Beacon vs Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud
Beacon
beaconcrm.orgSalesforce Nonprofit Cloud
salesforce.comSide by side
| Figure | Beacon | Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | £37/mo | $5.83/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 7 |
| Spec score · Nonprofit CRM Software | 9.2 (#1) | 8.7 (#8) |
| Spec score · Donor Management Software | 9.2 (#1) | 8.7 (#4) |
| API limits | The API allows up to 300 requests per minute, or 60 per minute for bulk requests. | Salesforce enforces concurrent-request, timeout and daily allocation limits; long-running production requests are limited to 25 concurrent calls. |
| Case management | Case management stores enquiries, ongoing service use and activities in one place. | Case Referral Intake supports inbound and outbound participant referrals, case conversion, assessment and follow-up. |
| Documentation | The help centre contains articles covering data management, forms, reporting, payments, Gift Aid, integrations, security, automation, account administration and developers. | Salesforce publishes a dedicated Nonprofit Cloud Developer Guide and extensive Help, release-note and API documentation. |
| Founded | 2017 | 1999 |
| Fundraising | Fundraising tools include branded donation forms, grants, major gifts, legacies, funds, recurring payments, Gift Aid and JustGiving integration. | Fundraising tools support donor relationships, gift entry, commitments, designations, soft credits, tributes and fundraising operations. |
| Grantmaking | Grantmaking tools manage grants and bursaries from enquiry through evaluation. | Grantmaking covers funding opportunities, applications, awards and outbound-grant lifecycle tracking. |
| Headquarters | Shoreditch, London, United Kingdom | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Integrations | The integration directory lists Stripe, GoCardless, PayPal, Mailchimp, Gmail, Outlook, Gift Aid, JustGiving, Enthuse, Xero, QuickBooks, WordPress, Wix, Drupal, Joomla and Zapier among others. | Salesforce exposes nonprofit integrations through AppExchange partners and MuleSoft Composer or partner-built applications. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.7 out of 5 from 10 reviews | 4.1 out of 5 from 87 reviews. |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 2.5 out of 5 from 13 reviews | 1.3 out of 5 from 660 reviews. |
Plans
Beacon
- Starter£37 a month
- Standard£127 a month
- Premium£325 a month
- UltimatePriced on request
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud
- Power of Us Program licensesFree
- Nonprofit Cloud Sales & Service Core$70 a month
- Nonprofit Cloud Sales & Service Core$70 a year
- Nonprofit Cloud Sales & Service Advanced$125 a month
- Nonprofit Cloud Sales & Service Advanced$125 a year
- Nonprofit Cloud Sales Max$285 a month
- Nonprofit Cloud Service Max$285 a month
In their own words
Beacon
Beacon is a CRM built especially for charities, combining fundraising, memberships, events, and case management. Fundraising tools include branded donation forms, grants, major gifts, legacies, recurring payments, and Gift Aid. Organizations can create branded membership and event ticketing forms and track attendance. For service work, Beacon tracks enquiries, ongoing use, and activities over time. Workflow automation and AI tools support data filtering, email drafting, and database logic.
Listed integrations include Mailchimp, Dotdigital, Sendgrid, Xero, JustGiving, Stripe, GoCardless, PayPal, and Zapier. Beacon also provides a documented RESTful API for custom integrations and Beacon-powered features. The service has web, iOS, Android, and API platform listings. Plans start at £37/mo, with annual billing also listed for Starter, Standard, and Premium; Ultimate pricing is custom. Beacon says its infrastructure and customer data are hosted in the UK and that it holds ISO 27001:2022 and Cyber Essentials Plus certifications. All plans include in-app chat and email support. Implementation is not included in plan pricing and is handled by certified Implementation Partners. Beacon was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Shoreditch, London.
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud is a web-based platform that brings nonprofit funding, program delivery, and impact measurement together. Fundraising tools cover donor profiles, reusable audience segments, gift entry, and management of commitments, designations, soft credits, and tributes. Volunteer management includes events, roles, shifts, locations, attendance, applications, and engagement history, with self-service sign-up through Experience Cloud. Program features track enrollment, attendance, services, and benefits; outcome tools let organizations set targets, record results, and collect assessment data. Grantmaking covers publishing funding opportunities, collaborating on proposals, awarding grants, and managing budgets and disbursements. Accounting Subledger consolidates Salesforce CRM data with an organization's accounting system. Named connections include Salesforce products such as Marketing Cloud, Data 360, Slack, and OmniStudio, plus partner apps including Classy, DonorDrive, WealthEngine, and AmpImpact. Eligible nonprofits can receive 10 free licenses through the Power of Us Program. Paid pricing is listed from $60/user/mo (annual), with a 30-day trial. Salesforce says per-user products require an annual contract and listed prices are informational and subject to change.