Most "best nonprofit event software" lists compare feature grids. What actually decides your choice is simpler: what does a $25 ticket cost you on each platform, and does the registration land in the same database as your members and donors? This guide answers both. Every price and fee below was checked against the vendor's public pricing page or help center on 2026-08-19.
The short answer. For free community events, Eventbrite and Zeffy both cost $0. For ticketed fundraisers, Zeffy (0% fees, donor tips) and Givebutter (free with tips on) keep the most per ticket; Eventbrite's 3.7% + $1.79 service fee plus 2.9% processing is the most expensive of the self-serve tools. For member-priced programs, Communal (programs & events +$50/mo on a $75/mo base) applies member pricing automatically. For multi-day conferences, Cvent is the enterprise pick, and Neon CRM or Bloomerang fit fundraising-led organizations that want events inside their donor CRM.
Related event software guides:
- Nonprofit event management software
- Program and event management software
- Membership and event software
- Eventbrite alternatives
What a $25 and a $100 ticket actually cost you
The math on one paid ticket, one ticket per order, organizer absorbing the fee (every platform also lets you pass fees to the buyer). Rounded to the cent.
| Platform | Fee structure (verified 2026-08-19) | Cost on a $25 ticket | Cost on a $100 ticket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eventbrite | 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per paid ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing per order | $3.44 (you keep $21.56) | $8.39 (you keep $91.61) |
| Givebutter, tips on | 0% platform fee; Givebutter covers processing from optional donor tips | $0 (you keep $25.00) | $0 (you keep $100.00) |
| Givebutter, tips off | 3% platform fee plus 2.9% + $0.30 card processing | $1.78 (you keep $23.22) | $6.20 (you keep $93.80) |
| Zeffy | 0% platform fee and 0% processing to the nonprofit; optional donor tips | $0 (you keep $25.00) | $0 (you keep $100.00) |
| RSVPify | 1.95% + $0.90 per paid ticket, plus Stripe processing 2.9% + $0.30 | $2.41 (you keep $22.59) | $6.05 (you keep $93.95) |
| Communal | Card-processing application fee set in your agreement, often ~2%; no monthly minimums (plus programs & events +$50/mo on the $75/mo base) | $0.50 at 2% (you keep $24.50) | $2.00 at 2% (you keep $98.00) |
Two things jump out. On a $25 ticket Eventbrite takes almost 14%, because the $1.79 flat fee hits small tickets hardest. And the "free" platforms are free because your attendees see a tip prompt; if that is not acceptable, Givebutter with tips off is 5.9% + $0.30 and Zeffy has no tips-off option. Communal is the only one with a subscription, so volume matters: 200 tickets a month at $25 is about $688 in Eventbrite fees, against $100 in fees plus $125/mo on Communal.
The 9 nonprofit event software tools, reviewed
1. Eventbrite
Pricing (verified 2026-08-19): Free events are free with no attendee cap. Paid tickets carry a 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per ticket plus 2.9% payment processing per order (US). Eventbrite Pro, the email marketing add-on, starts at $15/month; nonprofits can apply for up to 50% off Pro. No contract.
What it does well: Unlimited free events, a large consumer marketplace that can sell tickets to people outside your list, mature mobile check-in and scanning, and a public REST API.
Where it falls short: Roughly 6.6% + $1.79 per paid ticket adds up fast. No membership, dues, renewal, volunteer or facility tools. A donation ticket type exists but there are no year-end or consolidated tax receipts.
Who it fits: Mostly free or public-facing ticketed events that benefit from marketplace discovery and do not need member records. If the fees are the problem, see Eventbrite alternatives.
2. Givebutter
Pricing (verified 2026-08-19): Free plan with donation forms, fundraising pages, events, auctions, a CRM with unlimited contacts and payment processing. With donor tips on (the default): 0% platform fee and Givebutter covers processing; it says 92% of donors cover fees. With tips off: 3% platform fee plus 2.9% + $0.30 card processing. Givebutter Plus is $29/mo (250 contacts), $79/mo (1,000) or $129/mo (2,500) and adds workflows, texting, custom reports and QuickBooks Online sync.
What it does well: A free core with modern fundraising tools (campaign pages, peer-to-peer, auctions, text-to-donate) and events that land in the same CRM as your donors.
Where it falls short: Membership is recurring payment forms plus CRM tags, not tiers, renewals, directories or cards. No volunteer management, room booking or full website builder. Turning tips off costs 3% on top of processing.
Who it fits: Small and mid-size nonprofits focused on online fundraising and events that are comfortable with donor tipping. See Eventbrite vs Givebutter.
3. Zeffy
Pricing (verified 2026-08-19): $0. No subscription, platform fee or processing fee to the nonprofit. Donors see an optional contribution to Zeffy at checkout (roughly 2 in 3 tip, per Zeffy) and you receive 100% of the payment. US and Canadian nonprofits only.
What it does well: Free including processing, which no paid tool matches. Event ticketing, raffles, auctions, peer-to-peer, donation forms, memberships with auto-renewal, Tap to Pay, automated tax receipts, QuickBooks and Zapier.
Where it falls short: Volunteer signups use the event form type with no shift scheduling. No website builder or room booking. The tip prompt sits in front of every attendee, the public API is read-only, and it is US and Canada only.
Who it fits: Small US or Canadian nonprofits that want ticketing and donation forms with zero software cost and an audience that will not mind the tip prompt.
4. RSVPify
Pricing (verified 2026-08-19): Free plan for small events. Business & Nonprofit plans from $39/mo (Starter, 150 registrations/mo), $125/mo (Plus, 500) and $409/mo (Professional, 1,500). Any event that sells tickets gets Professional features at no subscription cost and pays 1.95% + $0.90 per ticket plus Stripe processing of 2.9% + $0.30. Free trial, no credit card.
What it does well: Invitation-style RSVP flows with seating charts, guest lists, +1s and QR check-in. A public API plus Zapier, Salesforce and HubSpot integrations.
Where it falls short: Monthly registration caps push busy organizations up the tiers. No member database, dues, renewals, volunteers or facility booking. Donations only inside ticketed flows, with no tax receipting.
Who it fits: Galas and invite-only events where seating and guest-list management matter more than ongoing member records.
5. Cvent
Pricing (verified 2026-08-19): Quote only. Quotes combine an annual platform license with per-registrant fees; Attendee Hub, OnArrival check-in and venue sourcing are priced separately. Annual contract, no free trial. Third-party estimates exist but none come from Cvent.
What it does well: Enterprise registration, branded event websites, a mobile event app and on-site badging in one suite, venue sourcing through the Cvent Supplier Network, and a documented developer API.
Where it falls short: Quote-only pricing with annual contracts and per-registrant fees is out of reach for most small nonprofits. Built for conferences, not memberships, volunteers or facility rentals. Administration is heavy enough that many customers rely on Cvent services or dedicated staff.
Who it fits: Large associations and enterprises running multi-day conferences with sessions, housing and on-site needs.
6. Neon CRM (events on the Impact tier)
Pricing (verified 2026-08-19): Essentials is $99/mo for constituent management, donation forms, 3 workflows and reporting. Events, membership, volunteers, the open API and an online store need the Impact tier at $209/mo or higher. Unlimited records on every plan. Neon Pay is 2.99% + $0.30 per card transaction and 1% + $1 per ACH, with donor-covered fees. No free trial; contracts are typically annual.
What it does well: Events sit in the same CRM as donors, members and volunteers, with unlimited records, users and forms so growth does not trigger per-record price jumps, plus workflow automation.
Where it falls short: Events cost at least $209/mo because the entry tier is fundraising-only. No website builder, facility booking or free trial, and 2.99% + $0.30 processing is higher than some competitors' Stripe pricing.
Who it fits: Growing nonprofits and membership associations that want one CRM for donors, members, events and volunteers and can justify Impact.
7. Bloomerang
Pricing (verified 2026-08-19): Bloomerang CRM from $125/mo billed annually; the Giving Platform bundle from $242/mo billed annually. Scales with record count. Unlimited users. Bloomerang Payments is widely reported at 2.9% + $0.30 per card transaction but is not published on the pricing page. No free trial.
What it does well: Event registration with ticketing, QR check-in and table management inside a donor CRM built around retention, with a public REST API and easy exports. The separate volunteer product (from $119/mo) adds scheduling and a mobile app.
Where it falls short: Separate products and record-based tiers make the full stack expensive, and annual contracts are required. Membership is basic, with no digital cards, website builder or facility booking.
Who it fits: Small and mid-size US nonprofits focused on donor retention that want events inside a polished fundraising CRM.
8. Wild Apricot (events)
Pricing (verified 2026-08-19): From $66/mo for up to 100 contacts, month-to-month, with 1-year and 2-year prepay discounts. Events are included at every tier. No per-transaction fee from Wild Apricot on its Personify Payments processor; a third-party gateway (Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.Net) triggers a Payment System Servicing Fee described as 20% of the subscription price. 60-day free trial, no credit card.
What it does well: Event registration forms tied to a member database with member and non-member pricing, plus a website builder, email, store and mobile apps on every plan. Public API, WordPress widgets, Zapier, Make and QuickBooks.
Where it falls short: Pricing counts every contact, including lapsed members and registrants you keep. The 20% surcharge for your own gateway is unusual. No native volunteer management or room booking.
Who it fits: Small to mid-size clubs and associations that want member-priced events plus a website in one tool and accept the in-house processor.
9. Communal
Pricing (verified 2026-08-19): $75/mo flat for up to 250 members with member CRM, volunteer, donor and POS software included. Programs & events +$50/mo. Facilities from +$65/mo by bookable spaces. No contracts, prorated billing, cancel any module any time. Card-processing application fee set in your agreement, often ~2%; no monthly minimums; weekly deposits to your own Stripe Connect account. 30-day free trial, no credit card.
What it does well: Programs and events are one module: a parent program with sessions, capacity, age gates and recurrence rules. Price tiers are member-plan price, public price, volunteer price (applied automatically to qualifying volunteers), free or recurring. Waitlists with priority offers and auto-backfill, attendance sheets, custom questions and file uploads, waivers with an acceptance record, registration transfers, pre-session reminders, public iCal feeds, guest registration, pay-by-cash at the desk and coupon codes are included. A donation taken with a registration gets an automatic numbered tax receipt. Details on the program and event management page.
Where it falls short: No public marketplace, so it will not put your event in front of strangers. No website builder, native mobile app, SMS, auctions or peer-to-peer pages. Waivers are an uploaded file plus acceptance, not e-signature.
Who it fits: Community associations, recreation centers, clubs, leagues and cultural organizations running member-priced programs that want registrations, memberships, volunteers and donations in one database. Comparing with Eventbrite? Read Communal vs Eventbrite.
Comparison table
| Platform | Starting price | Per-ticket fees | Member pricing on events | Tax receipts | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eventbrite | Free events $0; paid tickets 3.7% + $1.79 | Plus 2.9% processing per order | No member records | No | 2026-08-19 |
| Givebutter | Free; Plus from $29/mo | 0% with tips on; 3% + 2.9% + $0.30 with tips off | Partial (recurring payment forms and tags) | Yes | 2026-08-19 |
| Zeffy | $0 | 0% platform, 0% processing | Basic memberships with auto-renewal | Yes | 2026-08-19 |
| RSVPify | Free; from $39/mo | 1.95% + $0.90 plus Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 | No member records | No | 2026-08-19 |
| Cvent | Quote only | Per-registrant fees in the quote | No | No | 2026-08-19 |
| Neon CRM | From $99/mo; events on Impact $209/mo | Neon Pay 2.99% + $0.30 | Yes (membership module) | Yes | 2026-08-19 |
| Bloomerang | From $125/mo (annual) | Reported 2.9% + $0.30; not published | Basic (membership levels on records) | Yes | 2026-08-19 |
| Wild Apricot | From $66/mo | None from vendor on Personify Payments | Yes | Basic | 2026-08-19 |
| Communal | $75/mo + $50/mo programs & events | Card fee set in your agreement, often ~2% | Yes (member, public, volunteer price tiers) | Yes, automatic and numbered | 2026-08-19 |
Which to pick
Free community events. Eventbrite costs nothing for free events and adds marketplace discovery; Zeffy is also free and adds donation forms and tax receipts if you want to ask for a gift at registration. If the attendees are your members and you need attendance, waitlists and reminders on a recurring program, Communal's programs & events module covers it for +$50/mo.
Ticketed fundraisers. Fees decide this one. Zeffy and Givebutter (tips on) take nothing from the ticket, at the price of a tip prompt on the checkout. Givebutter with tips off is 5.9% + $0.30 per ticket. RSVPify at 1.95% + $0.90 plus Stripe is the cheapest of the tools with no tip prompt, and its seating charts suit galas. Eventbrite is the most expensive per ticket but the only one that markets your event for you.
Member-priced programs. Communal, Wild Apricot and Neon CRM (Impact tier) all tie event pricing to membership status. Communal adds volunteer pricing, waitlists with auto-backfill, attendance sheets and recurring sessions, and does it on a flat member-band price with volunteer and donor tools included. Wild Apricot is the pick if you also want the website builder. Neon CRM fits when the donor CRM is the center of gravity and events are secondary.
Conferences. Cvent is the enterprise answer for multi-day conferences with sessions, housing and on-site badging, priced by quote. Glue Up and the association management systems cover mid-size association conferences; for most community nonprofits, a conference is a one-off and Eventbrite or RSVPify is enough.
Frequently asked questions
What does Eventbrite cost a nonprofit per ticket?
A 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per paid ticket plus 2.9% payment processing per order (US): about $3.44 on a $25 ticket and $8.39 on a $100 ticket. Free events are free. Eventbrite Pro starts at $15/mo and nonprofits can apply for up to 50% off it. Lower tiered rates quoted by third-party guides are not on Eventbrite's own pricing page.
Is Zeffy really free for nonprofit events?
Yes. Zeffy charges no subscription, platform fee or processing fee and you receive 100% of each payment. It covers its Stripe costs from an optional contribution attendees see at checkout, and says roughly 2 in 3 donors tip. It is available to US and Canadian nonprofits only, and has no facility booking or volunteer shift scheduling.
What is the difference between Givebutter with tips on and tips off?
Tips on (the default): 0% platform fee and Givebutter covers processing, so a $100 ticket nets $100. Tips off: 3% platform fee plus 2.9% + $0.30 card processing, so the same ticket nets $93.80. Givebutter says 92% of donors cover fees when asked.
Which nonprofit event software connects events to memberships?
Communal ($75/mo plus $50/mo for programs & events), Wild Apricot (from $66/mo, events on every plan) and Neon CRM (Impact tier, $209/mo) all price events by membership status from the member record. Communal adds volunteer pricing, waitlists and attendance. Eventbrite, RSVPify and Cvent keep no member records.
What is the cheapest way to run a ticketed gala?
If your audience will accept a tip prompt, Zeffy or Givebutter (tips on) cost $0 in fees. If not, RSVPify at 1.95% + $0.90 per ticket plus Stripe (about $6.05 on a $100 ticket) is the lowest-fee tool with seating charts. Communal's card fee is set in your agreement, often ~2%, but its $125/mo subscription only pays off if you also use the membership, volunteer and donation tools.
Do any of these tools issue tax receipts for event donations?
Zeffy, Givebutter, Neon CRM and Bloomerang issue receipts. Communal issues automatic numbered receipts with separate Canadian (CRA) and US templates, including for donations made with a registration. Eventbrite has a donation ticket type but no consolidated receipts; RSVPify and Cvent do not receipt donations.
The bottom line
Pick by what breaks first. Fees eating your events: go free (Zeffy, or Givebutter with tips on) and test the tip prompt on one low-stakes event. A registration form that embarrasses you at a gala: RSVPify. Events for members, with registrations, memberships, volunteers and donations living in four places: Communal's nonprofit event management software puts them in one database for $125/mo. A 2,000-person conference: call Cvent and budget accordingly.
None of these tools will run the event for you. What they will do is cut the late-night messages about whether the confirmation emails went out. That is the real metric.