BiddingOwl vs GalaBid

BiddingOwl provides online auction and fundraising tools for nonprofits, schools, charities, and other organizations. Organizers can run online, mobile, silent, live, or offline auctions and offer donations, admission and raffle tickets, Fund-a-Need, and paddle raises without separate paid add-ons. Bidders can follow items on a watchlist, set a maximum proxy bid, and receive SMS or email updates about outbids, wins, and events. Organizers can import items from CSV, export item data, manage or duplicate events, and retain their data; one login can manage multiple organizations and simultaneous auctions. Payments can be processed through Stripe or PayPal, or tracked as cash or check by manually marking invoices paid. Traditional silent and live auction services cost nothing; winning online or mobile bids incur a $5, paid once performance fee. Payment processor fees may apply. BiddingOwl is available on Android, iOS, and web. It offers weekday phone and email support and 24/7 critical emergency phone support.

GalaBid combines auctions, raffles, event ticketing and donations in a single fundraising campaign. Participants open a campaign link in a browser on any device, without downloading an app. Silent auction options include automatic closing, winner notifications, overtime bidding, sealed bids and reserve prices. Raffles support electronic tickets, automated notifications and a certified random number generator for draws. Stripe processes payments, and GalaBid says campaign funds go directly from Stripe to the fundraiser’s bank account. Apple Pay and Google Pay are listed as participant payment options. The platform is intended for charities, nonprofits, community groups and individual fundraisers, with human fundraising support available seven days a week. The free plan allows optional participant tips, with 10% of tips shared with the cause. Pro (no tips) costs $4.90, paid once; Flat Fee costs $1,250 as a one-time purchase. Both have no tip prompts or revenue share. Displayed pricing varies by region, and uploaded files can be up to 8MB.