DonatoTomato vs PayPal
PayPal is a general-purpose payment processor with a hosted donate button, rather than a donation-management platform built for nonprofits.
PayPal reliably takes a payment, and it is familiar to donors. But its donate button is a payment tool, not a donation platform: the gift itself is completed in PayPal's checkout, and donor management and the IRS acknowledgment letter stay your job. DonatoTomato keeps the whole donation on your own site, sends automatic IRS-ready receipts with your EIN and the required statement, supports monthly recurring giving with a donor CRM, and charges a flat 1%, with money landing straight in your own Stripe account. Per gift, PayPal's all-in rate is usually the cheaper of the two, at its standard donation rate and more so as a Confirmed Charity, and we would rather say so here than have you find it at reconciliation. What the difference buys is the rest of the job.
DonatoTomato is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by PayPal. Product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used here only for comparison and identification. Comparisons reflect publicly available information as of September 2026 and may change, please verify current pricing and details on each provider's website.
Updated October 1, 2026.
| Feature | DonatoTomato | PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| Where the donation happens | On your own site, with Stripe bank verification when needed | Completed in PayPal's checkout, as a redirect or as a pop-up on your site (PayPal's donate button options) |
| Who sends the IRS acknowledgment | Branded receipts after gifts complete, with tax acknowledgment for eligible gifts and organizations | You do; the acknowledgment must come from your organization |
| Recurring donations | Monthly recurring built in, with a donor self-service portal | Supported |
| Donor management | Profiles, giving history and CSV export; recurring status and donor self-service included | Payment records in your PayPal account |
| Fee | Flat 1% platform fee per donation (plus Stripe processing fees). A monthly gift also carries Stripe's own fee for running the repeating charge, billed to your Stripe account. | PayPal's charity rate is 1.99% + $0.49 for organizations it has approved as a Confirmed Charity, otherwise 2.89% + $0.49 (as of September 2026); +1.5% on international |
| Total cost of a one-time card gift | 1% platform fee plus your own Stripe processing (2.9% + $0.30 standard; 2.2% + $0.30 if Stripe approves your organization for its nonprofit rate) | One all-in rate, processing included: 1.99% + $0.49 as an approved Confirmed Charity, otherwise 2.89% + $0.49 (as of September 2026) |
| Where donations go | Straight into your own Stripe account, you are the merchant of record | Your PayPal balance, on PayPal's terms |
| WordPress | WordPress plugin, site-wide floating button or inline form | Button code / third-party plugins |
| Annual giving statements | Generate from donor records | Not assessed here |
| Donation accounting | Monthly and campaign reports, fee and net records, CSV export | Not assessed here |
Pricing and assessed feature details reflect each provider's published information as of September 2026 and can change, please verify current pricing on PayPal's site. “Not assessed here” means this comparison has not evaluated that capability; it does not mean the provider lacks it.
Accept one-time and monthly gifts on your website. Manage donor profiles and giving history, review donation accounting, and create annual giving statements in the same platform.
Explore sample dashboardThe gift is completed in your own widget, your logo and colors, on your page. Card fields are hosted by Stripe, so card numbers never touch your site, and no donor needs an account to give.
For gifts of $250 or more the IRS wants a written acknowledgment from your organization: its name, the amount, and whether anything was given in return. DonatoTomato sends a receipt automatically after each gift completes, with tax acknowledgment for eligible gifts and organizations, and your year-end statements draw on the same records.
Recurring gifts with a donor self-service portal, plus donor profiles with lifetime totals, gift history and CSV export. Your donor list is yours and exportable the day you ask.
Starting new gifts on DonatoTomato and moving an existing recurring-giving program are separate steps. Existing recurring gifts do not automatically transfer. Confirm how current gifts will continue, how donors will manage them, and what your old provider requires before retiring the old form or plugin. Email us to discuss the transition.
Plan your transitionPer gift, usually not. On a one-time $100 gift, PayPal's standard donation rate of 2.89% + $0.49 comes to $3.38, or $2.48 at 1.99% + $0.49 if PayPal has approved your organization as a Confirmed Charity, which is an application rather than a setting (as of September 2026). DonatoTomato is $4.20 at Stripe's standard rate, a 1% platform fee plus 2.9% + $0.30 processing, or $3.50 if Stripe approves your organization for its nonprofit rate. The fixed fees flip the order only on gifts under about $20. The bigger difference is what you get: donors start on your site, receipts are IRS-ready, and recurring plus donor management are built in.
Yes. DonatoTomato uses Stripe-hosted card fields, so donors enter a card directly in your widget, no account or login required, and the card data never touches your site.
For gifts of $250 or more the IRS requires a contemporaneous written acknowledgment from the charity: its name, the amount, and whether any goods or services were provided in return. On a general payment tool, producing that letter stays your job. DonatoTomato sends a branded receipt after the gift completes, with tax acknowledgment for eligible gifts and organizations.
Directly into your own Stripe account; you are the merchant of record and funds pay out to your bank on Stripe's normal schedule. DonatoTomato never holds your money.
No. The only optional add-on at checkout is clearly labeled as an estimated processing contribution, and it is never framed as a tip. There is no separate ask that funds DonatoTomato.
Yes. DonatoTomato supports US bank account gifts (ACH), both one-time and new monthly gifts. Email hello@donatotomato.com to enable bank gifts for your organization. We will help you confirm the required Stripe bank-email setting before switching them on. Existing recurring gifts are not automatically moved to a bank account.