Silent Auction Software

Silent auction software,
without the per-event fees.

Stop paying £1,999 per event. PHP Pro Bid gives charities, schools, and nonprofits a complete auction platform they own outright — run silent auctions, online fundraisers, gala dinners, and school events as many times as you like, with no per-event charges and no percentage taken from winning bids.

Unlimited events
No per-event fees
Zero transaction cuts
Your own domain

Annual cost to run 6 events

Platform fees only — payment processing excluded

Typical per-event platform
from £1,999/event × 6
£11,994
Annual fundraising suite
~£2,395/year, quote-based
£2,395+
Full-suite event platform
£2,295/year + 3.5% per transaction
£2,295+
Free-to-list auction tool
Free to list, 5% fee on every winning bid
% of GMV
PHP Pro Bid Cloud
Unlimited events, no transaction cuts
£756/yr
Every type of charity auction

One platform. Every fundraising format.

PHP Pro Bid handles every kind of charity auction your organization runs — from intimate school fundraisers to large-scale gala events and always-on online campaigns.

Silent Auctions

Timed online bidding with no auctioneer. Items open simultaneously, bidders compete from their phones. Runs quietly in the background while your event is in full swing.

Live & Gala Auctions

Staggered lot closing times recreate the energy of a live room without requiring an auctioneer to manage it. Set countdown timers, enable last-minute bid extensions, and monitor everything live from the admin panel on the night.

Online & Virtual Auctions

Run entirely online with no physical venue. Open an auction for 3–14 days, reach donors nationwide, and let supporters bid from any device. No room hire, no event staff, no bid sheets.

School Fundraiser Auctions

PTAs, parent groups, and academies run their annual fundraising auction and reuse the same platform year after year. The £399 license is a one-time cost — there's no per-event fee whether you run one auction or ten.

Golf Tournament Auctions

A silent auction running alongside a charity golf day is a proven revenue multiplier. Set it live at tee-off, let it run through the round, and close as players come in for dinner — without any manual intervention on the day.

Charity Ball & Dinner Auctions

Run a silent auction during drinks and a separate live auction after dinner — on the same platform, the same night. Guests bid from the table. No bid sheets, no queues, no manual tallying at the end of the evening.

Hybrid Auctions

In-room and remote bidders competing on the same lots. Guests at the venue bid on their phones; supporters at home bid from their laptops. Both bid on the same timed lots and see prices update as bids come in.

Ongoing Fundraising Campaigns

Not a one-night event — an always-on auction running for weeks or months. Rotate items regularly, keep donors engaged between your main events, and build a recurring fundraising channel that works year-round.

What's included

A complete auction platform, not a per-event service

Most charity auction platforms charge for features separately or bundle them into expensive event packages you repurchase each time. PHP Pro Bid includes the following in every plan, for every event you run.

Timed auction lotsSet start and end times per lot. Stagger closing times to keep bidding energy going through the evening.
Mobile-friendly biddingGuests bid from any smartphone browser — no app download required. Works on iOS, Android, and all modern browsers.
Outbid notificationsAutomatic email alerts when a bidder is outbid. Keeps them engaged and drives bids incrementally higher.
Reserve prices & starting bidsSet minimum bids and hidden reserve prices per lot. Items only sell if they reach your floor price.
Buy Now pricingAdd a fixed Buy Now price to any lot — ideal for items where you want guaranteed income rather than competitive bidding.
Payment collectionConnect your own PayPal or Stripe account. Winners pay directly into your account — PHP Pro Bid takes nothing.
Bidder registrationBidders register before participating. Collect name, email, and any custom fields needed for your event or compliance.
Admin dashboardManage lots, monitor bids, extend closing times, and close the auction — all from a browser, on the night.

Custom branding

Your auction site carries your charity's name, logo, and colors. Donors see your brand throughout — on bidding pages, winner emails, and receipts.

Lot images & descriptions

Multiple photos per lot, rich descriptions, starting bid and minimum increment. Bidders have the information they need to bid confidently.

Watchlist & proxy bidding

Bidders save lots to a watchlist and set a maximum proxy bid. The system bids on their behalf up to their limit — so they don't miss out if they step away.

Winner notifications & invoicing

Automatic winner emails when lots close. Includes a summary of won items with payment instructions. No manual follow-up for your team.

Multiple simultaneous auctions

Run your gala silent auction and a separate online fundraiser at the same time, on the same installation. No additional licenses required.

Category organization

Group lots into categories (experiences, items, packages, artwork) so donors can browse what interests them rather than scrolling an undifferentiated list.

The financial case

Per-event pricing costs charities a fortune

The dominant charity auction software model charges per event — often over £1,999 per event — plus a percentage of every winning bid. For an organization running 4–6 fundraising events a year, that is a five-figure annual software bill before a single pound reaches your cause.

PHP Pro Bid charges once. The Cloud plan is £63/month (£756/year). The license is £399, one-time, with no ongoing fees of any kind. You run as many auctions as you like. You keep every pound from every winning bid.

A charity running 5 events/year on a typical per-event platform at £1,999/event pays £9,995 in platform fees alone — before the 3.5% transaction charge on every bid. On PHP Pro Bid Cloud that becomes £756/year flat with zero transaction fees. That's over £9,000/year returning to your cause rather than to a software vendor.

Feature PHP Pro Bid Per-event SaaS
Pricing model £63/mo or £399 once £1,396–£1,999 per event
Transaction fees Zero 3.5% + £0.30 per bid
Number of events Unlimited Charged per event
Custom branding Included Often extra
Own domain VPS & License plans Their subdomain
Source code access Included* Closed SaaS
Payment goes directly to you Always Varies
Who uses PHP Pro Bid

Auction software for nonprofits, schools, and community fundraisers

Whether you run one event a year or manage a full program of fundraising auctions, the platform scales to fit.

Charities & Nonprofits

Own your auction infrastructure rather than renting it event by event. Donors recognize your branded platform, trust it, and return to it.

  • Annual gala silent auctions
  • Online item donation fundraisers
  • Ongoing supporter engagement campaigns
  • Emergency appeal auctions

Schools & PTAs

Run your annual fundraising auction, then reuse the same platform next year without rebriefing a vendor, renegotiating a price, or learning a new interface.

  • End-of-year fundraiser auctions
  • School fête online bidding
  • Sports day & arts event fundraisers
  • Sixth form and leavers' event fundraising

Churches & Community Groups

Organizations without dedicated fundraising budgets will find the one-time license especially compelling — pay once and the platform is yours to use indefinitely.

  • Harvest festival and seasonal auctions
  • Community hall fundraisers
  • Sports club charity days
  • Local cause and appeal campaigns

Sports Clubs & Foundations

Professional clubs, academy foundations, and supporters' trusts running charity fundraisers alongside their main activities.

  • Signed memorabilia auctions
  • Golf day silent auctions
  • Player appearance experience lots
  • Foundation gala fundraisers

Arts & Cultural Organizations

Museums, galleries, theatres, and arts charities running auctions as part of their fundraising program or annual patron events.

  • Artwork donation auctions
  • Opening night fundraising
  • Patron and supporter galas
  • Digital art and experience lots

Fundraising Professionals

Event organizers, fundraising consultants, and agencies running auctions on behalf of multiple client charities — all manageable from a single installation.

  • Multi-client auction management
  • Unbranded client deployments
  • Annual gala program management
  • Hybrid event production
Plans & pricing

Choose how you want to run it

All three plans include every feature on this page. The difference is who handles the hosting and how much support you want from us.

License

£399 one-time
No annual fees, ever

Self-hosted on your own server. Full source code included. Requires technical setup — suited to organizations with IT support or a developer on hand.

Order now

VPS Managed

£159 /month
or £1,908/year

Private server, fully managed by us. Your own domain, your own branding, source code,* and priority support. For organizations with high traffic or specific compliance requirements.

Order now
No transaction fees on any plan. Every pound bid through your auction goes directly to you via your own PayPal or Stripe account. PHP Pro Bid never touches your donations or takes a percentage of winning bids.

*Full PHP source is included; a small number of licensing/security files are encoded with ionCube.

Common questions

Questions from fundraisers

Can I run a silent auction and a live gala auction on the same night?

Yes. PHP Pro Bid supports multiple simultaneous auctions with separate settings. Run your silent auction from 7pm, stagger lots to close every 5 minutes from 9pm, and manage a live section alongside — all from the same admin panel.

Do bidders need to download an app?

No. PHP Pro Bid runs in the browser. Guests bid from their phones at the event by visiting your auction URL — no app store download, no account beyond simple registration. Works on any iOS or Android device.

How does payment collection work?

You connect your own PayPal or Stripe account. When a lot closes and the winner pays, funds go directly into your account. PHP Pro Bid is not involved in payment processing and takes no percentage of winning bids or donations.

Can I use my charity's own branding and domain?

On the Cloud plan, your site runs on a PHP Pro Bid subdomain with your logo and colors. On the VPS Managed or License plan, you run the platform on your own domain, with your charity's logo, colors, and branding throughout. Full unbranding (removing every last PHP Pro Bid reference) is available as a paid add-on.

How many lots can we list?

There is no limit imposed by the software. Large charity galas typically run 30–100 lots simultaneously; online campaigns have run with several hundred items. Scalability is determined by your hosting, not by the platform.

Can we run auctions if we're not a registered charity?

Yes. PHP Pro Bid places no restrictions on who can use the platform for fundraising. Community groups, church organizations, sports clubs, and informal groups run auctions on it just as registered charities do.

What happens if a winning bidder doesn't pay?

You control the payment process. You can require payment at checkout or manually invoice winners. Non-paying winners can be managed from the admin panel.

Is this suitable for a school PTA with a limited budget?

The License at £399 one-time is exactly this scenario. Pay once, run your annual fundraising auction every year at zero ongoing cost. Many PTAs split the cost across the committee — one license covers every event you run, with no per-event fee.

Is PHP Pro Bid free for charities?

PHP Pro Bid isn't free, but it charges no per-event fees and takes no percentage of the funds you raise. A one-time £399 license (or £63/month on the Cloud plan) covers unlimited fundraising auctions, so the more events you run, the less each one effectively costs. There is no separate charity edition to buy; every plan includes the full feature set.

Keep more money for your cause.

Every pound saved on software fees is a pound that reaches the people you're fundraising for. PHP Pro Bid charges once — or £63 a month. That's it.