The choice between SecureGive and Givebear usually comes down to which direction the fundraising workflow breaks first. One side of this comparison handles certain giving channels well; the other may leave in-person giving, event registration, or fund-level reporting as a manual workaround. Knowing which workflow gap triggered the search determines which platform fixes it.
This comparison is written for a church finance committee chair comparing giving kiosk vendors because the lobby needs a modern tap-to-donate device and every quote arrives with a monthly software plan attached. It focuses on where the two platforms diverge in practice rather than on feature checklists, because the most expensive platform mistakes happen when a team switches and recreates the same operational problem in a new interface.
Feature Comparison
| Capability | Givebear | SecureGive |
|---|---|---|
| Kiosk hardware | $699 to $899 one-time | $1,199 to $5,799 per kiosk |
| Monthly kiosk software fee | None | $149/mo Basic or $299/mo Premium |
| Add-on modules | Features included on every plan | $49 to $300/mo on top |
| Kiosk card processing | Stripe in-person rate, no markup | 2% + $0.30 (1.5% on Premium) |
| Audience | All nonprofits and faith communities | Christian churches |
Who this is for
- A church finance committee chair comparing giving kiosk vendors because the lobby needs a modern tap-to-donate device and every quote arrives with a monthly software plan attached
- Finance directors, treasurers, and operations leads who need to understand which platform handles their giving channels, fund categories, receipt requirements, and reporting needs.
- Teams preparing a migration before changing active donation links, recurring donors, event pages, or kiosk screens that donors already use.
When SecureGive is the right choice
SecureGive may fit large or multi-campus churches that want the 20-year incumbent in church giving kiosks: a range of kiosk models at several price points ($1,199 to $5,799), church-specific onboarding, and enough kiosk card volume to justify Premium's 1.5% rate, with budget already set aside for $149 to $299 a month in software.
That fit is real and worth respecting. If SecureGive handles the organization's core workflow and staff are not spending significant time on manual reconciliation after each campaign, the friction cost of migrating donors, receipts, recurring gifts, and public donation URLs may exceed the gains. A fair comparison starts with the current operating model.
When Givebear handles the workflow better
Givebear is a stronger fit when the kiosk should be a one-time hardware purchase instead of a hardware-plus-subscription contract: no monthly kiosk software fee, online giving, events, receipts, and donor records included rather than sold as add-on modules, and a platform built for every kind of nonprofit, not only Christian churches.
The difference becomes most visible when an organization collects donations through more than one channel: a lobby kiosk, an online giving page, a campaign QR code, and an event registration form. When those channels write to separate systems, staff spend time reconciling exports instead of managing donor relationships. Givebear connects those channels into one donor record from the first tap.
What the comparison looks like on the criteria that matter
For a church finance committee chair comparing giving kiosk vendors because the lobby needs a modern tap-to-donate device and every quote arrives with a monthly software plan attached, the most useful comparison criteria are: three-year total cost of ownership per kiosk, hardware pricing model: one-time purchase vs device plus monthly plan, card processing rates at the kiosk, what the base plan includes versus paid add-on modules, fit for organizations that are not christian churches. Evaluating each platform on these specific points reveals more about workflow fit than comparing any single feature in isolation.
A platform can look seamless in an onboarding demo and still create significant overhead when donor records, receipts, refunds, event registrations, and campaign reports must be manually reconciled after every appeal. These criteria are designed to surface that overhead before it becomes a recurring cost.
What to audit before switching platforms
Confirm your SecureGive plan's renewal date before planning the cutover, export donor records and gift history, re-enroll recurring donors on the new processor, repoint giving links printed in bulletins and lobby signage, and decide what happens to the existing kiosk units once the subscription ends.
Before any launch date, map every place donors currently find your giving links: website navigation, email appeals, QR codes, event pages, printed materials, and partner websites. Each link is a donor touchpoint that needs to resolve correctly after the migration. Build the redirect plan before the cutover date, not after.
How to make the final call
If SecureGive handles the core workflow and staff are not running into the same friction points after each campaign, the migration may not be justified. If the same problems, mismatched records, missing receipts, manual reconciliation, or limited in-person giving, reappear consistently, those are reliable signals the current platform is not the right long-term fit.
The most reliable decision comes from testing each platform against your actual donor workflow: a donor gives to a specific fund, receives a receipt, attends an event, and later sets up a recurring gift. Run that scenario in both systems before committing. A comparison page narrows the options; the live workflow test confirms the choice.
The three-year math on SecureGive's cheapest kiosk
SecureGive publishes exact numbers, which makes the comparison straightforward. Per securegive.com/pricing, verified June 2026, kiosks run $1,199 to $5,799 per device and the software plans behind them cost $149/mo (Basic) or $299/mo (Premium). Take the cheapest possible configuration: one $1,199 kiosk on the Basic plan. Over 36 months the software adds $5,364 ($149 x 36), bringing the three-year total to $6,563 for a single device, before kiosk card processing at 2% + $0.30 and before any add-on modules, which run $49 to $300/mo on top per the same page. The subscription alone costs more than four times the kiosk's hardware price over those three years.
Givebear prices the same job the other way around: the kiosk is a one-time purchase of $699 to $899 (wall mount or floor stand) with no monthly kiosk software fee, and the platform behind it starts at $0/month with a 0% platform fee when donors tip (4.9% when a donor declines, one flat rate online, at kiosks, and on memberships), plus Stripe card processing at cost. Over the same 36 months the hardware receipt is the whole hardware-and-software bill, and a second or third kiosk repeats the one-time price instead of stacking another per-month plan. A finance committee should put both numbers on the same line of the spreadsheet: $6,563 over three years on SecureGive's cheapest path, against a single one-time purchase.
Practical use cases
Stay with SecureGive when its core workflow matches your organization's current setup and the migration cost outweighs the operational gains.
Move to Givebear when you need donation kiosks, online giving, event registration, fund routing, and donor records in one connected system.
Use this comparison to build a pre-migration checklist before changing any recurring donors, public donation links, event pages, or QR codes.
Common questions
Does SecureGive support donation kiosks?
SecureGive supports some kiosk options ($1,199 to $5,799 per kiosk). Givebear's kiosks run Stripe Terminal natively on 21.5-inch displays in tamper-resistant enclosures, with remote management and fund routing built into the same system as your online giving portal and event registration.
How much does a SecureGive kiosk cost?
Per securegive.com/pricing, verified June 2026: $1,199 to $5,799 per kiosk depending on the model, plus the software plan that runs it at $149/mo (Basic) or $299/mo (Premium), with add-on modules at $49 to $300/mo on top. Kiosk card gifts process at 2% + $0.30 on Basic or 1.5% on Premium. The cheapest single-kiosk setup totals $6,563 over three years before processing and add-ons.
Does SecureGive charge a monthly fee?
Yes. SecureGive's published plans are $149/mo Basic and $299/mo Premium, with add-on modules at $49 to $300/mo on top, per securegive.com/pricing, verified June 2026. That recurring line is the main cost difference against Givebear, where the kiosk is a one-time purchase of $699 to $899 with no monthly kiosk software fee and the platform starts at $0/month with a 0% platform fee when donors tip (4.9% when a donor declines, one flat rate online, at kiosks, and on memberships), plus Stripe card processing at cost.
Can I import donors from SecureGive into Givebear?
Yes. Export your donor records as a CSV from SecureGive before migrating. Verify the export includes giving history, recurring gift settings, and fund designations. The Givebear team can assist with import mapping. Allow time to test active recurring gifts and donation page redirects before committing to a hard launch date.
What does switching from SecureGive to Givebear cost?
Givebear kiosk hardware is a one-time purchase ($699 to $899 depending on mount) with no monthly software subscription, and the platform starts at $0/month with a 0% platform fee when donors tip (4.9% when a donor declines, one flat rate online, at kiosks, and on memberships), plus Stripe card processing at cost. Most kiosk vendors price the opposite way: lower hardware cost up front, then a required monthly SaaS fee per device that compounds every year the kiosk is on the wall. Run the three-year math for your device count before comparing sticker prices.