ScanRaise vs 99Pledges
Two transparent, contract-free fundraising platforms where your organization keeps its own money: 99Pledges is a clean, low-cost pure-play pledge tool, while ScanRaise adds GPS-verified athons, QR cards, and an all-in-one fundraising suite.
The short version
99Pledges is a genuinely good, transparent, low-cost pick for a small volunteer-run pledge event, with a $0 platform fee and fast payouts. ScanRaise wins when a group wants more than a pledge page: GPS-verified athons, printable QR cards, auctions, raffles, a store, donor CRM, and K-12 SSO and compliance, all at a flat 2.5% platform fee. Both let your organization keep its own money, so the choice comes down to scope, not trust.
Both ScanRaise and 99Pledges let your group keep control of its own money, and both publish their pricing openly, which already sets them apart from many fundraising vendors. The honest difference comes down to scope. 99Pledges is a focused a-thon pledge platform: auto-generated participant pages, real-time leaderboards, and fast payouts, funded mostly by optional donor tips so the platform charges $0 in fees. ScanRaise is a broader self-serve fundraising suite that includes athons but goes well beyond them.
As of mid-2026, 99Pledges charges no platform fee and no startup cost; the organization pays card processing of 3.49% + $0.49 per transaction (deducted at the end), and keeps 100% of any cash or checks entered manually. ScanRaise charges a flat 2.5% platform fee with no setup fees, monthly fees, or contracts, plus Stripe's standard processing (2.9% + $0.30) that applies to any online payment, with an optional donor-cover-fees checkbox that about 60% of donors opt into.
This page is for a PTA, school, booster club, or youth-sports group deciding between the two. If you want a simple pledge event run by volunteers, 99Pledges is a genuinely good, low-cost pick. If you want GPS-verified activity tracking, printable per-person QR cards, auctions, raffles, a store, donor CRM, and K-12 SSO and compliance, ScanRaise is built for that wider job.
| Area | ScanRaise | 99Pledges |
|---|---|---|
| Fees (platform + processing) | Flat 2.5% platform fee, no setup/monthly/contract; Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 processing applies separately, with optional donor-cover-fees checkbox | $0 platform fee, no startup cost or contract; org pays 3.49% + $0.49 card processing, platform funded by optional donor tips |
| Athon activity verification | GPS-verified walkathons, step counting, Strava and Fitbit sync, per-unit pledges (per lap/page/mile) | Manual tracking with real-time leaderboards; no GPS or Strava/Fitbit verification |
| Feature breadth beyond pledges | All-in-one: donations, P2P, event ticketing, auctions, raffles, merch store, donor CRM, email campaigns, recurring giving, printable QR cards | Pledge events only; no auctions/galas, tiered ticketing, donor CRM, or advanced analytics |
| SSO & K-12 compliance | SDPC registered, COPPA and FERPA compliant, Clever and ClassLink SSO for teachers, full Spanish site | No documented SSO and no Spanish site; serves K-12 groups without these specific integrations |
| Who it is for | Groups wanting more than a pledge page: GPS athons, QR cards, auctions/raffles/store/CRM, and K-12 SSO/compliance | Small volunteer-run pledge events at schools, PTAs/PTOs, youth sports, dance/cheer/band |
Comparison based on publicly available information as of mid-2026. Pricing and features on other platforms change often, and some vendors do not publish pricing; please confirm current details on 99Pledges’s own website before deciding.
Where 99Pledges fits
- You're running a single, simple a-thon (walk, jog, read, dance) with volunteers and want the lowest possible platform cost: 99Pledges charges $0 in platform fees and is funded by optional donor tips.
- You want zero setup overhead and auto-generated individual participant pages with real-time leaderboards out of the box, without configuring a broader toolkit.
- Your event relies on manual pledge tracking and you don't need GPS, Strava, or Fitbit verification, so the simpler model is a better fit.
- You collect a meaningful amount of cash or checks and enter them manually, since 99Pledges lets the org keep 100% of those funds with no platform cut.
Why schools pick ScanRaise
- Lower effective online cost when you pass fees to donors: ScanRaise's flat 2.5% platform fee plus a donor-cover-fees checkbox (about 60% opt in) can leave more in your org's account than absorbing 3.49% + $0.49 on every transaction.
- GPS-verified athons with step counting plus Strava and Fitbit sync and per-unit pledges, so activity is verified rather than self-reported.
- An all-in-one suite beyond pledges: auctions, raffles, event ticketing, a merch store, donor CRM, email campaigns, and recurring giving in one place.
- Physical printable per-person QR donation cards plus text-to-give and live leaderboard display, useful for in-person events and door-to-door asks.
- K-12 ready: SDPC registered, COPPA and FERPA compliant, Clever and ClassLink SSO for teachers, and a full Spanish site for bilingual communities.
ScanRaise vs 99Pledges: FAQ
Which one is cheaper, ScanRaise or 99Pledges?
It depends on how you handle fees, and both publish their pricing. As of mid-2026, 99Pledges charges a $0 platform fee and is funded by optional donor tips, but the organization pays 3.49% + $0.49 in card processing on each transaction. ScanRaise charges a flat 2.5% platform fee plus Stripe's standard 2.9% + $0.30 processing. ScanRaise also offers a donor-cover-fees checkbox (about 60% of donors opt in), which can offset fees and leave more in your org's account. Run your expected donation sizes through both to compare.
Who holds the money, and how fast do we get paid?
Neither platform holds your fundraiser's money long-term as a managed service. With ScanRaise, your organization connects its own Stripe account, and donations route straight to your own bank account; ScanRaise never holds or disburses the funds. 99Pledges deducts processing at the end and issues fast payouts, typically around the next business day. In both cases the goal is your org keeping control of its own funds.
We currently use 99Pledges. Is switching to ScanRaise hard?
ScanRaise is self-serve software, so you can set up a campaign free in about two minutes with no credit card required. If your only need is a simple pledge a-thon, 99Pledges may already cover it. Groups typically move to ScanRaise when they want more than a pledge page, such as GPS-verified activity, printable QR cards, auctions, raffles, a store, or donor CRM, alongside their athon.
What is each platform actually best for?
99Pledges is best for a simple, low-cost, volunteer-run a-thon: auto-generated participant pages, leaderboards, and fast payout with no platform fee. ScanRaise is best when a group wants a broader fundraising toolkit, including GPS-verified athons with Strava and Fitbit sync, physical QR donation cards, auctions, raffles, ticketing, a merch store, donor CRM, and email campaigns.
Which is the better fit for a K-12 school's compliance needs?
ScanRaise is built with K-12 in mind: it is SDPC registered, COPPA and FERPA compliant, and supports Clever and ClassLink SSO for teachers, plus a full Spanish site. 99Pledges serves schools and PTAs but does not document SSO integrations or a Spanish site. If district-level SSO and documented compliance posture matter to your school, ScanRaise covers that ground.
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