Donorbox fees explained: what a nonprofit really pays
Donorbox's Standard plan has no monthly fee. The cost is a platform fee on every gift, taken on top of what PayPal or Stripe charges. This guide shows what that adds up to on $10, $50 and $100 gifts, when the $150 Pro plan pays off, what the cover-the-fee box leaves uncovered, and what nonprofit processing rates change.
What Donorbox charges
| Plan | Monthly price | Fee on donation forms and fundraising pages | Fee on events, memberships and supporters' pages | Team members |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $0 | 2.95% | 3.95% | 5 |
| Pro | $150 (monthly billing) | 1.75% | 2.0% | 10 |
| Premium | Contact sales | 1.6% | 2.0% | 30 |
Each transaction carries one of the two platform rates, never both. For ACH bank payments, Donorbox's own fee is capped at $25. Standard has no setup, monthly or cancellation fee. Processing is separate: Donorbox's help center says there is one payment processing fee per transaction, charged by PayPal or Stripe. The organization pays both fees unless the donor ticks the cover box. Pro's yearly price is not published, and the pricing page sends you to sales for it. See Donorbox's pricing page.
What $5,000 a month costs at three gift sizes
These figures assume donors pay by card through Stripe (2.9% + $0.30 per gift) and nobody covers a fee.
| Gift size (gifts a month) | Donorbox Standard fee | Stripe fee | Kept on Standard | Kept on Pro, after $150 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 (500) | $147.50 | $295.00 | $4,557.50 | $4,467.50 |
| $50 (100) | $147.50 | $175.00 | $4,677.50 | $4,587.50 |
| $100 (50) | $147.50 | $160.00 | $4,692.50 | $4,602.50 |
The platform fee is the same $147.50 each time: 2.95% of $5,000. The Stripe fee shrinks as gifts grow, because its $0.30 is charged per gift. On one $50 gift, Standard takes $1.48 and Stripe takes $1.75, leaving $46.77. A $10 gift loses 8.9% to fees on Standard, and a $100 gift loses 6.2%.
To estimate a month on Standard through Stripe, multiply your donations by 5.85% (2.95% + 2.9%) and add $0.30 for each gift. For $5,000 in $50 gifts, that is $292.50 + $30.00 = $322.50.
PayPal's page lists 3.49% + $0.49 for Checkout and 2.89% + $0.49 for donations, and Donorbox's help center quotes the donation rate. A PayPal gift can therefore cost a little less than the Checkout rate. The tables use Stripe because its card rate is a single published figure. See PayPal fees explained and Stripe fees explained.
When Pro pays off
Pro cuts the platform fee from 2.95% to 1.75%, a saving of 1.20 points, for $150 a month. Break-even is $150 divided by 0.012, or $12,500 a month in donations on donation forms. Below that, Pro costs more: at $5,000 a month it leaves $90 less than Standard. On events, memberships and supporters' pages the gap is wider (3.95% against 2.0%), so break-even there is about $7,700 a month.
Pro adds more than a lower rate. It has Recurring Upsell, which asks one-time donors to go monthly at checkout, and Recurring Donation Boost, a prompt in an existing donor's receipt email. Pro and Premium also remove the "Powered by Donorbox" line from receipts automatically, and Standard can ask Donorbox to do the same.
The cover-the-fee box
Donors can tick an optional box that adds the fees to their gift. Donorbox adds enough for the processor's fee and its own platform fee. It bases the amount on the lowest nonprofit processor rates (PayPal 1.99% + $0.49, Stripe 2.2% + $0.30), so the amount is an estimate, and an organization on standard rates ends up slightly short.
On a $50 gift on Standard, the donor pays $53.03. The organization keeps $49.63 through Stripe or $49.13 through PayPal Checkout. Apple Pay and other one-tap methods cannot cover fees. Preview your form to see how the box appears to donors.
Costs outside the platform fee
- Zapier and API access: $17 a month on Standard, included in Pro.
- Text-to-Give: $19 a month for a standard number, or $50 a month for a custom keyword.
- Moving recurring donors over: $195, flat.
- Live Kiosk: $80 a month or $820 a year for the first device, plus $15 a month for each extra one.
None of these is a donor tip. Donorbox's pricing page and fee articles list no tip prompt.
What a nonprofit rate changes
Both processors discount nonprofits. PayPal's fee page lists a charity rate of 1.99% + $0.49. Stripe's support article says its discount needs at least 80% of volume to be tax-deductible donations, and membership fees, tuition, ticket sales, registration fees and auction payments do not count. The article does not state the rate; Donorbox's help center quotes 2.2% + $0.30.
At PayPal's charity rate, the $50 gifts above leave $4,704.00 on Standard instead of $4,629.00 at the Checkout rate. Donorbox's own fee does not change.
Compared with a Payly donation form
Payly's donation form takes no platform fee and no commission, has no monthly fee or transaction fee, and never asks donors for a tip. The organization pays whatever PayPal or Stripe charges, or passes it to donors who tick the cover-the-fee box. That box starts unticked, and you can edit its rate, for example to your nonprofit rate. Take $5,000 a month in $50 gifts paid by card. Payly leaves $4,825.00, and Donorbox Standard leaves $4,677.50. The $147.50 gap is Donorbox's 2.95%.
Donorbox also has fundraising pages for supporters to share, year-end tax receipts and forms you can paste into another website. Payly's form lacks all three. It does send every donor a receipt, with your tax ID if you add one. Start with Set up a donation form, or create a free Payly account.
Questions
Is Donorbox free for nonprofits?
The Standard plan has no monthly fee, but it keeps 2.95% of each gift on top of PayPal's or Stripe's fee. Pro is $150 a month.
How much does Donorbox take from a $50 donation?
On Standard, paid by card through Stripe, $3.23: $1.48 to Donorbox and $1.75 to Stripe. That is 6.5% of the gift.
Is Donorbox Pro worth it?
By fees alone, only above $12,500 a month in donations. Weigh the recurring-gift tools and receipt branding too.
Can donors cover Donorbox's fee?
Yes. The optional cover box adds the processor fee and the platform fee to the gift, as an estimate. An organization on standard processing rates still ends up a little short.
Prices as published by each company for the US in November 2026. Prices can change; check each company's own pricing page.
