I Examined the 8 Greatest Public sale Software program That Made Bidding Simpler

Having labored in numerous nonprofits for over 4 years, I’ve seen firsthand the complexities of organising fundraisers, from managing donations to dealing with last-minute bidder requests. I perceive the behind-the-scenes effort it takes to tug off a profitable public sale and why having the proper instruments could make all of the distinction.

Organizing an public sale is difficult sufficient. What makes it even harder is managing every thing manually or with outdated methods. With out the greatest public sale software program, you danger errors, inefficiencies, and annoyed donors who could hesitate to take part once more.

The excellent news? With the proper instruments, you’ll be able to streamline every thing from merchandise listings to cost processing, making the expertise seamless for each organizers and bidders. And these instruments aren’t only for nonprofits—companies, faculties, and people operating charity occasions and even business auctions can profit.

My high 8 greatest public sale software program suggestions for 2025

Public sale software program helps me handle and streamline your complete public sale course of, from itemizing objects and monitoring bids to processing funds and maintaining bidders engaged.

I’ve used these instruments to simplify fundraising occasions, however they’re not only for nonprofits—companies use them for asset liquidation, faculties for charity drives, and people for property gross sales. Irrespective of the business, the proper public sale software program makes organizing and operating auctions simpler and extra environment friendly.

With so many choices, I understand how overwhelming it may be to search out the proper one. That’s why I’ve compiled a listing of the 8 greatest public sale software program instruments for 2025 that will help you select the proper match in your wants.

What I search for in the most effective public sale software program

When testing the most effective public sale software program, I concentrate on the next key options to make sure it meets the wants of auctioneers, consumers, and sellers:

• Person-friendly interface: I consider how intuitive the software program is for each auctioneers and bidders. The platform ought to have a clear, organized structure that enables customers to rapidly navigate and take part in auctions with out feeling overwhelmed. For auctioneers, ease of use in managing tons, bids, and participant info is important. For bidders, the method of putting bids needs to be simple, with clear directions on the way to take part in auctions, view objects, and observe bid statuses.
• Actual-time bidding performance: The most effective public sale software program ought to assist real-time bidding, permitting members to position bids immediately and see updates on their present standing within the public sale. I take a look at if the system updates bid quantities dwell, making certain there is not any lag or delay, particularly throughout fast-paced or timed auctions. Moreover, the software ought to notify customers instantly once they’ve been outbid or once they’ve gained an merchandise.
• Customizable public sale codecs: I test whether or not the software program provides flexibility in configuring numerous public sale sorts, akin to dwell auctions, silent auctions, reverse auctions, and sealed bids. The power to set particular parameters for every public sale sort, akin to bid increments, reserve costs, and public sale period, is essential for adapting to completely different public sale situations. The extra customizable the software program, the higher it may cater to numerous public sale occasions and codecs.
• Fee integration and safety: Seamless cost processing is important for public sale platforms. I make sure the software program integrates with a number of cost gateways, akin to bank cards, PayPal, and financial institution transfers whereas offering safe transactions. Encryption and PCI compliance are important to guard delicate monetary info. I additionally assess whether or not the system can robotically set off bill technology, cost reminders, and affirmation after the public sale ends.
• Lot administration instruments: Efficient lot administration is essential to operating a profitable public sale. I search for options that permit auctioneers to simply listing objects, add descriptions, set reserve costs, and categorize tons. The system ought to assist batch processing for giant auctions, enabling auctioneers to deal with a number of objects directly. Moreover, instruments for including photos, movies, and detailed descriptions assist entice extra bids and supply higher visibility of the tons.
• Cellular accessibility: With growing demand for mobile-friendly platforms, I consider how properly the public sale software program performs on cellular units. The most effective public sale platforms ought to provide totally responsive web sites or devoted cellular apps for bidders and sellers to entry public sale listings, place bids, and observe public sale progress on the go. Cellular accessibility enhances consumer engagement and permits auctions to succeed in a wider viewers.
• Bidding historical past and notifications: I assess whether or not the software program permits bidders to trace their bidding historical past and obtain notifications of bid standing modifications. For auctioneers, it’s essential to have detailed logs of all bids positioned through the public sale and notifications of key occasions, akin to when a reserve worth is met or a bid surpasses a threshold. Automated notifications by way of e mail, SMS, or in-app alerts needs to be customizable and despatched in actual time.
• Analytics and reporting instruments: A top-tier public sale software program ought to present strong analytics and reporting options to assist auctioneers consider public sale efficiency. I search for instruments that generate reviews on bidding exercise, income generated, high bidders, and merchandise efficiency. Auctioneers ought to be capable of export knowledge for post-auction evaluation, which helps with planning future auctions and refining methods. Insights into purchaser conduct, profitable bid tendencies, and lot demand can provide helpful suggestions.
• Compliance and authorized options: Public sale platforms should adhere to authorized and regulatory necessities, particularly in areas with strict legal guidelines governing auctions and gross sales. I make sure the software program complies with related native and worldwide legal guidelines, akin to shopper safety, tax rules, and on-line playing legal guidelines (for sure kinds of auctions). I additionally search for options like digital signatures for authorized agreements, public sale phrases and circumstances, and automated receipt technology for profitable bidders.

The listing beneath incorporates real consumer evaluations from our greatest public sale software program class web page. To qualify for inclusion within the class, a product should:

• Create public sale listings, bid sheets, on-line auctions, or public sale catalogs
• Present options to handle stock and pricing
• Produce reviews on purchases, donations, income, and remaining stock
• Handle funds natively or by way of built-in software program

This knowledge has been pulled from G2 in 2025. Some evaluations have been edited for readability.

Regardless of having no prior expertise with OneCause, I navigated the system effortlessly. The interface was well-designed and allowed me to arrange an occasion web page with ease. Customizing it with particular branding and monitoring registrations was a seamless course of. Whether or not I accessed the platform from a desktop or cellular system, the method of buying tickets and making donations was extremely easy.

One of many standout options of OneCause is its versatility in fundraising choices. I appreciated the flexibility to promote tickets and incorporate sponsorships, auctions, and different donation alternatives into the occasion. This flexibility ensures that campaigners can maximize fundraising efforts in ways in which greatest swimsuit their viewers.

One other function that I discovered notably valuable was OneCause’s built-in communication instruments. The power to ship reminders, updates, and thank-you messages by way of each e mail and textual content can hold supporters engaged earlier than, throughout, and after an occasion. This streamlined strategy to communication helps keep a powerful reference to donors and attendees.

Moreover, the reporting and analytics instruments inside OneCause supplied helpful insights. Whereas testing, I noticed that producing detailed reviews and monitoring key metrics was tremendous simple. This makes it simple for public sale groups to evaluate efficiency and pinpoint areas for enchancment. Getting access to this stage of knowledge is essential for refining methods and optimizing fundraising efforts.

Batching choices had been considerably restricted in sure areas, which meant that I needed to make some tedious modifications manually, separately. This might decelerate sure features of occasion administration.

I additionally wished for extra design customization choices for the occasion web site. Whereas the out there templates had been useful, having extra artistic management over the structure and aesthetics would have made the expertise even higher.

One other subject I encountered concerned bugs with the Save and Subsequent function. When reviewing packages, I seen that the system would regularly unpackage related objects, requiring me to manually reconfigure them. 

I noticed that the platform had some restrictions concerning textual content and e mail communications. There have been limitations on what might be despatched, in addition to character constraints that made it tough to craft messages precisely as supposed. It could be nice to have extra flexibility on this space, particularly with the flexibility to create customized mailing lists for extra focused communication.

What I dislike about OneCause:

• The restricted batching choices led to some tedious guide changes. This gradual course of might hinder effectivity, particularly throughout bigger occasions with many updates.
• I discovered the design customization choices for the occasion web site to be too restrictive. Having extra artistic management over layouts and aesthetics would have enhanced the general expertise.

What G2 customers dislike about OneCause:

“It could be nice to have extra batching choices in sure areas, as some modifications needed to be made separately, which felt a bit tedious. Moreover, extra design choices for the occasion web site can be a welcome enchancment.”

– OneCause Assessment, Wendy R.

Once I was testing Givebutter, I used to be instantly impressed by the truth that I might create dummy occasions to check all out there options. It turned out to be a superb solution to discover Givebutter’s full potential.

One other function I admired was the fast volunteer coaching. Givebutter organized all of the assets in a central place, which makes it extremely simple for volunteers to rise up to hurry and begin contributing inside hours. 

I additionally appreciated the silent public sale setup, which allowed me to effortlessly alter elements like begin/finish instances, pricing, and incremental bid will increase. The platform’s flexibility ensures that groups can tailor the public sale to their wants and optimize fundraising efforts.

I noticed that whereas Givebutter suits properly with the use case of smaller organizations, it might not be ideally suited for bigger organizations that require a extra in depth API connection or a richer set of integrations. If you happen to’re searching for a extremely customizable and scalable system, this might not be the most suitable choice.

Constructing segments and lists felt considerably clunky to me, and determining the proper filters and logic wasn’t all the time intuitive. Excluding sure standards proved to be more difficult than anticipated. A extra user-friendly segmentation software would vastly improve this function.

Presently, exporting reviews feels cumbersome, and customization choices for the homepage and occasion order are fairly restricted. Due to this, some groups favor to keep away from directing customers to the Givebutter homepage.

What I dislike about Givebutter:

• Whereas Givebutter works properly for smaller organizations, it might not meet the wants of bigger ones. The platform lacks a extra in depth API connection and richer integrations, limiting scalability for greater operations.
• I discovered the method of constructing segments and lists to be clunky and unintuitive. The challenges with filtering and excluding standards make this function much less environment friendly than it might be.

What G2 customers dislike about Givebutter:

“It could be ideally suited to register bidders on their behalf so they’re within the system earlier than the occasion. A few of our friends are usually not tech-savvy, so doing extra for them would make the method smoother. Since they’re used to paper-based bidding, there was a little bit of a studying curve, and we’re undecided if we received extra bids in comparison with the paper system. Moreover, with the ability to add objects in bulk as a substitute of separately can be a useful function.”

– Givebutter Assessment, Brent H.

A function that stood out to me nearly instantly was Handbid’s glorious on-line coaching and assist documentation. These supplied clear directions and made onboarding easy for me as a newbie. 

I had entry to the web site and the cellular app. This added comfort allowed me to check the software on the go. I used to be simply in a position to arrange and have interaction with auctions. This ensures a seamless expertise for public sale groups, attendees, and distant supporters alike.

I additionally seen that Handbid permits members to begin bidding early, which implies that even those who can’t bodily attend an occasion can nonetheless contribute and really feel engaged within the fundraising course of.

The system may be very user-friendly, and each time I wanted help, buyer assist was available.

That mentioned, there are a few areas the place enhancements might improve the consumer expertise.

One limitation is that Handbid doesn’t sync with accounting methods. From my private expertise, I do know that organizations typically deploy separate platforms for CRM and accounting. Not with the ability to join methods creates loads of work like manually transferring knowledge, which may make it actually robust for small groups that handle large occasions. 

One other problem I encountered was with importing horizontal photos. The method was cumbersome—we needed to first export photos to PowerPoint, crop them, take a screenshot, after which add them into Handbid. This additional step was time-consuming, and an improved picture add operate would make the expertise a lot smoother.

What I dislike about Handbid:

• One main downside is Handbid’s lack of integration with accounting methods. With out syncing capabilities, it turns into difficult to switch knowledge manually, which will be particularly burdensome for small groups dealing with massive occasions.
• I discovered importing horizontal photos to be a cumbersome course of. The necessity to export, crop, and screenshot photos earlier than importing added pointless time to the occasion setup.

What G2 customers dislike about Handbid:

“I want the platform did not have such strict dimensions for importing graphics for the objects. It could be a lot simpler if there was extra flexibility.”

– Handbid Assessment, Verified Person in Main/Secondary Training

I discovered GiveSmart to be a extremely versatile platform for managing numerous features of fundraising occasions. With it, I might seamlessly arrange auctions, raffles, contests, sign-ups, cost processing, and day-of-event coordination—all inside a single platform. This all-in-one resolution is a boon for occasion managers. 

One of many standout options was the flexibility to share our GiveSmart hyperlink with attendees fairly than manually dealing with funds and tickets. This explicit function can considerably cut back logistical challenges and enhance the general attendee expertise, permitting for a smoother and extra participating occasion.

I additionally appreciated the dashboard options, which made monitoring occasion progress extra intuitive. From monitoring ticket gross sales to overseeing donation totals, the dashboard supplied real-time insights into each facet of the occasion.

One other facet that stood out to me was the volunteer administration. The platform makes it simple to recruit, observe, and talk with volunteers. They may additionally join particular duties and log their hours instantly inside the platform. 

That mentioned, organising GiveSmart initially took a while. The in depth vary of options felt a bit intimidating the primary few instances I created campaigns. Whereas the platform provides many instruments, determining the easiest way to make use of them took some trial and error.

One other space the place I noticed room for enchancment was occasion webpage customization. Whereas GiveSmart permits customers to create a devoted webpage for his or her occasion, I discovered the customization choices to be fairly restricted. The function serves its objective, however I want it provided extra flexibility to tailor the design and structure to raised match branding and occasion themes

What I dislike about GiveSmart:

• Organising GiveSmart initially took extra time than anticipated. The in depth function set will be overwhelming, requiring some trial and error to determine the most effective strategy for marketing campaign creation.
• The customization choices for occasion internet pages had been considerably restricted. Though the function is useful, I felt that extra flexibility in design and structure would higher replicate occasion branding and themes.

What G2 customers dislike about GiveSmart:

“Varieties can solely be embedded, and there isn’t sufficient integration with platforms like WordPress, which limits its flexibility.”

– GiveSmart Assessment, Rose G.

I just lately examined Occasion.Provides, and I used to be impressed with its clear design and ease of use. The platform makes it extremely easy for folks to have interaction, providing a number of strong options whereas sustaining zero latency in digital settings. 

Certainly one of te greatest highlights was the distinctive assist from the Occasion.Provides crew. From the second I started inputting objects into the occasion web site their crew was all the time out there to help. This stage of responsiveness ensured clean testing and, in a real-world situation, would assist occasion setup and execution.

Organising tickets was fast and intuitive. Friends, too, discover it extraordinarily user-friendly when making ticket purchases. The check-in and checkout professionalcess is seamless. Since visitor’s info is already saved of their accounts, they’ll simply full their funds with a single click on. This effectivity eliminates the same old end-of-event chaos typically related to amassing funds.

That mentioned, I discovered the reporting capabilities missing in comparison with different software program. Whereas there are workarounds, akin to exporting knowledge, the platform may gain advantage from enhanced built-in reporting instruments to supply deeper insights and analytics.

The real-time show function was extremely efficient for showcasing occasion updates, however I needed for extra customization choices to raised align it with an occasion’s branding—akin to the flexibility to alter the background shade or make photos extra outstanding. 

What I dislike about Occasion.Provides:

• I discovered the reporting capabilities missing in comparison with different platforms. Whereas workarounds like knowledge exports exist, the dearth of built-in, detailed reporting instruments makes it more durable to achieve deeper insights.
• The actual-time show function was efficient however lacked customization choices. I needed for extra flexibility to tailor the function to raised match the occasion’s branding, akin to background shade modifications or picture prominence.

What G2 customers dislike about Occasion.Provides:

“The platform shouldn’t be very user-friendly for extra complicated Gala-type occasions. We needed to give you workarounds so as to add menu choices and different particulars. The reviews are additionally not user-friendly; when exporting, further ticket choices are laborious to search out, and you’ll’t run them by date. Moreover, there’s no choice to “package deal” public sale objects collectively, making it extra time-consuming when organizing public sale objects later.”

– Occasion.Provides Assessment, Daybreak D.

Throughout my testing, Givergy has confirmed to be a stable software for occasion administration. From the get-go, the onboarding expertise was clean and detailed. The setup was intuitive, making certain I might rapidly familiarize myself with the platform and take a look at it.

The group boards had been notably useful. They provided solutions to most of my questions and steerage on the way to arrange numerous occasion options. These boards had been an important useful resource for troubleshooting and discovering tricks to benefit from the software.

One of many standout options for me was how simple Givergy made the registration course of. Most volunteers discover it easy to navigate, which makes managing the occasion for public sale groups that rather more environment friendly. 

Nonetheless, there have been a couple of features the place Givergy didn’t fairly meet expectations. One limitation I encountered was the integration with different platforms, which at instances felt considerably restrictive. Whereas it labored properly in lots of areas, the flexibility to seamlessly join with different instruments wasn’t as strong as I had hoped, which might trigger some frustrations in the event you’re seeking to sync knowledge throughout a number of methods.

One other draw back I seen was the dearth of a operating tally for dwell public sale bids. This can be a essential function for any occasion that features a dwell public sale, because it helps hold members engaged and knowledgeable. With out this functionality, it grew to become a bit tough to trace bids in real-time, which might be a major downside for bigger fundraising occasions or auctions.

Lastly, the ticketing system generally is a bit tough, particularly for bigger occasions like galas. It really works properly for smaller, extra intimate gatherings, however for large occasions with many friends, it might require some additional effort to make sure clean ticket administration. 

What I dislike about Givergy:

• I discovered Givergy’s integration with different platforms to be considerably restrictive. Whereas it labored properly in lots of instances, the dearth of seamless connectivity with different instruments made syncing knowledge throughout methods a bit irritating.
• The absence of a operating tally for dwell public sale bids was a major downside. This function is important for maintaining members engaged, and its absence made monitoring bids in actual time-challenging for me.

What G2 customers dislike about Givergy:

“Givergy ticketing will be difficult for giant gala-style occasions, however their crew is superb at offering assets and directions on the way to use the system successfully.”

– Givergy Assessment, Sarah E.

I examined RallyUp, and I have to say that my expertise was largely optimistic. One of many standout options for me was the seamless means of gathering all the mandatory info to create a web-based occasion. The platform made it simple to compile every thing into a transparent and concise setup, eliminating lots of the typical friction I’ve encountered with related instruments.

I additionally actually appreciated the pliability of utilizing my personal title for the occasion, which may also help to instill belief and readability with donors. It is a superb solution to validate the trigger and what public sale groups are elevating funds for.

I seen that RallyUp actually excels at offering a number of cost choices, permitting groups to just accept quite a lot of cost sorts. The customized ID for every transaction and the simple cost integration are additionally standout options that make the entire cost course of clean and environment friendly.

One other main benefit of RallyUp is its customizability. The platform provides a spread of choices to tailor the occasion to particular wants, but it surely does not overwhelm with pointless complexity. I used to be in a position to choose from numerous fundraiser sorts with out feeling slowed down by too many decisions or sophisticated settings. 

Nonetheless, not every thing was good. I did discover that some bidders had been initially confused concerning the checkout course of. They didn’t all the time notice that they’d to take a look at for his or her bids to take impact, which brought about a little bit of confusion. 

One other minor subject I bumped into was the template limitations of the positioning. Though the design was simple, it took me a short while to get snug with the structure. The customization choices for the template might have been extra versatile, however as soon as I received the hold of it, the method grew to become smoother

What I dislike about RallyUp:

• Some bidders had been confused concerning the checkout course of, not realizing they’d to take a look at for his or her bids to take impact. This created pointless confusion, which I imagine might be averted with clearer directions.
• The platform’s template limitations had been a minor subject. Whereas the design was easy, the dearth of flexibility in customization choices made it difficult to totally tailor the structure to my preferences initially.

What G2 customers dislike about RallyUp:

“It’s tough to search out details about payout dates and when they’ll happen. Since we’re utilizing the free model, this may be higher in a paid model, however a tracker displaying when the test is distributed, or clear dates out there by way of the company profile can be actually useful.”

– RallyUp Assessment, Sarah Ok.

BiddingOwl.com is a stable platform for managing and selling auctions. Its key options made the expertise each environment friendly and gratifying.

The public sale promotion instruments are extremely easy to make use of, making it simple to share occasions and enhance visibility. I notably appreciated the import and export performance for objects. It saved me loads of time when including public sale objects or making modifications, as I might rapidly add or alter a bulk listing of things.

One function I completely liked was the flexibility to crop, edit, and add textual content to pictures instantly inside the platform. This allowed me to simply improve the images of public sale objects without having any third-party software program. It’s an important time-saver and actually helped me enhance the presentation of the objects.

One other spotlight for me was the public sale administration instruments, which supplied a powerful array of choices to streamline the public sale course of. From merchandise and donor administration to public sale catalog creation, every thing was designed to simplify the method. The automated bidding and cost processing options had been extremely useful, making it simple for each bidders and organizers to handle their bids and funds.

BiddingOwl.com can also be extremely mobile-compatible, which meant I might handle the public sale from my smartphone or pill with none points. This flexibility allowed me to remain related and on high of every thing, even once I was away from my laptop. 

Nonetheless, I did encounter a couple of drawbacks throughout my expertise. Navigating the platform generally is a little bit of a studying curve, particularly for these like me who’re new to public sale administration. It took me slightly time to get snug with all of the options and determine the most effective methods to optimize them.

Moreover, there have been integration limitations. Whereas BiddingOwl.com helps some integrations, I discovered that it may gain advantage from increasing compatibility with extra exterior instruments, such as CRM methods or e mail advertising platforms.

Lastly, I seen that the platform primarily helps English, which might be a difficulty for customers who wish to goal worldwide audiences or favor to work in different languages. The shortage of multilingual assist might restrict its accessibility for some customers.

What I dislike about BiddingOwl.com:

• There was a little bit of a studying curve for me, particularly since I used to be new to public sale administration. It took a while to get snug with the platform’s options and determine the most effective methods to make use of them.
• I additionally seen some integration limitations. Whereas BiddingOwl.com helps a couple of integrations, I feel it may gain advantage from increasing compatibility with extra exterior instruments, like CRM methods or e mail advertising platforms.

What G2 customers dislike about BiddingOwl.com:

“I want there was a solution to filter out bidders who didn’t win any objects through the end-of-auction processing. It could be a lot simpler if I didn’t must manually choose their invoices to exclude from printing.”

– BiddingOwl.com Assessment, Susan M.

Among the greatest free silent public sale software program choices embrace SchoolAuction.web, Givebutter, and Auctria. These are good for small—to mid-sized fundraisers and nonprofits. Discover different free public sale software program.

Q. Are public sale websites secure?

Most respected public sale websites use safe cost strategies and knowledge encryption to guard customers’ private info and transactions. Nonetheless, security can differ relying on the platform. At all times test evaluations, guarantee safe cost gateways are in place, and be cautious of scams by verifying sellers and objects earlier than bidding.

Q. Which is the most effective dwell public sale software program?

The most effective dwell public sale software program contains platforms like OneCause, which provide real-time bidding capabilities, video streaming, safe cost processing, and a clean bidding expertise.

Q. Which is the most effective silent public sale software program?

Let’s increase the stakes!

In my work with non-profits, I’ve all the time strived to ship the most effective outcomes, making certain every thing is executed exactly and punctiliously. From organizing occasions to managing donations, I’m dedicated to perfection in each facet.

After testing a number of public sale software program instruments, it grew to become clear to me that these platforms are indispensable for operating an environment friendly and profitable public sale. I spotted that with out them, attaining the excessive requirements I set for myself and the organizations I work with can be a problem.

However it doesn’t matter what business you’re in, whether or not it’s non-profit, company, or every other sector, work must be good to attain optimum outcomes. That is the place the proper public sale software program is available in. It makes all of the distinction in optimizing workflows, growing bidder engagement, and finally making certain clean execution.

I hope this listing of public sale software program choices has helped you slim down the alternatives and discover the proper match in your wants.

Use the greatest venture administration instruments to make sure that each facet of your public sale runs easily.