The best in-person donation app for your nonprofit is usually the one attached to the donor database you already use. If your website runs on Give (formerly GiveWP), Tap To Donate for Give by Jovvie keeps in-person gifts in Give. If you have no website and no budget, Zeffy’s free Tap to Pay app is hard to beat. If you already fundraise on Givebutter or Donorbox, their own in-person tools keep donors in one place.
That answer sounds simple, but the four tools differ more than their marketing suggests: in fees, in the hardware they support, in whether a kiosk is included, in what happens to monthly donors, and in who holds the donor record afterward. This comparison is for executive directors, development directors and finance leads choosing an in-person donation app before GivingTuesday on Tuesday, December 1, 2026, or before the next gala season.
BizSwoop has been in business since 2016 and a Stripe Partner since 2020. We make Jovvie, one of the four tools compared here, so we state our own fees in full and say plainly where another tool is the better fit. Competitor facts come from each vendor’s own pages and help center, checked in October 2026.
Key Takeaways
- Pick the tool that matches your donor database. A second giving platform means a second donor list, and that costs staff time in reconciliation and follow-up long after the event.
- Zeffy is the free option for organizations without a website. It charges nonprofits nothing and is funded by optional donor contributions, with Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android in the U.S. and Canada.
- Givebutter and Donorbox suit teams already on those platforms. Givebutter adds Tap to Pay and a Stripe M2 reader; Donorbox adds a paid Live Kiosk subscription and a Tap to Pay app.
- Tap To Donate for Give by Jovvie keeps in-person gifts in Give. Free plugin, no monthly fees, a 0.5% to 2% platform fee on in-person donations only plus Stripe’s rate, and the widest hardware range of the four.
- Fee models differ more than fee rates. Tip-funded, platform-fee and subscription models put the cost on different people, so compare a whole event, not one transaction.
- Recurring donors are the hardest thing to migrate. Give’s import tool doesn’t move recurring subscriptions, so plan monthly giving before you switch platforms.
Which in-person donation tool should my nonprofit use?
Your nonprofit should use the in-person donation tool built into the platform where your donor records already live. Splitting in-person and online donors across two systems is the most expensive mistake in this category, because the costs show up later as duplicate donors, missed thank-yous and manual reconciliation.
Here is the verdict by situation:
| If your organization… | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Runs its website and online giving on Give (WordPress) | Tap To Donate for Give by Jovvie | In-person gifts land on the same Give forms, donor records, receipts and campaign totals as online gifts |
| Has no website, a small budget and occasional events | Zeffy | $0 to the nonprofit; Tap to Pay on a phone; donor records in Zeffy |
| Already raises online with Givebutter | Givebutter’s Tap to Pay or card reader | Keeps every donor in Givebutter’s CRM; no second system |
| Already raises online with Donorbox and wants a staffed-free kiosk | Donorbox Live Kiosk | A tablet kiosk with a Stripe reader, tied to your Donorbox campaigns |
| Needs a self-serve kiosk on WordPress | Jovvie kiosk mode | Any Give form becomes a kiosk that resets after each gift; no kiosk subscription |
| Sells tickets, raffle entries or merchandise more than it takes donations | A point-of-sale or ticketing tool | Donation apps record gifts, not product sales; see the FAQ |
If you’re unsure which group you’re in, ask one question: where does your team look up a donor today? Start there.
How do GiveWP + Jovvie, Givebutter, Zeffy and Donorbox compare?
They compare most clearly on six things: hardware, fee model, kiosk support, recurring gifts in person, where donor data lives, and what you need to have already. The table below uses each vendor’s own published pages.
| Give + Tap To Donate by Jovvie | Givebutter | Zeffy | Donorbox | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you need first | A WordPress site running Give and a Stripe account | A Givebutter account | A Zeffy account | A Donorbox account |
| Phone Tap to Pay | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android (Live Mobile) |
| Card readers | Stripe Reader M2, BBPOS WisePad 3, S700, WisePOS E, T600 and Verifone readers | Stripe M2 only ($99 from Givebutter, U.S. shipping only) | None; Zeffy doesn’t sell or support readers | Stripe M2 (U.S.) or WisePad 3 elsewhere, $59 each |
| Kiosk | Kiosk mode on any Give form; resets after each gift | Not described on its in-person pages | Not offered | Live Kiosk on iPad or Android tablet, paid add-on |
| Monthly cost | $0 | $0 | $0 | Live Kiosk: $80/month for the first device ($50 on Premium), $15 per extra device |
| Per-transaction cost to the nonprofit | 0.5%–2% platform fee on in-person donations only, by volume, plus Stripe’s processing rate | Card-reader gifts: 2.9% + 30¢ plus a 3% platform fee (1% on legacy pricing) | $0; funded by optional donor contributions | Live Kiosk: 1.75% platform fee plus Stripe 2.7% + 5¢ |
| Recurring gifts in person | Monthly, quarterly and annual (needs Give’s Recurring Donations add-on) | Not stated on its in-person pages | Not stated on its Tap to Pay pages | Not stated for Live Kiosk |
| Where donor data lives | Give, on your own WordPress site, and your Stripe account | Givebutter’s built-in CRM | Your Zeffy account | Your Donorbox account |
| Where it works | Every country where Stripe Terminal is available | Readers ship to U.S. addresses only | Tap to Pay in the U.S. and Canada | Kiosk in 23 countries |
Sources: Jovvie on WordPress.org and Jovvie for Give; Givebutter Tap to Pay, Givebutter card readers and Givebutter pricing; Zeffy POS; Donorbox Live Kiosk, Donorbox Live Kiosk cost and Donorbox Live Mobile. Where a vendor page doesn’t state something, the table says so rather than guessing; check with the vendor before you rely on a “not stated” cell.
Two notes on the fee rows. Givebutter’s online giving is free to the nonprofit when donor tips are on, and its Tap to Pay page says core features are free with optional tips enabled; its card-reader help article lists the 2.9% + 30¢ plus 3% rate for in-app reader gifts, so confirm which applies to your account before you budget. And Stripe’s rates are for U.S. domestic cards; Stripe’s pricing page lists the card-present rate as 2.7% + 5¢, with Tap to Pay adding $0.10 per authorization.
What does each tool cost for a real event?
Each tool costs a different amount depending on who pays: the nonprofit, the donor, or both. Comparing one $50 gift hides that, so here’s a GivingTuesday event that raises $10,000 in person from 200 card gifts averaging $50, taken on a card reader, at U.S. rates.
| Tool | Processing | Platform fee | Subscription (one month) | Total cost to the nonprofit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Give + Jovvie | $280 (2.7% + 5¢) | $50–$200 (0.5%–2%, by volume) | $0 | $330–$480 |
| Givebutter (card reader, Standard pricing) | $350 (2.9% + 30¢) | $300 (3%) | $0 | $650 |
| Zeffy (Tap to Pay; no readers) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 (donors may add an optional contribution) |
| Donorbox Live Kiosk | $280 (2.7% + 5¢) | $175 (1.75%) | $80 (first device) | $535 |
Hardware is extra where you need it: a Stripe Reader M2 is listed at $59 by Stripe for organizations using Jovvie, $99 through Givebutter, and $59 through Donorbox. Jovvie and Zeffy both work with no reader at all on a phone with Tap to Pay. Give’s paid plans are only needed for Give add-ons such as Recurring Donations or Fee Recovery; Jovvie itself works on the free Give plugin (Give by Liquid Web).
What the table can’t show:
- Zeffy’s $0 is real for the nonprofit. The cost moves to donors who choose to contribute, and some will. That’s a reasonable trade for many small organizations, and BizSwoop’s guide to nonprofit payment processing fees covers how tip-funded models work.
- Donor-covered fees change every row. Give’s Fee Recovery add-on lets donors cover processing costs on your forms, including in-person gifts taken with Jovvie; Givebutter and Donorbox offer donor-covered options too.
- The biggest cost is often a second database. If your website runs on Give and your event runs on another platform, someone has to merge those donors before the thank-you emails go out.
When is GiveWP + Jovvie the best choice?
GiveWP + Jovvie is the best choice when your website and online giving already run on Give and you want gifts at events, services or the front desk to land in the same place. With Tap To Donate for Give by Jovvie, a volunteer opens your existing Give form on a phone, tablet or reader, the donor taps, inserts or swipes, and the gift is recorded as a Give donation, alongside online donations with the same donor and reporting tools, and in your Stripe dashboard (WordPress.org listing).
It’s strongest where the others are thin:
- Hardware range. Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, Bluetooth readers (M2, WisePad 3), countertop readers (S700, WisePOS E), and the Stripe Reader T600 and Verifone readers, with the Jovvie app running directly on smart readers through Stripe Apps on Devices (Jovvie for Give).
- Kiosk with no subscription. Kiosk mode turns any Give form into a self-serve station that resets after each donation.
- Monthly giving at the table. Donors can start monthly, quarterly or annual gifts in person, using Give’s Recurring Donations add-on.
- Your data, your site. Donor records stay in Give on your own WordPress site, and payments settle to your own Stripe account.
The platform owner’s own explainer, How Tap to Donate Technology Works (Liquid Web), walks through the same form, processor and bridge setup, and Liquid Web lists Jovvie as a Give integration.
Where it’s not the best fit: if you don’t have a website on WordPress, Jovvie isn’t the place to start. And it has no offline mode; each gift is authorized live over Wi-Fi or mobile data.
Choosing a tool before GivingTuesday? A Jovvie advisor can map your events, devices and donor database to the right setup, including when another platform is the better fit, before December 1.
When is Zeffy the better choice?
Zeffy is the better choice when your organization has no website or donor database to protect, runs a few events a year, and needs the lowest possible cost to the nonprofit. Zeffy charges no platform, transaction or monthly fees and relies on optional contributions from donors (Zeffy POS).
Its Tap to Pay app runs on iPhone and Android with no card reader, accepts cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and records each gift in your Zeffy account with automatic receipts. The trade-offs are clear from Zeffy’s own pages: Tap to Pay is available in the U.S. and Canada only, and Zeffy doesn’t sell or support card readers, terminals or kiosks. That means donors with chip-only or PIN cards, and unattended giving stations, need another option.
Zeffy also makes sense as a starting point for a new group that will build a website later. If you later move to Give, plan the donor export early.
When are Givebutter or Donorbox the better choice?
Givebutter or Donorbox is the better choice when your organization already runs its online fundraising there. Their in-person tools exist to keep event gifts in the same CRM as your campaign pages, peer-to-peer pages and ticketing, and that consistency is worth more than a fee difference.
Givebutter adds Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android in its mobile app, with donations and contact details tracked in Givebutter’s built-in CRM (Givebutter Tap to Pay). For chip cards, the app supports one reader, the Stripe M2, sold by Givebutter for $99 with U.S. shipping only (Givebutter card readers). Accounts created since September 9, 2025 are on Givebutter’s Standard pricing (Givebutter pricing).
Donorbox offers two in-person products. Live Kiosk runs on an iPad or Android tablet with a Stripe M2 (U.S.) or WisePad 3 reader, as a paid add-on at $80 a month for the first device ($50 on the Premium plan) and $15 for each additional device, with a 1.75% platform fee plus Stripe processing per transaction (Donorbox Live Kiosk cost). Live Mobile adds Tap to Pay on iOS and Android smartphones (Donorbox Live Mobile). If you’re looking for a Donorbox Live Kiosk alternative on WordPress, Jovvie’s kiosk mode does the same job on a Give form without the monthly subscription.
How do the tools handle kiosks, recurring gifts and donor data?
They handle them very differently, and these three features decide more long-term value than the fee line.
| Capability | Give + Jovvie | Givebutter | Zeffy | Donorbox |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unattended kiosk | Yes, kiosk mode on any Give form | Not described | Not offered | Yes, Live Kiosk (subscription) |
| Monthly gift started in person | Yes (monthly, quarterly, annual) | Not stated for in-person | Not stated for Tap to Pay | Not stated for Live Kiosk |
| In-person and online gifts on one donor record | Yes, in Give | Yes, in Givebutter | Yes, in Zeffy | Yes, in Donorbox |
| You host the donor database | Yes, your WordPress site | No, Givebutter hosts it | No, Zeffy hosts it | No, Donorbox hosts it |
Every tool keeps in-person and online gifts together inside its own platform. The difference is whether that platform is the one you already use. For a WordPress organization on Give, adding a hosted platform for events means two donor records for the same supporter.
On kiosks, BizSwoop’s guide to in-person fundraising payments for nonprofits covers when an unattended station beats a staffed table, and Jovvie’s GiveWP donation kiosk guide shows the setup.
What hardware does each in-person donation app support?
Each app supports Tap to Pay on a phone, but only Jovvie and Donorbox support a range of card readers, and only Jovvie supports countertop and smart readers.
- No reader at all. All four support Tap to Pay on a phone, which takes contactless cards and phone wallets. That covers most U.S. donors.
- Chip and PIN cards. Givebutter supports the Stripe M2; Donorbox supports the M2 in the U.S. and WisePad 3 elsewhere; Jovvie supports both. Zeffy doesn’t support readers.
- Countertop and smart readers. Jovvie supports the Stripe Reader S700, BBPOS WisePOS E, Stripe Reader T600 and Verifone readers, useful for a church lobby, front desk or permanent giving station.
For a reader-by-reader comparison mapped to donation scenarios, see BizSwoop’s guide to the best card readers for nonprofit donations.
How do you switch in-person donation tools without losing donors?
You switch without losing donors by moving the donor list and history first, rebuilding recurring gifts deliberately, and running one small event on the new tool before a big one. Recurring donors need the most care, because most platforms can’t transfer card subscriptions between systems.
If you’re moving event giving into Give:
- Export donors and donation history from your current platform as CSV.
- Import into Give with Give’s import tool, which needs an email, first name, amount and form for each row and offers a dry run first (Give: import donations).
- Rebuild recurring gifts by asking. Give’s import tool doesn’t import recurring donations, so contact monthly donors with a short re-sign-up link on your Give form rather than cancelling their old subscriptions first.
- Set up Jovvie under Give › Settings › Payment Gateways › Jovvie Payments, add a location and start in Test Mode (Jovvie setup documentation).
- Run one small event and check that the gifts appear on donor records and campaign totals.
- Retire the old tool only after receipts, refunds and exports work in the new one.
Moving the other way, from Give to a hosted platform, follows the same order: export, import, rebuild recurring gifts, test, then retire. Don’t switch platforms in the two weeks before GivingTuesday; finish testing by mid-November.
What should you decide before GivingTuesday?
Before GivingTuesday, decide three things: which tool records the gift, which devices your volunteers will carry, and how you’ll total the day. Leaving any of them to the week of December 1 is how organizations end up with a cash box, a borrowed card reader and three spreadsheets.
- One system of record. Pick the platform where the GivingTuesday campaign lives online, and take in-person gifts there too, so the evening total is one number.
- Devices by scenario. Tap to Pay on volunteer phones covers most tables; add a Bluetooth reader for chip and PIN cards, and a kiosk only if you have a spot where donors give unattended.
- A test gift on every device. Run one test-mode gift per phone or reader in the week before, with the volunteer who will use it.
- A monthly ask. GivingTuesday donors are the easiest monthly donors you’ll ever recruit, so make sure the in-person form offers a recurring option if your tool supports it.
- A follow-up plan. Decide who sends thank-yous and who merges duplicate donors in the week after, before year-end appeals start.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best in-person donation app?
The best in-person donation app is the one attached to your existing donor database. For WordPress organizations on Give, that’s Tap To Donate for Give by Jovvie; for groups with no website, Zeffy is free; for teams already on Givebutter or Donorbox, their own in-person tools keep donors in one place.
Givebutter vs Zeffy: which is better for in-person donations?
Zeffy costs the nonprofit nothing and works on a phone with Tap to Pay in the U.S. and Canada, but supports no card readers or kiosks. Givebutter adds a Stripe M2 reader option and a fuller CRM, with a platform fee on card-reader gifts. Choose Zeffy for lowest cost, Givebutter if you already use it.
Is there a Donorbox Live Kiosk alternative for WordPress?
Yes. Tap To Donate for Give by Jovvie includes a kiosk mode that turns any Give form into a self-serve giving station on a tablet or Stripe Reader S700, and resets after each donation. There’s no kiosk subscription; the platform fee of 0.5% to 2% applies to in-person donations only, plus Stripe’s processing rate.
Do I need a card reader to take donations in person?
No. All four tools support Tap to Pay on a compatible phone, which accepts contactless cards and phone wallets. A Bluetooth reader such as the Stripe Reader M2 is worth adding where donors use chip-only or PIN cards.
Can donors start a monthly gift in person?
With Jovvie, yes: donors can start monthly, quarterly or annual gifts on in-person transactions, using Give’s Recurring Donations add-on. Givebutter, Zeffy and Donorbox don’t state recurring support on their in-person product pages, so check with them directly.
Which in-person donation tool has the lowest fees?
Zeffy has the lowest fees for the nonprofit: $0, funded by optional donor contributions. Among fee-charging tools, Jovvie’s 0.5% to 2% platform fee on in-person donations, plus Stripe’s card-present rate and no subscription, is lower than Givebutter’s card-reader rate or Donorbox’s kiosk subscription for most event sizes.
Can I use a donation app to sell tickets or merchandise?
Not well. Donation apps record gifts, and tax receipts treat them as donations. For raffle tickets, event tickets or merchandise, use a ticketing or point-of-sale tool; on WordPress, Jovvie offers Point of Sale for WooCommerce stores and checkout for Event Tickets.
Do I need GiveWP Pro to take in-person donations with Jovvie?
No. Tap To Donate for Give by Jovvie works with the free Give plugin. Give’s paid plans matter only for Give add-ons such as Recurring Donations, Fee Recovery and Annual Receipts, which work with Jovvie when you have them.
Talk to a Jovvie advisor about your in-person giving
There’s no single best in-person donation app, only the best fit for where your donors already live. If your organization runs on Give, Jovvie adds Tap to Pay, card readers and kiosk mode to the forms you already have, free to install with no monthly fees; a platform fee of 0.5% to 2% applies to in-person donations only, depending on your donation volume, in addition to Stripe’s processing rate. A Jovvie advisor can compare your event plan against the alternatives, including when Zeffy, Givebutter or Donorbox is the better call, before GivingTuesday on December 1.
Sources and primary documentation: Tap To Donate for Give by Jovvie on WordPress.org, Jovvie for Give, Jovvie setup documentation, How Tap to Donate Technology Works and What It Costs (Liquid Web), Give by Liquid Web, Give: import donations, Stripe pricing, Givebutter Tap to Pay, Givebutter card readers, Givebutter pricing explained, Zeffy POS for nonprofits, Zeffy supported countries, Donorbox Live Kiosk, Donorbox Live Kiosk cost, Donorbox Live Mobile.
