Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Donor Management Software

Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT vs Beacon

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT #3 in Donor Management Software 9.1/10 Pricing on request ✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Blackbaud
Beacon #12 in Donor Management Software 8.1/10 Paid ✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Beacon

Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT leads on 0 checks, Beacon on 0, and 6 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreBlackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT · 9.1/10

Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT scores higher on our rubric for donor management software: 9.1 against 8.1 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #12.

Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT is the better fit for large nonprofits needing mature CRM depth. Beacon is the better fit for UK charities needing Gift Aid and integrations.

  • Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT fits best

    Large nonprofits needing mature CRM depth

  • Beacon fits best

    UK charities needing Gift Aid and integrations

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Beacon 8.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 8.1
Ranking #3 in Donor Management Software #12 in Donor Management Software
Best for Large nonprofits needing mature CRM depth UK charities needing Gift Aid and integrations
Pricing model Paid Paid
Starting price Pricing on request £33.50/mo
Free plan Not checked yet —
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Cloud
Platforms Web Web
Support Live chat, Phone, Tickets, Community, Docs Email, Live chat, Docs
Compliance SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS ISO 27001, GDPR, SSO/SAML, 2FA
Integrations 5 integrations 20 integrations
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT 5/5 · Beacon 5/5
Campaign management ✓ ✓
Online donation forms ✓ ✓
Recurring donations ✓ ✓
Automated receipts ✓ ✓
Donor segmentation ✓ ✓
Specs
Reporting level Advanced Advanced
Our review
Pros
  • Unified records connect giving, relationships, engagement, and interactions.
  • Supports campaigns, pledges, tributes, recurring gifts, and online donations.
  • Advanced reporting, moves management, open API, and Microsoft integrations.
  • Gift Aid data and claim management supports UK charity workflows
  • Advanced dashboards, metrics, charts and filters support reporting
  • REST API plus payment, fundraising, finance and marketing integrations
Cons
  • Pricing requires a sales conversation rather than a published numeric price.
  • Its broad CRM scope may exceed the needs of smaller development teams.
  • Platform access is centered on web and API rather than open-source deployment.
  • There is no permanent free plan
  • Monthly pricing rises with contact volume and enabled features
  • The broad feature set may exceed the needs of smaller organisations
Our verdict

Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT is a cloud-based fundraising CRM for nonprofits, particularly mid-sized and large organizations with dedicated development teams. It brings supporter records, giving history, relationships, engagement,…

Read the review →

Beacon is a cloud-based CRM for charities and other nonprofit organisations that need one place for people, organisations, payments, subscriptions, campaigns, fundraising pages, Gift Aid data and communications. Its core workflow covers…

Read the review →
  1. Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXTDonor Management Software 9.1Pricing on request
  2. BeaconDonor Management Software 8.1Paid

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT — where it wins

    • Unified records connect giving, relationships, engagement, and interactions.
    • Supports campaigns, pledges, tributes, recurring gifts, and online donations.
    • Advanced reporting, moves management, open API, and Microsoft integrations.

    Where it doesn't

    • Pricing requires a sales conversation rather than a published numeric price.
    • Its broad CRM scope may exceed the needs of smaller development teams.
    • Platform access is centered on web and API rather than open-source deployment.

  • Beacon — where it wins

    • Gift Aid data and claim management supports UK charity workflows
    • Advanced dashboards, metrics, charts and filters support reporting
    • REST API plus payment, fundraising, finance and marketing integrations

    Where it doesn't

    • There is no permanent free plan
    • Monthly pricing rises with contact volume and enabled features
    • The broad feature set may exceed the needs of smaller organisations
  • Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT9.1/10 · Pricing on request

    A mature fundraising CRM for large nonprofits with complex relationship-based programs.

    Visit BlackbaudFull verdict →
  • Beacon8.1/10 · Paid

    A capable UK charity CRM with Gift Aid, advanced reporting and broad integrations.

    Visit BeaconFull verdict →

More comparisons

All donor management software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update