WordPress donation plugin

Big-hearted donations, made simple.

Turn any WordPress site into a beautiful place to give. Free to run, with 0% platform fees, every donation lands straight in your own account.

Made for fundraisers, churches, non-profits and grassroots causes

Everything you need to raise more

Donation forms your supporters will actually enjoy.

No clunky redirects, no surprise fees. Just a warm, on-brand way to give that feels like a gift to fill out.

Beautiful, on-brand forms

Match your colors, fonts and story in minutes. Every form looks like it was built just for your cause.

Recurring giving built in

Turn one-time donors into monthly supporters with a single tap, and watch sustaining revenue grow.

Keep more of every gift

Free to run with 0% platform fees. More of each donation reaches the people you serve.

Gift Aid, done right

UK charity? Add HMRC-approved Gift Aid to any form and claim an extra 25%, at no cost to your donor.

Apple Pay & Google Pay

Donors give in one tap on their phone. Fewer drop-offs, more completed gifts, all through Stripe.

Reporting your treasurer will thank you for

A clean donor dashboard, plus CSV, QuickBooks and Xero exports and built-in GDPR tools. Reconcile in minutes.

Quick set-up and install

From install to first donation in three steps.

Install the plugin

Download Cheerful from the wordPress store, and upload it under Plugins → Add New → Upload. No developer, no headache.

Build your form

Pick suggested amounts, add your story and goal, and tune the colors to match your brand.

Start receiving gifts

Drop the Cheerful block on any page or post. Donations land straight in your account.

£0

taken from your donations, ever

100%

of every gift reaches your cause

3 taps

from “donate” to done

Cheerful giving, without the hefty price tag

Honest pricing for big- hearted teams.

Start completely free. Upgrade only when you’re ready for more, never a
cut of your donations.

Free

£0

/ forever

Everything a small cause needs to start raising money today.

Unlimited campaigns
One-off & monthly giving
0% platform fees
Gift Aid, Apple Pay & Google Pay
Donor dashboard + CSV / Xero exports
Branding & design to match your cause
Free install help for your first site
Live donor pop-ups
Mailing list builder
Privacy-friendly & GDPR-ready

Upgrade with add-ons

Free is enough for most, if you need a boost head to the add-on store

Available now

Coming soon

Soon

Crowdfunding campaigns
Upgraded live donor pop-up controls
Custom avatar, timing, position & minimum amount.
Per-campaign branding
Peer-to-peer pages
Accounting sync, QuickBooks & Xero
Custom fonts for your widget
All-access bundle
Every add-on, one price.

Every add-on is optional, the plugin is complete without them.

So how does Cheerful stay free?

The plugin is free and complete. Cheerful stays free thanks to an optional tip donors can add at checkout, and a few à-la-carte add-ons you only buy if you need them. We never take a cut of your donations.

Run the numbers

How do we compare?

Other “free” plans take a cut of your donations or need a paid licence. Cheerful doesn’t, so you get to keep more of every gift!

UK — donation-widget platforms (per-donation on a £100 gift, before Gift Aid, free tier

← Scroll to see all columns →

Platform	Platform Fee	Card Fee	Licence /mo	Total Cost	Charity Keeps
Cheerful Best value Tip supported & donor covers fees	£0.00	1.2% + 30p	£0.00 Optional add-ons	£1.50	£98.50
Give A Little	£0.00	1.58%	£7.50 Basic premium tier	£1.66	£98.35
GoFundMe Optional donor tip	£0.00	2.9% + 25p	£0.00	£3.15	£96.85
Donorbox	£1.75	1.2% +20p	£0.00 Donorbox — Pro$150/mo (≈£118)	£3.15	£96.85
JustGiving Gift Aid reclaim fee 5%	£0.00	2.9% + 35p	£0.00 Grow £15–39/mo +VAT	£3.25	£96.75
GiveWP	2%	1.2% + 30p		£3.50	£96.50
CAF Donate	£0.00	£0.00	4%	£4.00	£96.00
GivenGain	5%	3%	£0.00	£8.00	£92.00
Enthuse Based on 1 donation	£0.00	1.9% +30p	£24.99 Monthly Subscription - Fundraising Plan	£2.20	£72.81
Beacon Based on 1 donation		1.2% + 30p	£33.50 Monthly	£34.90	£65.10

USA — donation-widget platforms (per-donation on a $100 gift, free tier.

← Scroll to see all columns →

Platform	Platform Fee	Card Fee	Licence /mo	Total Cost	Charity Keeps
Zeffy Best value Absorbs the card fee	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00 Tip supported.	$0.00	$100.00
Cheerful Tip supported & donor covers fees	$0.00	2.9% +30c	$0.00 Optional add-ons	$3.20	$96.80
Donorbox Free plan; 1.75% on Pro ($150/mo)	$1.75	2.2% + 30p	$0.00 Donorbox — Pro$150/mo (≈£118)	$4.25	$95.75
GiveWP	2%	2.9% +30c	$0.00 Licence $199–599/yr	$5.20	$94.80
Givebutter 0% via donor tips; 3% if tips disabled	3%	3.9% + 30c	$0.00 Plus CRM $29–129/mo	$6.20	$93.80
Fundraise Up	$4.00	2.9% + 30c	$0.00	$7.20	$92.80
Donately 4% Standard; 2%/0% on paid tiers	$4.00	3.2%	$0.00 Growth $99/mo · Scale $5k	$7.20	$92.80
Just Giving Various monthly plans	5%	2.9% + 30p		$8.20	$91.80
Funraise Various monthly plans	5%	2.9% + 30c		$8.20	$91.80

Want to calculate your own fees? Try our donation calculator here.

See the real thing

A donation flow your supporters breeze through.

Four simple steps, from first tap to thank-you, all on your own site, all in your brand.

Step 1

Choose a gift

One-off or monthly, preset or custom amounts, with an option to cover the fees.

Step 2

Add Gift Aid

UK donors add HMRC-approved Gift Aid in one tap, an extra 25% at no cost to them.

Step 3

Keep Cheerful free

An optional tip at checkout keeps the plugin free. We never take a cut of your donations.

Step 4

Give in one tap

Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay,
secured by Stripe, straight to your own account.

Every form, your colours.

Match your header image, colours and story with a live preview, here’s the same form dressed for four different causes.

We've got your back

Stuck on setup? We'll install it for you, free.

If WordPress plugins make your head spin, don’t worry. Tell us about your cause and our team will install and set up Cheerful on your site for you.

Your first site

Free

Each extra install

£79.99

For registered nonprofits & charities. Covers installation & setup only, customisation not included.

To get started yiou need:

WordPress 6.0+
PHP 8+
A fully authorised Stripe account with admin access
Admin access to WordPress

If you have any questions contact us.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

The things nonprofits ask us most. Still curious? Get in touch, we’re happy to help.

What is the tip, and who pays it?

The tip is a small, entirely optional amount a donor can choose to add at checkout to
support Cheerful, shown separately from their gift to you. It’s how we keep the plugin free with 0% platform fees. Donors can set it to zero in one tap, and 100% of the actual donation still reaches your cause.

Is Cheerful really free?

Yes. The plugin is free to install and run, with no monthly fee and no platform cut of your donations. We stay funded through the optional donor tip and a few à-la-carte add-ons you only buy if you need them.

What fees will my donors or my charity pay?

Cheerful charges 0% in platform fees. The only unavoidable cost is your payment processor’s standard fee (Stripe, typically 1.5% + 20p in the UK), which every donation platform passes on. You can optionally let donors cover that fee too.

How do donations reach my account?

Funds go straight from the donor to your own Stripe account, then settle to your bank on Stripe’s normal payout schedule. Cheerful never holds or touches your money.

Can I claim Gift Aid?

Yes. UK donors can add HMRC-approved Gift Aid to eligible one-off donations in a single tap, letting you claim an extra 25% at no cost to them. It’s built in and free.

Does it work with my WordPress theme?

Cheerful works with any standard WordPress theme on WordPress 6.0+ and PHP 8+. You add donation forms with a block or shortcode, and they inherit your colours and branding so they feel native to your site.

To get started you need:

WordPress 6.0+
PHP 8+
A fully authorised Stripe account with admin access
Admin access to WordPress

Can donors give monthly, not just once?

Absolutely. Every form can offer one-off or recurring monthly giving, with preset or custom amounts, so supporters choose what works for them.

Do you support Apple Pay and Google Pay?

Yes. Donors can pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay in one tap, all secured by Stripe. Faster checkout means fewer drop-offs and more completed gifts.

Can I remove the tip prompt or Cheerful branding?

The “Powered by Cheerful” credit is free to remove. If you’d prefer to hide the optional tip prompt entirely, that’s available as a one-off add-on, so you can shape the checkout to suit your supporters.

How do I get help setting it up?

We offer free install help for your first site, plus documentation and email support. Need a hand? Contact support and a real human will reply, usually within a day.

Ready to make giving Cheerful?

Join others like you raising more on WordPress. Start
free, no card required.