If your PTA or school is choosing an online auction platform in 2026, start with how the event will run. Aucly is built for self-service school and PTA auctions and charges a flat fee rather than a percentage of winning bids. GalaBid is stronger when the auction sits inside a full gala with ticketing, raffles, donations and table management. Jumblebee is a long-established school fundraising option with consignment lots and on-site support. PTA Events is a wider PTA platform rather than auction-only software. Givergy, now trading as momoGood, suits large galas that want a fully managed service priced per event. Generosity Works is a different kind of product again: a platform for professionally run charity galas, included when you book its founder as your auctioneer, or £995 a year to use on its own.
The table below compares six platforms, including one, Generosity Works, that is aimed at larger professionally managed events rather than self-service PTA auctions. Every detail was checked on 15 September 2026 from the providers’ own pricing or support pages. Aucly is our own product, so we have also written plainly about where another platform is the better fit.
Compare the platforms at a glance
| Platform | Pricing model | Commission or tips at checkout | Getting paid | Lot limits | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aucly | Free for Up to 15 items. Paid options are £40 one-off per auction or £90 per year. | None. No Aucly commission on winning bids, and no bidder tips or service charges added at checkout. | Payments go directly to the organiser. Optional card collection through the organiser’s own Stripe account; Aucly never holds the money. | Up to 15 items on the free plan, Unlimited items on the one-off plan and Unlimited items on the annual plan. | PTAs, schools and small charities that run the auction themselves and want a low, predictable cost with nothing taken from bids. |
| GalaBid | Free plan funded by optional participant tips. Pro plan charges a 4.9% fee with tips switched off. A flat-fee campaign option is also published, from US$1,250 per campaign. | The free plan asks participants for an optional tip at checkout, which can be set to zero. The Pro plan replaces tips with a 4.9% fee. | Stripe-powered payments, with funds going directly from Stripe to the organiser’s bank account. Stripe fees can be passed on or absorbed. | Not published on the pricing page. | Gala dinners and charity events that need ticketing, raffles, donations, table management and an auction in one system, with human support seven days a week. |
| Jumblebee | beeClassic charges 5% + VAT of total winning bids, with free setup and unlimited donated lots. beeFree has no platform fee when the auction includes 10 or more Buzz items (Jumblebee-sourced consignment lots sold on a split). beePro is a fully managed on-site service with a fixed fee on request. | 5% + VAT of winning bids on beeClassic. Automated card collection adds 2.4% + 20p per transaction, which winners can donate back to the cause if they wish. | Organisers can collect payment themselves, use PayPal, or use automated Stripe collection. Funds are held in an FCA-regulated client account until payments are collected. | Unlimited donated lots on beeClassic. | Schools that want a fundraiser with a long school-fundraising track record, consignment lots, or mobile bidding run on site by the Jumblebee team. |
| PTA Events | The Starter plan is free with a 5% auction fee. Premium is £299.99 + VAT per year with a 4.95% auction fee and a 1.5% platform fee. | Percentage fees apply, and organisers can choose to pass them on to the buyer. Stripe processing is extra (1.2% + 20p for registered charities, 1.5% + 20p standard). | Card payments through the platform’s Stripe integration, with fees passed on or absorbed by the organiser. | Not published; fees are percentage-based rather than charged per lot. | PTAs that want one system for the whole year of events, tickets, products, volunteers and communication, with auctions as one part of it. |
| Givergy (momoGood) | Priced per event based on guest numbers, capabilities, event count and support level. No published price list; quotes are typically returned in one to two days. No percentage of funds raised. | No percentage of funds raised. Events can be funded by optional supporter contributions or paid for by the organiser. | UK deployments with GBP and Gift Aid support, including Bacs Direct Debit. | Not published; pricing is per event rather than per lot. | Large charity galas that want a fully managed service, including on-site staff and item sourcing, and are comfortable with a per-event quote. |
| Generosity Works | £995 a year for self-service use. Included at no extra cost when you book Kevin Durham, the charity auctioneer behind the platform, to host your event. | None. No commission, no per-guest fee and no cut of what guests give, on either route. | Uses the charity’s own Stripe keys, so payments land directly in the charity’s account. The platform never holds the money. | Not published; priced per year rather than per lot. | Professionally run galas, balls and fundraising dinners that want auctions, pledges, Gift Aid, ticketing, table planning and on-the-night displays in one platform. |
Fees and plan names change. Treat the table as a starting point and confirm current terms with each provider before your committee commits.
What sort of fundraiser are you running?
Most of the difference between these platforms comes from the type of event, not the size of the prize list.
A school or PTA auction is usually one part of a wider fundraising calendar. Volunteers run it themselves, most bidding happens online, and the platform needs to be quick to set up and simple for parents to use.
A charity gala is a ticketed, staffed event. The auction may need to sit alongside table plans, a live appeal, raffle tickets and on-the-night displays. That is a different job, and it is where event platforms earn their fee.
The gap between those two jobs is why these platforms are not interchangeable. Generosity Works, for example, is priced and built around professionally managed galas, while Aucly is priced and built for a committee running a straightforward auction themselves.
Who each platform is really for
If you are shortlisting quickly, find the line that sounds like your organisation and event:
- Small school or PTA auction run by volunteers: Aucly’s free tier, or Jumblebee’s beeFree if your auction includes 10 or more Buzz items.
- Larger PTA auction with a fixed budget: Aucly’s one-off or annual plan, weighed against the percentage fees on Jumblebee or PTA Events at your expected total.
- Formal gala run in-house, with ticketing and tables: GalaBid, or Generosity Works if you also want pledges, Gift Aid and a live on-the-night screen.
- Large gala where a supplier runs the night: Givergy (momoGood) for a fully managed event service, or Generosity Works with Kevin Durham as auctioneer.
- One system for the whole PTA year, not just auctions: PTA Events, which covers events, tickets, products, volunteers and communications.
What is the best free option for a UK PTA?
There is more than one free route, and they are free in different ways.
With Aucly you can build and run an auction for Up to 15 items at no cost, and there is no commission or bidder tip added at checkout. Larger auctions move onto a paid plan.
GalaBid’s free plan has no platform fee, but it is funded by optional tips that participants see at checkout. Jumblebee’s beeFree option has no platform fee when the auction includes 10 or more Buzz items. PTA Events’ Starter plan is free but charges a percentage fee on auction sales.
So if “free” means no cost to the PTA and nothing added to bids, Aucly’s free tier is the closest match for a small school auction. If you expect to sell hundreds of items, compare the paid plans instead, because that is where percentage fees add up.
Which platform keeps bids commission-free?
Aucly is the only platform in this comparison that takes no percentage of winning bids at any plan level. You pay a flat hosting fee, and the rest of the money raised goes to the cause.
The other pricing models work differently. GalaBid’s Pro plan charges 4.9%, Jumblebee’s beeClassic charges 5% + VAT of winning bids, and PTA Events charges around 5% on auctions. As an illustration, 5% of £2,000 is £100, so on a larger auction a percentage fee is worth comparing carefully with a flat fee.
Commission-free bids do not automatically mean the lowest total cost. If you raise a modest amount, a percentage fee may be cheaper than paying for hosting upfront, and GalaBid’s tips-funded plan can cost the PTA nothing at all. Run the numbers against your expected total.
Where another platform is the better fit
We would rather you chose the right tool than the one we make, so here is the honest position on each of the others.
GalaBid does more around the auction itself. Ticketing, raffles, donations, table management, on-screen displays and support available every day of the week make it a stronger choice for a formal gala. Aucly does not offer ticketing or table planning.
Jumblebee has been part of UK school fundraising for a long time and offers consignment lots and a fully managed on-site service. Its free beeFree option requires at least 10 Buzz items, which are Jumblebee-sourced consignment lots sold on a split rather than prizes your committee finds. If you want a supplier to take on the running of bidding at a live event, that is beyond what Aucly does.
PTA Events covers far more of PTA life than auctions, including events, tickets, products, volunteers and communications. If you want a single system for the whole committee year, it may be a better organisational fit.
Givergy (momoGood) is built for large, fully managed galas with on-site staff and item sourcing. Aucly is self-service software, so a committee that wants everything handled for them will be better served there.
Generosity Works is not really competing for the same job as Aucly. It is built for professionally managed galas, with live and sealed-bid auctions, pledges, Gift Aid, ticketing, table plans and a gala screen, and it is priced for that market: free when you book its founder as your auctioneer, or £995 a year if you run the software yourself. A committee planning a substantial staffed gala may find that a better fit than a low-cost self-service tool. The price reflects a different job rather than better or worse value.
What about an auction of promises?
An auction of promises is a format, not a platform. Instead of physical prizes, lots are promises of time, skills or experiences, such as a plumber’s day rate, a cake a month or a week at a holiday cottage.
You can run one on any of the platforms above, including Aucly, because the bidding process is the same; only the lots differ. Choose the platform based on the event and the fees, not on whether promises are involved.
What Aucly costs
The organiser pays for hosting, not the bidder, and there is no commission on what you raise. The figures below match our current pricing page:
- Free – Up to 15 items, no commission and no bidder tips.
- £40 one-off per auction – Unlimited items.
- £90 per year – Unlimited items.
Card payments are optional and use your own Stripe account, so winner payments go straight to the organiser and Stripe’s standard processing fees apply. You can also collect payment yourself and record it in the Collect Payments view.
You can create an Aucly account and build your auction for free; you only pay when you are ready to schedule it.
If your committee is still deciding between formats, our comparison of auctions and raffles and paper versus online bidding cover the next decision down.
How to choose in practice
Work through these questions as a committee before you compare screenshots:
- Is the auction a standalone fundraiser or part of a ticketed event? If it is part of a gala, weigh event features heavily.
- How many lots will you list? A small auction may fit a free tier; a large one may make percentage fees more expensive.
- Who pays the fees, the PTA or the bidder? Some platforms let you pass fees on, which changes what winners actually pay.
- How will winners pay? Check whether funds reach the organiser directly or are held by the platform first.
- Who is doing the work? If nobody can manage the software, a fully managed service may be worth the cost.
For PTA-specific auction planning, see online auctions for PTAs, online auctions for schools and online auctions for independent schools. Our step-by-step PTA auction guide covers the planning itself.
Common questions
Can we run a school auction completely for free?
Yes, if the auction fits a free tier. Aucly covers Up to 15 items at no cost, GalaBid’s free plan relies on optional tips, Jumblebee’s beeFree needs 10 or more Buzz items, and PTA Events’ Starter plan charges a percentage on sales.
Do bidders pay a fee or tip on top of their winning bid?
It depends on the platform. Aucly adds nothing at checkout. GalaBid’s free plan asks for an optional tip. Jumblebee can invite winners to donate card fees back to the cause, and PTA Events lets the organiser decide whether to pass fees on.
Which platform is best for a large charity gala?
GalaBid and Givergy (momoGood) are the stronger choices when you need ticketing, table management, on-site delivery and per-event support, and Generosity Works fits the same kind of event if you want pledges, Gift Aid and a live gala screen. Aucly is designed for self-service school and PTA auctions rather than large staffed galas.
How much does charity auction software cost in the UK?
Pricing falls into four patterns. Some platforms are free but take a percentage of winning bids, such as Jumblebee’s beeClassic at 5% + VAT and PTA Events at around 5% on auctions. Some charge a flat fee per auction or per year, which is how Aucly works: Free for Up to 15 items, £40 one-off per auction, or £90 per year. Some are priced per event, like Givergy (momoGood). And some are annual software, such as Generosity Works at £995 a year. The right model depends on how much you expect to raise, not on which number looks smallest on a pricing page.
Is there a GalaBid alternative for a UK school auction?
Yes. GalaBid is strongest at full gala events, so a school auction that is simply an online lot list with no ticketing may not need it. Aucly, Jumblebee’s beeFree and PTA Events are all used by UK schools, and each charges differently. The honest test is whether you need event-night features; if you do not, a simpler platform is usually less work.
Do we need to build a charity auction website?
Usually not. Most PTAs and schools run the auction on a hosted platform and share a single link with parents, rather than building or maintaining their own website. That keeps the effort on the lots and the promotion instead of on a website. Our guides to online auctions for schools and online auctions for PTAs cover what setup actually involves.
Can we move our auction to another platform later?
You can rebuild a lot list anywhere, but past auctions, bidder accounts and payment records will not transfer automatically between providers. If you expect to switch in future, keep your own copy of lot descriptions, images and winner payment records.
How we checked this comparison
Pricing and feature details were checked on 15 September 2026 from each provider’s published pricing or support pages. Aucly’s own figures are generated from the same configured plans shown on our pricing page, so they stay current if prices change.
Competitor pricing and support models change regularly. Where a provider does not publish a figure, such as GalaBid’s UK flat fee or Givergy’s per-event quotes, we have said so rather than estimate. Confirm the final figures directly with the provider before your committee decides.
Sources we checked on 15 September 2026: GalaBid pricing, Jumblebee pricing, PTA Events pricing, Givergy (momoGood) pricing and the Generosity Works pricing and software pages.