CiviCRM vs GiveSmart

CiviCRM9.3Visit GiveSmart8.8Visit

Higher score CiviCRM #1 in Donor Management Software 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit CiviCRM

vs

GiveSmart #5 in Donor Management Software 8.8/10 Pricing on request ✓ 5 of 5 features Visit GiveSmart

• CiviCRM fits best

  Open-source nonprofits needing broad flexibility

• GiveSmart fits best

  Event-driven fundraising organizations

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Side by side

Feature	CiviCRM 9.3/10 Visit ↗	GiveSmart 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.8
Ranking	#1 in Donor Management Software	#5 in Donor Management Software
Best for	Open-source nonprofits needing broad flexibility	Event-driven fundraising organizations
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$15/mo	—
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Email, Community, Live chat, Docs	Phone, Live chat, Email, Docs · 24/7
Compliance	GDPR	SOC 2, PCI DSS
Integrations	8 integrations	20 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features CiviCRM 5/5 · GiveSmart 5/5
Campaign management	✓	✓
Online donation forms	✓	✓
Recurring donations	✓	✓
Automated receipts	✓	✓
Donor segmentation	✓	✓
Specs
Reporting level	Advanced	Advanced
Our review
Pros	Core software is free and open source Supports recurring gifts, receipts, segmentation and reporting Works with major CMS, payment, accounting and automation tools	Combines donations, peer-to-peer fundraising, auctions, ticketing, and bidding Supports recurring giving, segmentation, automated receipts, and tax letters Offers unlimited events and campaigns with real-time reporting dashboards
Cons	Hosted plans cap contacts and email volumes Self-hosting requires an organization-managed deployment The breadth of features may require more configuration	Pricing requires contact with sales for the annual subscription Pay-as-you-go plans apply a transaction rate when payments are processed Web-only access and a focused set of listed integrations limit platform fit
Our verdict	CiviCRM is a web-based, open-source constituent relationship management system for nonprofit and civic-sector organizations. It brings contact records, contributions, fundraising campaigns, memberships, events, email communications and… Read the review →	GiveSmart is cloud-based fundraising and donor management software for nonprofits, schools, charities, and foundations. Its coverage spans online donation campaigns, annual appeals, recurring giving, peer-to-peer fundraising,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• CiviCRM — where it wins

  • Core software is free and open source
  • Supports recurring gifts, receipts, segmentation and reporting
  • Works with major CMS, payment, accounting and automation tools

  Where it doesn't

  • Hosted plans cap contacts and email volumes
  • Self-hosting requires an organization-managed deployment
  • The breadth of features may require more configuration

• GiveSmart — where it wins

  • Combines donations, peer-to-peer fundraising, auctions, ticketing, and bidding
  • Supports recurring giving, segmentation, automated receipts, and tax letters
  • Offers unlimited events and campaigns with real-time reporting dashboards

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires contact with sales for the annual subscription
  • Pay-as-you-go plans apply a transaction rate when payments are processed
  • Web-only access and a focused set of listed integrations limit platform fit

• CiviCRM9.3/10 · Free plan

  A flexible donor system with broad fundraising tools and open-source deployment options.

  Visit CiviCRMFull verdict →
• GiveSmart8.8/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad donor platform for organizations that run frequent fundraising events.

  Visit GiveSmartFull verdict →