Best Charity Auction Software in the USA (2026)

Choosing charity auction software in the US means deciding between very different pricing models: annual subscriptions, per event packages, percentage fees, and free platforms funded by donor tips. The right choice depends on how often you run auctions, if you are running the auction at in-person event and how much hands-on support you want on the night.

This guide compares six platforms US nonprofits shortlist most often: GalaBid, OneCause, Handbid, Greater Giving, Auctria and Givebutter. We have set out what each one charges, where it is strongest, and which type of organization it suits. GalaBid is our platform, so we have kept the assessments factual and told you plainly where a competitor is the better fit.

How we compared the platforms

We looked at five things that matter most on auction night and in the weeks either side of it:

• Pricing model and total cost. Subscription, per event fee, percentage of funds raised, or free with donor tips. Card processing fees apply on every platform and are excluded from headline figures. Check whether processing is billed at the processor's standard published rate or marked up; on some platforms the processing rate includes a margin, which adds a hidden percentage to the true cost.
• Mobile bidding experience. How easy it is for bidders to register, bid and pay from their phones, and whether an app download is required.
• Event night features. Leaderboards, live auction and paddle raise support, check-in, and volunteer tools.
• Payment handling. Whether funds go directly to your organization or pass through the platform first.
• Support. Availability, channels, and whether help is included or costs extra.

Quick comparison

GalaBid

GalaBid has run charity auctions since 2011 and supports silent auctions, live auctions, paddle raises, raffles, ticketing and donations in a single campaign, with overtime bidding, sealed bid and buy now formats and full control over the campaign's branding. Bidding is via a browser with no app download, and winners pay on their phones at checkout. Support is live chat with a real person, day or night, included on every tier, and Capterra reviewers repeatedly single it out. GalaBid is rated 4.9 on Trustpilot and 4.9 on Capterra, the highest Capterra score of the platforms in this guide.

Two things set GalaBid apart for US fundraisers. First, payment handling: funds go directly to your organization through your own Stripe account. GalaBid never holds your funds, there is no platform float, and you pay Stripe's published processing rates with no markup added. Second, the sale or return auction catalog: you can add consignment items to your auction at no upfront cost and only pay if an item sells, which is a low risk way to build out your auction.

Pricing: the free tier includes the full feature set, funded by donor tips. A paid tier at 4.9% removes tip prompts, and a flat fee option is available for larger campaigns. Card processing fees apply on all tiers.

Best for: online fundraisers or in-person events, for nonprofits and schools who want easy setup, support on tap and full control of the funds raised. The built-in consignment catalog fills out an auction with no upfront spend, and overtime and sms outbid notifications keep bidding fun and competitive. Live chat with a real person is available day or night on every tier, including free. GalaBid never holds your funds and or marks up card processing.

Consider alternatives if: you want a US-based vendor with on-site event staffing as part of the package. That is OneCause and Greater Giving territory.

OneCause

OneCause, now part of Bonterra, is one of the most established names in US event fundraising. It covers mobile bidding, ticketing, registration, table management and peer-to-peer campaigns, and it is known for responsive human support during events, including on-site staffing options.

Pricing: a pay-as-you-go plan starts at $200 with a capped fee on funds raised, and flat annual packages are available, such as the Professional Auction and Event package at $2,995 per year. Processing fees apply, and reviewers note that on-site support and equipment rental add to the total. Some reviewers describe the platform as expensive for small nonprofits and would like clearer fee breakdowns.

Best for: mid-size and large nonprofits running high-stakes galas where a five-figure software and services budget is justified and onsite event  assistance and integrations with donor CRM's are priorities.

Consider alternatives if: you run one or two smaller fundraisers a year and the annual package cost is hard to justify.

Handbid

Handbid built its reputation on the bidder experience. Its app delivers one-tap bidding, instant outbid notifications and a real-time leaderboard, and it is a favorite among professional auctioneers who care about bid velocity in the room.

Pricing: the self-service Big Event package is $1,396 per year, with per event packages and annual plans above that. Transaction fees apply.

Best for: gala committees that consider mobile bidding speed and polish the single most important factor on the night.

Consider alternatives if: you need deep CRM integration or manage a portfolio of events. Reviewers note CRM exports involve manual work and the platform is built around one gala at a time. Worth noting too that not every guest is keen to download a native app: it adds a step at check-in, and older or less technical guests may need extra assitance. Handbid offers browser based bidding as well, but the polished experience it is known for lives in the app.

Greater Giving

Greater Giving has been part of Blackbaud since 2007 and offers one of the deepest event night feature sets in the category: registration, payments, silent and live auctions handled in one system on the same night.

Pricing: quote-based. You will need to contact the vendor to discuss your requirements and pricing.

Best for: organizations already in the Blackbaud ecosystem, and event teams that want registration, payment terminals and auctions from a single vendor.

Consider alternatives if: ease of use matters to a volunteer-run team. Greater Giving scores lower than the other platforms in this guide on ease of use in verified reviews, though its support is rated well.

Auctria

Auctria is the budget pick among subscription-based platforms. It's an all-in-one auction and event management tool covering the full process from donor and item tracking through bidding and checkout, with online bidding, text message bidding and printed bid sheet support,  It holds some of the strongest review scores in the category from a large base of small nonprofit users.

Pricing: Options include a free tier and flat fee annual licenses with unlimited events. Support availability depends on the plan level.

Best for: small nonprofits, schools and volunteer committees that mostly need an affordable way to manage the lots themselves and are comfortable doing the setup work.

Consider alternatives if: you want donor communications beyond auction emails, or payment options beyond credit and debit cards.

Givebutter

Givebutter is a free, general purpose fundraising platform funded by optional donor tips, and it added auctions relatively recently. For a small organization already using Givebutter for donations and ticketing, running the auction there too keeps everything in one place.

Pricing: free with donor tips at checkout. Organizations can switch tips off in exchange for a 3% software fee plus processing fees on auction campaigns.

Best for: small campaigns that prefer a clean 3% fee over asking donors to tip, since the flat rate stays cheap at low volume.

Consider alternatives if: you run in-person events. Givebutter is newer to the auction space and its in-person event feature set is thinner than the dedicated auction platforms in this guide. Live chat support runs business hours only, Eastern time.

What about Zeffy?

Zeffy is a free platform for registered nonprofits in the US and Canada, funded by a contribution request at checkout that cannot be removed. It comes up in most US shortlists, so we have covered it in detail separately: see our comparison of GalaBid vs Zeffy and our guide to free silent auction platforms.

Which charity auction software should you choose?

There is no single winner. Match the platform to your situation:

• You want vendor staff physically at your venue on the night: OneCause or Greater Giving, priced accordingly.
• Mobile bidding app polish above all else: Handbid.
• Lowest possible spend, happy to do the setup: Givebutter if free matters more than event night features.
• Full features free, direct payments with no platform float, and live human support at any size of event: GalaBid, which scales from school fairs to major galas with big screen leaderboards and volunteer accounts, with a flat fee tier for larger campaigns.
• More than a silent auction in one campaign: GalaBid again. Raffles, ticketing, overtime bidding, sealed bids and a built-in consignment catalog for sale or return auction items, with full control over the campaign's look and feel.

Frequently asked questions

How much does charity auction software cost in the US?

Anywhere from free to several thousand dollars a year. Free platforms (GalaBid free tier, Givebutter, Zeffy) are funded by optional donor contributions at checkout. Budget subscriptions start around $375 per year (Auctria). Premium event platforms run from roughly $1,400 (Handbid) to $2,995 and up (OneCause annual packages). Card processing fees apply everywhere.

Do guests need to download an app to bid?

Not on most platforms. GalaBid, OneCause and Givebutter all support browser-based bidding. Handbid is built around its bidder app, which is part of why its in-app experience is so polished, though an app download is not appealing to some bidders. Browser-based bidding removes that friction: guests tap a link or scan a QR code and are bidding in seconds.

Does the platform hold our funds?

It varies, and it is worth checking before you commit. On GalaBid, payments flow through your own Stripe account directly to your bank, so the platform never holds your money. On some platforms, funds are collected by the provider and paid out afterwards.

Can we run a silent auction, live auction and paddle raise in one campaign?

GalaBid, OneCause, Handbid and Greater Giving all support combined formats. If you running multiple fundraising activities, see an overview of GalaBid's extensive fundraising platform.

Can we add auction items without buying them upfront?

GalaBid offers a sale or return catalog: add consignment items at no cost and pay only when an item sells. Unsold items go back to the catalog.

Do auction platforms mark up card processing fees?

Some do. A platform quoting a single blended processing rate may be adding a margin above the payment processor's standard published rate, which is a cost that never appears in headline pricing. Ask each vendor whether processing runs at the processor's own rate. On GalaBid, payments run through your organization's own Stripe account, so you pay Stripe's published rates directly and GalaBid adds no processing markup.

Which charity auction platforms include live support?

Support models vary widely. GalaBid includes live chat with a real person, day or night, on every tier including free. OneCause and Greater Giving offer strong event support, with on-site staffing available at additional cost. Givebutter's live chat runs business hours only, Eastern time, and Auctria's support depends on your plan level.

Pricing and Capterra ratings checked September 2026 from vendor websites and verified review platforms. Confirm current pricing with each vendor before you commit.

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