Best auction software for charities and non-profits (2026)

Auction software lets a charity run a fundraising auction online, at an event, or both, without bid sheets, spreadsheets, or chasing payments by hand. The right platform depends on what you are running: a one-off online auction to your supporter list, a gala with mobile bidding in the room, or a high-value art or experiences sale where your brand, your bidder data, and your final prices all matter.

This guide compares 15 auction platforms used by charities and non-profits in the UK, the US, and beyond. Each entry covers what the platform does, who it suits, its key features, and how it charges. Indy.auction leads the list for charities that want a fully branded auction on their own site, with bidder and underbidder data they keep, and no setup or subscription fees.

How this list was put together: Indy.auction publishes this guide and appears first. Every other platform is described from its own website and public software listings as of October 2026, in no particular order of preference. Features and pricing change, so check each provider's site before you decide.

Charity auction software at a glance

What is charity auction software?

Charity auction software runs the mechanics of a fundraising auction for you: listing lots, registering bidders, taking and tracking bids, notifying winners, and collecting payment. Most platforms support timed online auctions (often called silent auctions), and many also support bidding on phones at an in-person gala.

The platforms below fall into three broad groups. Some give you your own branded auction site. Some bundle auctions into a wider fundraising suite with donations, ticketing, and a donor database. Others are built around the gala night, with check-in, seating, and live auction tools.

What should a charity look for in auction software?

These eight questions separate one platform from another more clearly than any feature list.

Whose name is on the auction?

Some platforms run your auction on your own branded site and web address. Others host it on their own marketplace or under their own logo. If supporters know and trust your brand, a white-label auction keeps the focus on you.

Who owns the bidder data?

Every registered bidder is a potential future supporter, including the underbidders who lost out on a lot. Check whether you can export contact details for all bidders, not just winners, and whether the export is GDPR-compliant.

How does the platform charge, and who pays?

Pricing usually follows one of four models: a percentage of funds raised, a fee per event, an annual subscription, or a free platform funded by optional donor tips. Some platforms let you pass the fee to the buyer, so the charity keeps the full hammer price.

Online, in the room, or both?

An online-only auction reaches supporters anywhere and runs for days or weeks. A gala needs mobile bidding, check-in, and a live display on the night. Decide which you need before comparing features.

How does the auction end?

Last-second bids can stop other bidders responding, which can lower the final price. Look for automatic bidding extensions and a choice over whether lots close together or one after another.

Can you keep final prices private?

Artists, galleries, and other donors may not want a lot's final sale price published, especially if it sold below market value. A hidden hammer price option protects those relationships and makes high-value donations easier to secure.

How do winners pay?

Look for card payments through a provider such as Stripe or PayPal, a clear checkout link for winners, and automatic payment reminders. Unpaid lots are one of the biggest sources of admin after an auction.

What help can you get?

Self-serve platforms suit teams who are confident running the auction themselves. If you need help with lot sourcing, bidder checks, marketing, or a professional auctioneer, check whether the provider offers managed services alongside the software.

15 auction platforms for charities and non-profits, compared

1. Indy.auction

Best for: charities, museums, and arts organisations that want a fully branded auction, full ownership of their bidder data, and no upfront cost.

Indy.auction is a self-serve, white-label auction platform built by The Auction Collective, a London auction specialist whose team includes people from Christie's, Artsy, and eBay. Instead of listing your lots on someone else's marketplace, you run your own branded auction site, with your logo, colours, imagery, and terms and conditions, on your own custom subdomain. Setup needs no coding or auction experience: choose a template, upload your lots, and go live for bidding, often within minutes.

The platform is built around the details that decide how much a charity auction raises. Bidding extensions stop last-second sniping, proxy bidding lets supporters set a maximum and step away, and real-time bid updates keep competition moving without a page refresh. After the auction closes, you keep the contact data for every registered bidder, including underbidders, so the auction grows your supporter base whatever the result.

Indy.auction suits a fast online appeal as well as a flagship annual sale. Charities can launch an auction quickly in response to an unexpected high-value donation, or run a long-standing benefit auction alongside a live sale at a major auction house.

Key features

• Your brand, your site: fully customisable design, a custom subdomain, and the option to remove Indy.auction branding, so the auction looks and feels like your organisation.
• Bidder and underbidder data: GDPR-compliant exports of every registered bidder, not only winners, ready for your next appeal or event.
• Hidden final sale prices: choose whether hammer prices are published after the auction, which protects donating artists and makes it easier to secure valuable lots.
• Three auction endings: All Lots (every lot closes together), Cascade (lots close in sequence), or Individual Lots (each lot closes on its own), each with an automatic bidding extension if a bid lands in the final minute.
• Flexible formats: public, private, or invite-only auctions, single-lot or multi-lot, with Classic, Single Lot, and Standalone templates and bulk lot upload.
• Bidder registration your way: single sign-on with Google or Facebook, card verification, or manual approval of each bidder.
• Straightforward payments: winners check out in one click through Stripe or PayPal, or pay by bank transfer, using a link emailed when the auction closes, with automatic reminders.
• Real-time analytics: a dashboard to track bidding activity while the auction is live.
• Auction management services: if you want support, The Auction Collective can handle lot sourcing, marketing, enhanced bidder checks (KYC, AML, and proof of funds), payment follow-up, shipping coordination, and professional auctioneers for live events.

Proof points

• Terrence Higgins Trust raised over £73,000 in the online part of its 2025 auction, its most successful online auction yet, running alongside its live sale at Christie's, King Street.
• Future Dreams raised over £115,000 using deliberately low starting prices, with final prices kept private to protect donating artists.
• The World Food Auction 2025 raised £50,360 across 38 lots from around 30 restaurant sellers, including Hawksmoor, Dishoom, and Blacklock.
• The Aspen Art Museum runs the online auction for its annual ArtCrush fundraiser on Indy.auction, alongside a Christie's live sale.
• Other charities and institutions to run auctions on the platform include The Big Issue, Nordoff & Robbins, Leukaemia UK, Crisis, El Museo del Barrio, and Dallas Contemporary.

"Indy.auction has always been our go-to for our fundraising work. Their onboarding experience is organised and clear, so you are provided with all the tools needed for setup."
Development Coordinator, charity client

Pricing: no setup fees and no monthly subscription. Indy.auction charges a percentage fee only on lots that sell, and you can pass it to buyers as a buyer's fee, so the auction can cost your charity nothing. Stripe and PayPal apply their own processing fees. See the pricing page for current plans.

Explore Indy.auction for non-profits

2. Givergy

Best for: charities running galas and events that want ticketing, raffles, and help sourcing auction lots.

Givergy is a fundraising platform for online, in-person, and hybrid events, and is now part of momoGood. Charities can run silent and live auctions alongside ticket sales, raffles, and donations from a single campaign site. Bidding options include standard incremental bids, maximum bids, sealed bids, and buy it now. Givergy also offers a catalogue of consignment lots to top up the items a charity sources itself, along with event staffing and fundraising consultancy.

Key features

• Silent, live, sealed bid, and buy it now formats
• Ticketing, raffles, and donations on the same site
• Consignment lot catalogue
• Leaderboards and fundraising totals for event screens

Pricing: a free option funded by optional donor contributions at checkout, or a platform fee. Card processing fees apply.

3. GalaBid

Best for: UK charities running dinners, balls, golf days, and online campaigns.

GalaBid has supported UK charity events since 2011 and also runs online-only auction campaigns. Charities build a branded auction site, add lots, and connect their own Stripe account, so funds settle directly with the charity. On the night, SMS outbid alerts, live leaderboards, and tools for recording winning bids keep an in-room auction moving. A UK consignment catalogue lets charities add experiences to their auction with no upfront cost.

Key features

• Online and event silent auctions with SMS updates
• Live auction leaderboard display
• Raffles, donations, ticketing, and pledges
• UK consignment catalogue

Pricing: a Free plan with no platform fee in the UK, plus other plans. Stripe card fees apply on every plan.

4. Jumblebee

Best for: community groups and smaller UK charities.

Founded in Winchester in 2012, Jumblebee provides online silent auctions, silent auctions at live events, ticket shops, and an online marketplace for charities and community groups. Users include golf clubs running charity tournaments and businesses supporting a charity of the year. At in-person events, a Jumblebee Silent Auctioneer can run the auction from start to finish and monitor the technology. Jumblebee can also collect payment from winning bidders on the organiser's behalf.

Key features

• Online and event silent auctions
• Silent Auctioneer service for events
• Ticket shops and prize draws
• Optional add-on lots to boost an auction

Pricing: free to set up. Jumblebee charges a percentage of total winning bids, and nothing if the auction raises nothing.

5. Charity Auctions Today

Best for: US charities and schools that want extra reach beyond their own supporter list.

Charity Auctions Today is a US auction platform for non-profits, schools, and individual fundraisers, and reports hosting more than 250,000 auctions. It supports online, mobile, silent, and live auctions, and can help manage in-person events as well as online-only ones. Bidders who finish one auction are shown other auctions on the platform, which can bring in new supporters. Live support is available around the clock.

Key features

• Online and mobile bidding
• Customisable auction templates
• Ticketing and donations
• 24/7 live support

Pricing: a percentage of funds raised with no upfront cost, or prepaid plans for larger auctions.

6. Givebutter

Best for: non-profits that want auctions, donations, and a donor database in one free platform.

Givebutter is a fundraising platform that includes auctions alongside donation forms, event ticketing, and a donor CRM. It focuses on silent auctions, run online, in person, or as a hybrid, and supports live auctions by displaying items, recording winners, and processing payments. For in-person events, free QR code bid sheets let guests bid from their phones. Because the CRM sits in the same platform, each bid and payment links to a donor record.

Key features

• Online, in-person, and hybrid silent auctions
• QR code bid sheets
• Built-in donor CRM
• Donations and ticketing

Pricing: free, with unlimited auctions, funded by optional donor tips. Givebutter Plus is an optional paid upgrade.

7. Zeffy

Best for: small charities that want to replace several fundraising tools with one free platform.

Zeffy is a fundraising platform for non-profits that covers online auctions alongside donation forms, event ticketing, raffles, memberships, and donor management. It is funded by optional contributions that donors can leave at checkout, so charities pay no platform or transaction fees. Its auction tools include mobile bidding, bid notifications, and checkout. Zeffy operates in several countries, including the UK.

Key features

• Online auctions with mobile bidding
• Donor management
• Ticketing, raffles, and memberships
• Email tools for supporter updates

Pricing: free, funded by optional donor contributions.

8. OneCause

Best for: mid-size and large US non-profits running galas and golf events.

OneCause, formerly BidPal, is a US fundraising platform that describes itself as the first mobile bidding provider. It reports helping more than 14,000 non-profits raise over $8 billion. Alongside mobile bidding for silent and live auctions, it offers event management, ticketing, peer-to-peer fundraising, online giving, and text-to-give. It suits organisations that want auctions and wider event fundraising in one system.

Key features

• Mobile, online, absentee, and proxy bidding
• Event management and ticketing
• Peer-to-peer fundraising and text-to-give
• Golf event tools

Pricing: quote-based.

9. GiveSmart

Best for: US non-profits running events that need ticketing and seating plans.

GiveSmart is a US event fundraising platform, now part of Momentive Software (formerly Community Brands). It combines mobile bidding for silent and live auctions with ticketing, seating management, peer-to-peer fundraising, and personalised text messages to guests. A live auction display and self check-out help events run on the night. It supports in-person, online, and hybrid events.

Key features

• Mobile bidding for silent and live auctions
• Ticketing and seating management
• Text messaging to guests
• Auction leaderboard display and self check-out

Pricing: on request, after a consultation.

10. Handbid

Best for: high-profile galas, university foundations, and sports teams that want a fully managed setup.

Handbid is a US event and auction platform used by non-profits, schools, foundations, and professional sports teams. It brings ticketing, live and silent auctions, paddle raises, giving, check-in, and payments together, with bidding through the web or a native mobile app. Its concierge onboarding means the Handbid team configures auction items, access rules, and payment flows. White-label branding is available, and Handbid reports powering more than 15,000 auctions.

Key features

• Web and native app bidding
• Paddle raises and fixed-price items
• Concierge onboarding
• White-label branding

Pricing: every plan includes the full platform, with packages priced by the level of setup and support. Handbid adds no platform percentage on top of payment processing rates.

11. Greater Giving

Best for: established US non-profits that want hands-on support on the night.

Greater Giving has provided event fundraising software to US non-profits and schools for over 20 years. It covers silent and live auctions, mobile bidding, online and recurring giving, and event registration. It is known for its hands-on service, including on-site help at larger galas. Hardware is available alongside the software.

Key features

• Silent and live auction management
• Mobile bidding
• Online and recurring giving
• On-site event support

Pricing: on request.

12. Auctria

Best for: budget-conscious groups running full auction events.

Auctria is auction and event software for live, silent, online, virtual, and hybrid fundraisers, for groups large and small. It includes an editable event website, ticket sales, donations, and donor tracking. Barcode scanning helps keep track of items at in-person events. Auctria publishes flat-rate pricing with no performance fees, and offers a free version for smaller events.

Key features

• Live, silent, online, and hybrid auctions
• Editable event website
• Ticketing and donations
• Optional setup service

Pricing: flat-rate plans with no performance fees, plus a free version.

13. BiddingOwl

Best for: schools and volunteer-led non-profits.

BiddingOwl is built for non-profits, schools, and volunteer-led teams running online, silent, and live auctions, galas, and hybrid campaigns. Organisers get a customisable auction website, proxy bidding, outbid alerts, ticketing, and checkout. For in-person events, it can print bid sheets and catalogues and track volunteers. Training includes live online sessions, webinars, and videos.

Key features

• Customisable auction website
• Proxy bidding and outbid alerts
• Printable bid sheets and catalogues
• Raffles, ticketing, and donations

Pricing: free to set up. BiddingOwl charges a percentage only on items bid online, not on ticket sales or donations.

14. 32auctions

Best for: small, volunteer-run online silent auctions.

32auctions is an independent, family-run US platform that has run online silent auctions since 2008, and reports supporting more than 130,500 causes. Its free base auction includes up to 20 items, real-time mobile bidding, outbid emails, proxy and buy now bidding, and unlimited bidders, with no app to download. Custom branding and an ad-free page are paid add-ons, sold per event. Bidder and winning-bid data can be exported to CSV.

Key features

• Free base auction for up to 20 items
• Mobile bidding with no app needed
• Private auctions for invited bidders
• CSV data export

Pricing: a free base auction that shows house ads, with paid per-event packages. No commission on funds raised.

15. Silent Auction Pro

Best for: US events that want mobile bidding with ticketing and seating.

Silent Auction Pro is a US platform for virtual, hybrid, and in-person fundraising events. Its packages include an online auction catalogue, mobile and desktop bidding, text outbid notifications, ticketing and seating management, custom branding, and bidder self check-out. It also supports absentee and proxy bidding. Reporting and unlimited users are included in its main package.

Key features

• Mobile and desktop bidding
• Text outbid notifications
• Ticketing and seating management
• Bidder self check-out

Pricing: an annual fee plus a percentage of event proceeds.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best auction software for a charity?

It depends on the auction. For a simple event-night silent auction, an all-in-one fundraising suite may be enough. For an auction where your brand, your bidder data, and the final prices matter, such as an art, experiences, or high-value lots sale, a white-label platform like Indy.auction gives you more control.

Is there free auction software for charities?

Yes, in several forms. Some platforms are funded by optional donor tips at checkout, some offer a free base tier with limits, and some charge only a percentage on lots that sell, so nothing is owed if nothing sells. On Indy.auction, you can pass the fee to buyers so the auction costs your charity nothing. Card processing fees usually still apply.

What is the difference between a silent auction and an online auction?

A traditional silent auction takes written bids on paper sheets at an event. An online auction, also called a timed auction, runs on a website for a set period, and supporters bid from any device. Many charities now run a timed online auction instead of, or alongside, bidding in the room.

How do you stop last-minute sniping in an online auction?

Use a platform with bidding extensions. If a bid lands in the final minute, the closing time extends so other bidders can respond. Indy.auction lets you choose whether all lots close together, close in sequence, or close individually, each with its own extension.

Can a charity keep auction results private?

On some platforms, yes. Indy.auction lets you hide final sale prices after the auction closes. This helps when artists or other donors would rather a lot's result was not public.

Can you claim Gift Aid on auction lots?

Usually not. A winning bidder receives goods or a service in return for their payment, so the payment is not a gift. Check HMRC's Gift Aid guidance, or ask your charity's adviser, before you plan around it.

Choosing the right platform for your charity

Start with the auction you want to run, then work back to the software. If your auction requires ticketing functionality and gala management outside of the auction, then larger all-in-one solutions may be more suitable. On the other hand, any auction of artworks, experiences, or other high-value lots calls for control over your brand, your bidder data, and how results are shared. This is where Indy.auction excels.

With Indy.auction, you run the auction on your own branded site, keep the data for every bidder and underbidder, choose whether final prices are published, and pay nothing upfront.

Run your next fundraising auction on Indy.auction. Create your auction in minutes, or explore a demo auction to try the bidder experience first.