Yes | Yes | Yes (Gen assistant, beta) |
| Anedot | Privately held | No-subscription processor open to all | $0/mo; 3.3% + 30 cents (501(c)(3)) | Email and chat | None | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | No |

## What Does Each Platform Cost at Your Donor Count?

*Estimated annual cost as of September 2026, assuming each donor gives one $50 gift a year, so 500 donors is $25,000 raised and 5,000 donors is $250,000. Each cell shows the plan price for that donor count, then the rate that vendor charges on each donation. The two are separate charges and are not added together, because what the rate costs you depends on what you actually raise. Card processing (typically 2.2 to 2.9 percent plus 30 cents) is extra unless the cell says it is included. ActBlue is shown for reference only. All figures are estimates; confirm against the vendor’s current pricing page.*

| Platform | 500 donors ($25K raised) | 1,000 donors ($50K) | 2,000 donors ($100K) | 5,000 donors ($250K) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ActBlue (reference) | No plan. 3.95% per donation, processing included. | No plan. 3.95% per donation, processing included. | No plan. 3.95% per donation, processing included. | No plan. 3.95% per donation, processing included. |
| Raklet | Essentials $588 plan. Plus 3% and $0.60 a donation. | Professional $1,188 plan. Plus 2% and $0.60 a donation. | Professional $1,188 plan plus one $290 contact pack. Plus 2% and $0.60 a donation. | Premium $4,788 plan. Plus 1% and $0.60 a donation. |
| Zeffy | No plan. Nothing on donations. | No plan. Nothing on donations. | No plan. Nothing on donations. | No plan. Nothing on donations. |
| Donorbox (cheaper plan per tier) | Standard plan is free. 2.95% to 3.95% a donation. | Standard plan is free. 2.95% to 3.95% a donation. | Pro $1,800 plan. 1.75% to 2% a donation. | Pro $1,800 plan. 1.75% to 2% a donation. |
| Givebutter (tips on / tips off) | No plan. 0% with tips on, 3% with tips off. | No plan. 0% with tips on, 3% with tips off. | No plan. 0% with tips on, 3% with tips off. | No plan. 0% with tips on, 3% with tips off. |
| Bloomerang (CRM plus Fundraising) | CRM plus Fundraising from ~$1,980 plan. Plus 1% a donation. | CRM plus Fundraising from ~$1,980 plan. Plus 1% a donation. | Plan is quote-based above 1,000 constituents. Plus 1% a donation. | Plan is quote-based. Plus 1% a donation. |
| NationBuilder (Starter, annual billing) | ~$326 plan (500-contact band). No donation rate published. | Higher Starter band; price set by the vendor’s interactive slider, not published as text. | Higher Starter band; see vendor slider. | Starter top band or Pro from ~$1,536; see vendor slider. |
| Neon One (revenue-based tiers) | Essentials ~$1,188 plan. Neon Pay processing on top. | Essentials ~$1,188 plan. Neon Pay processing on top. | ~$1,188 to $2,508 plan by revenue tier. Processing on top. | ~$2,508 to $4,908 plan by revenue tier. Processing on top. |
| Anedot (501(c)(3) rate, processing included) | No plan. 3.3% and $0.30 a donation, processing included. | No plan. 3.3% and $0.30 a donation, processing included. | No plan. 3.3% and $0.30 a donation, processing included. | No plan. 3.3% and $0.30 a donation, processing included. |

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| Platform | 500 donors ($25K raised) | 1,000 donors ($50K) | 2,000 donors ($100K) | 5,000 donors ($250K) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ActBlue (reference) | No plan. 3.95% per donation, processing included. | No plan. 3.95% per donation, processing included. | No plan. 3.95% per donation, processing included. | No plan. 3.95% per donation, processing included. |
| Raklet | Essentials $588 plan. Plus 3% and $0.60 a donation. | Professional $1,188 plan. Plus 2% and $0.60 a donation. | Professional $1,188 plan plus one $290 contact pack. Plus 2% and $0.60 a donation. | Premium $4,788 plan. Plus 1% and $0.60 a donation. |
| Zeffy | No plan. Nothing on donations. | No plan. Nothing on donations. | No plan. Nothing on donations. | No plan. Nothing on donations. |
| Donorbox (cheaper plan per tier) | Standard plan is free. 2.95% to 3.95% a donation. | Standard plan is free. 2.95% to 3.95% a donation. | Pro $1,800 plan. 1.75% to 2% a donation. | Pro $1,800 plan. 1.75% to 2% a donation. |
| Givebutter (tips on / tips off) | No plan. 0% with tips on, 3% with tips off. | No plan. 0% with tips on, 3% with tips off. | No plan. 0% with tips on, 3% with tips off. | No plan. 0% with tips on, 3% with tips off. |
| Bloomerang (CRM plus Fundraising) | CRM plus Fundraising from ~$1,980 plan. Plus 1% a donation. | CRM plus Fundraising from ~$1,980 plan. Plus 1% a donation. | Plan is quote-based above 1,000 constituents. Plus 1% a donation. | Plan is quote-based. Plus 1% a donation. |
| NationBuilder (Starter, annual billing) | ~$326 plan (500-contact band). No donation rate published. | Higher Starter band; price set by the vendor’s interactive slider, not published as text. | Higher Starter band; see vendor slider. | Starter top band or Pro from ~$1,536; see vendor slider. |
| Neon One (revenue-based tiers) | Essentials ~$1,188 plan. Neon Pay processing on top. | Essentials ~$1,188 plan. Neon Pay processing on top. | ~$1,188 to $2,508 plan by revenue tier. Processing on top. | ~$2,508 to $4,908 plan by revenue tier. Processing on top. |
| Anedot (501(c)(3) rate, processing included) | No plan. 3.3% and $0.30 a donation, processing included. | No plan. 3.3% and $0.30 a donation, processing included. | No plan. 3.3% and $0.30 a donation, processing included. | No plan. 3.3% and $0.30 a donation, processing included. |

Two things the table makes obvious. First, the platforms with no plan price charge the highest rate on each donation, so what looks free at the top of the table is paid for per gift. Second, the platforms with a plan price, Raklet, Bloomerang and Neon One, charge a lower rate on donations but are really charging for a CRM, membership or retention layer the processors do not have. Run both numbers against your own donation volume and average gift before deciding, because the rate is what moves. Whether that is worth paying for depends entirely on whether your donors are also your members.

## Which ActBlue Alternative Is Right for You?

**You are not eligible for ActBlue and want the same thing from someone who will take you.** Anedot is the direct substitute: no subscription, published per-transaction rates, no eligibility gate, and it serves campaigns, churches and nonprofits on every side. If you also need organizing tools, a supporter database and a campaign website, NationBuilder is the fuller answer at a subscription price. One thing this page cannot settle for you: if you file with the FEC or a state regulator, confirm compliance reporting with NationBuilder or Anedot directly before signing. Neither pricing page describes it, and Raklet does not offer it.

**You are eligible, and the fee is the problem.** Zeffy charges nothing and Givebutter charges nothing with tips on. Between them, pick Givebutter if you run events or auctions and Zeffy if you want the simplest possible zero-cost stack. If you would rather pay a subscription than let donors see a tip prompt, Donorbox Pro’s 1.75 to 2 percent beats ActBlue by more than half above about $100,000 a year.

**You are a nonprofit and donor retention is the real job.** Bloomerang is built around that single metric and has the CRM depth, wealth screening and automation to act on it. Neon One is the alternative if you want unlimited contacts and one login for fundraising, events, memberships and volunteers, and you can live with an auto-renewing annual contract.

**Your donors are also your members.** This is where a donation processor is the wrong category and where the honest recommendation changes. Raklet puts dues, renewals, events, a member directory, a private community and donations on one contact record, with refunds handled from the admin side. It costs more than a free form because it replaces the CRM and membership system you would otherwise run next to one.

Raklet has a permanent free plan for up to 100 contacts with no credit card, so you can load your member list and set up a donation form before talking to anyone.

[Try Raklet Free](https://login.raklet.com/quickregister) [See Raklet Pricing](/pricing/)

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Who is allowed to use ActBlue?

ActBlue’s account eligibility policy permits Democratic candidates and committees, progressive organizations, and 501(c)(3) nonprofits that are engaged in grassroots fundraising and whose work is not at odds with values the policy lists. It excludes Republican candidates and committees, candidates in nonpartisan races affiliated with the Republican Party, and nonprofits without a public Form 990 and website. Most nonpartisan associations and clubs are not eligible.

### What is the best ActBlue alternative?

It depends on why you are leaving. For a no-subscription processor open to any organization, Anedot is the direct substitute. For zero fees, Zeffy. For a donation form with a falling fee ladder, Donorbox. For a nonprofit CRM built around retention, Bloomerang. For organizations whose donors are also members, Raklet combines dues, events, community and giving in one record.

### Is there a free ActBlue alternative?

Yes. Zeffy charges no platform or processing fees and funds itself through optional donor tips, so the nonprofit keeps the full gift. Givebutter is free with tips enabled. Donorbox’s Standard plan has no subscription but charges a platform fee per gift. Raklet has a permanent free plan for up to 100 contacts with no credit card required, which includes donation forms alongside its membership and community tools.

### How much does ActBlue charge per donation?

ActBlue charges a 3.95 percent processing fee on each contribution, with no monthly subscription. Qualifying down-ballot campaigns on Raise by ActBlue pay 3.5 percent. The rate includes card processing. On $50,000 raised in a year, the fee is $1,975; on $250,000 it is $9,875. An optional website builder is $40 a month. No volume discount is published.

### Can Republican or nonpartisan groups use ActBlue?

No. ActBlue’s policy names a registered Republican, any Republican committee, PAC or organization, and a candidate in a nonpartisan race affiliated with the Republican Party as impermissible users. Nonpartisan nonprofits are considered only if their work meets the policy’s values test. Anedot and NationBuilder both serve organizations across the political spectrum, and every platform on this page accepts nonpartisan groups.

### Does ActBlue handle membership management?

No. ActBlue is a donation and organizing platform. It has no membership tiers, dues automation, member portal, digital membership cards, directory or discussion boards. Organizations that need those typically pair it with a separate CRM. Raklet, Neon One and Bloomerang each offer membership tooling, with Raklet the only one of the three built around a member portal and community rather than a donor database.

## The Bottom Line on ActBlue Alternatives

ActBlue’s eligibility policy rules most organizations out before price is discussed, and for the ones it admits, a 3.95 percent cut on every contribution is the highest rate on this page apart from Anedot’s non-charity tier. If you need a processor and nothing else, Anedot replaces ActBlue for anyone, and Zeffy replaces it for free. If your donors are also your members, the question is not which donation form to pick, it is whether you needed a donation platform at all rather than a membership platform that takes donations, and that is the case Raklet makes. The three roundups below cover the neighbouring decisions.

## Compare to Other Nonprofit Fundraising Alternatives

Still building a shortlist? Three neighbouring roundups cover the same buying decision from a different starting point.

### [Best Givebutter Alternatives](/alternatives/best-givebutter-alternatives-ranked-and-reviewed/)

The right page if you want free fundraising software with no eligibility restrictions and are weighing the tip-funded model against a paid plan.

### [Best Bloomerang Alternatives](/alternatives/best-bloomerang-alternatives/)

Start here instead if donor retention and CRM depth matter more than the donation page itself.

### [Best NeonCRM Alternatives](/alternatives/best-neon-crm-alternatives/)

Better suited if you need an all-in-one nonprofit platform with fundraising, events, memberships and volunteers under one login.

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