Clerestory: a payment account with its own 501(c) classification, EIN, tax notice and Stripe connection. Add another and it carries its own.
Most comparison pages are written by the company that wants to win, and this one is too. So here is how we have tried to make it worth reading: every claim about Donorbox below is quoted from Donorbox's own website, help center or policies, with the date we read it. Where Donorbox does something we do not, or costs less, we say so plainly.
Donorbox is online fundraising software. Its plans include donation forms and pages, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer campaigns, event ticketing and memberships, with text-to-give and a tablet kiosk as paid add-ons, and payments through Stripe or PayPal (Donorbox).
Clerestory is payments and a supporter CRM for everything a non-profit sells or collects: donations, memberships and dues, events, auctions, raffles, classes, admission, rentals and the shop. Every payment lands on the supporter's record as it happens.
Donorbox publishes three plans. Standard is free, with "Fees between 2.95% and 3.95%". Pro is $150 a month, with fees between 1.75% and 2%, and a discount for yearly billing that the page does not state. Premium is priced on request, with fees between 1.6% and 2% (Donorbox).
Which rate you pay depends on what you are selling. Donorbox's fee breakdown says "You will only be charged one platform processing fee per transaction, depending on the feature you're using." On Standard, donation forms, fundraising pages, crowdfunding and peer-to-peer pages run by the organization are 2.95%. Event ticketing, memberships and peer-to-peer pages run by supporters are 3.95%. On Pro those are 1.75% and 2% (Donorbox).
Card processing is a separate fee. For a registered non-profit in the US, Donorbox lists Stripe at "2.2% + 30¢" for cards and digital wallets, and PayPal at "1.99% + 49¢ (non-AMEX)" (Donorbox).
Some things cost extra. Text-to-give is "$19/mo: Standard" or "$50/mo: Custom Keyword". The Donorbox Live kiosk is "$80/monthly or $820/annually" for the first device on Standard and Pro, $50 a month on Premium, and $15 a month for each additional device, with the card reader sold separately. Zapier and API access is $17 a month on Standard. Moving recurring donors to Donorbox is a "$195 Flat Fee" on Standard and Pro (Donorbox).
Refunds. Donorbox's help center says "Any Donorbox platform fees associated with the refunded amount will remain the responsibility of the organization." (Donorbox Help).
Our platform fee is 3% per successful transaction, and that is the whole of our price. The same 3% on a donation, a membership, a ticket, an auction win or a shop sale. No subscription, no license fee, no per-seat pricing, no modules, no add-ons, no setup fee, no minimum and no contract. If you refund a payment, our 3% comes back with it.
Card processing is a separate fee, charged by Stripe on your own Stripe account, at 2.2% + $0.30 for our customers with Stripe's non-profit rate. That is the same rate Donorbox lists, so the processing line is the same on both.
Supporters can cover both fees, on both products. On Clerestory, a supporter who ticks the box covers our 3% and Stripe's fee together, so you receive the full amount. Donorbox does the same: its pricing page says "Tip: You can let donors cover all the fees - so you can get the full amount of every donation.", and its help center confirms the calculation includes the Donorbox platform fee (Donorbox, Donorbox Help).
3% is a ceiling, not a floor. Our published Terms of Service say: "At higher processing volumes, the platform fee may be adjusted or capped at a mutually agreed rate." For an organization processing more than $800,000 a year online, that means volume pricing or contract pricing at an annual rate, agreed in writing before you start.
Both run card payments through Stripe at the same non-profit rate, so we leave processing out. This is the software fee alone for a year of online payments, before any supporter covers the fees. Donorbox Pro is counted at $150 a month, since Donorbox does not publish its yearly price.
| Online payments a year | Clerestory (3%) | Donorbox Standard | Donorbox Pro ($1,800 a year plus the fee) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 in donations | $1,500 | $1,475 (2.95%) | $2,675 (1.75%) |
| $50,000 in memberships and tickets | $1,500 | $1,975 (3.95%) | $2,800 (2%) |
| $150,000 in donations | $4,500 | $4,425 (2.95%) | $4,425 (1.75%) |
| $150,000 in memberships and tickets | $4,500 | $5,925 (3.95%) | $4,800 (2%) |
| $500,000 in donations | $15,000 | $14,750 (2.95%) | $10,550 (1.75%) |
| $500,000 in memberships and tickets | $15,000 | $19,750 (3.95%) | $11,800 (2%) |
On donations alone, Donorbox's free plan costs a little less than Clerestory at every volume, 2.95% against our 3%. On memberships and event tickets it costs more, 3.95% against our 3%. Donorbox Pro costs less than Clerestory above about $144,000 a year in donations, or about $180,000 a year in memberships and tickets. Above $800,000 a year, Clerestory offers volume or contract pricing, so ask us for a number before you compare.
Read the right-hand column carefully. "Not documented" does not mean Donorbox cannot do it. It means we read the Donorbox pages listed under How we checked on 22 October 2026 and did not find it. If something exists and we missed it, tell us and we will correct this page.
| Capability | Clerestory | Donorbox |
|---|---|---|
| Price published on the vendor's own website | Yes, a 3% platform fee per transaction | Yes for Standard and Pro. Premium is priced on request (Donorbox) |
| Platform fee on memberships and event tickets | 3%, the same as on donations | 3.95% on Standard, 2% on Pro and Premium (Donorbox) |
| Card processing rate published | Yes. Stripe, on your own account, at 2.2% + $0.30, the non-profit rate our customers receive | Yes, Stripe at "2.2% + 30¢" for US non-profits (Donorbox) |
| Supporters can cover both the platform fee and processing | Yes | Yes—"We include the Donorbox fee" (Donorbox Help) |
| Platform fee returned when you refund | Yes, our 3% comes back | No—"Any Donorbox platform fees associated with the refunded amount will remain the responsibility of the organization." (Donorbox Help) |
| Several bank accounts or legal entities in one account | Yes. Each entity is a payment account with its own EIN, bank account, receipts and QuickBooks class, and one 501(c)(3) can have several bank accounts | No—"A Donorbox account can only link to one unique Stripe account, and only one bank account can be connected to that Stripe account." Its suggestion is to open "separate Donorbox + Stripe accounts for each bank account." (Donorbox Help) |
| Staff users | No per-seat pricing, with seven ready-made staff roles | By plan: 5 team members on Standard, 10 on Pro, 30 on Premium (Donorbox) |
| Donation forms, pages and website embeds | Yes | Yes, unlimited on every plan (Donorbox) |
| Recurring gifts | Yes, monthly, quarterly, twice a year or annually | Yes |
| Peer-to-peer and crowdfunding pages | No | Yes, on every plan (Donorbox) |
| Text-to-give | No | Yes, as an add-on at "$19/mo: Standard" (Donorbox) |
| PayPal and Venmo | No | Yes—"Card payments, Venmo and PayPal" through PayPal (Donorbox) |
| Currencies | USD only for now | Many currencies, through Stripe and PayPal (Donorbox) |
| Crypto, stock and donor-advised fund gifts | Cryptocurrency through Stripe. Stock and donor-advised fund gifts recorded by staff | Yes, on Pro and Premium: crypto and stock, and DAFpay (Donorbox) |
| Paid memberships with tiers and auto-renewal | Yes | Yes—"Donorbox’s Memberships supports monthly and annual memberships and allows unlimited, customizable membership tiers." (Donorbox) |
| Member self-service | Yes, a member portal | Yes—"Your members receive their own Donorbox login details." (Donorbox) |
| A household membership with a set number of places, and the member choosing who fills them | Yes | Not documented |
| Dues for clubs, chambers and associations | Yes, with honorary and emeritus members waived | Not documented |
| Paid event tickets, sponsorships and tables | Yes, with capacity, sponsorships and add-ons | Yes—"Sell sponsorship packages, group tickets, and VIP tables with Ticket Packages." (Donorbox) |
| Event offer codes | Yes, with automatic member pricing | Yes—"Unique promo codes allow select buyers to purchase discounted or free fundraiser tickets." (Donorbox) |
| Event waitlists | Yes | Not documented. Its events page describes "sale deadlines and quantity limits that automatically close ticket sales" (Donorbox) |
| Check-in by scanning each ticket's QR code | Yes, with a gala desk and a link for volunteers | Yes—"Simply scan a QR code or enter the unique check-in code on your guest’s ticket" (Donorbox) |
| Silent and live auctions, paddle raise | Yes, with bidding from guests' own phones and one charge per guest at the end | Not documented |
| Raffles | Yes, with every draw recorded | Not allowed. Donorbox's Acceptable Usage Policy prohibits activity with an entry fee and a prize, including "games of skill or chance (whether or not it is legally defined as a lottery) or sweepstakes" (Donorbox) |
| In-person giving at a kiosk or card reader | Yes, included, with no monthly kiosk fee | Yes, the Donorbox Live kiosk, "$80/monthly or $820/annually" for the first device on Standard and Pro, card reader sold separately (Donorbox) |
| Shop with inventory and sales tax | Yes, online and at a kiosk or Stripe card reader | Not documented |
| Classes with waivers | Yes | Not documented |
| Venue rentals | Yes, with member rates, deposits and online agreements | Not documented |
| Volunteer shifts and hours | Yes | Not documented |
| Pledges | Yes, with payment schedules, automatic card payments and an Outstanding Pledges report | Not documented |
| A supporter CRM | Included: households, a Warmth score, giving history, and duplicates merged field by field with undo for 30 days | Donor records and segmentation on every plan. The full Donorbox CRM is separate, and its page asks visitors to "Join the waitlist", with no price published (Donorbox, Donorbox) |
| Email appeals and newsletters with open and click tracking | Yes, included | Listed as part of Donorbox CRM, which is on a waitlist (Donorbox) |
| QuickBooks Online | Yes, connected directly | Not documented on the pages we read |
| Zapier and a public API | No. A public API is on our roadmap | Yes, included on Pro and Premium, $17 a month on Standard (Donorbox) |
| Contract | None. If a payment is refunded, our 3% comes back | None—"There are no setup or cancellation fees", and "you can upgrade or cancel your plan anytime!" (Donorbox) |
Read the "No" rows in our column as carefully as the others. Donorbox does peer-to-peer and crowdfunding pages, text-to-give, PayPal and Venmo, many currencies, crypto and stock gifts online, DAFpay, and Zapier with an API. Clerestory does none of those today. On donation forms, recurring gifts, memberships with tiers, event tickets and packages, promo codes, QR check-in, donor-covered fees and in-person giving, both products do the job.
Donations alone, and at higher volume. On donation forms, Donorbox's free plan is 2.95% against our 3%. Above about $144,000 a year in donations, Donorbox Pro costs less than Clerestory, as the table above shows.
Fundraising that spreads, and more ways to pay. Peer-to-peer and crowdfunding pages are on every plan, text-to-give is an add-on, and donors can pay with PayPal and Venmo in many currencies. Pro adds crypto, stock and DAFpay gifts.
Connections. Zapier and an API are included on Pro and Premium. Clerestory does not have a public API yet.
One rate on everything. Clerestory charges 3% on memberships and tickets, the same as on donations. On Donorbox's free plan, memberships and tickets are 3.95%.
Your fee comes back on a refund. When you refund a payment on Clerestory, our 3% is returned. Donorbox's help center says its platform fee stays with the organization.
More than one bank account or legal entity. A museum and its foundation, or a club and its charitable arm, can run in one Clerestory account, each with its own EIN, bank account, receipts and QuickBooks class. Donorbox links one account to one Stripe account and one bank account, and suggests a separate Donorbox account for each.
The gala, not just the ticket. Silent and live auctions with bidding from guests' own phones, a paddle raise, and raffles with every draw recorded. As of 22 October 2026 Donorbox does not document auctions, and its Acceptable Usage Policy prohibits games of chance.
Everything else a non-profit sells. Dues, household memberships with set places, a shop with sales tax, classes with waivers, venue rentals, volunteer shifts and pledges, all on one supporter record, with a CRM and email appeals included rather than on a waitlist.
If you raise money mainly through donation forms, peer-to-peer campaigns and text-to-give, want PayPal, Venmo or several currencies, and have one bank account, Donorbox does that well, and at high donation volumes Pro costs less than Clerestory. We would not tell you otherwise.
The case for Clerestory starts when your money comes from more than donations: memberships and dues, a gala with an auction and a raffle, a shop, classes or rentals, or more than one entity or bank account. Ask both of us the same two questions: what does the software cost, and what does the card processing cost, each on its own line? Ours are 3% on everything and Stripe's rate, your supporters can cover both, and our 3% comes back on a refund.
On 22 October 2026 we read Donorbox's pricing page at donorbox.org, including its plan comparison and fee breakdowns for each plan, its memberships, events and nonprofit CRM pages, its Acceptable Usage Policy, and three articles in its help center on refunds, donor-covered fees and bank accounts. Every quote on this page was checked word for word against the live page in a browser on that date, and each row links to the page it draws on. We did not use G2, Capterra or any comparison site. The cost table uses Donorbox's published platform fees and Pro's monthly price, and leaves out card processing, which is the same Stripe non-profit rate on both.
Where a row says "Not documented", these are the capabilities we looked for on those pages and did not find: household membership places, dues, event waitlists, auctions, a shop with sales tax, classes and waivers, venue rentals, volunteer management, pledges and QuickBooks Online. Documentation moves and products change. If anything here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
As of 22 October 2026, Donorbox's Standard plan is free, with a platform fee of 2.95% on donation forms and pages and 3.95% on event tickets and memberships. Pro is $150 a month, with fees of 1.75% and 2%, and Premium is priced on request. Card processing is separate, at Stripe's US non-profit rate of 2.2% + 30¢. Text-to-give and the kiosk are paid add-ons.
It depends on what you sell and how much. On donations alone, Donorbox's free plan is 2.95% against Clerestory's 3%. On memberships and event tickets, Donorbox's free plan is 3.95% and Clerestory is 3%. Donorbox Pro costs less than Clerestory above about $144,000 a year in donations, or about $180,000 in memberships and tickets. Card processing is the same Stripe non-profit rate on both.
Yes on both. On Donorbox and on Clerestory, a supporter who covers the fees covers the platform fee and the card processing together, so the organization receives the full amount.
As of 22 October 2026, Donorbox's Acceptable Usage Policy prohibits activities with an entry fee and a prize, including games of chance and sweepstakes, and Donorbox does not document an auction tool. Clerestory runs silent and live auctions, paddle raises and raffles with every draw recorded.
No. As of 22 October 2026, Donorbox's help center says an account links to one Stripe account with one bank account, and suggests a separate Donorbox and Stripe account for each bank account. In Clerestory, one account can hold several entities and bank accounts, each with its own EIN, receipts and QuickBooks class.
