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2026-27 Rankings / Head-to-head

Head-to-head · Updated September 2026

booster vs. 99Pledges: one event vs. all year

We make booster, so weigh this accordingly — and note up front that 99Pledges is our highest-rated free option and keeps more of every dollar than we do. These two aren't really competing for the same job, which is the most useful thing to understand before choosing.

The one-line version: On a single $5,000 a-thon, 99Pledges leaves you about $4,765 and booster leaves you about $4,300. If you fundraise once a year and someone will run it, 99Pledges is the better deal and we'd tell you so. booster is for programs where "once a year" is the actual problem.

Where 99Pledges honestly wins

The rate. Zero platform fee. You pay card processing only — 3.49% + $0.49 per transaction. Against our flat 10% plus processing, that's a real gap on any single campaign, and there's no version of the math where we close it.

The a-thon format itself. Per-athlete pledge pages where supporters back a kid per lap, per rep, per hour — that structure is genuinely motivating, and it's what 99Pledges is purpose-built for. If your fundraiser is an event, you want a tool shaped like an event.

No contact lists, no quotas. Same as booster on this axis. Neither platform asks your athletes to hand over their relatives' phone numbers, which is more than can be said for the rep-led incumbents.

Where booster wins

  • It doesn't end. An a-thon is a day. When it's over, the money stops and the supporter list doesn't do anything for you next season. booster subscribers keep paying monthly, including through June, July, and August.
  • Year two starts where year one ended. 99Pledges campaigns reset — a new event, a new push, the same families asked cold again. Subscriptions compound.
  • Nobody has to organize an event. 99Pledges is DIY end to end: someone books the gym, recruits the volunteers, chases the pledges, reconciles the totals. booster asks for ongoing light posting instead of a concentrated burst of logistics.
  • It works without a willing parent. The free option is only free if the labor is free. If no one steps up, an a-thon at 0% raises $0.

How to actually decide

  • Pick 99Pledges if: you run one signature event a year, you have a parent volunteer who reliably shows up, and maximizing the take on that single event is the goal.
  • Pick booster if: you're fundraising two or three times a season because one event never covers the budget, or the summer gap is what actually hurts, or you're tired of the annual cold start.
  • Honestly, both is fine: they don't conflict. A spring a-thon on 99Pledges and a subscriber base on booster are complementary — one is a spike, the other is a floor.
  • Run the numbers: the True-Cost Calculator shows the year-one and year-two curves side by side for your roster and goal, which is where the difference stops being theoretical.
Sources for every fee claim: see each platform's scouting report and /fees.
booster99Pledges
Scout Score 9.3 Exceptional 8.5 Very good
All-in cost 10% flat + card processing — teams keep 90%0% platform + 3.49% + $0.49 processing
Per $5,000 raised, you keep $4,300 $4,765
Revenue carries over ✓ Yes subscriptions persist ✕ No
Off-season revenue ✓ Yes ✕ No
Student contact lists required ✓ No ✓ No
Per-athlete quotas ✓ None ✓ None
Product / cash logistics NoneNone
Coach effort Ongoing, lightHigh — DIY
See how booster works → Read the full 99Pledges scouting report
Which one raises more money?

For a single well-attended a-thon, 99Pledges — you keep more of every dollar and the per-athlete pledge format drives real participation. Across a full year, it depends entirely on whether your program can sustain a subscriber base. One event at 0% beats a small subscriber base; a healthy subscriber base beats one event, because it pays twelve times instead of once.

Is 99Pledges good for anything other than a-thons?

Not really, and that's by design rather than a flaw. It's built around events where supporters pledge against a measurable effort. General fundraising, recurring support, and season-long programs aren't what it's shaped for.