Comparison
RaffleLink vs GalaBid
GalaBid is an event fundraising platform: silent and live auctions, paddle raises and ticketing, with a raffle module alongside. RaffleLink is a raffle platform built for Australian rules. If your night is an auction with a raffle on the side, they are worth a look; if the raffle is the fundraiser, the differences below are the ones that matter. Here’s the side-by-side, as at September 2026, sourced from their website and help centre.
| Feature | RaffleLink | GalaBid |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | 5.5% incl. GST on card sales only | Australian pricing isn’t published; their help centre says to speak to a local representative. Their international price list is a Free plan (0% platform fee, with participants prompted to tip GalaBid at checkout), a Pro plan at 4.9%, or a flat US$1,250 per campaign |
| Payment processing | Included in the 5.5%; no separate processing fee | Stripe’s fees on top, through your own Stripe account. GalaBid says it doesn’t mark them up, and that registered non-profits may be eligible for discounted Stripe rates |
| Who pays the fees | Supporters can choose to cover the fee at checkout so your organisation keeps 100% of that sale; about 1 in 3 do. No compulsory surcharge on buyers | You can add a service fee to cover Stripe costs, as a flat amount and/or a percentage, and make it optional or mandatory (off by default). On the Free plan buyers are also asked to tip GalaBid |
| Setup & subscription costs | $0 setup, no subscription | $0 setup on the Free and Pro plans; the flat-fee plan is priced per campaign |
| Built for | Raffles, for Australian schools, charities and clubs, with the state rules built in | Event fundraising: silent, live and sealed-bid auctions, paddle raises, ticketing and check-in, with raffles as one module of a campaign. Founded 2011, offices in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Singapore |
| State compliance | Permit thresholds, fundraising caps and draw rules for all 8 states are built into the platform and checked during setup | “Check your local laws.” No Australian state thresholds, caps or setup checks are described |
| Permit applications | We can apply for the permit on your organisation’s behalf | Not offered (not described on their site) |
| Paper + digital raffles | Hybrid raffles supported: paper tickets and online sales combined fairly in one draw | Not described on their site |
| In-person selling | Ticket Booth with Stripe Tap to Pay: take card payments on a phone, plus cash | Volunteer accounts can record cash ticket sales at an event, alongside mobile bidding for the auction |
| Draws & winners | Automated random draws with cryptographically signed, auditable draw records; winners notified automatically | One-click draws, or automatic draws when the raffle closes, using what GalaBid describes as a certified random number generator; winners notified automatically |
| Payouts | Automated payouts from the platform straight to your nominated bank account | Straight to your own Stripe account; GalaBid never holds funds |
| Support | Phone (0468 181 779, 9am–5pm AEST) and email, from the team that runs the platform | Live chat, scheduled calls, email, WhatsApp, a help centre, and on-site support at events |
GalaBid details from galabid.com (their pricing and home pages) and their help centre, retrieved 4 September 2026. If anything here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.
The all-in maths on card sales
RaffleLink’s 5.5% incl. GST is all-in: payment processing is included, so there’s nothing on top and nothing on cash.
GalaBid’s Australian pricing isn’t published, so this uses their international list. On the Pro plan, 4.9% plus Stripe’s standard Australian rate of 1.7% + $0.30 a transaction comes to about 7.8% on a $25 order and about 6.9% on a $100 order, before any of it is passed to buyers; whether the 4.9% includes GST isn’t stated. On the Free plan the platform fee is nil and Stripe’s fee still applies, but your buyers are asked to tip GalaBid at checkout, and that is money your supporters spend that doesn’t reach your cause (GalaBid shares 10% of tips back).
When GalaBid might suit you better
Fair’s fair: if you are running a gala night and want the silent auction, the paddle raise, the ticketing and a raffle in one campaign on one screen, GalaBid is built for exactly that and we are not. The same goes if you want the money in your own Stripe account the moment it is paid, or you fundraise in more than one country.
We built RaffleLink for the raffle itself: the state rules checked while you set up rather than a note to check your local laws, permits applied for on your behalf, paper and online tickets drawn together, a Ticket Booth with Tap to Pay for the gate, a signed and auditable draw, and payouts that land in your account without a Stripe account to run. And the fee is one number, with nothing on top.
Weighing up someone else?
See the difference on your own raffle
Setting up on RaffleLink is free, and you won’t pay a cent until tickets start selling. Try the one that does the compliance for you.