The short answer. Silent auction software lets your guests register and bid on their own phones, sends them outbid alerts, closes the auction on time and tells you who won. Choosing one comes down to four questions:
- How is it priced? Free (paid for by your supporters' tips), an annual subscription, or a share of each event.
- Does it do what your event needs? Maximum bids, text alerts, live items, donations, a leaderboard.
- Who helps you when something goes wrong? A real person, by phone, during your event?
- Does it suit a Canadian charity? Prices in Canadian dollars, French for bidders, a Canadian company to call.
Charity silent auctions have moved from clipboards and bid sheets to phones in about a decade, and there are now dozens of platforms to choose from. This guide is for Canadian charities, schools and nonprofits comparing them. We make MobilBid, so we've marked where we fit and where another kind of tool would suit you better.
The three ways silent auction software is priced
Almost every platform falls into one of three models. The model matters more than the headline price, because it decides who pays and when.
| Model | Who pays | Good for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Your supporters, through an optional tip at checkout, or you, through paid add-ons | Small, online-only auctions with a confident volunteer team | Tip requests at checkout, item limits, support only by email or chat |
| Annual subscription | Your organization, every year, often under contract | Large organizations running many events, or needing ticketing and CRM in one place | Paying in years with no event; setup or staffing fees; contract length |
| Per event | Your organization, as a share of what the auction raises | Charities running one to a few auctions a year | Whether there's a minimum and a cap, and what counts toward the fee |
MobilBid is priced per event: 5.5% of silent auction sales and 1.5% of donations and live auction items, with a $220 minimum and a $2,500 maximum per event. Opening an account and building test auctions is free, and there's no contract. Card processing fees and applicable taxes are separate.
| Silent auction raises | MobilBid fee | Why |
|---|---|---|
| $3,000 | $220 | The minimum applies |
| $20,000 | $1,100 | 5.5% of $20,000 |
| $60,000 | $2,500 | The maximum applies |
Try your own numbers in the fee calculator.
Features that matter on the night
Most platforms list hundreds of features. These are the ones that change how much your auction raises and how the evening feels.
- No app to install. Guests should be bidding within a minute of arriving. With MobilBid, they text a number and get a link.
- Maximum (proxy) bids. Guests set the most they'll pay and the system bids for them, so they can bid while they mingle.
- Outbid alerts by text and email. The alert is what brings a guest back to bid again.
- Live auction items and donations in the same event, so one tool covers the whole night.
- A big-screen leaderboard, with room for sponsors, to keep the room competitive.
- A clean close. The auction ends on time, winners are told at once and invoices go out without a checkout line.
- Reports and exports you can hand to your treasurer and board.
- A head start next year. Copying last year's auction, with its items and settings, saves days of setup.
Questions to ask every vendor
About cost
- What will this event cost, all in, including card fees and taxes? Ask for a worked example at your expected total.
- Will my supporters be asked for a tip or fee at checkout?
- Do we pay anything in a year with no event?
- Is anything extra: setup, training, text messages, more items or more administrators?
About support
- Can we talk to a person by phone? During which hours?
- Will someone help us during the event itself?
- Is training included?
For Canadian charities
- Are prices in Canadian dollars?
- Can bidders use the auction in French?
- Do we need tax receipts from the same tool? Auction purchases are usually only partly receiptable (the amount above the item's fair market value), so many charities issue receipts from their donor system instead.
- Is the company Canadian, and who do we call when something goes wrong?
Where MobilBid fits, and where it doesn't
MobilBid is a silent auction specialist, built and supported in Toronto. It suits Canadian charities, schools and nonprofits running anything from a single school gala to a series of auctions across several chapters.
- Every feature in every account: maximum bids, text and email alerts, live and multi-winner items, donations, French for bidders, the leaderboard, and unlimited items, bidders and administrators.
- Priced per event, with a cap, and no tips asked of your bidders.
- Real people on the phone, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm Eastern, at 1-855-202-4404 x1. Help during your event can be arranged.
Choose something else if you need ticketing, registration and check-in, raffles or automatic tax receipts in the same tool. MobilBid covers the auction itself; an all-in-one fundraising platform will suit you better.
“That was indeed the best choice…rates, service, and platform all are stellar.”
“St. Andrew's College used other mobile bidding providers for three years, then decided to use MobilBid for our 2017 school gala.”
Common questions
How much does silent auction software cost in Canada?
It depends on the pricing model. Free platforms charge the organization nothing and are usually funded by tips asked of your supporters at checkout or by item limits. Subscription platforms charge an annual fee, often with a contract. Per-event platforms charge a share of what the auction raises; MobilBid charges 5.5% of silent auction sales and 1.5% of donations and live auction items, with a $220 minimum and a $2,500 maximum per event.
Is there free silent auction software in Canada?
Yes. Several platforms offer free plans. Most cover their costs by asking your supporters for an optional tip when they pay, by limiting the number of items, or by charging for support and extra features. Check what your bidders will see at checkout and what help you get on the night.
Do bidders need to download an app?
Not with most current platforms. With MobilBid, guests text a number, get a link and bid in their phone's browser. There is nothing to install.
Can we run an online or hybrid silent auction?
Yes. Mobile bidding works the same whether guests are in the room, at home or both, so one auction can serve an in-person gala and supporters who can't attend.
Try MobilBid free
Open a free account, build a test auction and see the bidder experience for yourself. You only pay when you run a real event.