If you’ve ever tried to compare donation platforms side by side, you know how fast things get muddy. Some are “free” until you embed a form. Some charge 1% on one page, 3% on another, and 5% if you host an event. Some make you pay extra to access your own donor data, or lock key features behind CRM upgrades and multi-tier plans.

And if you’re running a small nonprofit, school, or church—you just want something that works, is easy to explain to your board, and doesn’t eat into your funding.

That’s where most donation platforms fall apart.

The Real Problem: Confusing, Layered Pricing Models

Many platforms advertise low rates or no monthly fee—but what they don’t tell you upfront is that pricing is tiered based on what kind of donation you collect or what tools you use.

Take one example (we’re not the type to call out people by name):

• Embedded form on your website: 1% platform fee
• Hosted landing page: 3%
• Event ticketing: 5%

Want CRM tools? That’s another plan. Email marketing? More upsells. You end up spending more time navigating plan documents than actually engaging your donors.

Solafund Keeps It Simple

We built Solafund because we were tired of the confusion—and so were the nonprofits we worked with.

Here’s how we handle pricing:

• One-time setup fee: $499 (credited back to you in waived Solafund fees)
• Transaction fee: 4.4% total
  • 2.9% + 30¢ to Stripe (industry standard)
  • 1.5% to Solafund
• No added fees for forms, events, or recurring giving
• No upsells for CRM, email, or accessing donor data

That’s it. No guessing. No add-ons. No feature gates. Just a clean, consistent donation experience—every time.

Use the fee calculator to see exactly how much you’d save compared to others.

The Hidden Costs No One Talks About

Even when platform fees look similar on paper, the way they’re structured can cost you big in practice. If one platform charges 1% for donations embedded on your website, but 3–5% for campaign pages and ticketed events, that variability can make it nearly impossible to forecast your costs or explain them to your board.

It also creates friction for your team. Do you use the tool with the better donor experience, or the one with the lower fee? Should you route people to a lower-cost form or a higher-converting landing page?

Solafund removes that tension. You never have to worry about which donation flow costs more—because every donation is charged the same way.

Clarity Wins. So Does Control.

When you use a system that’s built on upsells and fine print, you’re constantly reacting. One month you’re hit with an unexpected fee. The next, you realize you can’t export your donor list without upgrading your plan. Suddenly, you’re stuck in a system that’s costing more than it’s worth—and getting harder to leave.

We built Solafund to solve that:

• You own your data—and can export it anytime
• You don’t need to “upgrade” to get basic features like recurring giving, email tools, or donation tracking
• You can explain your fees in one sentence

And if you ever grow beyond Solafund? You’re not locked in. There’s no proprietary code or gated dashboard holding you hostage. You keep full access and control, always.

The “Low Fee” Platforms That Still Cost You

Some platforms push donors to “tip” the software provider. Others ask donors to “cover the fees”—but won’t let you customize the language. While these models look like they help your nonprofit, they can actually undermine trust. Donors start wondering who really benefits from their gift.

Solafund lets you include a “cover fees” toggle, but you’re always in control of how it’s worded—and there’s no forced tipping mechanism redirecting funds to us. We believe your donations should go to your mission, not to us in disguise.

Not Just Cheaper. Cleaner.

At the end of the day, cost is only half the story. The other half is clarity. If you can’t explain your donation platform’s pricing in under 15 seconds, it’s not designed for you—it’s designed to extract from you.

Solafund isn’t just leaner on fees. It’s clearer, cleaner, and actually built for the kind of orgs that don’t have a full-time tech team or a $10M operating budget.

Check out the pricing comparison table to see how we stack up next to the rest.

Bottom Line

Most platforms want you confused—because confused customers don’t leave. Solafund is built on the opposite principle: clarity builds trust. And trust keeps you (and your donors) coming back.

Clear pricing. Full control. No surprises. That’s what every giving platform should offer. We just actually do it.

Learn why Solafund exists →