--- title: "BiddingOwl.com Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is BiddingOwl.com the right Auction solution for you? Explore 132 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/130932/BiddingOwl-com/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-09-29" --- BiddingOwl.com 4.8 (132) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/130932/BiddingOwl-com/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated September 29th, 2026 # Reviews of BiddingOwl.com Ease of use 4.7 Customer Service 4.9 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews LN LA N Volunteer, Chair of Silent Auction CommitteeNon-Profit Organization Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “This year we added tickets/donation options for funding spays and neuters and those dollars went straight to the rescue with no platform fees! And their customer service is top notch - fast, friendly, and right the first time! “ June 17, 2026 LN LA N Volunteer, Chair of Silent Auction CommitteeNon-Profit Organization Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “We had some bidders who had difficulty checking out.“ June 17, 2026 LH Lynne H Art DirectorGraphic Design, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Photos upload quickly and allow the viewer to see larger views of an item.“ May 17, 2026 CK Cherie K SecretaryNon-Profit Organization Management, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Initial problems during setup, some functionality from the old version was missing from the new version (not sure if it's been updated).“ March 11, 2024 DF Donna F CoordinatorCivic & Social Organization, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It helps with tracking of our items throughout our auction acquisition process and facilitates easy reconciliation of payments .“ May 31, 2024 GW Georgette W Volunteer Committee MemberCivic & Social Organization, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The initial with the new site setup was a bit time consuming and confusing. “ March 20, 2024 LN LA N Volunteer, Chair of Silent Auction CommitteeNon-Profit Organization Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Easy to use, great customer service, and a great value. “ June 17, 2026 DF Donna F CoordinatorCivic & Social Organization, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “There were a few changes made in the new biddingowl that we were not originally happy with. “ May 31, 2024 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 132 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Courtney R. Volunteer Orca PTSA Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Orca K8 PTSA Auction Review" May 31, 2024 5.0 We had a lot of help transitioning from the older Bidding Owl site, making our current auction excellent, and every exchange with customer service was quick, professional, and positive. Pros The customer service and the website was so easy to set up and use for our school auction. Cons We had a great experience. I would say maybe the only thing that would have been helpful is if you had automatically charges bidders and asked for credit cards up front. That would make fulfillment easier. Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com We had used it before in our 2022 auction and likes it. Switched from [Greater Giving](https://www.capterra.com/p/127257/Event-Software/) Ease of use for setup and navigating the website. The cost was much better and great customer service Review Source LN LA N. Volunteer, Chair of Silent Auction Committee Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "The Owl and the Pussycat! Great Success with our Bidding Owl-Hosted Auction! " June 17, 2026 5.0 Fantastic! So glad we selected them in 2025. Easy to use, great customer service, and a great value. They continue to improve the overall online and mobile experience. Pros This was our second year to use the Bidding Owl platform to raise money for our local cat rescue, and we continue to really like it. It's easy to use and manage your auction, there are no fees up front, and you only pay for the online auction totals (NOT ticket sales or general donations) so that really helps your fundraising. This year we added tickets/donation options for funding spays and neuters and those dollars went straight to the rescue with no platform fees! And their customer service is top notch - fast, friendly, and right the first time! I'm already starting to think about our auction next year and we will continue to use Bidding Owl. Cons We had some bidders who had difficulty checking out. We were prepared with a workaround (just in case) and it didn't have any dramatic effects on our auction check out. It would be ideal if Bidding Owl could set up the bidder accounts with a credit card on file so that a 3rd party platform isn't necessary (unless you don't want to give them your CC). Maybe a future upgrade! Alternatives considered [Eventgroove](https://www.capterra.com/p/203508/Eventgroove/)[Silent Auction Pro](https://www.capterra.com/p/92365/Silent-Auction-Pro/)[Givebutter](https://www.capterra.com/p/172048/Givebutter/) Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com Personal prior experience, strong recommendation from another local nonprofit, local (Michigan) business, woman-owned/run Review Source AL Aryn L. Executive Director Environmental Services Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Bidding Owl for our Organization" June 30, 2020 5.0 Overall it was a great resource for our stopgap online auction. It was quick and easy to set-up, and you can't beat the fees, especially for a small nonprofit and small auction. We would consider using the software again, however if we were putting on a larger and more complicated online auction, we might consider a more sophisticated and intuitive system. Pros I like how it is a simple platform that allows you to get an auction up and running very quickly. I found most of the set-up intuitive, although there were a few things that required some trial and error. Cons A lot of individuals looking to bid on items had trouble figuring out how to do so. We had to create our own instructions and instructional videos to add to our home page to guide users through the process. I wish there were instructional videos front and center on each auction welcome page, so we didn't have to create that and guide people how to use the site. Also, the information on how to bid using increments was difficult for people. I wish the minimum increment information was more easily identifiable with instructions on how to bid on each item listing, or that the system automatically suggested the next applicable bid amount based on the increments in the bid field. Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com We choose bidding owl because of the low cost for the software. It allowed us to test out doing Online Auctions without a huge investment. Review Source RV Renee V. Board of Directors Vice President Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best AUCTION site" November 5, 2024 5.0 Excellent, on computer challenged and I felt supported using this program for our online auction Pros It’s very easy to navigate. And plenty of phone support when needed. Cons Can’t think of anything. I’m computer challenged and I felt very supported. Switched from [Givebutter](https://www.capterra.com/p/172048/Givebutter/) BiddingOwl seemed easier to use and support was excellent Review Source DF Donna F. Coordinator Civic & Social Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "2024 Kayak for the Warriors Auction" May 31, 2024 4.0 Overall our experience with biddingowl is positive. We have been able to increase our auction revenue without locking into an annual fee, as we only hold one event per year. The support has been timely and efficient. The payment processor was easy enough to just have members of our team jump in and help accept payments at our event. It helps with tracking of our items throughout our auction acquisition process and facilitates easy reconciliation of payments . Pros We were first drawn to biddingowl because there are no annual fees. We are a charity organization looking to maximize the monies being donated to our cause. The fee structure of 5% of the high bids is in-line with other competitive auction processing. Cons There were a few changes made in the new biddingowl that we were not originally happy with. We contacted their support and appreciated the quick response. Some things they were able to help us with right away, other are being slotted as future release enhancements. We appreciate that they listened and took our opinions into account Alternatives considered [BetterWorld](https://www.capterra.com/p/237618/BetterWorld/)[Givebutter](https://www.capterra.com/p/172048/Givebutter/) Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com BiddingOwl offered more pictures per item, link to donor webpages and we are more familiar with their product. Support was also an issue. Review Source JG Jennifer G. President Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Bidding Owl Helped Make Our Auction A Huge Success" September 20, 2024 5.0 It's been wonderful. I couldn't imagine running a successful auction of our size (over 100 items) without it. And it's been great that the team has been so responsive to our questions either via email or phone. Pros The website is very intuitive. It was easy to load auction items, use AI when necessary to write engaging descriptions, easy to edit and add photos, etc. etc. All my auction needs were met and the display is very attractive. Cons Some of our bidders weren't sure that their bids went through. I think there should be a confirmation of initial registration and bids, rather than only when a person has been outbid. Alternatives considered [BetterWorld](https://www.capterra.com/p/237618/BetterWorld/) Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com We liked that Bidding Owl gave the option for guests to purchase event tickets through the same link. It made it very easy to keep track of rsvps and collect money up front. Review Source KG Kieran G. Operations Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Easy to use" May 17, 2024 4.0 Overall it has been very intuitive and efficient to use. Pros BiddingOwl was easy to set up and add item. Looking forward to running the auction and its performance. Cons Nothing so far. BiddingOwl has met all of my needs. Alternatives considered [Givebutter](https://www.capterra.com/p/172048/Givebutter/)[RallyUp](https://www.capterra.com/p/182398/RallyUp/) Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com Ease of Use. Simplified and not overly complicated. Review Source JR Jamie R. President Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Absolutely fantastic for fundraising and the best customer service!" August 21, 2020 5.0 Their price point for non-profits can not be beat! Personal one-on-one service and a great piece of software. Pros Bidding Owl has revolutionized the way that our non-profit organization is able to fundraise! Previously we were only able to reach people at in-person events and with the ease of use, registration process, and ease of sharing to the world, we have raised 20 times as much money. It's really astounding. The best part has truly been the customer service! Very helpful to walk through all the set-up steps to ensure we had everything correct before launching. Plus they've also been really quick to help me and my bidders when we needed help. Will absolutely use again and planning on using it for another non-profit that I volunteer with. A+++++ Cons Would be great if the short url code worked on social media, much easier to market and have others share. Not a huge deal, though. Alternatives considered [32auctions](https://www.capterra.com/p/173097/32auctions/) Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com Customization of site, price point/commission, and options for functionality. Review Source JF Jessi F. Lead Fundraiser Primary/Secondary Education Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "A life saver in the middle of a pandemic!" June 8, 2020 4.0 We will definitely be using Bidding Owl again and recommending it to other non profits in similar situations like us. Now that we know how wonderful online auctions are we’ll never go back to paper! Pros Our school has had silent auctions in the past, but never an online one. When the Covid19 pandemic sent everyone into quarantine our school scrambled to find an alternative spring auction we had already started planning. Bidding Owl’s software made it so easy to set up, edit, and promote before the auction started. While our 3 day auction took place we received a lot of feedback from our school’s families on how easy they felt it was use and how professional everything looked. Post auction we have made more money than any of other other auctions in the past and the checkout process has been simple and straightforward. I can’t wait to do another one! Cons I wish that it would show the opening bid before users had to click on the item to see its details. It would also be nice to have the option of more than 3 photos on some items. Alternatives considered [Auctria](https://www.capterra.com/p/112910/Auctria/) Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com Auctria felt like it had a lot of hidden costs that would ultimately make it an expensive product. We are a small non profit with a smaller auction and were concerned too much of our earnings would be used to pay for Auctrias software. Review Source LH Lynne H. Art Director Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Online Auctions with BiddingOwl: Simply the Best" May 17, 2026 5.0 This is my 6th time using BiddingOwl and I can’t say enough about how much I appreciate the ease-of-use to setup and manage an online auction, and the responsive support team behind BiddingOwl. My online auctions run smoothly start to finish! Pros Previous bidders from past auctions can be brought over to new auction. Photos upload quickly and allow the viewer to see larger views of an item. BiddingOwl support is a phone call or email away and you can expect efficient, courteous responses to any question, big or small. Live auctions are automatically featured on their Featured Auctions page. Cons A bit more online help would be useful to tell auction managers what to do if...for example, a winning bidder is located out of the country and additional shipping charges need to be added to their invoice. Switched from [SchoolAuction.net](https://www.capterra.com/p/106652/SchoolAuction-net/) Lower cost, better support with BiddingOwl. Review Source RO Rachel O. Board member Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Good option for nonprofit auctions" September 20, 2023 5.0 I have set up an auction with over 70 items single handedly, with a minimum of pain. Pros I like how Bidding Owl lets you set up an attractive auction website, with very straightforward and foolproof functionality. I also like how it is all inclusive, rather than nickle and diming you for each bit of functionality. Also, when I reached out to customer support with a concern by email, they got back to me immediately. Cons I would love to be able to list an auction item under two categories. I feel like by having to choose a category for each item, you run the risk that you will mis-categorize and lose a potential bidder. I also wish there was real time, live person, chat support. Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com I didn't want to be charged more for each bit of functionality. It felt sneaky. Review Source BT Brynn T. Parent Volunteer Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy to Use Auction Website" January 30, 2020 5.0 We are very pleased with BiddingOwl.com because it permits us to hold an auction without organizing a live event. We've often debated whether or not our population of parents would be likely to attend a live function and how successful that would be, so the online-only auction is a great solution for us. Pros I've used BiddingOwl.com for two annual online auctions for my children's school, and am setting up our third auction now. I love how easy it is to use, and that I can also re-use last year's setup by requesting that the old bids be deleted. This saves a ton of time because a lot of our auction items are repeated. I also like the layout and appearance of the webpage for users. It is very simple for bidders to create their account and start bidding. The notifications sent to bidders when they are outbid is also helpful for promoting continued engagement with the online auction. Cons I do rather wish there was a way to sort my items a little more easily. They display according to item number, and I like to group all of the items from each grade together. I wind up shuffling the item numbers around quite a bit to get everything in the proper order. Also, it would be nice to be able to rename the portion of the URL after the slash...I didn't think about that when I used the whole name of our school, which is quite tedious to type and promote after "www.BiddingOwl.com/". Review Source LL Lauren L. Administrative Coordinator Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "First time using BiddingOwl" May 16, 2024 5.0 Overall we were pleased with the way the auction looked online and with the ease of setup and use. We would use it again and recommend it to others. Pros We wanted an online auction platform that was easy to setup and use for our biannual art auction. Another nonprofit we know used it for a similar purpose and recommended it to us. We are pleased with the results! Cons We had some users that had difficulty finding our auction on their mobile phone, finding that a search for BiddingOwl came up with legacy.biddingowl site instead of the new version that included our auction. We also ended up with a shipping charge added to every invoice instead of having it be optional, but these were minor difficulties. Review Source KM Kelly M. President Libraries Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "BiddingOwl works great for our organization." October 29, 2022 5.0 BiddingOwl.com has been an excellent host for our annual December silent auction. I even was able to look at other organizations auctions for ideas. Any time that I have needed help with the software or for setting up an event, the response time and quality of the response has been great! Pros We have a small group and the features of bidding owl, as well as their staff support, make the program very user-friendly. I highly recommend their software for online auction events. Cons There is a learning curve to quickly enter items for a silent auction, but only because the software has many features with options to help cater the site to your group's needs. Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com I did research similar programs and selected BiddingOwl.com for it's clarity of pricing, as well as the pricing itself. As a small, rural, non-profit organization they suited our needs perfectly and reasonably. Review Source JM Julie M. Auciton Coordinator Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "BiddingOwl has completely restructured our annual fundraising auction" March 21, 2019 4.0 After 10 years of doing the traditional live and silent auction, we decided to give the online auction option a try. After quite a bit of research, we chose BiddingOwl as our online software. We now make more than half of our total profit from the online part of our auction, and I am pushing to completely move to online only. BiddingOwl has made this shift incredibly easy and profitable. We are now able to reach a much wider audience. This is our fourth year using BiddingOwl and we will continue to do so! Pros Great customer support, especially for a "newbie" like me. The overall look is generally nice and clean. The bidding and check out process is fairly easy from the consumer end. I like that we can save items from year to year. Once you've set it up once, the work has decreased immensely over the years. Cons I'd like to have a little more choice in font, colors, etc during the set up. It would make sense to have the logo (and other info) for a donor come up when they are chosen as a donor for an item. It would be helpful to keep bidders in the database when the auction is reset. Review Source CB CYNTHIA B. Exec.Director Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 2+ years ### "An experience like NONE other with www.biddingowl.com" October 25, 2019 5.0 Our agency has experienced no problems with biddingowl.com. Everything about them is top-notch and professional. Each time I use the system for an annual auction fundraiser, I am more and more pleased with this software. There is no way we could spend the time 're-inventing the wheel' to have our on line auction. We are very pleased at Arthritis Patient Services in Charlotte, NC. Pros We have been long standing customers with bidding owl! The system is user friendly, and it works like a charm! I am so pleased when I email or call in to the bidding owl office that someone is always able to help me get through any issue. This service matters most to our non-profit. In all our years using the system, no one has ever complained about access and usage. Cons It is difficult to think of cons...but if there was one thing I would change it would be to allow for larger photographs! Sometimes I just want to almost 'shout' about an item and its' value for the bidder! Review Source MH Melany H. Executive Director Mental Health Care Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Utah Pet Partners Endless Pawsibilites Auction Success" September 26, 2024 5.0 Utah Pet Partners have use Biddingowl.com since Covid shut down everything and have been happy with the results. Pros It is very easy to set up an auction with Biddingolw.com and it is easy to check into your auction. Plus adjustment are also easy to do before and during the auction. Cons I really think it would be nice if the added items could also be looked by the category that they were entered under when the item was added. That why you would not have to go through the entire list to make changes. Review Source TD Timothy D. Secretary /Treasurer Entertainment Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Bidding Owl Feedback" May 25, 2021 5.0 The few stumbling blocks we had were very quickly resolved by the support staff. As of today, Bidding Owl meets all of our needs. Pros Low price for a small foundation. We ventured into the online auction as a way to continue fundraising during Covid-19. Start-up costs of any kind deplete our funds very quickly. Bidding Owl was very attractive for this reason, as well as catering to the non-profit industry specifically. Cons To be fair, auctions are new to us. At first the software did not seem intuitive, but after navigating the site multiple times, I found everything I needed and put the rest on the 'back burner' for future review. Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com Primarily upfront costs. We simply could not justify the cost of other platforms knowing full well we were going into this blind with no hope of knowing if it would have any success. We have had limited success with Bidding Owl, but not because of the software or the support - those are GREAT! The performing arts is a hard sell to the general public. Review Source LJ Lisa J. PTA Committee Chair Fund-Raising Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "School Auction" October 3, 2023 4.0 Overall using Bidding Owl has been a great experience! Pros The customer service!! JoAnne was friendly and helpful and answered all of my questions. Cons It is an older system but essentially works the same as other auction sites. Once you get the hang of it, you are able to set up your auction with ease. Review Source KB Kyle B. volunteer Political Organization Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Still Satisfied" October 7, 2021 4.0 The Bidding Owl allowed our community to raise funds in a fun way online when an in-person event was not possible. We also found that by using this site, we raised more funds than we had at any time in the past. Pros This is still a great platform for fundraising events and reaches people beyond my hometown. Once the online auction starts, the event runs itself complete with checkout procedures. Cons Some older individuals find navigating to be confusing when registering and then when checking out. Knowing that you need to click on the green shopping cart with the check-mark to summarize your items and create an invoice is helpful. Review Source RW Robert W. Treasurer Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Another Successful Auction" October 30, 2019 5.0 It was a great experience and i found the support to be very helpful. I sometimes felt bad having to call them about something I probably should know, but they were patient and helpful. Pros Bidding Owl is user friendly even for someone who is not techy. As we continue to use it we find even more features that have helped us with our Auction. Cons At first i was afraid to click on some of the menu buttons for fear of what might happen. I soon learned however that they have safeguards to prevent you from having to proceed in something you are not sure of. Review Source AG Alice G. President Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great auction site for bidders" September 14, 2024 5.0 I have participated in many auctions on other sites. Best auction site I have used. 🤩 Pros Easy to use. Allowed to adjust an auto bid. Cons It seemed like there was not an option to stay logged in. Review Source VX Valentine X. VP Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Out Not-For-Profit Business experience of Bidding Owl" August 26, 2019 5.0 It was great. We initially thought the SMS alerts were not working but in fact they were and worked fantastic! Having a different pricing structure for NFP (Not For Profit) organisations would definitely get more customers their way. Pros We liked how easy it was to enter the the Bidding Item, the Donor and the bidding specifics, such as Market Value, Start and Bidding increments. We also like the ease of updating these details. The Multiple edit options to change from Silent to Online auction was really great as it saved as individually going thorough each item and manually changing it! Cons Not many, except we are based in Australia, and even thought the Bidding End Date and time was shown, the countdown clock was showing what I'm guessing was Michigan Time zone. Although this could have been our fault for not configuring it properly. I'm sure there is an easy fix for it, otherwise we couldn't find any faults with it. Reason for choosing BiddingOwl.com Being web based and the end user not having to install yet another App onto their phone, the cost for running it and most important for us, we required SMS alerts as opposed to email or via an App alerts. Review Source CL Cynthia L. volunteer Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Perfect for first time online auction for school fundraiser" May 8, 2019 5.0 Since i am typing this review before the auction ends, my overall experience is good. This is the first time our school moves from traditional paper silent auction to online bidding. We'll see how much this is better than the traditional way. Pros With the simple and easy-to-enter templates, i got a bunch of items online in no time. Customer support replied to email within a day. With the software, we can now let parents to see what items are on auction before the day of event. Cons it would be nice if they support more than 1 count of an item in an auction. i don't want to have 12 identical items on a page because we have received 12 of them. it would be better if we can limit the site to invitation only. Review Source KQ Kathi Q. Treasurer Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Fantastic site and great customer service!" September 9, 2018 5.0 We have used this for our yearly on line auction for 4 years with great results. It is our biggest fund raiser of the year. It is a way to raise money that is successful for our rescue and people have a lot of fun using Bidding Owl. They have told us they look forward to this auction every year. Pros It is easy to use and the customer service is top notch! This is the 4th year we have used Bidding Owl and have been more than pleased each time. Cons In all honesty I can't say that there is anything that we have not been pleased with while using this service. 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