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2026-27 Rankings / Head-to-head

Head-to-head · Updated September 2026

booster vs. Vertical Raise: a flat rate vs. a negotiated one

We make booster, so read this with that in view — and note that Vertical Raise wins a category below on the merits. The core difference isn't only the rate. It's whether your price is published or something you have to extract from a rep and keep in writing.

The one-line version: Vertical Raise runs the rep-led playbook — a local rep, a contact list from your athletes, a short campaign — at a reported 17–24% plus 3–4% processing. booster takes a flat, published 10% and builds a subscriber base instead. Per $5,000 raised that's roughly $4,300 kept with booster against a figure that depends on what you signed.

Where Vertical Raise honestly wins

Coach effort. A rep sets up and pushes the campaign. If nobody in your program has hours to spare, that's a real service and booster does not offer it — recurring revenue means recurring posting from someone on your side. We'd rather say that plainly than have a program sign up and stall out in week three.

Format flexibility. Vertical Raise runs digital campaigns plus product and pledge options, so a program that wants a specific fundraiser shape can usually get it.

A local relationship. As the smaller shop against Snap! Raise, Vertical Raise reps can be more flexible on terms. If you have one you trust, that's worth something — get the terms in writing anyway.

Where booster wins

  • The price is published and flat. 10%, in writing, no sliding scale and no participation condition. Vertical Raise's reported range spans 17–24% before 3–4% processing, and which end you land on depends on your agreement.
  • The disclosure record. Vertical Raise carries multiple BBB complaints alleging deducted fees differed from what groups expected, plus fee-related litigation including a confidential 2021 settlement. We're a competitor saying this, so read the sourced report and the BBB profile yourself rather than taking our word for it.
  • No student contact lists, no quotas. Vertical Raise's model, like Snap!'s, runs on athletes supplying family and friend contacts. booster's supporters arrive through shared links.
  • Revenue that doesn't reset. Vertical Raise campaigns are one-shot; the donor list doesn't compound. Subscriptions persist, including through the summer.

How to actually decide

  • Pick Vertical Raise if: you need a campaign run for you this season, you have a rep you trust, and you've got the complete rate — platform plus processing, and any below-goal terms — in a document you can point to later.
  • Pick booster if: you fundraise every year and the annual reset is the real cost, you want a published flat rate with nothing to negotiate, and someone on your side can post through the season.
  • Before either: run both through the True-Cost Calculator. The rate spread on a negotiated agreement is wide enough that guessing is expensive.
  • Also worth reading: Vertical Raise against Snap! Raise, if a rep-led campaign is what you actually want.
Sources for every fee claim: see each platform's scouting report and /fees.
boosterVertical Raise
Scout Score 9.3 Exceptional 7.6 Good
All-in cost 10% flat + card processing — teams keep 90%17–24% reported + 3–4% processing
Per $5,000 raised, you keep $4,300 $3,825
Revenue carries over ✓ Yes subscriptions persist ✕ No
Off-season revenue ✓ Yes ✕ No
Student contact lists required ✓ No ✕ Yes
Per-athlete quotas ✓ None ✕ Common
Product / cash logistics NoneNone
Coach effort Ongoing, lightLow — rep-run
See how booster works → Read the full Vertical Raise scouting report
What does Vertical Raise actually charge?

Reported rates run 17–24% of funds raised, plus 3–4% card processing. There is no complete public price list, so the rate you get is the rate you negotiate — which is why every treasurer should insist on seeing the full fee structure in the agreement before signing, not in a conversation.

Is the litigation history a reason to avoid them?

Not on its own, and we're not going to claim otherwise from a competitor's chair. A confidential settlement is not a finding of wrongdoing, and plenty of programs have run Vertical Raise campaigns without issue. What the record does justify is specificity: get the complete fee structure in writing, and reconcile the deduction against it when funds are disbursed.

Can we switch mid-season?

Usually yes, but check your agreement for exclusivity or term language before you do. The practical constraint is supporter fatigue rather than contracts — the same families can only be asked so many times in one season.