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

Having labored in numerous nonprofits for over 4 years, I’ve seen firsthand the complexities of establishing 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 suitable instruments could make all of the distinction.

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 What makes it even harder is managing all the things manually or with outdated methods.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

The excellent news? With the suitable instruments, you possibly can streamline all the things 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 working charity occasions and even industrial auctions can profit.

My high 8 greatest public sale software program suggestions for 2025

Public sale software program helps me handle and streamline the 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. Regardless of the business, the suitable public sale software program makes organizing and working auctions simpler and extra environment friendly.

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

What I search for in the very best public sale software program

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

• Consumer-friendly interface: I consider how intuitive the software program is for each auctioneers and bidders. The platform ought to have a clear, organized format that enables customers to shortly navigate and take part in auctions with out feeling overwhelmed. For auctioneers, ease of use in managing heaps, bids, and participant data is important. For bidders, the method of putting bids ought to be easy, with clear directions on how one can take part in auctions, view objects, and monitor bid statuses.
• Actual-time bidding performance: The most effective public sale software program ought to assist real-time bidding, permitting members to put bids immediately and see updates on their present standing within the public sale. I check if the system updates bid quantities stay, guaranteeing there is not any lag or delay, particularly throughout fast-paced or timed auctions. Moreover, the instrument 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 presents flexibility in configuring numerous public sale varieties, corresponding to stay auctions, silent auctions, reverse auctions, and sealed bids. The flexibility to set particular parameters for every public sale kind, corresponding to bid increments, reserve costs, and public sale period, is essential for adapting to totally different public sale eventualities. The extra customizable the software program, the higher it could possibly cater to various 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, corresponding to bank cards, PayPal, and financial institution transfers whereas offering safe transactions. Encryption and PCI compliance are important to guard delicate monetary data. I additionally assess whether or not the system can mechanically set off bill technology, cost reminders, and affirmation after the public sale ends.
• Lot administration instruments: Efficient lot administration is vital to working a profitable public sale. I search for options that permit auctioneers to simply listing objects, add descriptions, set reserve costs, and categorize heaps. The system ought to assist batch processing for giant auctions, enabling auctioneers to deal with a number of objects without delay. Moreover, instruments for including photos, movies, and detailed descriptions assist entice extra bids and supply higher visibility of the heaps.
• Cellular accessibility: With rising 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 supply absolutely responsive web sites or devoted cellular apps for bidders and sellers to entry public sale listings, place bids, and monitor public sale progress on the go. Cellular accessibility enhances person 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 throughout the public sale and notifications of key occasions, corresponding to when a reserve value is met or a bid surpasses a threshold. Automated notifications through e-mail, SMS, or in-app alerts ought 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 experiences on bidding exercise, income generated, high bidders, and merchandise efficiency. Auctioneers ought to have the ability to export information for post-auction evaluation, which helps with planning future auctions and refining methods. Insights into purchaser conduct, successful bid developments, and lot demand can supply 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, corresponding to shopper safety, tax rules, and on-line playing legal guidelines (for sure forms of auctions). I additionally search for options like digital signatures for authorized agreements, public sale phrases and situations, and automated receipt technology for successful bidders.

The listing beneath incorporates real person 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 experiences on purchases, donations, earnings, and remaining stock
• Handle funds natively or through built-in software program

This information 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 power 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 go well with their viewers.

One other function that I discovered notably valuable was OneCause’s built-in communication instruments. The flexibility to ship reminders, updates, and thank-you messages through each e-mail and textual content can maintain 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 offered helpful insights. Whereas testing, I noticed that producing detailed experiences and monitoring key metrics was tremendous simple. This makes it simple for public sale groups to evaluate efficiency and pinpoint areas for enchancment. Gaining 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, one by one. This might decelerate sure elements of occasion administration.

I additionally wished for extra design customization choices for the occasion web site. Whereas the accessible templates had been purposeful, having extra inventive management over the format and aesthetics would have made the expertise even higher.

One other concern I encountered concerned bugs with the Save and Subsequent function. When reviewing packages, I observed that the system would often 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 could possibly be despatched, in addition to character constraints that made it tough to craft messages precisely as meant. It could be nice to have extra flexibility on this space, particularly with the power 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 inventive 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 one by one, which felt a bit tedious. Moreover, extra design choices for the occasion web site could be a welcome enchancment.”

– OneCause Overview, 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 accessible options. It turned out to be a superb method to discover Givebutter’s full potential.

One other function I admired was the fast volunteer coaching. Givebutter organized all of the sources 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 regulate 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 could not be ideally suited for bigger organizations that require a extra intensive API connection or a richer set of integrations. When you’re searching for a extremely customizable and scalable system, this is probably not the most suitable choice.

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

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

What I dislike about Givebutter:

• Whereas Givebutter works properly for smaller organizations, it could not meet the wants of bigger ones. The platform lacks a extra intensive 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 could possibly 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 visitors 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 bought extra bids in comparison with the paper system. Moreover, with the ability to add objects in bulk as an alternative of one by one could be a useful function.”

– Givebutter Overview, Brent H.

A function that stood out to me nearly instantly was Handbid’s wonderful on-line coaching and assist documentation. These offered 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 instrument on the go. I used to be simply in a position to arrange and interact with auctions. This ensures a seamless expertise for public sale groups, attendees, and distant supporters alike.

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

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

That stated, there are a few areas the place enhancements might improve the person expertise.

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

One other problem I encountered was with importing horizontal footage. 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 perform would make the expertise a lot smoother.

What I dislike about Handbid:

• One main disadvantage is Handbid’s lack of integration with accounting methods. With out syncing capabilities, it turns into difficult to switch information manually, which might be particularly burdensome for small groups dealing with giant 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 Overview, Verified Consumer in Main/Secondary Schooling

I discovered GiveSmart to be a extremely versatile platform for managing numerous elements 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 power to share our GiveSmart hyperlink with attendees reasonably than manually dealing with funds and tickets. This specific function can considerably cut back logistical challenges and enhance the general attendee expertise, permitting for a smoother and extra partaking 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 offered 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, monitor, and talk with volunteers. They may additionally join particular duties and log their hours instantly inside the platform. 

That stated, establishing GiveSmart initially took a while. The intensive vary of options felt a bit intimidating the primary few instances I created campaigns. Whereas the platform presents many instruments, determining one of the simplest ways 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 goal, however I want it supplied extra flexibility to tailor the design and format to raised match branding and occasion themes

What I dislike about GiveSmart:

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

What G2 customers dislike about GiveSmart:

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

– GiveSmart Overview, Rose G.

I just lately examined Occasion.Offers, 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 largest highlights was the distinctive assist from the Occasion.Offers staff. From the second I started inputting objects into the occasion website their staff was all the time accessible to help. This stage of responsiveness ensured clean testing and, in a real-world state of affairs, would support 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 data is already saved of their accounts, they will simply full their funds with a single click on. This effectivity eliminates the same old end-of-event chaos usually related to accumulating funds.

That stated, I discovered the reporting capabilities missing in comparison with different software program. Whereas there are workarounds, corresponding to exporting information, 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—corresponding to the power to alter the background shade or make photos extra distinguished. 

What I dislike about Occasion.Offers:

• I discovered the reporting capabilities missing in comparison with different platforms. Whereas workarounds like information exports exist, the shortage 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, corresponding to background shade modifications or picture prominence.

What G2 customers dislike about Occasion.Offers:

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

– Occasion.Offers Overview, Daybreak D.

Throughout my testing, Givergy has confirmed to be a strong instrument for occasion administration. From the get-go, the onboarding expertise was clean and detailed. The setup was intuitive, guaranteeing I might shortly familiarize myself with the platform and check it.

The neighborhood boards had been notably useful. They supplied solutions to most of my questions and steerage on how one can arrange numerous occasion options. These boards had been an important useful resource for troubleshooting and discovering tricks to profit from the instrument.

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. 

Nevertheless, there have been just a few elements 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 power to seamlessly join with different instruments wasn’t as strong as I had hoped, which might trigger some frustrations should you’re trying to sync information throughout a number of methods.

One other draw back I observed was the shortage of a working tally for stay public sale bids. This can be a essential function for any occasion that features a stay public sale, because it helps maintain members engaged and knowledgeable. With out this functionality, it grew to become a bit tough to trace bids in real-time, which could possibly be a big disadvantage for bigger fundraising occasions or auctions.

Lastly, the ticketing system could be a bit difficult, particularly for bigger occasions like galas. It really works properly for smaller, extra intimate gatherings, however for giant occasions with many visitors, it could 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 shortage of seamless connectivity with different instruments made syncing information throughout methods a bit irritating.
• The absence of a working tally for stay public sale bids was a big disadvantage. 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 might be difficult for giant gala-style occasions, however their staff is great at offering sources and directions on how one can use the system successfully.”

– Givergy Overview, 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 technique of gathering all the mandatory data to create a web based occasion. The platform made it simple to compile all the things into a transparent and concise setup, eliminating most of the typical friction I’ve encountered with comparable instruments.

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

I observed that RallyUp actually excels at offering a number of cost choices, permitting groups to simply accept quite a lot of cost varieties. The customized ID for every transaction and the straightforward 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 presents 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 varieties with out feeling slowed down by too many decisions or sophisticated settings. 

Nevertheless, not all the things was excellent. I did discover that some bidders had been initially confused concerning the checkout course of. They didn’t all the time notice that that they had to take a look at for his or her bids to take impact, which precipitated a little bit of confusion. 

One other minor concern I bumped into was the template limitations of the positioning. Though the design was easy, it took me a short time to get comfy with the format. The customization choices for the template might have been extra versatile, however as soon as I bought the grasp 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 that they had to take a look at for his or her bids to take impact. This created pointless confusion, which I imagine could possibly be averted with clearer directions.
• The platform’s template limitations had been a minor concern. Whereas the design was easy, the shortage of flexibility in customization choices made it difficult to totally tailor the format 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 could be higher in a paid model, however a tracker exhibiting when the test is distributed, or clear dates accessible by way of the company profile could be actually useful.”

– RallyUp Overview, Sarah Okay.

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

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 a number of time when including public sale objects or making modifications, as I might shortly add or regulate a bulk listing of things.

One function I completely liked was the power to crop, edit, and add textual content to photographs instantly inside the platform. This allowed me to simply improve the photographs of public sale objects with no need 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 offered a powerful array of choices to streamline the public sale course of. From merchandise and donor administration to public sale catalog creation, all the things 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 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 all the things, even after I was away from my laptop. 

Nevertheless, I did encounter just a few drawbacks throughout my expertise. Navigating the platform could be a little bit of a studying curve, particularly for these like me who’re new to public sale administration. It took me a bit time to get comfy with all of the options and work out the very best 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 observed that the platform primarily helps English, which could possibly be a problem for customers who need to goal worldwide audiences or want to work in different languages. The dearth 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 comfy with the platform’s options and work out the very best methods to make use of them.
• I additionally observed some integration limitations. Whereas BiddingOwl.com helps just a few 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 method to filter out bidders who didn’t win any objects throughout the end-of-auction processing. It could be a lot simpler if I didn’t should manually choose their invoices to exclude from printing.”

– BiddingOwl.com Overview, Susan M.

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

Q. Are public sale websites protected?

Most respected public sale websites use safe cost strategies and information encryption to guard customers’ private data and transactions. Nevertheless, 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 very best stay public sale software program?

The most effective stay public sale software program consists of platforms like OneCause, which supply real-time bidding capabilities, video streaming, safe cost processing, and a clean bidding expertise.

Q. Which is the very best 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 very best outcomes, guaranteeing all the things is executed exactly and thoroughly. 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 working an environment friendly and profitable public sale. I noticed that with out them, attaining the excessive requirements I set for myself and the organizations I work with could be a problem.

However it doesn’t matter what business you’re in, whether or not it’s non-profit, company, or another sector, work must be excellent to attain optimum outcomes. That is the place the suitable public sale software program is available in. It makes all of the distinction in optimizing workflows, rising bidder engagement, and in the end guaranteeing 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 undertaking administration instruments to make sure that each facet of your public sale runs easily.