BiddingOwl and Zeffy both support nonprofit fundraising auctions, but their pricing, checkout, event-day tools, payment options, and support models differ. Zeffy offers a fee-free fundraising model funded through optional supporter contributions, while BiddingOwl focuses on flexible online, paper, live, and hybrid auction workflows. Zeffy charges eligible nonprofits no platform or payment-processing fees and funds its service through optional supporter contributions. BiddingOwl charges 5% of winning online bids, while its traditional auction tools, donations, tickets, Fund-a-Need contributions, and paddle raises are not subject to that performance fee and are free services and features. The better choice depends on your auction format, payment preferences, support needs, and broader fundraising goals.
Feature |
BiddingOwl |
Zeffy |
|---|---|---|
| Platform pricing | No monthly or setup fee. A 5% performance fee applies to winning online bids. Traditional silent and live auction tools are available without the 5% fee. | No platform, subscription, or payment-processing fees for eligible nonprofit organizations. |
| Payment processing | The organization connects Stripe or PayPal and is responsible for the provider’s processing fees. Cash and check payments can also be recorded outside the integrated checkout. | Zeffy covers payment-processing costs. Auction forms support card payments and can also allow cash or check bidding when offline payments are enabled. |
| Optional bidder or donor contribution | The organization can add a clearly disclosed service fee, supporter contribution, or buyer’s premium to help offset its costs. | Supporters are invited to make an optional contribution to Zeffy at checkout. The supporter can change or remove the contribution. |
| Online auctions | Online and mobile bidding, item management, auto-bidding (proxy bidding), minimum bid increments, notifications (email and sms), hosted auction pages, and bidder checkout. | Online silent auctions with up to 50 items, minimum bid increments, maximum bids, auto-bidding, anti-sniping, email notifications, and automatic winner charging. |
| In-person auctions | Dedicated traditional, live, online and mobile, and hybrid auction workflows. | Online auction forms can be used alongside an event. In-person payments can be collected with Tap to Pay, a QR code, or another Zeffy form. |
| Paper bid sheets | Dedicated paper bid-sheet tools are available. | Zeffy supports cash and offline bids, but its official auction documentation reviewed for this comparison does not describe a dedicated printable paper bid-sheet workflow. |
| Mobile bidding | Browser-based mobile bidding with auction notifications; no bidder app is required. | Browser-based bidding with email bid and outbid notifications. |
| Donations | Dedicated donation tools are available, and donations are not subject to BiddingOwl’s 5% online-bid fee and are free of charge. | Fee-free donation forms and donor management tools are available. |
| Event tickets | Admission and raffle-ticket tools are available without the 5% online-bid fee and are free of charge. | Fee-free event ticketing, e-tickets, and guest check-in are available. |
| Paddle raise and Fund-a-Need | Dedicated paddle-raise and Fund-a-Need tools are available and are free of charge. | Donations can be collected through Zeffy forms and in-person tools. A dedicated paddle-raise or Fund-a-Need workflow was not identified in the official auction documentation reviewed. |
| Cash and checks | Organizations can accept cash or checks, display an invoice, and mark it paid outside the integrated checkout. | Cash and check options can be enabled for auction bids and entered as offline payments. |
| Winner payment workflow | Winners receive notifications and complete checkout. Organizations can also collect and record offline payments. | A bidder generally enters a payment method when bidding, and the highest bidder’s payment is automatically processed when the auction closes. |
| Customer support | Phone and email support during posted business hours, personal training, a knowledge base, and 24/7 critical-event emergency support. | Help-center documentation and direct support are available. Zeffy’s current materials describe email, chat, and phone support, although organizations should verify current support hours directly. |
| Best suited for | Organizations needing flexible online, paper, in-person, or hybrid auction workflows with mixed payment options and auction-specific event support. | Eligible nonprofits prioritizing a fee-free fundraising system with online auctions, donations, ticketing, contact management, memberships, and other year-round tools. |
BiddingOwl’s official pricing and feature pages confirm its 5% fee on winning online bids, free traditional auction tools, paper bid sheets, donations, ticketing, paddle raises, cash and check payments, and direct support. Zeffy’s current official materials confirm its zero-fee model, optional supporter contributions, online auction functionality, offline bid options, and automatic winner charging.
The main difference is not simply that one platform charges a fee and the other does not. The platforms also use different auction, payment, and event-management workflows.
Zeffy is a broader nonprofit fundraising platform. In addition to auctions, it offers donation forms, ticketing, contact management, email tools, memberships, peer-to-peer fundraising, online sales, and other campaign types. Eligible nonprofits do not pay platform or payment-processing fees. Zeffy covers those expenses and funds its service through optional contributions from supporters.
BiddingOwl is centered more specifically on charity auctions and auction-event operations. It supports online and mobile bidding, traditional silent and live auctions, printable bid sheets, donations, tickets, Fund-a-Need campaigns, paddle raises, invoices, and mixed online and offline payment collection.
An organization should therefore compare both the cost and the way it wants its auction to operate.
BiddingOwl uses a performance-based auction pricing model. Zeffy uses a voluntary-contribution model.
BiddingOwl does not charge a standard monthly subscription or setup fee.
A 5% performance fee applies when an item receives a winning online bid. For example, a $100 winning online bid produces a $5 BiddingOwl fee.
The following BiddingOwl features and transactions are not subject to that 5% performance fee:
Payment-processing fees are separate. An organization using an integrated checkout connects its own Stripe or PayPal account and is responsible for the provider’s applicable processing charges.
Organizations can absorb those costs or add a clearly disclosed service fee, supporter contribution, or buyer’s premium designed to offset some or all of them.
Zeffy does not charge eligible nonprofit organizations a platform fee, transaction fee, subscription fee, or credit-card processing fee.
Instead, Zeffy asks supporters whether they would like to make an optional contribution to Zeffy during checkout. Zeffy states that the supporter can change or remove the contribution and that the nonprofit receives the full intended payment regardless of whether the supporter contributes.
The contribution supports Zeffy rather than the nonprofit. It helps Zeffy cover payment processing, platform maintenance, security, product development, and operations.
With BiddingOwl, any buyer’s premium or supporter fee is selected by the nonprofit and disclosed as part of the organization’s auction setup.
With Zeffy, the optional contribution is presented by Zeffy during checkout. The contribution is separate from the amount intended for the nonprofit and can be adjusted by the supporter.
Neither model should be described as inherently deceptive. The practical question is which model the organization is more comfortable explaining to its supporters.
Both platforms now offer functional online auction tools, but their strengths are different.
Zeffy’s auction campaigns support:
Bidders do not need to create a Zeffy account. They provide their contact and payment information when they bid. After the first bid, they receive a private link that allows them to return to their bidder view, review their bids, and place additional bids.
Zeffy can therefore be a strong option for an organization running a straightforward online silent auction with a relatively limited number of items.
BiddingOwl supports several different auction formats:
This flexibility is particularly useful when some guests will bid online while others participate in person, when the organization wants to continue using printed bid sheets, or when volunteers need to reconcile several payment methods after the event.
Zeffy emphasizes a streamlined online bidding and automatic-payment process.
BiddingOwl emphasizes flexibility across online, mobile, paper, live, and hybrid auction formats.
The better approach depends on how much control the organization wants over registration, bidding, closing, invoicing, and payment collection.
The payment experience is one of the most important differences between the two platforms.
BiddingOwl organizations can connect Stripe or PayPal for integrated card checkout.
When an auction closes, winners receive notifications and are directed to complete payment. The organization can also accept cash or check outside the payment integration, display the bidder’s invoice, and mark it paid.
This gives the organization control over when and how winning invoices are collected. It can be helpful when:
BiddingOwl’s system also supports refunds and additional donations during checkout.
In Zeffy’s standard online auction workflow, bidders enter contact and payment information when bidding. When the auction closes, the highest bidder for each item is automatically charged using the payment method associated with the bid.
The organization can enable cash or offline bids. This allows bidders to participate without entering card information and lets the nonprofit collect payment separately. Zeffy auction documentation currently lists credit or debit cards and optional cash or check payments. Apple Pay and Google Pay are not currently available for Zeffy auction campaigns.
For an in-person event, Zeffy also documents collecting auction payments through its Tap to Pay app or by directing winners to a payment form with a QR code.
With Zeffy, a failed automatic auction payment is not automatically retried. The organization must contact the winner and arrange another payment method, such as sending a custom sales form.
With BiddingOwl, winners normally initiate checkout after receiving their invoice and notification. The organization can follow up with unpaid winners or collect an offline payment and mark the invoice paid.
Organizations should consider whether they prefer automatic winner charging or a more flexible invoice-and-checkout process.
BiddingOwl is generally the more auction-specific choice for organizations combining online bidding, paper bidding, manual winner entry, and multiple payment methods.
BiddingOwl provides dedicated printable bid sheets and supports traditional silent and live auction management. An organization can preview items online, allow online pre-bidding, continue parts of the event in person, enter winners manually, and collect payments through Stripe, PayPal, cash, or check.
Zeffy can also support an auction connected to an in-person event. It offers browser-based auction forms, cash and offline bid options, automatic winner charging, Tap to Pay, QR-code payments, and event-ticket check-in tools.
However, Zeffy’s official auction documentation reviewed for this comparison does not describe a dedicated printable paper bid-sheet generator or a paper-to-online winner-entry workflow. This does not prevent an organization from creating paper sheets separately, but it is a different workflow from having those tools built into the auction platform.
For a fully online silent auction, either platform may work.
For a traditional gala, school fundraiser, church auction, or hybrid event where paper bid sheets and manual checkout remain important, BiddingOwl may provide a more natural operational fit.
Yes. Both BiddingOwl and Zeffy support more than winning auction bids.
BiddingOwl includes:
Donations, admission tickets, Fund-a-Need contributions, and paddle raises are not subject to BiddingOwl’s 5% online winning-bid fee and are free of charge.
Zeffy includes a broad set of year-round fundraising features, including:
These tools are available without platform or payment-processing fees for eligible nonprofit organizations.
Zeffy may therefore be attractive to organizations looking for one no-fee platform for a broad range of fundraising and donor-management activities.
BiddingOwl may be more attractive when the auction itself—including paper, live, hybrid, Fund-a-Need, and event-day operations—is the primary need.
BiddingOwl publicly lists phone support, email support, personal training, a knowledge base, weekday office hours, and 24/7 critical-event emergency support.
Its posted office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Organizations can call or email for assistance and can schedule personal training sessions (free).
Zeffy provides a detailed help center and direct support through its contact options. Current Zeffy materials refer to email, chat, and phone support, although public descriptions of channels and availability vary across its pages. Organizations for which telephone or event-night support is essential should confirm the current availability and response expectations before selecting the platform.
The distinction is not that one company provides help and the other does not. The more useful question is whether the support model matches the event:
These questions should be asked of any auction provider before the event begins.
Zeffy may be the better fit for an eligible nonprofit that:
Zeffy is available to qualifying nonprofit and charitable organizations in supported countries and requires an organizational bank account. Organizations should confirm eligibility before committing to the platform.
BiddingOwl may be the better fit for an organization that:
BiddingOwl may be particularly suitable for schools, churches, community organizations, animal rescues, libraries, museums, clubs, and small or midsized nonprofits that rely heavily on volunteers and need flexibility on event day.
BiddingOwl does not charge a monthly subscription or standard setup fee. Traditional silent and live auction tools, bid sheets, donations, tickets, Fund-a-Need contributions, and paddle raises can be used without the 5% performance fee and are free of charge. BiddingOwl charges 5% of winning online bids, and separate Stripe or PayPal processing fees may apply.
Zeffy does not charge eligible nonprofits platform, subscription, transaction, or credit-card processing fees. It funds the platform by asking supporters whether they would like to make an optional contribution to Zeffy during checkout. The supporter can change or remove that contribution.
No. BiddingOwl’s 5% performance fee applies to winning online bids. Donations, tickets, Fund-a-Need contributions, paddle raises, and traditional auction tools are not subject to that fee. Payment-provider processing charges may still apply to electronic payments.
Yes. Organizations can accept cash or check payments outside the Stripe or PayPal integration, open the bidder’s invoice, and mark it paid.
Yes. Zeffy allows an organization to enable cash or offline bidding. A bidder can then place a bid without providing card information, and the organization collects and records the payment separately.
BiddingOwl may be the stronger fit when the organization needs a combination of online bidding, paper bid sheets, online pre-bidding, manual winner entry, and mixed payment methods.
Zeffy can support an auction associated with an in-person event, including mobile forms, cash or offline bids, Tap to Pay, and QR-code payments. The best choice depends on whether the organization needs a dedicated paper and hybrid-auction workflow.
BiddingOwl is more focused on charity auctions and provides dedicated tools for online, mobile, traditional, live, paper, and hybrid auctions, along with Fund-a-Need and paddle raises.
Zeffy offers a capable online silent-auction form as part of a broader nonprofit fundraising and donor-management platform.
Yes. In Zeffy’s standard card-payment workflow, the payment method provided with the winning bid is automatically charged when the auction item closes. Cash or offline bidding can be enabled when the organization does not want to require an electronic payment method.
BiddingOwl’s current standard workflow sends winners notifications and invoices so they can complete checkout. The organization may also accept cash or check and mark an invoice paid. This provides more control but may require follow-up with winners who do not complete payment promptly. This option will be available in the future and is currently being worked on.
With BiddingOwl, the organization controls whether to add a service fee, buyer’s premium, or supporter contribution and explains that charge as part of its auction terms.
With Zeffy, the optional contribution supports Zeffy and is presented during checkout. The supporter can adjust or remove it, and the nonprofit receives the full intended fundraising payment.
A small nonprofit prioritizing zero fees and broad fundraising tools may prefer Zeffy.
A small nonprofit prioritizing auction-specific workflows, paper bid sheets, hybrid event flexibility, mixed payments, and direct event support may prefer BiddingOwl.
The decision should be based on the organization’s actual auction format rather than price alone.
BiddingOwl and Zeffy are both legitimate nonprofit fundraising options, but they solve the problem differently.
Zeffy provides a broad fundraising platform without charging eligible nonprofits platform or payment-processing fees. Its online auction tools include automatic bidding, anti-sniping, email notifications, cash or offline bids, and automatic card charging for winners.
BiddingOwl charges 5% of winning online bids and leaves payment processing with the organization’s selected Stripe or PayPal account. In return, it provides an auction-focused workflow that supports online bidding, paper bid sheets, live and hybrid events, manual winner entry, mixed payment methods, Fund-a-Need campaigns, paddle raises, and direct critical-event support.
Organizations running a straightforward online auction and seeking an all-in-one, fee-free fundraising system may prefer Zeffy.
Organizations needing greater control over paper, mobile, live, hybrid, checkout, and event-day auction operations may prefer BiddingOwl.
Before choosing, map the complete workflow—from item entry and bidding through winner payment, pickup, refunds, reconciliation, and post-event support. The platform that best matches that workflow will usually be more valuable than the platform with the most attractive headline alone.
Features and pricing were last verified on August 6, 2026, using official BiddingOwl and Zeffy product, pricing, feature, and help-center materials. Product terms and functionality may change. Readers should confirm current details directly with each provider before making a final decision.