A good donation plugin makes giving simple while protecting donor data, recording transactions accurately and supporting receipts, refunds, recurring gifts and reconciliation. A polished form is only one part of responsible fundraising.
How this guide was produced
Documented features reviewed on 10 September 2026. Gateway fees and plan boundaries change, so confirm costs on the developer's site.
Nine options at a glance
| Plugin | Best for | First thing to verify |
|---|---|---|
| GiveWP | Full donation management | Gateway and plan fees |
| Charitable | Campaign-led fundraising | Which extensions are paid |
| WPForms | Simple donation forms | Payment features by licence |
| Formidable Forms | Custom donation applications | Calculation and gateway add-ons |
| Donorbox | Hosted donation workflows | Platform and processing costs |
| PayPal Donations | Basic PayPal buttons | Checkout and recurring limits |
| Seamless Donations | Lightweight WordPress giving | Gateway and maintenance fit |
| WooCommerce Donation | Stores already using WooCommerce | Cart and tax behaviour |
| Gravity Forms | Teams already on Gravity Forms | Payment add-ons and licence |
How we assessed them
We compared payment gateways, recurring gifts, donor records, receipts, refunds, offline donations, fee recovery, reporting, accessibility, privacy and export workflows.
Before you accept the first gift
- Define currencies, fund designations and receipt wording
- Decide who can issue refunds and change recurring gifts
- Plan for failed payments, retention and reconciliation
- Run low-value test transactions, refund them and confirm the emails
- Compare the public record against the payment processor
Never store card data
Use tokenised payments through a reputable gateway. Your site should never hold card numbers, and your donor records should be access controlled.
Read next
- WordPress crowdfunding plugins - reward-based campaigns instead of gifts
- Fundraising thermometer plugins - make progress visible and accurate
- Free SMTP plugins - receipts that actually get delivered
- Run a live speed test - a slow donation page loses gifts
Where to get these
Direct links to the official plugin, theme and store pages for everything named above. Prices and plans are set by the vendor, and some links may earn us a commission.
- Get it
GiveWP
Plugin · Liquid Web · Freemium
- Get it
Charitable
Plugin · WP Charitable · Freemium
- Get it
WPForms
Plugin · WPForms · Freemium
- Get it
Formidable Forms
Plugin · Strategy11 · Freemium
- Get it
Donorbox
Service · Donorbox · Freemium
- Get it
PayPal Donations
Plugin · Johan Steen · Free
- Get it
Seamless Donations
Plugin · Seamless Donations · Free
- Get it
Gravity Forms
Plugin · Rocketgenius · Premium
Common questions
Can WordPress collect donations securely?
Yes, when the site, plugin, payment provider, access controls and maintenance are all configured well. Prefer tokenised payments over storing card data.
Should donors create accounts?
Usually not for a first gift. Offer accounts only where they give the donor something useful.
Are donations tax deductible?
That depends on the organisation, jurisdiction and gift. Use approved wording and take qualified advice.
Fast WordPress editorial
Independent research edition · Published 10 September 2026. We update field guides when a plugin's documented capabilities change.
