Build and publish a full base auction without paying us a dollar. Optional upgrades à la carte; the Most Popular package is about $170 per event. 130,500+ causes since 2008.
"Almost double last year." — Sarah, PTA Pres.
A genuinely free online auction site is harder to find than you'd expect. Most platforms calling themselves "free" use the word the way the airline industry uses "complimentary" — there's a fee at the end. Free trial that converts to paid. Free until you collect more than $5,000. Free to sign up, then $1,400/year to actually launch. Free with a 5% platform commission on every donation you raise. Free with donor-paid tipping that's hard to disable. Each of these has trade-offs that organizations discover only after they've invested setup time.
32auctions uses "free" to mean: you can build, publish, and operate a full auction without paying us a dollar. The trade-off is house ads on the auction page (which is how we fund the free tier for organizations that can't pay). The Most Popular upgrade package costs about $170 per event if you want those ads removed plus branding, more items, more images, and text notifications. There's no platform commission on what you raise. No annual subscription. No surprise fee. The base auction is fully functional — custom URL, mobile bidding, item gallery, outbid email notifications, real-time insights, unlimited bidders.
This page covers exactly what's in the free tier (and what's not), why we can afford to offer a real free tier, how we compare to other "free" platforms (Givebutter, BiddingOwl, RallyUp, Auctria's free tier), the transparent pricing for upgrades when you eventually want them, and answers to the questions organizers ask before signing up for any platform claiming to be free.
Every painful step of a silent auction, rebuilt for how organizers actually run them.
Paper bid sheets. Midnight recounts. The runner who lost the form.
Every bid lands on every device in real time. Auto-bidding, outbid alerts, and a live leaderboard drive the final-minute frenzy. Final totals reconcile themselves the second the auction closes.
Praying donors show up. Praying they brought a checkbook.
Your custom URL is the only thing donors need. No app, no account, no friction. Outbid texts and emails keep them in the auction until the final minute.
Chasing winners for payment for the next three weeks.
When your auction closes, every winner gets their invoice. Most pay by card within an hour through your own Stripe or PayPal account — we never sit in the middle of your money.
Not a kitchen-sink feature list. The capabilities that consistently separate auctions that work from auctions that flop.
No trial expiration date. No "free until you raise $X" cap. No "free for the first auction, paid after." You can sign up at 32auctions.com today, build a full auction with up to 20 items, publish it at a custom URL, and run it to completion without paying us a dollar. The free tier includes custom URL, mobile-friendly bidding, outbid email notifications, real-time auction insights, proxy bidding, Buy Now, basic donor and sponsor promotion, unlimited bidders, and email support.
The free tier shows our house ads on the auction page. That's how we fund the free tier for organizations that can't pay. We're transparent about this from the start — no surprise. If you want the ads removed, the No 3rd Party Ads upgrade does it (included in the Most Popular package at about $170 per event). For organizations where ads are unacceptable on principle (some larger nonprofits with brand-purity requirements), the upgrade is straightforward. For small fundraisers where ads on the auction page don't matter, the free tier works permanently.
We don't take a commission on what you raise — ever, on any tier. Every dollar a winner pays goes to your organization (minus standard Stripe/PayPal processing fees they pay regardless, and the 2.9% + $0.40 32auctions transaction fee if you use the Online Payment Collection upgrade). Self-managed payments carry no 32auctions transaction fee at all. This is a real difference from "free" platforms that fund themselves via 5%+ donor tips or platform commissions deducted from your raise.
Most organizations on the free tier eventually want to upgrade to a branded, ad-free page — typically as their auction grows or their donor expectations rise. The Most Popular package at about $170 per event is the standard combination most organizers pick. You can also buy individual upgrades à la carte: just the No 3rd Party Ads, just More Items, just Apply Your Brand. Pay only for what you use; the rest of the upgrades stay locked until you need them.
32auctions is independent and family-run. We've been profitable since 2008 — through three recessions and the nonprofit-software industry's consolidation wave — without selling to private equity or rolling into a larger fundraising platform. This is why we can afford to keep the free tier free: our incentives stay aligned with yours, not with quarterly growth pressure. Competitor platforms that started "free" routinely converted to paid-only after being acquired; we don't operate on that model.
Givebutter is free but takes its money via optional donor tipping that defaults to enabled (donors pay a tip on top of bids). BiddingOwl is free for in-person auctions under $5,000 but charges for online auctions. RallyUp is free with optional donor tipping. Auctria has a free tier with limited features and requires credit purchases for upgrades. We're free for the base auction with house ads, with optional per-event upgrades you pay for directly (not through donor-side fees). Each model has trade-offs — pick the one whose trade-offs match your situation.
The end-to-end workflow most organizers follow on 32auctions, in the order they follow it.
Create your account. No credit card. Three minutes.
Name it. Pick start and end dates. Choose privacy settings.
Upload photos, write descriptions, set starting bids and bid increments. Import from a spreadsheet if you have one from last year.
Free base supports 20 items with house ads. The Most Popular package (about $170) removes ads, adds branding, expands items and images, unlocks text notifications.
Link your Stripe or PayPal account for automatic winner invoicing, or use self-managed payments at no 32auctions transaction fee.
Share your custom URL via email, text, social media, and printed materials. Auction goes live at your scheduled time.
Real-time insights, live leaderboard, automatic outbid notifications — the platform handles engagement automatically.
When the auction ends, winners are invoiced. Funds deposit. Export your treasurer reports. Send thank-yous.
The full pricing model, plainly stated. Use this to compare against any competitor — we publish ours; most of them require you to talk to sales to find theirs.
Free base auction (free forever): Up to 20 items, 1 image per item, custom auction URL, real-time mobile bidding, outbid email notifications, real-time auction insights, proxy/Buy Now bidding, basic donor and sponsor promotion, unlimited bidders, email support. Funded by house ads displayed on the auction page.
Optional upgrades, à la carte or as packages:
The Most Popular package — about $170 per event: The pre-built combination most organizers pick. Removes house ads, adds your branding, expands items and images, unlocks text notifications.
The Works package: All upgrades bundled, for organizers who want everything.
Transaction fees on payment collection: When you use the Online Payment Collection upgrade, 32auctions adds 2.9% + $0.40 per online payment, on top of whatever Stripe or PayPal charges. Or use self-managed payments (cash, check, your own processor) and pay no 32auctions transaction fee.
What we never charge: No annual contract. No commission on what you raise. No platform fee on donations. No minimums.
Honest, sourced comparison. Pricing changes — verify with each vendor before purchase.
| 32auctions | Auctria | Silent Auction Pro | Givebutter | RallyUp | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free (base auction) | Free starter; credits for upgrades | From $449/yr | Free with optional donor tipping | Free with optional donor tipping |
| Pricing model | Pay per event (~$170 package) | Freemium + credit purchases | Annual subscription | Tip-supported, no subscription | Tip-supported or paid plans |
| Free tier? | Yes — base auction free forever | Yes (limited) | No | Yes | Yes (with tipping) |
| Bidder requires app? | No — web-based | No | No | No | No |
| Bidder requires account? | No | Yes (light registration) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Transaction fee on online payments | 2.9% + $0.40 (32a) on top of Stripe/PayPal — OR $0 with self-managed | 2.9% + $0.30 via Stripe | 2.9% flat (via Worldpay) | 2.9% + $0.30 combined platform fee | Varies by plan |
| Years in market | Since 2008 | Since 2011 | Since 2002 | Since 2016 | Since 2015 |
| Best for | 1-4 events/yr, schools, churches, small/mid nonprofits | Small to mid auctions with simple needs | Mid-range nonprofits, schools, churches | Modern fundraising tools, all-in-one feel | Multi-format fundraising (raffles, auctions) |
Pricing and feature data sourced from each vendor's public pricing pages and verified third-party listings on G2, Capterra, and GetApp (Nov 2025-Apr 2026). Pricing changes — always confirm current rates directly with vendors before purchase. 32auctions transaction fees apply only when using the Online Payment Collection upgrade; self-managed payments carry no 32auctions transaction fee.
Stories from preschool PTOs to verified G2 reviewers. The metric we care most about: did they use 32auctions again the next year?
So easy, so smooth, and so fun. Our preschool has used them for many, many years for the biggest fundraiser of our school year — and every year it just works. Entering items is simple. The presentation to our families is great. Wrapping it up is easy.
The site was easy to set up and worked like a charm for our first fundraiser. The remote bidding features were the best part — administrators could post items in minutes and see who'd bid on what in real time. We raised more than I projected.
No marketing-speak. Just the truth about how the platform actually works for free online auction site.
What exactly do I get for free, and what do I have to pay for?
Free, no payment required: custom URL auction page, up to 20 items (with 1 image per item), mobile-friendly bidding, outbid email notifications, real-time auction insights, proxy and Buy Now bidding, basic donor and sponsor promotion, unlimited bidders, email support. Trade-off: our house ads display on the auction page. Paid upgrades, à la carte or as packages: more items (up to 1,000), 4 large images per item, no third-party ads, text outbid notifications, advanced insights, premium donor/sponsor management, apply your brand (logo + colors), online payment collection. Most Popular package combines the most common upgrades for about $170 per event.
How is 32auctions different from Givebutter, BiddingOwl, or RallyUp (other 'free' platforms)?
Different funding models. Givebutter funds itself via optional donor tipping (donors are prompted to add a tip on top of their bid; defaults to enabled). BiddingOwl is free only for in-person auctions under $5,000 raised; online and larger requires payment. RallyUp uses tipping similarly to Givebutter. 32auctions funds the free tier via house ads on the auction page (clearly disclosed), not via donor-side fees. We don't take a commission on what you raise. Whether tipping or ads is the better trade-off depends on your donor base — some organizations prefer ads, others prefer tipping; both are honest about how they fund the platform.
Is there really no commission on what we raise?
Correct. We don't take a percentage of donations on any tier — free or paid. Every dollar a winner pays goes to your organization, minus only the standard payment-processing fees that any platform incurs. With the Online Payment Collection upgrade, 32auctions adds a 2.9% + $0.40 transaction fee on top of Stripe/PayPal's own rate (around 2.9% + $0.30 for Stripe). Without the upgrade, you handle payments yourself (cash, check, your existing processor) at no 32auctions transaction fee. We make money on the per-event upgrade fees and the optional transaction fee — not on a percentage of your raise.
Can I run my whole auction on the free tier without ever paying you?
Yes, if your auction has 20 items or fewer and the house ads on the auction page are acceptable to you. The free tier is genuinely fully functional — you can run a real auction, collect real bids, and reconcile real winnings without paying us anything. Many small auctions (classroom fundraisers, small ministry events, single-event personal causes) run entirely on the free tier permanently. Larger auctions or auctions requiring branding typically upgrade eventually.
Will the house ads on my auction page be inappropriate or distracting?
Ads are served by standard ad networks (Google AdSense and similar) with appropriate filtering for the nonprofit-fundraising context. The ads display in defined positions on the page (typically a banner at the top and inline placements) and don't interrupt the bidding experience. For organizations where any ads are unacceptable (some larger nonprofits, churches with strict brand requirements), the No 3rd Party Ads upgrade removes them for about $170 per event (included in the Most Popular package).
How do I know 32auctions won't just start charging me later for the free tier?
We've maintained the free tier continuously since 2008. The pricing model has been stable for 17 years through three recessions and major industry consolidation events. We're independent and family-run — no acquisition pressure, no private-equity ownership, no IPO timeline. The free tier is core to the business model, not a loss leader we'll close down. That said, no guarantee is absolute; if you want certainty that you'll always have the platform you signed up for, the Most Popular package at $170 per event has the same long-term pricing stability.
Can I export my auction data even on the free tier?
Yes. Donor, bidder, item, and winning-bid data is exportable to CSV from any auction — free or paid. You own your data. We don't lock the export behind an upgrade. This matters because you may want to import auction data into your CRM (Bloomerang, Salesforce, etc.) or generate tax receipts for your nonprofit donors — the data needed for both is in the free-tier export.
Name it now. Set it up tonight. Share it tomorrow. Free base auction. No credit card. No commitment.