The 10 Best Donation Plugins I’ve Tried (And Recommend)

B uilding a successful blog often means finding ways to sustain your work and connect with your audience. For me, adding a donation plugin was a game-changer.

With a donation plugin, my readers have an easy way to support my content while helping me fund special projects, create better products, and support causes that matter to both me and my community.

What I’ve learned is that donation plugins aren’t just about collecting money—they’re about building relationships. When readers can easily contribute to your work or causes you support, it creates a deeper connection and turns passive visitors into active supporters.

The right plugin makes this process smooth and meaningful. That’s why I’ve tested dozens of options over the years and narrowed it down to these 10 best donation plugins for your WordPress blog.

Whether you’re looking to accept one-time donations, set up recurring contributions, or run fundraising campaigns, these plugins will help you create a seamless donation experience that your supporters will love.

Quick Overview: My Picks of the Best WordPress Donation and Fundraising Plugins

No time to read? No problem, check out this comparison table to find the right donation plugin quickly:

#	Plugin	Starting Price	Best For
1	WP Charitable	$69/year + Free version	Creating professional donation campaigns
2	WPForms	$49.50/year + Free version	Quick and easy donation forms
3	WP Simple Pay	$49.50/year + Free version	Stripe users wanting simple donation forms
4	GiveWP	$149/year + Free version	Serious fundraisers
5	MyPayKit	$49.50/year + Free version	Easy Square donation forms
6	WP Crowdfunding	$74.50/year + Free version	Building crowdfunding platforms
7	Donorbox	$150/month + Free version	Established organizations needing security
8	YITH WooCommerce Donations	$79.99/year + Free version	WooCommerce stores
9	Donations via PayPal	Free	Basic PayPal donations
10	Donation Thermometer	Free	Visual fundraising progress tracking

How I Test and Review WordPress Donation Plugins

I’ve been testing donation plugins for years across different types of websites and fundraising goals. What matters most to me is how quickly I can set up a working donation form and whether the experience feels smooth for both me and my donors.

I don’t just look at feature lists or marketing claims. I actually install each plugin, create donation forms, and test the entire donor experience from start to finish.

Here’s how I evaluate each donation plugin:

• Setup and Ease of Use – I time how long it takes to create my first donation form. The best plugins get you collecting donations in under 10 minutes, even if you’re not tech-savvy.
• Form Customization – I test how easy it is to match donation forms to my site’s design and add custom fields. Some plugins offer simple templates, while others provide advanced customization options.
• Payment Processing – I check which payment gateways the plugin supports (like Stripe, PayPal, and offline payments) and how easy it is to connect them. Smooth, flexible payment integration is key to a good donor experience.
• Reporting and Management – I look at what data each plugin provides about donations and donors. Can I easily see who gave what and when? Is it simple to export donor information?
• Pricing and Fees – I calculate the real cost including transaction fees, monthly charges, and premium features. Some “free” plugins end up being expensive once you factor in all costs.

Every plugin serves different needs, so I focus on explaining who each tool works best for rather than declaring one overall winner.

Why Use a WordPress Donation Plugin?

A donation plugin turns your WordPress blog into a powerful fundraising tool that works 24/7. It gives your readers an easy way to support your work while helping you build stronger connections with your community.

Without a donation plugin, collecting contributions is complicated and unprofessional. You’d have to rely on external platforms or manual payment processing, which creates extra steps for donors and makes tracking difficult.

Here are the key benefits of using a WordPress donation plugin:

• Simple Setup – Most plugins get you collecting donations in minutes, not hours
• Professional Appearance – Custom forms and donation pages look trustworthy and polished
• Better Tracking – See who donated, when, and how much right from your WordPress dashboard
• Multiple Payment Options – Accept credit cards, Stripe, PayPal, and other popular payment methods
• Recurring Donations – Set up monthly supporters who contribute automatically
• Goal Tracking – Show progress toward fundraising targets to motivate more giving

The right donation plugin makes fundraising feel natural and integrated into your site experience.

With that said, let’s take a look at the best WordPress donation plugins…

1. WP Charitable  – Best WordPress Donation Plugin for Professional Fundraising Campaigns

WP Charitable stands out as the most complete donation solution for WordPress users who want to create professional fundraising campaigns. The plugin offers everything you need to start collecting donations right away.

My Experience with WP Charitable

When I installed WP Charitable, the setup was quick and easy. I had my first campaign live in just a few minutes. The drag-and-drop builder and customizable templates made it easy to set goals, choose layouts, and tweak donation fields without any coding.

Connecting payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal was simple, and Charitable also supports Square, Google Pay, Apple Pay, ACH, and more. Plus, you can collect one-time and recurring donations.

I could also add progress bars, social sharing links, and donor comments that made my test campaign look professional and engaging.

Once donations came in, the reporting dashboard clearly showed campaign performance, top donors, and contribution history. Each donor even gets their own profile, so it’s easy to manage relationships and follow-ups.

Charitable also automates donor communication beautifully. I could enable branded thank-you emails and receipts with one click, personalize them with messages and logos, and even have updates sent automatically for recurring or failed payments.

Plus, it integrates with the top email marketing tools, so new donors can be added to lists instantly.

Finally, the Charitable WordPress block made it easy to display donation forms or campaign grids anywhere on my site, no coding needed.

Overall, WP Charitable is more than a donation plugin. It’s a full fundraising and donor management system that saves time, looks great, and makes building relationships with donors effortless.

Pros of WP Charitable	Cons of WP Charitable
Easy to set up and use	The free version is limited
Complete fundraising plugin packed with features	Advanced features like recurring donations require a Pro plan
Drag-and-drop campaign builder + ready-made templates
Supports multiple payment methods
Detailed reporting and donor management

Pricing: The free version of WP Charitable comes with everything you need to start collecting one-time donations. However, there’s an additional 3% fee on every transaction.

If you want to remove the transaction fee and unlock more features like recurring donations, you can upgrade to the premium version of Charitable, which starts at $69 per year.

2. WPForms – Best WordPress Donation Plugin for Beginners

WPForms is the best drag-and-drop form builder on the market, with over 6 million happy users. It’s the perfect option for new bloggers who want a simple way to start collecting donations right away.

Beyond donations, it’s also become my go-to form builder for everything from contact forms to email signups.

My Experience with WPForms

When I first installed WPForms, the drag-and-drop form builder made setup incredibly simple. I had a working donation form live on my site within minutes, you don’t need any technical skills or fundraising experience.

The 2000+ pre-built templates impressed me because I didn’t have to start from scratch. I found several donation form templates that looked professional and required minimal customization to match my site’s style.

WPForms connects with multiple payment gateways including PayPal, Stripe, Square, and Authorize.net. This gave me flexibility to choose the payment methods that worked best for my audience.

I appreciated the built-in reporting that shows exactly how many donations came through. Plus, the real-time notifications meant I knew immediately when someone contributed, which felt more personal than waiting for email summaries.

In addition, compared to plugins designed only for donations, WPForms gives you more flexibility for other blogging needs. If you plan to add registration forms or surveys later, you won’t need multiple plugins cluttering your dashboard.

Pros of WPForms	Cons of WPForms
Extremely easy to set up donation forms — perfect for beginners	The free version charges transaction fees
Offers ready-made donation form templates	Not as many fundraising features compared to dedicated donation plugins
Supports multiple payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, and Square
Lets you set fixed, custom, one-time, and recurring donation amounts
Integrates with email marketing services

Pricing: There’s a free version of WPForms that allows you to collect Stripe donations with a 3% transaction fee.

To collect Stripe, PayPal, and Square donations with no additional transaction fees, you need the WPForms Pro plan, which starts at $199.50 per year. However, WPForms offers a huge discount of 75% off for nonprofit organizations.

Alternative: If you’re technically-inclined, Formidable Forms is another form builder plugin that you can use to add more complex donation forms in WordPress.

3. WP Simple Pay – Best WordPress Donation Plugin for Quick Stripe Setup

WP Simple Pay is a great option for bloggers and small sites that need a straightforward way to collect donations via Stripe without the complexity of a full-fledged donation platform. It’s designed for speed and simplicity.

My Experience with WP Simple Pay

When I installed WP Simple Pay on my test site, I was surprised by how quickly everything worked. The plugin walked me through connecting my Stripe account in just a few clicks.

Unlike other donation plugins that offer multiple payment gateways, WP Simple Pay focuses entirely on Stripe integration. This narrow focus means fewer options to configure and less chance of setup errors.

I like how the plugin offers distraction-free payment pages, which helps to keep donors focused on completing their contribution. The checkout process also felt smooth and professional without any unnecessary steps.

The recurring payment feature worked well during my testing period. Donors could easily set up monthly contributions without having to re-enter their information each time.

Overall, WP Simple Pay is a good fit for anyone who prefers Stripe and wants to start collecting donations quickly. If you want to learn more, check out our full WP Simple Pay review.

Pros of WP Simple Pay	Cons of WP Simple Pay
Quick setup with minimal configuration	Limited to Stripe as the payment gateway
Ideal for those only needing simple payment features	Lacks advanced fundraising campaign features
Offers recurring payment options
Supports custom donation amounts

Pricing: The free version of WP Simple Pay allows you to collect one-time donations with a 3% transaction fee. To remove the additional transaction fees, you need to upgrade to the premiume version of WP Simple Pay, which starts at $49.50 per year.

4. GiveWP – Best WordPress Donation Plugin for Serious Fundraisers

GiveWP is one of the most powerful WordPress donation plugins for nonprofits and fundraisers who need complete control over how they collect and manage donations. It’s packed with advanced features that help you create custom donation forms, manage campaigns, and understand donor behavior in depth.

My Experience with GiveWP

During testing, I immediately noticed that GiveWP offers far more configuration options than simpler plugins like WPForms or WP Charitable.

The setup process took a bit longer, but once everything was in place, the flexibility really stood out. I could create fully customized donation forms and landing pages, add multi-level donation options, and even include tributes like “in honor of” or “in memory of” — all from within WordPress.

GiveWP also makes it easy to accept both one-time and recurring donations through a wide variety of payment gateways, including Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, Square, 2Checkout, Braintree, Mollie, and several others. If your nonprofit operates internationally, the built-in currency switcher is a nice touch.

What impressed me most was the detailed reporting and donor management tools. The analytics dashboard tracks donation trends, donor giving history, and campaign performance in ways most other plugins don’t.

It even allows you to manage offline donations, resend receipts, and export donor data for tax or accounting purposes.

Overall, GiveWP has a steeper learning curve than lightweight donation plugins, but it’s worth it if you’re managing multiple campaigns or need deeper insights into your fundraising performance.

Pros of GiveWP	Cons of GiveWP
Highly customizable donation solutions	The interface can be a bit overwhelming for beginners
Strong donor management capabilities	Requires premium add-ons for advanced features
Extensive analytics for tracking donations
Supports a variety of payment methods

Pricing: There is a free version of GiveWP with limited features. To unlock more powerful features, you can upgrade to the premium version of GiveWP, which starts at $149 per year.

5. MyPayKit – Best WordPress Donation Plugin for Square Users

MyPayKit is a user-friendly WordPress plugin that makes it easy to collect online donations through Square. It’s designed for simplicity, so you can start accepting contributions in minutes — no technical setup required.

My Experience with MyPayKit

I found the setup process for MyPayKit refreshingly quick. I installed the plugin, connected my Square account, and had a donation form live on my site within minutes.

The form builder was straightforward to use, letting me customize colors and styles to match my site’s branding.

MyPayKit supports credit and debit cards, as well as digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Cash App. It also allows recurring donations and optional donor tips to help cover processing fees, which are handy features that make giving feel flexible and easy.

While the plugin doesn’t offer the in-depth reporting that more advanced fundraising tools provide, it delivers exactly what it promises: a simple, reliable way to collect donations online with Square.

Pros of MyPayKit	Cons of MyPayKit
Quick and easy setup for online donations	Limited to Square payment gateway
Ideal for users already on Square	Lacks detailed tracking tools and fundraising features
Supports multiple payment methods, including credit/debit cards and digital wallets
Allows one-time and recurring donations with optional donor tips

Pricing: MyPayKit’s free version lets you create unlimited donation forms with a 3% transaction fee. You can upgrade to MyPayKit Pro, starting at $49.50 per year to remove the fee and unlock more features.

6. WP Crowdfunding – Best WordPress Donation Plugin for Crowdfunding Platforms

WP Crowdfunding stands out because it lets you build a complete fundraising backer site like Kickstarter or GoFundMe on WordPress. You can create crowdfunding style campaigns for just your own charities. Or, you can allow users to run their own fundraising campaigns on your platform.

My Experience with WP Crowdfunding

During setup, I discovered that the plugin needs WooCommerce to work properly, which adds an extra step. Once I had both plugins installed and running, the campaign creation process became much clearer and more organized.

With WP Crowdfunding, the reward-based fundraising feature stood out because you can set up multiple donation tiers, each with its own reward. Backers can select a level of support and receive the corresponding perk, making the giving experience more engaging than standard donation buttons.

WP Crowdfunding also offers much more control over individual campaigns. Each project gets its own page, progress tracking, and backer management system.

If you want to create a crowdfunding site like GoFundMe, there’s also a native wallet system that makes it easy to keep track of funds for each campaign and distribute the donations to the project owners.

Plus, there’s an option to charge a commission fee for helping other charities collect donations, giving you another way to monetize your site.

Pros of WP Crowdfunding	Cons of WP Crowdfunding
Creates full crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe	Requires WooCommerce for full functionality
Works with Stripe, PayPal, and other payment gateway	Learning curve may be steep for complete beginners
Supports reward-based fundraising campaigns	More complex than simple donation plugins
Includes detailed project management tools

Pricing: WP Crowdfunding starts at $74.50 per year. There’s also a free version of WP Crowdfunding with limited features.

7. Donorbox – Best WordPress Donation Plugin for Secure Data Protection

Donorbox is an online donation tool that works on multiple types of popular blogging sites, including WordPress, Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, and others. It puts security first, making it ideal for organizations that handle sensitive donor information and need robust data protection.

My Experience with Donorbox

From the start, I was impressed by Donorbox’s user-friendly interface and wide range of features. For example, it offers goal meters, donation popup forms, donor walls, donor profiles, complete donor management, and automated end-of-year tax receipts.

You can easily add Donorbox’s pre-made donation forms anywhere on your website. In addition, you can use the donate buttons in your email newsletter and social media posts, in order to reach more potential donors. Both the donation forms and donate buttons can be customized to match your branding.

I love how Donorbox also includes a Live Kiosk app that turns any tablet into a donation station for events, making it simple to capture on-the-spot contributions at galas, conferences, or community gatherings.

The main drawback is pricing. Donations above $1,000 per month incur a 1.5% platform fee on top of payment processing costs, and additional fees apply for email marketing or CRM integrations.

While you can pass these fees onto donors, nonprofits looking to maximize contributions may prefer platforms like WP Charitable or GiveWP.

Pros of Donorbox	Cons of Donorbox
Advanced fundraising features like text-to-give, memberships, and donor portal	High monthly fees plus transaction costs
Supports multiple currencies and payment method	Expensive for smaller organizations
24/7 security team for protecting donor data
Supports multiple currencies and payment methods

Pricing: Donorbox starts at $150/month plus additional transaction fees. There is a limited free plan available, but it includes fees between 2.95% and 3.95%.

8. YITH WooCommerce Donations  – Best WordPress Donation Plugin for eCommerce Sites

YITH WooCommerce Donations is an excellent choice for eCommerce sites looking to integrate donation options seamlessly into their existing checkout flow through WooCommerce. If you already run an online store and want to add fundraising without disrupting your current setup, this plugin makes it simple.

My Experience with YITH WooCommerce Donations

When I installed YITH WooCommerce Donations on my test website, I liked how it gives users the option to add a small donation when they add an item to their cart. It’s a simple yet effective way to collect contributions.

What stood out was how naturally the donation option appeared in the shopping cart. Unlike other plugins that require separate forms, this tool integrates directly into the checkout process customers already know.

There are multiple ways to customize the donation forms. For example, you can set a minimum and maximum amount for each donation, make donation mandatory on one or more specific products, and more.

Aside from the cart page, you can also add optional donation forms to your WooCommerce product pages, or in any widget-ready area in WordPress, such as the sidebar or footer.

Pros of YITH WooCommerce Donations	Cons of YITH WooCommerce Donations
Easy fundraising for WooCommerce stores	Limited to websites using WooCommerce
Encourages donations through direct cart integration	Advanced customization may require additional plugins
Flexible donation settings and messages

Pricing: YITH WooCommerce Donations starts at $79.99 per year. There’s also a limited free version that you can download from WordPress.org.

9. Donations via PayPal – Best Free WordPress Donation Plugin for Simple PayPal Integration

Donations via PayPal is one of the simplest ways to add donation buttons to your WordPress site without any cost. If you’re just starting out and prefer using PayPal, this plugin gets you up and running quickly.

My Experience with Donations via PayPal

I gave Donations via PayPal a try, and setup was quick and simple — it took less than five minutes. You just go through a short list of options to configure things how you like. You can choose from several built-in button designs or link to your own custom button image.

Then, you can use the sidebar widget to display your PayPal donation button, or use shortcode to add the donate button anywhere on your site.

This plugin doesn’t offer a lot of advanced features, but that’s the point — it keeps things easy and focused on PayPal donations.

Pros of Donations via PayPal	Cons of Donations via PayPal
Completely free with no hidden costs	Limited to PayPal as only payment option
Simple setup without complex configurations	Lacks advanced features and customization
Lightweight plugin with no extra bloat	Very basic compared to other donation plugins

Pricing: Donations via PayPal is a free plugin.

10. Donation Thermometer – Best WordPress Plugin for Visual Fundraising Progress

Donation Thermometer is a free visual tool that works alongside your existing donation setup. Unlike other plugins that handle payments, this one focuses purely on showing your fundraising progress in an engaging way.

It displays a thermometer to show how close you are to your donation goal, which can help encourage more people to give.

My Experience with Donation Thermometer

I found configuring Donation Thermometer to be pretty straightforward: you can point and click to choose the settings you want, like the donation goal, color, thermometer orientation, currency, and more.

You can also easily embed the thermometer anywhere on your site using shortcodes or widgets without any technical hassle.

And remember, this plugin doesn’t actually collect donations itself — it’s purely a visual tool to show progress and motivate donors using other payment methods or donation plugins.

Pros of Donation Thermometer	Cons of Donation Thermometer
Visually shows progress toward donation goals	Doesn’t support actual payment processing
Simple to set up with no complex options	Relies on other plugins for donation collection
Works alongside existing donation plugins or payment methods	Limited customization options

Pricing: Donation Thermometer is a free WordPress plugin.

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FAQs About WordPress Donation Plugins

Which donation plugin is best for beginners?

WPForms is the best choice for beginners because of its simple drag-and-drop form builder and pre-made templates. You can create a donation form in just a few minutes without any technical knowledge.

Do I need to pay transaction fees with donation plugins?

Many free donation plugins charge an extra transaction fee on top of the payment processor’s fees. Upgrading to the premium version usually removes that additional fee, but you’ll always still pay the platform’s standard transaction fees (like Stripe or PayPal). Always check the plugin’s pricing details before choosing.

Can I accept recurring donations with these plugins?

Yes, most plugins on this list support recurring donations. WP Charitable, WPForms, WP Simple Pay, and others let donors set up automatic monthly or yearly contributions to provide steady support.

Can I customize the look of my donation forms?

Yes, all the plugins mentioned offer customization options. WP Charitable and GiveWP provide the most design flexibility, while simpler plugins like Donations via PayPal offer basic styling options.

Which plugin works best for crowdfunding campaigns?

WP Crowdfunding is specifically designed for creating crowdfunding platforms similar to GoFundMe or Kickstarter. It includes features like reward-based fundraising and detailed project management that other donation plugins don’t offer.

What is the Best WordPress Donation and Fundraising Plugin?

After testing all the options, WP Charitable is the best WordPress donation plugin overall. Its drag-and-drop campaign builder makes creating professional fundraising campaigns quick and easy, while powerful features like multiple payment gateways, recurring donations, and detailed reporting give you everything needed for serious fundraising efforts.

On the other hand, WPForms is ideal for bloggers who want to create simple donation forms and don’t need extra fundraising features.

Plus, both WP Charitable and WPForms offer free versions, so you can get started without any upfront cost.

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That’s a wrap on this list of the best WordPress donation plugins! We hope you’ve found the perfect donation and fundraising plugin for your blog.

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