Comparison

CharityWatch vs Charity Navigator

CharityWatch and Charity Navigator both land on Worth it.

CharityWatch

Worth it

Confidence: Medium

Use it if you want tough, financial-only vetting of a specific US charity before donating . it's free and uncompromising.

Worth it

Confidence: Medium

Donors should use it . it's free vetting before you give.

CharityWatch versus Charity Navigator
Compare	CharityWatch	Charity Navigator
Verdict	Worth it	Worth it
Best for	Individual donors vetting a US charity	Donors vetting charities before giving
Who it's not for	Grant-makers needing diligence at scale . the £149 reports are the separate .co.uk product	Software buyers . it's a free ratings site, not a purchasable tool
Privacy	No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.¹³	No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.
Support quality	No evidence in sources	No evidence found
Public sentiment	Reddit donors and mainstream outlets treat CharityWatch as a credible, harder-edged watchdog than star-rating sites.^⁷	Reddit threads and opinion writers question its trustworthiness and methodology, while some users still call it a great starting point for charity research.
Biggest gotcha	Coverage is the catch: check your charity is actually rated before relying on it.	Giving Basket donations may carry fees . check the fee breakdown before donating.

Grant-makers needing diligence at scale . the £149 reports are the separate .co.uk product
Anyone wanting volume . many charities are simply unrated
Star-rating fans; Charity Navigator covers far more nonprofits
Nonprofits hoping to buy a rating; coverage is analyst-driven