Your auctions could earn you more.
You’re likely losing potential profits because your process isn’t engaging the right bidders or creating enough competition to drive up final prices.
The real issue is when manual tasks and clunky systems prevent you from seeing what truly drives higher bids. This leads to missed opportunities.
Without clear insights into bidder behavior, you’re flying blind. You can’t effectively market your auctions, segment your audience, or time them for maximum impact.
But what if you could change that? The right software is designed to solve these exact problems and maximize your returns.
In this article, I’m going to walk you through the best auction software on the market. These platforms help you boost bids and profits.
You’ll discover powerful tools to segment your audience, automate marketing, and get the insights needed to make every auction a success.
Let’s dive right in.
Quick Summary:
| # | Software | Rating | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OneCause → | Nonprofits & Fundraisers | |
| 2 | Givebutter → | Small to Mid Nonprofits | |
| 3 | Handbid → | Event-driven Fundraisers | |
| 4 | GiveSmart → | Large Fundraising Orgs | |
| 5 | BiddingOwl → | Small to Mid Charities |
1. OneCause
Do your auction bidders feel segmented and overlooked?
OneCause provides robust auction and event software, streamlining the guest experience and maximizing your final bids.
Their platform helps you delight donors and increase your fundraising goals, from pre-event planning to the final hammer fall.
It’s time to take giving to the next level.
OneCause helps you achieve your fundraising goals by providing a unified platform for auctions and events, ensuring a smooth bidder journey.
You can streamline your entire event, from ticketing to mobile bidding, ensuring that every interaction is designed to maximize participation and final bid prices.
The platform includes virtual fundraising capabilities, online giving sites, and Text2Give® functionality, allowing you to reach and engage your audience through multiple channels and truly grow your giving. This versatility ensures you appeal to a broad demographic.
Boost bids and delight donors.
Key features:
- Auction & Events software: Streamlines your entire event process, from guest experience to final bid, helping you maximize profits and donor satisfaction.
- Mobile Bidding capabilities: Empowers bidders with an excellent user interface that allows for seamless participation, increasing engagement and competition in your auctions.
- Text2Give® functionality: Captures text donations effortlessly, extending your reach to donors where they are and increasing overall fundraising impact.
Learn more about OneCause features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: OneCause provides comprehensive auction and event software that streamlines your operations and enhances the bidder experience. Its mobile bidding and Text2Give® features are particularly strong, making it an excellent choice if you’re looking for the best auction software to boost bids and delight your donors.
2. Givebutter
Struggling to maximize bids and engage bidders effectively?
Givebutter offers robust auction tools, alongside integrated donor management and marketing, designed to help your organization boost participation.
This platform streamlines your fundraising efforts, letting you focus on engaging your community to raise more by capturing higher final bids.
Transform your auction strategy today.
Givebutter helps you collect more donations and host your best event ever by providing modern fundraising tools, including donation forms with a 47% conversion rate. You can easily manage fundraising events and auctions that inspire action and delight donors.
This platform also features a built-in CRM to track every transaction and donor activity, helping you grow relationships. You can create and share reports with ease, gaining insights into bidding patterns and demographics to fine-tune your strategy.
Beyond auctions, Givebutter provides personalized marketing and engagement tools at scale, allowing you to send targeted messages via email, text, or direct mail. This ensures you reach the right donors at the right moment, enhancing engagement and driving your mission forward.
Unlock your full fundraising potential.
Key features:
- Fundraising events and auctions: Streamline your events with a platform designed to convert potential donors, ensuring higher participation and increased final bid prices for your auction items.
- Donor management and CRM: Track all donor activities and transactions, create insightful reports, and nurture relationships effectively to understand bidder behavior and maximize your outreach.
- Personalized marketing and engagement: Send targeted communications via email, text, or direct mail to specific donor segments, ensuring optimal timing and messaging to drive engagement and competition.
Learn more about Givebutter features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Givebutter is a top-rated, comprehensive platform perfect for auction business owners seeking to boost bids. Its robust features for fundraising events, donor management, and targeted marketing make it the best auction software for increasing engagement, optimizing timing, and attracting more bidders.
3. Handbid
Are your bidders struggling with complex auction platforms?
Handbid offers an easy-to-navigate platform that ensures a welcoming registration process and user-friendly experience for your guests.
I know you want to maximize participation, and this software helps by keeping your bidders engaged and informed throughout your event.
Get ready to impress your bidders.
Handbid excels at creating a seamless, enjoyable experience from check-in to payment, ensuring your guests have fun and are eager to participate. It offers quick two-minute check-ins and rapid invoice payments, with 90% paid within a minute after the auction closes. This efficiency allows you to focus on your event, streamlining operations and boosting overall success. Handbid supports various auction types, including in-person, virtual, and hybrid events, along with sales games, drawings, and peer-to-peer fundraising, all while providing real-time bidding updates and mobile auction management.
This platform helps you raise more funds and ensures every auction is a hit.
Key features:
- User-friendly experience: Streamlines guest check-in, real-time interactive bidding, and rapid invoice payment, ensuring a seamless and enjoyable experience for all participants.
- Comprehensive auction management: Supports in-person, virtual, and hybrid auctions, along with mobile bidding, ticketing, and powerful reporting and goal tracking for event managers.
- Enhanced fundraising capabilities: Includes features like text-to-give, fundraising pages, donations and paddle raises, and live streaming to maximize engagement and funds raised.
Learn more about Handbid features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Handbid is the best auction software for auction business owners seeking to boost engagement and maximize profits, thanks to its user-friendly interface, seamless payment processing, and comprehensive management tools. With over $1 billion raised through 40,000+ auctions, it’s a proven solution for a memorable and successful event.
4. GiveSmart
Struggling to maximize bids and engage every donor?
GiveSmart offers robust mobile bidding and silent auction tools to transform your fundraising. You’ll instantly make your fundraisers more interactive and exciting, ensuring wider participation. This leads to increased engagement, competition, and higher final bids.
Discover a smarter way to manage your auctions.
GiveSmart enables you to run seamless fundraisers from anywhere, letting you manage unlimited campaigns year-round. This includes online fundraising with customizable sites, in-platform payment processing, and peer-to-peer options, simplifying complex auction needs. You can also utilize text-to-donate and in-platform communication management to easily connect with your audience. Their tools help you drive donor engagement and streamline your events with award-winning auction management, ticketing, and live event displays, making every auction a success.
You’ll empower your team to hit your fundraising goals.
While we’re discussing managing various aspects of your business, understanding catalog management software is equally important for streamlining operations.
Key features:
- Mobile bidding and silent auction: Engage more bidders with interactive text-to-donate and mobile bidding, turning events into exciting, high-participation experiences.
- Comprehensive event management: Streamline your entire auction process with easy auction management, ticketing, seating, contactless check-in, and automated reporting.
- Intuitive donor management: Gain insights into donor motivations, history, and potential, automate thank you letters, and easily track pledges to boost retention.
Learn more about GiveSmart features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: GiveSmart excels in providing a unified platform for auction businesses, offering robust mobile bidding and comprehensive event management. It’s an excellent choice for those seeking the best auction software to boost bids and maximize profits, backed by a proven track record of helping organizations raise over $5.3 billion.
5. BiddingOwl
Tired of leaving money on the table in your auctions?
BiddingOwl offers intuitive online and mobile bidding, making it easy for anyone to participate and drive higher bids.
This platform helps you reach a wider audience, ensuring your fundraising efforts are more successful and generate increased participation.
It’s time to unlock your fundraising potential.
BiddingOwl provides a comprehensive suite of tools designed to maximize your fundraising, whether you’re hosting virtual or in-person events.
You can manage traditional live or silent auctions, sell admission tickets, and record auction data, offering full checkout and invoicing functionality.
It includes features like paddle raises, fund-a-need offers, simple donations, and even round-up donations during checkout, all while being accessible from any device and supporting unlimited team members.
This makes your entire event management seamless.
Before diving deeper, you might find my analysis of best reference management software helpful for handling research and documentation.
Key features:
- Comprehensive event management: Manage online and in-person auctions, including mobile bidding, paper bid sheets, and full checkout and invoicing for streamlined operations.
- Diverse fundraising options: Support simple donations, paddle raises, fund-a-need offers, and crowd funding to maximize revenue for your cause.
- Intuitive bidder experience: Offer watchlists, SMS/email notifications for outbids, and Google account registration to keep bidders engaged and active.
Learn more about BiddingOwl features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: BiddingOwl is an excellent choice for organizations seeking the best auction software for fundraising. With capabilities like online and mobile bidding, robust event management, and diverse donation options, it empowers users to boost bids and maximize profits, evidenced by over 30,000 organizations raising hundreds of millions.
6. Auctria
Struggling to maximize bids and profits in your auctions?
Auctria offers a powerful, easy-to-use platform that manages all aspects of your fundraising events.
This includes features like tickets, payments, and an event website, enabling you to efficiently manage your entire auction process.
It’s time to streamline your event operations.
Auctria helps you raise money by providing features essential for running events from start to finish, including silent, live, and online auctions. This means you can handle mobile bidding, raffles, and sponsorships with ease, all from one centralized system, ensuring every step of your event runs smoothly. The platform also boosts awareness by allowing you to brand your event website, use images and video to tell your story, integrate social media, and utilize QR codes for quick access. Plus, it covers planning, running, and closing your events, from setting up organization details and adding items to sending out statements and collecting payments.
Key features:
- Comprehensive Auction Management: Supports silent, live, and online auctions, mobile bidding, raffles, and sponsorship recognition, streamlining your entire event process.
- Customizable Event Websites: Create branded event websites with templates, images, and videos, enhanced with social media integration and QR codes for increased visibility.
- Full Event Lifecycle Support: Manages planning, running, and closing events, including bidder registration, payment collection, and detailed reporting and analytics.
Learn more about Auctria features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Auctria simplifies auction management with its comprehensive features, including mobile bidding, event websites, and integrated payments. For organizations looking to boost bids and engagement, this platform provides the tools needed for efficient event execution, making it a strong contender for the best auction software.
7. ClickBid
Struggling to boost bids and maximize your auction profits?
ClickBid offers mobile bidding and event management, directly addressing your need for higher engagement. This software helps you collect bids more efficiently and attract a broader audience.
You can streamline your events, moving from traditional paper methods to a fully digital experience.
ClickBid is your solution.
It helps you manage every aspect of your auction, from ticketing and table assignments to detailed reporting. You can effectively track attendee engagement and gain insights to optimize future events.
The platform provides a comprehensive suite for silent, live, and online auctions, along with features for item management, payment processing, and donor receipts, ensuring all your operational needs are covered for successful fundraising.
Unlock your auction’s full potential.
While managing operations, efficient communication is key. Explore my guide on best virtual PBX systems for your team’s communication needs.
Key features:
- Mobile Bidding & Event Management: Facilitates easy bidding on any device, streamlining event operations and enhancing participant experience to drive higher engagement and bids.
- Comprehensive Auction Types: Supports silent, live, and online auctions, offering versatile options for your specific event needs, alongside robust item and payment management.
- Integrated Reporting & Analytics: Provides detailed reports on attendee engagement and financial performance, enabling data-driven decisions to maximize future auction outcomes.
Learn more about ClickBid features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: ClickBid is the best auction software for businesses aiming to maximize profits and boost bids. Its mobile bidding, comprehensive event management, and integrated reporting capabilities directly address common pain points, offering a data-driven approach to increase engagement and final bid prices.
8. MaestroSoft
Struggling to maximize bids and profits at your auction?
MaestroSoft offers tools like MaestroAuction Online and Text2Bid to boost engagement.
You can host virtual, hybrid, and live events, giving your bidders convenient and real-time ways to participate from anywhere.
Unlock deeper insights for your next event.
MaestroSoft directly addresses common auction pain points, helping you optimize fundraising and enhance bidder experience. The software includes MaestroAuction for virtual, live, and silent events, plus Text2Bid for digital and mobile bidding, eliminating the need for physical bid sheets. This makes bidding incredibly accessible, attracting more participants.
It also features Text2Fund for easy text-based donations, qCheck for payment processing, and comprehensive event management for things like online registration, ticket sales, and item management. Plus, you can access powerful auction analytical reports to understand bidder behavior and improve future events.
You’ll see a significant boost in engagement.
Given the focus on virtual and hybrid events, exploring how video marketing software can further boost engagement might be useful.
Key features:
- Comprehensive Auction Management: Use MaestroAuction and MaestroAuction Online for seamless virtual, live, and hybrid events, helping you reach a wider audience and maximize participation.
- Mobile Bidding & Donations: Empower bidders with Text2Bid for real-time mobile bidding and Text2Fund for convenient text-based donations, making it easy for everyone to contribute.
- Data-Driven Insights: Leverage auction analytical reports and item management features to gain valuable insights into bidder behavior, helping you refine strategies and boost your fundraising results.
Learn more about MaestroSoft features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: MaestroSoft provides a comprehensive suite of tools, including virtual and mobile bidding, and analytical reports, making it an excellent choice for businesses seeking the best auction software to enhance bidder engagement and significantly increase overall profits from fundraising events.
9. Accelevents
Are you struggling to boost bids in your auctions? Accelevents helps you overcome this by offering robust attendee management and engagement tools.
Their platform allows for personalized registration journeys, ensuring you capture precise bidder data. This helps you understand your audience better.
The software addresses pain points like inefficient marketing, allowing you to customize event pages, badges, and emails to promote your auction effectively. This targets potential bidders with tailored messaging, driving higher engagement.
It’s time to elevate your auction strategy.
Accelevents is an all-in-one event management solution, designed to make your auction process manageable, whether it’s in-person, virtual, or hybrid. You can create personalized registration journeys to gather the exact data needed for audience segmentation.
You can also use their tools to build complex agendas and manage speakers at scale, which is crucial for detailed auction catalogs and event flow. The platform offers event marketing features to customize pages, badges, and emails, attracting more bidders.
Accelevents simplifies the onsite experience with self-check-in and badge printing, along with a mobile event app for attendees to manage their experience, network, and engage. Plus, robust reporting and analytics provide in-depth insights into bidder behavior, essential for maximizing future profits.
Gain crucial insights and maximize your auction’s potential.
While we’re discussing optimizing your presence, understanding link management tools is equally important for SEO success.
Key features:
- Personalized Registration Journeys: Capture specific bidder data and tailor experiences, enhancing your ability to segment audiences for targeted marketing efforts.
- Robust Reporting & Analytics: Access in-depth insights into bidder engagement and behavior, enabling data-driven decisions to optimize future auction strategies.
- Comprehensive Event Marketing Tools: Customize event pages, badges, and emails to promote your auctions effectively, ensuring broad reach and increased bidder participation.
Learn more about Accelevents features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Accelevents offers powerful attendee management and engagement tools, along with in-depth reporting, making it an excellent option as the best auction software. Its customizable features allow you to overcome segmentation challenges and drive higher bids, as seen with Zapier’s 422% attendance increase.
Conclusion
Ready to finally boost your auction profits?
Choosing the right platform is the biggest hurdle. Without clear insights into bidder behavior, you’re just guessing and leaving potential profits on the table.
The right platform makes a huge difference. One study found companies see 22% higher bidder conversion rates with specialized software. This directly impacts your bottom line by turning more attendees into active, competitive bidders.
So, here’s what I recommend.
From my hands-on review, OneCause is the clear winner. It directly solves key engagement problems by creating a seamless, delightful experience for your bidders.
Their powerful mobile bidding and Text2Give® features make participation effortless, which boosts competition. Choosing the best auction software like this maximizes every fundraising opportunity.
If you’re also looking for highly specialized tools, my article on applied behavior analysis software covers solutions for care and reporting.
I suggest you visit the OneCause website to learn how you can start delighting your donors today.
You’ll see higher bids and greater success.
