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While Kickstarter is a popular crowdfunding platform, it doesn't work for everyone. Whether you're a nonprofit, creative, or innovator, there's an alternative platform that may be a better match.
Erica has been writing about small business finance and technology since 2008. She joined Merchant Maverick in 2018 and specializes in researching and reviewing business software, financial products, and other topics to help small businesses manage and grow their operations. Her expertise has been cited in MSN, Reader's Digest, Vox, U.S. News & World Report, and Real Simple. She is a Certified ProAdvisor for QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll, a graduate of Limestone University, and currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina.
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Erica SeppalaErica has been writing about small business finance and technology since 2008. She joined Merchant Maverick in 2018 and specializes in researching and reviewing business software, financial products, and other topics to help small businesses manage and grow their operations. Her expertise has been cited in MSN, Reader's Digest, Vox, U.S. News & World Report, and Real Simple. She is a Certified ProAdvisor for QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll, a graduate of Limestone University, and currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina.
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Shannon has been writing for Merchant Maverick about small business software and financing since 2015. She started writing professionally about business topics in 2005. Shannon has been featured in the Washington Post, Reader's Digest, US News, MSN, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, and other publications. She has a bachelor's degree in English from San Diego State University and currently resides in San Diego, California.
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Shannon VissersShannon has been writing for Merchant Maverick about small business software and financing since 2015. She started writing professionally about business topics in 2005. Shannon has been featured in the Washington Post, Reader's Digest, US News, MSN, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, and other publications. She has a bachelor's degree in English from San Diego State University and currently resides in San Diego, California.
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Our content reflects the editorial opinions of our experts. While our site makes money through referral partnerships, we only partner with companies that meet our standards for quality, as outlined in our independent rating and scoring system.
Anyone considering crowdfunding for business funding has almost certainly looked into Kickstarter. And why not? Kickstarter has come to dominate the conversation when it comes to tapping the internet to fund creative projects.
However, some of the restrictions of Kickstarter may drive you to find another crowdfunding platform. Whether you don’t have a product to offer or you didn’t pass the prescreening process, here are some alternatives to Kickstarter that may be a better fit for your fundraising needs.
Picking the best crowdfunding platform isn’t an easy task. You have to consider why you need funds, what you have to offer, and what structure works best for your situation (i.e., debt crowdfunding, equity crowdfunding, etc.) That’s why we’ve chosen these alternatives to Kickstarter to cover nearly any situation.
Wefunder: Best For Unique Startups With Exponential Growth Potential
Indiegogo: Best For Filmmakers, Techies, & Game Makers
Patreon: Best For Podcasters, YouTubers, Musicians, & Other Artists
Equity crowdfunding for accredited AND non-accredited investors
Biggest Regulation Crowdfunding platform
Suitable for startups
Cons
Legal complexities of Regulation Crowdfunding
Must reach your goal to receive funding
Why We Chose Wefunder As The Best Kickstarter Alternative
Wefunder is an equity crowdfunding platform that lets businesses raise money from anybody who wants to invest, not just accredited investors. And when it comes to equity crowdfunding for non-accredited investors -- sometimes referred to as Regulation Crowdfunding -- Wefunder is the market leader with a track record of success. Wefunder is most suitable for businesses with exponential growth potential.
Wefunder doesn't curate the companies on its platform the way many equity crowdfunders do. You'll be allowed onto the platform so long as you don't violate the rules. You can set up a Wefunder profile for your company for free. However, if you meet your funding goal by the end of your campaign, you must pay a fee. You won't have to pay payment processing fees on top of that -- the investor bears those fees.
Wefunder Fees
Wefunder charges 7.9% of the total raise for Reg CF.
A flat fee of $395,000 is charged for Reg A+.
Wefunder Terms
Wefunder uses the All or Nothing model, which means that you will need to meet your goal in order to receive funds.
The first $50,000 must come from your network.
While Wefunder works for many innovative businesses, there are some that are excluded, including:
Companies formed outside of the US
Companies that plan to acquire other companies
Companies without a business plan
Companies disqualified by the Investment Company Rule
Certain industries including cannabis, adult entertainment, gambling, and others
Choose Wefunder If...
You have a strong community willing to back your business
You have a unique idea that’s never been done before and can directly improve lives
Why We Chose Indiegogo As The Best Kickstarter Alternative
Indiegogo shares a lot in common with Kickstarter. Both platforms have become a haven for fundraising campaigns relating to tech/gadgets and creative works, such as board games, art, music, and cinema. Both platforms facilitate gift-giving between campaigners and backers to motivate potential backers to get involved.
However, the two platforms differ in some significant respects as well. Indiegogo enables you to choose between launching an all-or-nothing campaign a la Kickstarter or a keep-whatever-you-raise campaign. Unlike Kickstarter, Indiegogo does not require you to offer physical rewards to your backers.
Another point of departure from Kickstarter is that Indiegogo does not pre-screen projects before letting them onto the platform the way Kickstarter does. With Indiegogo, you can also continue to raise funds after your initial campaign with its InDemand program.
Indiegogo Fees
Indiegogo charges a 5% platform fee. This applies to both regular campaigns and InDemand fundraising.
If you’re in the InDemand program and your campaign did not initially run on Indiegogo, an additional 8% fee is applied.
Payment processing fees are charged at a rate of 2.9% + $0.30 per pledge.
Indiegogo Terms
With Indiegogo, you can opt for a keep-it-all or all-or-nothing model for your crowdfunding campaign. You can also have continuous fundraising through the InDemand program.
For-profit and nonprofit campaigns are allowed on Indiegogo. There are some perks that are not allowed on the platform, including:
Raffles & lotteries
Alcohol
Financial incentives & profit sharing
Weapons
Vapes or pipes
Choose Indiegogo If...
You want to launch a campaign with flexible options and no prescreening
You want to continue to raise funds after your campaign ends
Why We Chose Patreon As The Best Kickstarter Alternative
Creators and entertainers of all varieties have found Patreon's particular model of ongoing rewards crowdfunding to be a good fit. With Patreon, backers don't just support you with a one-time payment. They sign up to support you on a recurring basis, either per month or per creation, with the expectation that you will release content continuously. That makes Patreon an ideal platform for artists, musicians, and podcasters who seek to monetize their audience.
Unlike Kickstarter, Patreon doesn't require you to provide exclusive content to your backers (or "patrons," as Patreon refers to them), though Patreon highly recommends it. Also note that unlike Indiegogo's InDemand, Patreon does not require that campaigners have any history of success with crowdfunding.
Patreon Fees
Patreon has two pricing plans. The Pro plan takes 8% of your Patreon earnings and includes features like monthly and annual subscriptions, membership tiers, free trials, and more.
The Premium plan takes 12% of your Patreon earnings and includes everything from Pro, plus perks like team accounts and a dedicated partner manager.
Creators who joined before May 7, 2019 are on the Founders plan and pay 5%.
Payment processing fees also apply. Micropayment rates start at 5% + $0.10 for payments under $3, and standard payment rates start at 2.9% + $0.30. Rates are based on the member’s payment method.
Payout fees also apply.
Patreon Terms
With Patreon, you can access your funds when you need them. You can manually withdraw your funds, or you can wait for them to automatically be paid out on the 5th of every month.
There are a few community guidelines as to what is prohibited on Patreon. This includes:
Criminal activity
Launch of cryptocurrency
Financial advisory services
Alcohol & smoking
Drugs
Ingestible items
Gambling
Weapons
Impersonation
Spam
Choose Patreon If...
You want to continuously raise funds through memberships
You plan to keep creating new content for your patrons
Flat monthly fee is expensive if campaigns are not successful
Campaigns must be prescreened
Why We Chose Fundable As The Best Patreon Alternative
Fundable is strictly for businesses looking to raise capital. Think of it as a more buttoned-down crowdfunding platform than Patreon, and its funding model is more akin to that of Kickstarter. Like Kickstarter, Fundable requires pre-approval before your business can launch a campaign. Fundable also follows the Kickstarter All or Nothing funding model.
However, there's one major point of departure from Kickstarter. Along with rewards-based funding campaigns, Fundable lets you launch equity-based campaigns in which investors send you funds in exchange for an ownership stake in your company. Equity crowdfunding is a more difficult prospect than rewards crowdfunding, and only accredited investors can contribute. But for entrepreneurs and businessfolk prepared to deal with the complexities of equity crowdfunding, it's an option that Fundable provides.
Fundable Fees
It is free to create a company profile on Fundable, but you must have a paid subscription to begin raising funds.
Fundable charges a flat rate of $179/month to fundraise on its platform. This is a bit different from other options on this list that take a percentage from each campaign.
Processing fees are 3.5% + $0.30 per transaction (rewards campaigns only).
Fundable Terms
Fundable uses an All or Nothing model, which isn’t too different from other platforms on this list. However, it’s worth noting that your flat monthly fee is still required even if you don’t hit your fundraising goals.
Fundable does have a list of prohibited industries, which includes things like:
Adult entertainment
Drugs
Contests
Weapons
Gambling
Illegal activities
Phone services
Tobacco
Choose Fundable If...
Your business needs to raise capital
You want to choose between equity and rewards-based campaigns to raise capital
Why We Chose GoFundMe As The Best Kickstarter Alternative
GoFundMe has grown to become a crowdfunding behemoth, and it's the only crowdfunding platform that has raised more money than Kickstarter. Although known more for its charitable crowdfunding campaigns, GoFundMe can work for business-related projects if they can be framed in an uplifting way, or if it has some kind of social justice message to emphasize.
A GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign does bear some similarities to a Kickstarter campaign. GoFundMe gives you the tools and the bandwidth to launch a crowdfunding campaign and take it viral with social media connectivity. Unlike Kickstarter, you are not allowed to offer rewards to your backers, as this is a donation-based platform.
GoFundMe Fees
GoFundMe does not charge platform fees.
There is a processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per donation.
GoFundMe Terms
GoFundMe is a donations-based platform, so you are not allowed to offer any sort of product or service as a reward.
GoFundMe uses the Keep What You Raise model, so you do not have to meet your funding goal to receive your donations.
GoFundMe has a few guidelines as to what can’t be on the platform. This includes things like:
Offering rewards in exchange for donations
Fraudulent activity
Offensive content
Support for armed conflict
Choose GoFundMe If...
You want to raise funds for a personal cause
You want to raise funds for a socially-conscious business project
Allows borrowers that don’t meet traditional loan requirements to get funding
Cons
Only 45 days to fundraise
Must prove creditworthiness by getting friends and family to invest
Why We Chose Kiva U.S. As The Best Kickstarter Alternative
Kiva U.S. is a crowdfunding service that fundamentally differs from both Kickstarter-esque rewards crowdfunding sites and equity crowdfunding sites. Kiva U.S. is a debt crowdfunding site, which means you solicit a loan from a crowd of lenders. You can receive up to $15,000 through Kiva U.S.
What makes Kiva U.S. distinct from other "crowdlending" sites, however, is the fact that Kiva's loans are interest-free. Though you'll still have to pay back the loan, it's just about the closest thing to free money as you're ever likely to encounter in the business world. Kiva's goal is to extend lending to businesses that would otherwise struggle to qualify for traditional loans.
Kiva U.S. Fees
There are no fees to use Kiva U.S.
Kiva U.S. Terms
Kiva U.S. is much different from other options on this list, as it is debt crowdfunding that gives you up to $15,000 in the form of a loan with 0%interest.
An application must be submitted to get on the website. This application takes about 30 minutes to one hour.
If approved, you’ll have 15 days to invite friends and family to lend to you to prove your creditworthiness (a traditional credit score is not taken into consideration).
Once you’ve passed this stage, you’ll have 30 days to promote your campaign and reach your goal. This is All or Nothing, so you must meet your goal to receive your loan.
If you get a loan, you have 36 months to repay it.
Choose Kiva U.S. If...
You want a loan with 0% interest
You have friends and family available to help demonstrate social capital by lending to you
We spend hours researching and evaluating each crowdfunding platform that we review at Merchant Maverick, placing emphasis on key characteristics to generate our product ratings.
Weighted Rating Breakdown
Terms & Fees 25%
Project Qualifications 25%
Application Process 25%
Sales & Advertising Transparency 10%
Customer Service 10%
User Reviews 5%
When rating crowdfunding platforms, we use a rubric that looks at terms and fees, project qualifications, application process, sales and advertising transparency, customer service, and user reviews. We weigh each section differently to calculate the total star rating.
Terms & Fees: 25% of the total star rating
Project Qualifications: 25% of the total star rating
Application Process: 25% of the total star rating
Sales & Advertising Transparency: 10% of the total star rating
Customer Service: 10% of the total star rating
User Reviews: 5% of the total star rating
Each section is further broken down into granular, weighted subsections, in which we look at specific attributes, such as campaign durations, supported project types, time to funding, application processing times, and platform fees. Learn more about how we rate crowdfunding platforms.
The Bottom Line On Kickstarter Alternatives
Kickstarter gets a lot of media attention for the innovative, wacky, and sometimes downright bizarre crowdfunding campaigns it has spawned. However, as we’ve established, Kickstarter is more exclusive than many of its competitors. Simply put, it’s not for everybody.
Fortunately, you have many options when looking for a crowdfunding platform. The options here are all solid alternatives, whether you want to peddle your creative wares or raise money for your startup business.
We invite you to check out our comprehensive reviews, read user reviews, and do more research before picking the platform that’s best for your project. Good luck!
Erica has been writing about small business finance and technology since 2008. She joined Merchant Maverick in 2018 and specializes in researching and reviewing business software, financial products, and other topics to help small businesses manage and grow their operations. Her expertise has been cited in MSN, Reader's Digest, Vox, U.S. News & World Report, and Real Simple. She is a Certified ProAdvisor for QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll, a graduate of Limestone University, and currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina.
View Erica Seppala's professional experience on LinkedIn.
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The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.
Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone.
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