Raffle software pricing pages are hard to compare. One charges a percentage, one charges per ticket, one is "free" with a tip box at checkout, and a self-hosted script is a one-off licence plus a server bill. This article puts them on one table over three years, with every assumption written down so you can swap in your own numbers. We sell RaffKing, a self-hosted raffle script, so read our conclusions with that in mind. The SaaS figures come from each vendor's own pricing page, as published when we wrote this.
Before the money: check you're allowed to use the tool at all. Most hosted raffle platforms are built for registered charities. RallyUp, for example, states on its own site that in the United States you must be a 501(c) nonprofit to run a raffle on its platform, and that for-profit businesses can only run one on behalf of a nonprofit. Raffle rules in the US also differ from state to state, so check your state's rules or ask a lawyer. If you're a business running raffles or prize draws for profit, several of the cheapest options simply aren't open to you. Whatever tool you use, licensing in your country is your responsibility: check with a local lawyer.
What you pay for SaaS raffle software
Hosted raffle platforms make money in one of three ways. Here's one published example of each, as stated on the vendor's own site:
- A percentage of ticket sales. RallyUp's Flex plan charges a 6.9% platform fee on raffle entries. Its Free plan charges no platform fee and instead asks supporters for an optional tip, which goes to RallyUp. Card processing is charged separately by your processor on both plans.
- A fee per ticket. TicketSpice lists 99¢ per ticket, or 49¢ for tickets of $5 or less, plus card processing. Its pricing page covers ticketing in general and doesn't describe a raffle draw feature, so check that it does what you need.
- Free to the organiser. Zeffy says it charges nonprofits no platform fee, no per-ticket fee and no card fee, and is funded by an optional contribution supporters can add at checkout.
Prices and plans change, so check each pricing page on the day you decide. Some platforms also charge for add-ons such as custom domains or SMS.
What you pay self-hosted
A self-hosted script turns the fee into fixed costs you control:
- The licence. RaffKing is a one-time $59 on our store at the time of writing, with 12 months of support. Updates to what you bought continue after that.
- Hosting. PHP 8.2+, MySQL or MariaDB, and cron. Shared hosting can work while you're small; a small VPS gives you more headroom. Use your host's real price; we assume $20 a month below.
- Card processing. You pay this either way. Stripe's published standard rate for US domestic cards is 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction. In RaffKing, customers top up a wallet and buy tickets from it. One top-up can cover several tickets, so you pay the fixed 30¢ per top-up rather than per ticket order.
- Your time. Backups, updates, cron, answering customers. This is the real cost of self-hosting, and it isn't on any invoice.
Three-year cost, side by side
Assumptions, so you can redo this with your own numbers:
- 10,000 tickets a year at $5 each, so $50,000 of ticket sales a year and $150,000 over three years.
- Self-hosted: $59 licence, plus hosting at an assumed $20 a month.
- Card processing is left out of every row, because you pay it in all of them. It also doesn't apply to Zeffy, which covers card fees for nonprofits.
- Optional supporter tips aren't counted, because the supporter pays them, not you.
| Option | How it charges | Year 1 | 3 years | Who can use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RallyUp Flex | 6.9% of entries | $3,450 | $10,350 | Per RallyUp: US 501(c) nonprofits; businesses only on a nonprofit's behalf |
| TicketSpice | 49¢ per ticket ($5 or less) | $4,900 | $14,700 | Check its terms for raffles |
| Zeffy | No platform fee | $0 | $0 | Nonprofits |
| RaffKing (self-hosted) | $59 once + hosting | $299 | $779 | Anyone licensed to run draws where they operate |
Two break-even points are worth knowing. Against a 6.9% fee, the self-hosted total of $779 is reached at about $11,300 of ticket sales over three years. Against 49¢ a ticket, it's reached at about 1,600 tickets. Below those volumes, the hosted option can work out cheaper, even before you count your own time.
And if you're a registered nonprofit, a free platform like Zeffy beats everything on this table on cost. Self-hosting only makes sense for a charity that needs something those platforms don't offer.
What SaaS does better
Cost isn't the only column. Hosted platforms have real advantages, and you should weigh them honestly:
- Zero operations. No server, no cron, no updates, no backups.
- Compliance help for the market they serve. Platforms built for US charity raffles know that territory. They check your eligibility at sign-up and tell you about state licensing.
- Payments already approved. Payment processors can be wary of raffles. A platform with an existing arrangement can save you a difficult application.
- Support for your supporters. Their help desk answers your ticket buyers' questions.
What self-hosting does better
- Cost at volume. Fixed costs stay fixed as sales grow, as the table shows.
- You're not limited to charities. If you're licensed to run commercial draws, you aren't blocked by a platform's eligibility rules.
- Your brand and your data. Your domain, your customer list, your design.
- Draw logic you can read. The code runs on your server, so you can see exactly how a winner is chosen. Our raffle script buyer's guide explains what to check.
- Your choice of payment gateway. RaffKing includes 11 gateways plus a manual one for bank transfer or local QR payments, so you can work with whichever processor will approve you.
Who should pick which
- A registered charity running a few fundraisers a year: use a free or low-cost charity platform.
- A charity or club running raffles constantly: compare the percentage fee against your real volume. Self-hosting may pay off if you can run a server.
- A licensed business running draws as its product: many hosted tools aren't open to you anyway. A self-hosted script is the usual route, and the fixed cost matters more as you grow.
- Anyone who has never run a server and doesn't want to: pay for hosting help or a hosted platform. A self-hosted site that nobody maintains is a liability.
Common questions
Is raffle software free?
Some hosted platforms are free for nonprofits and are funded by optional supporter tips or contributions instead. Card processing is usually still charged, unless the platform says it covers it. Self-hosted software has a licence and hosting cost but no per-ticket fee.
Can a business use charity raffle platforms?
Often not. RallyUp, for example, says that in the US only 501(c) nonprofits can run raffles on its platform, and businesses can only run them on a nonprofit's behalf. US raffle rules also vary by state, so check your state's rules or ask a lawyer, and check each platform's terms before you build around it.
How much does it cost to run a raffle website yourself?
A licence (RaffKing is $59 one-time on our store at the time of writing), hosting from your provider, card processing on payments, and your own time for maintenance. With an assumed $20 a month of hosting, that's about $779 over three years before processing.
Does self-hosting make my raffle legal?
No. The software doesn't decide whether you need a licence. That depends on where you and your customers are. Check with a local lawyer before you sell tickets.