GiveLink vs Funraise — Honest Comparison (2026)

Quick Comparison

Feature	GiveLink	Funraise
Platform Fee	1% (Starter) / 2% (Pro)	2%+ per transaction
Donor Tips	None	None
Monthly Fee	$0	$0
AI Tools	15 tools + 3 agents	Basic automation
Payouts	Next-day automatic	Standard processing

What Funraise Does Well

Funraise is a modern fundraising platform with a strong product design sensibility. Their donation pages are well-designed, their recurring giving tools are solid, and their automation features help nonprofits set up triggered email sequences and donor journeys. Funraise also provides peer-to-peer fundraising, event management, and a built-in CRM. The platform has a contemporary feel that appeals to digitally-savvy organizations, and their commitment to the nonprofit sector is evident in their product decisions.

Where GiveLink Differs

Funraise's 2%+ transaction fee is double GiveLink's 1% Starter rate. For a nonprofit raising $300,000/year, that's $6,000+ on Funraise versus $3,000 on GiveLink.

While Funraise offers rule-based automation (if-then workflows), GiveLink's AI agents operate autonomously with genuine intelligence. The difference is between automation that follows rules you define and AI that identifies opportunities you haven't thought of. GiveLink's agents analyze patterns across your entire donor base and take initiative — suggesting actions, flagging risks, and optimizing strategies without manual configuration.

The Cost Math

A nonprofit raising $250,000/year pays $5,000+ on Funraise (2%+). On GiveLink Starter at 1%, the cost is $2,500. Over five years, GiveLink saves $12,500.

When to Choose Each

Choose Funraise if: You want a modern, well-designed platform with solid rule-based automation and a clean user experience.

Choose GiveLink if: You want lower transaction costs and AI that goes beyond if-then automation to provide genuine strategic intelligence for your fundraising.

Funraise's “Donors Cover Fees” Label — Read the Fine Print

Funraise offers an opt-in feature labeled “Donors Cover Fees” at donation checkout. The phrasing is identical to an honest pattern used by platforms like Fundraise Up, Donorbox, and Bloomerang Gift Assist, where a donor opts in to cover the platform's processing cost so the nonprofit receives the full gift.

On Funraise's implementation, the covered amount is routed to Funraise — a for-profit service provider — rather than to the nonprofit. The label is the same as the honest platforms; the fee-flow destination is not.

Under IRS rules on charitable contributions, fees paid to a for-profit service provider are generally not tax-deductible for the donor, while fees that pass through a 501(c)(3) as part of a charitable gift generally are. Two platforms, same feature name, different tax outcomes.

Two things worth considering:

1. Read the help-center article and the receipt. Before selecting a “donor covered fees” product, confirm whose name appears on the covered amount in the donor's receipt. If the covered amount is listed as a payment to the platform rather than included in the charitable-gift total, the donor is paying a service fee, not making a larger charitable gift.
2. The naming is legal, but the implications are not always obvious. Nothing in Funraise's disclosures is hidden or secret — the help article is public and the mechanic is documented. The gap is between donor assumption (“I covered the fees so my nonprofit gets the full amount, and that whole amount is my charitable gift”) and the technical reality.

GiveLink takes a different approach: the platform fee is charged to the nonprofit and disclosed in the pricing page up-front. Donors see only the gift they intended to make. If GiveLink later offers an opt-in donor-cover-fees feature, the covered amount will flow through the nonprofit as part of the charitable gift, and donors will see a full itemized breakdown — platform fee and processing fee — before they submit.