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Pooled vs. GoFundMe

GoFundMe is built for public fundraising. Pooled is built for private groups paying an equal share toward a shared goal.

Quick verdict

Which one fits your situation?

If you're raising money from the public for a cause, emergency, or memorial, GoFundMe's the right tool. If you're collecting from a known group of friends, family, or coworkers — everyone pays the same — Pooled is built specifically for that case: private link, equal contributions, hard deadline, and automatic refunds.

Head to head

Side-by-side

GoFundMe

Pooled

Designed for
Public fundraising — anyone on the internet can donate
Private collection — only people with the link contribute
Contribution amount
Donors choose any amount they want
Equal price set by the organizer — everyone pays the same
Goal + deadline behavior
Goal is a target, not a requirement — funds are released regardless
Hard goal — every contributor refunded if the pool falls short by the deadline
Privacy
Pages are public and indexed unless explicitly set private
Pools are private to people with the link by default
Tipping prompts
Donors are asked to tip GoFundMe on top of their donation
No tipping prompts — flat platform fee
Pricing
0% platform fee + ~2.9% + $0.30 payment processing per donation
3% platform fee + payment processing
Best for
Medical bills, emergencies, causes, memorial funds, public campaigns
Group gifts, parties, trips, weddings, events, group purchases

Pick the right tool

When to choose each

Choose GoFundMe when…

  • You're raising money for a cause, emergency, medical bill, or memorial.
  • You want help from people you don't know personally.
  • Donors should be able to choose how much to give (or not).
  • You don't mind the page being publicly listed and indexed.

Choose Pooled when…

  • You're collecting from a known group — friends, family, coworkers.
  • Everyone should pay an equal share and you want it visible.
  • You need a hard deadline and automatic refund if not enough people contribute.
  • You don't want a public page or tipping prompts on top of contributions.

Questions

Frequently asked

GoFundMe is built for public fundraising — donors choose any amount, the page is publicly listed, and the platform asks donors to tip on top of their contribution. For a group of friends splitting an Airbnb, that's awkward. Pooled is designed for closed groups: one set price, one shareable link, no tipping prompts, and automatic refund if not enough people pay in.

GoFundMe advertises 0% platform fees, but the payment processor takes ~2.9% + $0.30 per donation and the platform asks every donor to tip 15% on top. In practice, GoFundMe often costs contributors more than Pooled's flat 3% platform fee. Pooled never adds tip prompts.

GoFundMe releases funds whether or not you hit the goal. Refunds are handled case-by-case by support and aren't built into the platform. Pooled auto-refunds every contributor's original payment method if a pool fails to reach its goal by the deadline.

GoFundMe pages are indexable and discoverable by default. You can make a page "unlisted" but the link is still publicly accessible. Pooled pools are private to people with the link — no public directory, no SEO indexing.

GoFundMe is the right tool for public causes — medical emergencies, memorial funds, disaster relief, fundraising for an organization or stranger. If you want help from people you don't know personally, you need a public platform. Pooled works only for closed groups who share the link directly.

Collecting an equal share from your group?

Set the price, share one private link, and let everyone see who's paid. Auto-refund if the goal isn't met.

Create a pool — it's free to start→

Or see how Pooled works.