ScanRaise vs Cheddar Up
Cheddar Up is a strong general collections tool; ScanRaise is purpose-built fundraising where your org keeps its own money at a flat 2.5%.
The short version
Cheddar Up is the better pick when the job is collecting any kind of money (dues, field trips, spirit wear, ACH) and you want a single vendor to hold and reconcile the funds. ScanRaise wins for running actual fundraising campaigns: lower all-in cost with no monthly subscription, your org keeps its own money via its own Stripe account, and purpose-built tools like athons and QR donation cards. Many organizations can reasonably use Cheddar Up for collections and ScanRaise for fundraising.
The biggest difference comes down to who holds your money and what you are trying to do. With ScanRaise, your organization connects its own Stripe account and donations flow straight to your own bank via Stripe Connect; ScanRaise never holds or disburses the funds. Cheddar Up, as of mid-2026, is the merchant of record and holds the funds until an organizer withdraws them (free standard withdrawals in 1 to 3 days, or a small fee for instant transfer).
Cheddar Up is a genuinely good general-purpose group-collections and forms tool. If your job is collecting any kind of money (dues, field-trip payments, spirit wear, signups, ACH/eCheck, in-person POS), its customizable payment pages and form builder are built for exactly that. Its pricing is public freemium: a free Basic tier, Pro around $15/mo and Team around $35/mo (billed annually, as of mid-2026), with card fees of 3.95% + $0.95 on Basic and 3.59% + $0.59 on Pro/Team.
ScanRaise is built specifically for running fundraising campaigns rather than general collections. It charges a flat 2.5% platform fee with no setup fee, no monthly subscription, and no contract (Stripe's standard processing of 2.9% + $0.30 applies separately, as on any online payment, and a donor-cover-fees checkbox is available). It adds fundraising-specific tools like GPS-verified athons, printable per-person QR donation cards, live leaderboards, and K-12 SSO that a general collections tool does not.
| Area | ScanRaise | Cheddar Up |
|---|---|---|
| Cost (fees + subscription) | Flat 2.5% platform fee, no monthly fee or contract (Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 applies separately) | Free to ~$35/mo tiers; card fees 3.95% + $0.95 (Basic) to 3.59% + $0.59 (Pro/Team), as of mid-2026 |
| Who holds the funds | Your org's own Stripe account; money goes straight to your bank. ScanRaise never holds it. | Cheddar Up is merchant of record and holds funds until you withdraw (free 1-3 day, fee for instant) |
| Purpose (fundraising vs collections) | Purpose-built fundraising campaigns: donations, P2P, recurring, events, auctions, raffles | General group collections and forms: dues, signups, field trips, spirit wear, ACH/POS |
| Athons & QR cards | GPS-verified walkathons, step counting, Strava/Fitbit sync, per-unit pledges, printable QR cards | No GPS athons, no Strava/Fitbit, no physical QR donation cards (as of mid-2026) |
| SSO & K-12 compliance | SDPC registered, COPPA/FERPA compliant, Clever and ClassLink SSO, full Spanish site | No documented Clever/ClassLink SSO, SDPC, or full Spanish site (as of mid-2026) |
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 Cheddar Up’s own website before deciding.
Where Cheddar Up fits
- When the job is collecting money rather than running a fundraiser: dues, field-trip payments, spirit wear, club signups, HOA fees, and similar recurring collections.
- When you need a flexible forms and signups builder with payment, eCheck/ACH, cash tracking, and in-person POS all in one place.
- When ACH/eCheck is important for larger payments (available on Pro/Team tiers) and you want everything tracked on one collection page.
- When you prefer a single vendor to hold and reconcile funds for you rather than connecting your own Stripe account.
Why schools pick ScanRaise
- Lower all-in cost for fundraising: a flat 2.5% platform fee with no monthly subscription and no contract (Stripe processing applies separately, with an optional donor-cover-fees checkbox).
- Your org keeps its own money: donations route through your own Stripe account straight to your bank via Stripe Connect, so ScanRaise never holds or disburses the funds.
- Purpose-built for campaigns: athons (GPS-verified, step counting, Strava/Fitbit, per-unit pledges), printable per-person QR donation cards, live leaderboards, and text-to-give.
- K-12 ready: SDPC registered, COPPA and FERPA compliant, Clever and ClassLink SSO for teachers, plus a full Spanish site.
- Donor-friendly and self-serve: donors scan a QR code and pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, or any card in about 30 seconds with no app or account, and you can launch a campaign free in about 2 minutes.
ScanRaise vs Cheddar Up: FAQ
How do the fees compare between ScanRaise and Cheddar Up?
ScanRaise charges a flat 2.5% platform fee with no monthly subscription or contract; Stripe's standard processing (2.9% + $0.30) applies separately, and donors can opt to cover fees via a checkbox (about 60% do). Cheddar Up, as of mid-2026, uses public freemium pricing: free Basic, Pro around $15/mo and Team around $35/mo (billed annually), with card fees of 3.95% + $0.95 on Basic and 3.59% + $0.59 on Pro/Team, and the fee is added to the payer by default. Compare your expected volume against both models.
Who holds the money and how do payouts work?
With ScanRaise, your organization connects its own Stripe account and donations flow straight to your own bank via Stripe Connect destination charges; ScanRaise never holds or disburses the funds. With Cheddar Up, the platform is the merchant of record and holds the funds until an organizer withdraws them, with free standard withdrawals in 1 to 3 days or a small fee for instant transfer (as of mid-2026).
We mostly collect dues and field-trip money, not run fundraisers. Which is better?
Cheddar Up is likely the better fit. It is a general-purpose group-collections and forms tool built for dues, signups, field trips, spirit wear, ACH/eCheck, and in-person POS. ScanRaise is purpose-built for fundraising campaigns (donations, P2P, athons, events, auctions, raffles), so if your job is collecting any money rather than running a campaign, Cheddar Up's collection pages and form builder are designed for exactly that.
Is ScanRaise K-12 compliant, and is Cheddar Up?
ScanRaise is SDPC registered, COPPA and FERPA compliant, and supports Clever and ClassLink SSO for teachers, plus a full Spanish site. Cheddar Up serves schools and PTAs but does not document Clever/ClassLink SSO, SDPC registration, or a full Spanish site as of mid-2026. ScanRaise's K-12 posture is about compliance and single sign-on, not collecting student data.
How hard is it to switch from Cheddar Up to ScanRaise?
ScanRaise is self-serve software, so you can set up a campaign free in about 2 minutes with no credit card required. The main change is payments: instead of a vendor holding your funds, you connect your organization's own Stripe account so money goes straight to your bank. You can keep using Cheddar Up for general collections like dues while using ScanRaise for fundraising campaigns; they do not have to be either/or.
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Set up your first campaign in about 2 minutes. Flat 2.5%, no contract, no app. Your organization keeps its own money through its own Stripe account.
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