# Handbid Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Handbid the right Auction solution for you? Explore 44 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/134456/Handbid/reviews --- Handbid 4.7 (44) 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 March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Handbid Ease of use 4.6 Customer Service 4.7 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews JM Jeanine M Board MemberNon-Profit Organization Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “We have been underwhelmed with the partnership between the two and the general ease of use of Handbid.“ September 7, 2020 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 44 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Dave J. Director Environmental Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Conservation auction " January 4, 2024 5.0 They were great to work with and made the auction so much easier on everyone. Pros The ease at which you can utilize this team and the amount of funds they help you bring in to your organization. Cons It just cost more than our team doing it ourselves. Review Source lW laurel W. President and Founder Fund-Raising Used the software for: ### "Handbid is a winner!" September 23, 2016 4.0 We had our first fundraising experience and hired Handbid to manage the silent auction. We were able to raise exponentially more money using Handbid, and our guests loved the Handbid app on their smartphones! The staff did a great job managing the event, helping us with the auction items, and running the auction. The reports generated after the event are detailed and informative. I recommend to others considering Handbid to fully understand the various levels of service. The more services you sign up for (at a fee) the easier the experience will be for you. If you have people who are willing to dedicate 100% of their time for the auction you can probably use fewer of the services, but the auction is important enough and complicated enough that it is worth paying Handbid more for the majority of the services that they offer in order to have everything go smoothly and with fewest complications. Pros Modern look and feel, ability to reach more people, makes the silent auction a lot of fun! Cons Not intuitive, need considerable help and support to manage the silent auction to ensure the photos, descriptions, amounts, signing people up, and other communications go smoothly. Review Source Response from Handbid September 23, 2016 We were honored to help Tony & Laurel Werner manage their first ever fundraiser. As Laurel said, their event was a huge success in terms of funds raised & the positive guest feedback. We want to clarify the additional services we provided Kilitech in addition to our auction software. Because it was their first event & due to their busyness/travel, they contracted us to setup & manage event registration, organize the auction items, write & edit item descriptions, attach photos, & load all data into Handbid prior to the event. At the event, we provided staff that managed checkin, helped bidders, worked with the live auctioneer to record live & paddle raise winners, & managed checkout. Our team also was responsible for setting up the auction area & creating the display sheets. Post auction we completed custom reports for Kilitech. Most of our customers take on this work on their own (do-it-yourself (DIY)). However, if you are in need of more assistance, we can provide that for you! VR Verified Reviewer Director of Operations Education Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Do not recommend this software for the price and challenges" February 3, 2022 2.0 Not pleasant and lots of wasted man hours. Our event manager spent at least a week's worth of time resolving issues and logging support tickets. Having used various auction software programs in my 15 years of working in the non profit world, I've never experienced the challenges and headaches as we did with Handbid. I believe many technology issues are often user error but when over 25% of your guests cannot seamlessly access the Handbid system there has to be some responsibility taken by Handbid to help reach a resolution. Pros We purchased this software because it supported both auctions/events and peer-to-peer fundraising. Handbid's support team was very responsive and helpful. Cons We experienced a lot of technical challenges with the software, including; 25% of our guests had challenges of logging in, accessing their tickets, editing guests. Display sheets won't print if you have HTML in your descriptions but the tutorial does not tell you this. Our point person after the sales process averaged 7 days to reply to an email and did not provide a phone # as another way to contact. The contract is vague on what the 125 items that come in the basic plan. This number is both your silent and live but also games, for sale and raffle items. To add more costs $300 and Handbid will get you on additional add ons. These are a few examples of the challenges and I've done auctions for over 15 years and used several different software (Greater Giving, One Cause, qTego) programs and Handbid by far is the worst. Reason for choosing Handbid Price. Sales process and promise the registration process for our guests would be seamless. They support peer to peer fundraising and Qtego which we had used for past 2 years did not support P2P fundraising. Review Source GT Gaelan T. Member Services Hospitality Used the software for: ### "Easy to use Software, highly thought out and beautiful" October 3, 2016 5.0 I did a demo with all of the top auction software on the market and Handbid was by far the best interface (easy to look at) and well worth the investment. It was very easy and fun to put my silent auction items in the system. Guests and volunteers were blown away by how nice everything looked on their phones and iPads. We had almost the same items as the auction last year (with about 25 extra) and made double what we made last year, totalling $46,000. I put our live auction items in for an extra boost of advertising. We also used Handbid to collect funds for a paddle raise. The check out process was very easy and intuitive. Swipping credit cards is incredibly easy, as well as importing a contact spreadsheet before the event, little things that really speed up the process. During the auction (and after) I noticed the Handbid system slowed down a bit. You have to be patient while items save, but it is updated real time in the system (so guests could see an update right away). Besides speeding up the system, I have only one more suggestion. I would love to see more information on Handbid TV, especially a live update on winning bidder on each auction item and the current price. I think this would create a lot of competition within the audience. I will definitely use Handbid again next year if this is an update you can make. The customer service was great. Out of 500 guests, only 3 people told me they would prefer the old-school method of paper bidding. However, I believe this was because we didn't have enough iPad volunteers available, next year I will station one at each auction table. There are many organizations on the island that are now interested in using Handbid. Pros beautiful design Cons not being able to have a live stream of the current highest bidder, with item and price. This is something that BidPal software does. Review Source DM Debbie M. Development Manager Museums and Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Cost effective auction software!" September 22, 2016 4.0 We've used Handbid for 5 years now. It has grown leaps and bounds each year. Our event attendees love it as do we. Our only gripe is resizing photos is a pain - if they allowed you to edit the photos within the platform all would be perfect! It's made paper bidding sheets a thing of the past. Having our guests bid from their seats in the ballroom is awesome as the auction tables are out in the foyer. Handbid's customer service rocks! We only have one auction a year, so they patiently retrain us before our annual event. I've looked at other options, but the combination of features and price wins us over each time. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Marketing Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great Software - Poor Business Process and Ethics " January 27, 2023 2.0 Poor business ethics - They do not stand by what they promise and take no responsibility. I had a good experience with the sales rep,\[sensitive content hidden\]. \[sensitive content hidden\] seemed great and provided a thorough demo and training. The software seemed great and had the two things we needed in one app. I got the software and paid. After getting the software, I was told it would be an additional $200 for the feature we needed - the feature that was promised by the sale rep, and that was made VERY CLEAR was included. The unethical practices were pushed by an\[sensitive content hidden\] which may be a real person, or might be a made-up customer service name, I can't be sure. It ppears their practice is to make promises, get your money, then withhold various options, of which the software is useless without, and have a third person, in this case, the\[sensitive content hidden\], tells you it will be $200 more. I even offered to work with them, and said I would agree to pay $100 more, despite the issue being 100% on their end, and they refused. They even said there could be no refunds if we canceled...despite again, they're lying and the issue being 100% on their end. With all that said, no matter how good the software is, I can not recommend working with them. The product is great once you figure out how to use it, and the price is reasonable, but you'll never know when various options will be held hostage for more money. Pros The experience for the end user is great. Great tool for auctions. Cons It is difficult to set up, and not intuitive, but, their demo is very good at explaining how to use all functions, and there is a wealth of "how-to" videos to help you do anything you need within the software. You will have to allow more time to set this up than you will any other software, but, once you do, it does appear far more robust than their competitors and with a very good end-user platform. Review Source DC Donna C. Used the software for: ### "Habitat Dream Builder's Ball" September 23, 2016 5.0 Habitat Susquehanna was first non-profit in Harford County, MD to try mobile bidding at its annual event. It was exciting for everyone (some were a little reticent, but those who ventured into the future LOVED it), we raised more money on our Silent Auction than ever before, and will use it for the 3rd year in 2017. Our second auction had a higher participation level including people who followed the auction online but did not attend the event. Uploading info took only as long as the size of the auction and back office help was responsive and helpful. I DO recommend having a Handbid rep at your event; it's worth it! Any snags were dealt with quickly and efficiently and a good time was had by all. Pros The software had a learning curve, for sure, but once you get the hang of it, it's very easy to follow. The 'bugs' from our first year were improved for our second year, and I am sure that this year will be our easiest yet. From the perspective of the guests, it was like playing a videogame at an event except it was acceptable to be staring at your phone! Cons The phone version requires guests to realize where/when to swipe in order to see the details of an auction item. Review Source Sahil V. Associate Business Analyst Computer Software Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "It is the best software for events related to auctions." July 30, 2018 5.0 Pros So far i have used so many bidding apps but this is the best one among them.I am using this app from past few months you can bid from anywhere across the globe in this app.Its very convenient for the sellers or auction organisers as well.They can invite bunch of people to their auctions without doing any physical work and the user interface of this app is very attractive yet simple. Cons I haven't come across any serious issue so far but there should be a feature to invite those bidders which were active in our previous auctions. Review Source JM Jeanine M. Board Member Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Digital Auction Software" September 7, 2020 2.0 Handbid has allowed us to take our auction online. But I'm not sure we couldn't have done the same thing via FB Marketplace. Pros We used this software because they are partners with MobileCause. So that was what we liked most. They supposedly worked seamlessly with our fundraising software. Cons We have been underwhelmed with the partnership between the two and the general ease of use of Handbid. Customer service is slow, if they answer you at all. Our users find the software clunky and slow. With COVID, we have had to our auction and event completely virtual and Handbid was not ready for that transition. This was our first year with MobileCause, so we learned that brand new software--then we had to turn around and learn a brand new software program with Handbid. We are a small nonprofit, so it was pretty overwhelming. Reason for choosing Handbid We were told this would be seamless and easy. That has not been the case. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Co-Founder, Director of Business Development Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Fantastic tool for adding a "modern" feel to auctions!" June 25, 2018 5.0 Very well laid out, easy for the not-so tech savvy to install and use quickly! Pros Wow, so impressed. Our non-profit wanted to upgrade our annual fundraiser so used this tool- made our board very nervous. But it was a HUGE hit! Easy to use, easy to bid, great analytics. We will be using Handbid from now on! Cons It's been mentioned before, but MAKE SURE you have excellent wifi, some hotels signal is spotty. Tough to switch back to manual auctions once you get started. Review Source DV Drew V. Used the software for: ### "Handbid - Your Fundraising Partner!" October 6, 2016 5.0 I conduct an annual golf tournament as a fundraiser, and needed a tool to take my silent auction to another level. Handbid's features and functionality, as well as support, were second to none. I loved using, as did the participants. Great tool, give it try! Pros Features and functionality, and customer service Cons Pricing...with only one event per year, would like to see pricing per event model. Review Source KB Kim B. Used the software for: ### "Fun New Way for bidding" October 13, 2016 5.0 We used Handbid for the first time last year for our annual Silent Auction. My favorite feature was the automatic bidding so our guests didn't have to get out of their seats to make their next bid! Also, the Support Team is amazing! They were quick to answer ANY question we had! We look forward to using Handbid again this year! Review Source MJ Mark J. Executive Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "An App is where it is at!" September 7, 2016 5.0 The app experience for the mobile phone user is far better than receiving a text and reloading a web page each time you want to bid. In addition, the internet based back end was super user friendly and helped us drive to record breaking revenue ! Pros Users became quickly engaged in the auction and we saw our average number of bids per item increase greatly! Cons With the ease of check-out, we could have included more items in the auction. Review Source SS Stacey S. Used the software for: ### "Now that I know Handbid exists, I won't be auctioning without it!" September 23, 2016 5.0 I am so glad we decided to use handbid for our silent auction. It really is easy to use and provided the tools needed to be successful. The customer service was some of the best I have ever experienced. Kelly is amazing! Review Source GS Gina S. Manager of Community Partnerships Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "KidsPeace loves Handbid" September 21, 2016 5.0 It was very easy to set up our auction! It looked professional and folks enjoyed using it. Diana gave excellent on-site support. Everyone we worked with from Handbid was very helpful! Pros Check out was a breeze!!! Review Source aM allison M. Development Manager Religious Institutions Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Our First Auction with Handbid" October 4, 2016 5.0 After doing a lot of research with a number of companies, our school purchased Handbid for our 2016 school gala and auction. We had an excellent experience with a lot of good feedback from guests who attended the gala and others who bid from a remote location. We enjoyed the process of building the app for our gala and received prompt replies from our account manager when we had questions. One recommendation we hope Handbid will consider is a process to generate an auction booklet from the app. With more than 100 items listed at our event, it would have been a huge time saver to have this capability on the back end. We look forward to using Handbid again during the current school year. Pros The ease of use when building our event. Cons We had a few bumps along the way but were typically able to get the help with needed from Handbid. Review Source LF LeKeshia F. Development Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Handbid" December 10, 2019 5.0 We love Handbid and usually run anywhere from 50-75 items on it three times a year for our event which gets viewed nationally using Handbid. Pros This is used for our event silent auction and runs 3 week prior to the event as well as used the night of the event for our live auction. We love the ease of setting up the items as well as for the bidders the process all the way through is very smooth. Cons We don't have any cons using this and love the feasibility of having everything on line versus in the past at the event on clipboards. Review Source CD Celina D. Operations Associate Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "It's Ok" July 23, 2019 4.0 Pros I like that Handbid allows customization of auctions based on individual event needs. You can also customize the allowed time for bids to be entered, when the auction is over, etc. Cons I think overall the software is a bit confusing and not very easy to use, especially for customers. It carries out its purpose, it's just a bit confusing. Reason for choosing Handbid I was not on the purchasing end, I just help train people on how to use it and implement it for certain events Review Source JG Josh G. Used the software for: ### "1st Annual Success" October 12, 2016 5.0 The entire process was seamless: from check-in, silent auction, live auction, paddle raise, wine pull and check-out. All I heard all night from our guests was, "Check-in was a breeze" and "this app is cool". If I had to find one thing about the app that I might change is to be able to assign a cork number to an actual person (maybe there is a way to do this already), but I have 10 bottles that I need to get the respective owner and I have no idea who they belong to. At the end of the day it doesn't matter really, but that would be a nicety. Also, my event planner friend that helped us out that night commented about how nice the layout was and how easy to use the it was compared to others she had used before. Pros I liked the customizations that you could tweak. We didn't use this feature, but I really like the handbid TV option as well which allows your audience to see a live updated dashboard into what is going on during the night. Review Source JM Jacqueline M. Used the software for: ### "Working with Handbid is such a pleasant experience!" October 12, 2016 5.0 Working in the event industry, I have had the opportunity to work with multiple auction software companies. Working with Handbid has been the best experience, by far! The application was extremely easy to configure and their customer service team was there every step of the way to answer any questions we had. Our staff and volunteers were able to make edits and updates quite quickly and more importantly our attendees were able to sign up, check-in, check-out, and bid with ease. We loved the features handbid provided like being able to send alerts through out the event to promote an item/encourage an attendee to visit a specific area of the auction. This allowed us to ensure our auction got the exposure it needed without interrupting the event experience for the guests. I would highly recommend Handbid! We will continue to use them for all of our future events and look forward to the same success. Review Source AW Ashlie W. Event Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "The Fountain of Youth in Auctions Found at Handbid" September 7, 2016 5.0 After years in event management, there is finally a platform that takes the details of revenue components and turns it into a user-friendly system. The back-end component is worth its weight in gold! We had two weeks to plan and execute an event on the brink of the tragedy in Dallas after July 7th and by using Handbid our goals were more than exceeded in revenue. Our bidders at the venue and around the world enjoyed the app, the game like feel of the bidding process, and the checkout process. NO MORE LINES or PAPER BIDDING!! Pros Ease of use for the management team as well as event guests. Cons We didn't find this software sooner. Review Source LM Lauren M. Fundraising & Development Manager Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "First Time Mobile Bidding User" September 22, 2016 5.0 This was the first time our non-profit organization has used a mobile bidding platform and we have been really happy with Handbid! The customer service is fantastic and the team was really helpful in the days and weeks before our event. We utilized the Knowledge Base throughout the planning process. We highly recommend Handbid to our community partners and other non-profit organizations! Pros The software is fairly intuitive which we liked. Cons We had a major issue the night of the event. We had previously been warned to turn off the credit card requirement the night of the event, which we did days before the event. The night of the event it was turned back on not by us, maybe a software glitch? Its a mystery. We also received feedback that those who downloaded the app received too many emails after the event. I have the app and did not receive excessive amount of emails but I also did not purchase anything that evening. Review Source AB Amanda B. Used the software for: ### "Best Silent Auction Product Available" October 4, 2016 5.0 After working with silent auctions for organizations as a volunteer and as a non-profit employee, I wished for a helpful and easy tech product to manage appealing item promotion, user friendly checkout and bidding. Handbid came to our rescue. Our guests now have fun with the bidding and are much more engaged in the auction, getting immediate positive feedback for their participation. As a result, income has doubled on most of our silent auctions in the year we have been Handbid users. This is a great investment for us and we plan to keep the product for many years to come. The support is great and the account managers get back to you anytime there is an issue. The CEO even came to visit us to say hi and to show us new upgrades coming out soon. Five star company all the way around. Review Source MS Mike S. Used the software for: ### "This is absolutely fantastic!!" December 2, 2016 5.0 Have used some competitors software at different events before. I am not an IT guy, not a programmer, tablet and smart phone literate only. However, I was able to run, list, edit, add, remove, so easily I felt like a programmer. I watched the training video, did a 2hr training on phone and computer hookup with our rep (so very nice and responsive)..........it was so easy. Check out allows you to either use your account, their account, set up your own stripe account, accept cash, check or credit card. If you do charity events, silent/live auctions for fundraisers do yourself a favor and look into this. I highly recommend the product and the people. Both product and people were fantastic and I'm generally pretty hard to impress. Pros Ease of use and intuitiveness Cons No cons Review Source VA Virginia A. Community Responsibility Specialist Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Awesome, awesome, awesome! " September 19, 2016 5.0 The best part of using Handbid is the customer service. They are always readily available for questions, concerns or suggestions. Think what really impressed me was when we had an issue closing our auction late at night and contacted their customer service and was provided an answer immediately despite the hour. Pros User friendly. App based and web based. Live time updates. Cons Broadcast messages don't necessarily reach everyone who's viewed your auction (the "browsers") but only people who have checked in as "bidders". Also not a way to notify bidders directly from the app/web that have previously been active in your auctions about a new auction you are running. Review Source Similar Products Featured