If you are thinking about starting a creative project but worried about the funds then you should better take help from sites like Kickstarter. To start something afresh, financial support matters the most because let’s face it, money is mainly everything to acquire enough resources and tools.
And this is why to fund the creative minds all across the globe and to put forward the talent of this young generation, these crowdfunding websites came forward. The idea is to bring creative projects to life with the help and support from the people around the world. And if you are looking for such aid, you should definitely check out these Kickstarter alternatives.
Top 10 Sites like Kickstarter
There are various similar platform which are working for the betterment and success of young and creative minds. Of course, Kickstarter is more sort of a first and well-known option but you can consider some other platforms too. So, here are the 10 best options to consider when you are looking for the sites like Kickstarter.
1. Indiegogo
Website: https://www.indiegogo.com/
After getting to know about the platform, I found Indiegogo even better than Kickstarter and other sites like Kickstarter. This is an international crowdfunding platform which was launched in 2008 which helps in funding variety of innovative projects and causes from all across the globe.
You can raise funds for a variety of campaigns here like technology, education, film, designing, photography, music etc. It funds creative, tech & innovation and community projects.
Talking about the charges of this platform then starting a campaign here is absolutely free. For the crowdfunding process, they charge 5% of the total amount along with 3% + $0.30 for third-party credit fees. Also if you have raised enough money but getting more on the campaign then the additional In-demand fee is charged which is also 5% as platform charge and 3%+$0.30 as credit charge.
Indiegogo also runs a marketplace through which you can buy a variety of products to support various people here. Also, if you are raising money for some cause like medical or personal then no amount is charged for it.
2. GoFundMe
Website: http://www.gofundme.com/
7 years since the launch of GoFundMe, and now this crowdfunding website is one of the largest in the world. In fact, it comes under the top 500 websites in the USA and also one of the most secure platform to raise funds for a cause or project.
They have raised $5 billion till date and this makes them one of the largest alternatives to Kickstarter. In fact, you do not even have to keep goals or deadlines to raise funds here.
Talking about the fee and charges, there are no platform charges to use GoFundMe. However, they charge 2.9% of the total amount as payment processing fee along with $0.30 per donations. There are a lot of campaigns for which you can raise money like education, family, memorials, sports, wishes, events and many more.
GoFundMe is perfect for individuals, groups as well as business organizations too. You just need to sign up here to start a campaign and share your cause as much as possible in order to raise funds.
3. Fundable
Website: http://www.fundable.com/
The next option you can use as sites like Kickstarter is Fundable. Rather than helping people to raise funds for social and personal cause, it mainly focuses on uplifting the ideas behind small businesses through the medium of crowdfunding.
It provides two types of funding options which are reward based and equity-based. In reward-based funding you can raise funds through selling your products, pre-orders and merchandising and it is best for $1-$50k goals. While in equity-based funds you raise funds by promising share in your company in exchange of funds and it is best for $50k-$10m goals.
Talking about the fee and charges on Fundable then these are based upon the subscription basis. It means you will be charged $179 per month to use this service. And when you are using reward based raise, you will be charged 3.5% + $0.30 per transaction as the processing fee.
You can raise money for various businesses and projects like technology, finance, software, food, real estate etc. However, I found the prices higher here as compared to other crowdfunding platforms.
4. RocketHub
Website: http://www.rockethub.com/
RocketHub is one of the largest Kickstarter competitors in the world and it helps people to raise enough money to support their purpose if it is valid enough. It is mostly used by creative people like musicians, photographers, filmmakers, philanthropists, producers/directors etc.
This means that it is just perfect to give that much needed push to the creative projects and brings out the best in these people.
RocketHub was launched in 2010 and it operates in 190 different countries and has supported millions of projects till date. Although, there are no platform charges but you need to pay a certain amount as fee here. It charges 4% of the fund collected along with 4% additional as processing fee.
If you have not reached your goal then you are charged 8% of total fee plus 4% as the processing fee. Where other sites like Kickstarter mostly do not charge any fee for goal incompletion, RocketHub does charge for this. You can register yourself for free here and the team will contact you in next 72 hours regarding the additional information.
5. Ulule
Website: http://www.ulule.com/
Ulule is somewhere different from other sites like Kickstarter mainly because it is a European crowdfunding website. So, as the currency is changing here, you can face some issues too but we have got you covered regarding each and every aspect of this website.
Ulule works for various types of projects from across the world like music creation, entrepreneurship, video games, humanitarian works, technology and many more.
You will be charged 5% of the total amount and 3% additional as processing fee. However, this is for Euro currency, and when you are crowdfunding in other currency, you will be charged 6.67% of total amount along with 4.17 VAT.
The working model of Ulule is quite similar to Kickstarter and with the help of the internet, it aids people in acquiring enough funds for their causes. You can register here to get started and it is absolutely free too. They have been working phenomenal from past 6 years and has financed projects of more than 2 million people in this time span.
6. FundRazr
Website: http://www.fundrazr.com/
FundRazr is a Canadian crowdfunding option to consider amongst Kickstarter like sites and was launched in 2009. This website allows people to begin crowdfunding process by creating pages regarding it or by embedding fundraising apps too. It was also released as a Facebook app and hence provides connectivity with this platform to socialize about your cause.
With the help of FundRazr you can raise money for causes like nonprofit fundraising, small businesses and entrepreneurs, healthcare and medical bills, animals and pets and many more.
Talking about their pricing and fee system then they charge 5% of the total amount along with 2.9%+$0.30 as the processing fee. Apart from it, there are no hidden fee or charges. You can sign up for free here and FundRazr also gives you the opportunity to raise funds for free when it is for nonprofit or personal reasons.
The process on FundRazr works just the way other sites like Kickstarter does. You can elaborate about your project/cause and they will reach to you within 48 hours to discuss about the entire details.
7. Crowdfunder
Website: https://www.crowdfunder.com/
Crowdfunder is a type of equity crowdfunding platform and it helps in funding the early stage ventures. The platform is equally helpful for both investors and entrepreneurs as the fundamental way of raising money on this platform is by raising funds in promise of providing shares in your company.
This is what equity funding is all about. It runs a circle of more than 13,000 different entrepreneurs and investors who helps in funding different small businesses and start-ups.
Talking about their pricing plans then they run subscription based pricing plans rather than charging on each funding process. You can sign up for free here but afterwards you would have to buy one of the subscription plan i.e. Starter pack for $299 per month and Premium Pack for $499 per month.
The business module of this crowdfunding website makes it different from other sites like Kickstarter. Some of the types of industries which can be financed through this platform are finance, art, fashion and media, food and beverage, consumer products, healthcare.
8. Fundly
Website: https://fundly.com/
Fundly was launched in 2009 and this platform is used for online fundraising through the medium of crowdfunding. It works the way other sites like Kickstarter does for which you need to sign up first and then fill in all the necessary details regarding your project.
Some of the fields for which Fundly works are medical and health, disaster relief, kids and family, schools and education, charity, creative projects, businesses and many more.
The pricing on Fundly is quite similar to other fundraising sites like Kickstarter where they charge 4.9% on each of the raised amount as platform fee. For the credit card processing, you will be charged 2.9% of the amount and $0.30 on each of your transaction.
You can customize your donation page any time you want. You also get to operate your project through the iOS mobile app of Fundly. You just need to share your cause as much as you can in order to find support from various sources.
9. WeFunder
Website: https://wefunder.com/
WeFunder is a crowdfunding platform which is quite like the rest of the sites like Kickstarter but its main focus remains on startups and online investors. It works through the medium of equity crowdfunding which is helpful for both fund raisers as well as investors.
However, it is different from investing in stock market as it provides better advantages but it also involves some risks too.
The price for using WeFunder is free only when you are joining it to add followers. When you decide to raise funds, you will be charged $195 as fees along with 7% of the total amount raised. But the perk here is that further processing fee is paid by the investors only.
In return of this investment, the investors can own a small stake in the company of the person they are providing funds in.
10. Plumfund
Website: https://www.plumfund.com/
The final pick for Kickstarter type sites is Plumfund which has been working from 10 years in the field of crowdfunding. Although I enlisted it on the last position because it is not that popular as other platforms but I think this is something you should take a look at.
With the help of Plumfund you can get to raise funds for variety of causes and projects like travel, medical and hardships, projects, charities, animal and pets, sports and many more.
What makes Plumfund better than other sites like Kickstarter is the fact that it does not charges any type of platform fee. Yes, you heard it right. Not only platform fee but you are also not supposed to give any other charges too except for the processing fee which is 2.8% + $0.30 on each transaction.
Plumfund is also absolutely safe and secured to use as they do not use any of your personal and payment information for third party use. And this is the platform having the lowest fees amongst the rest of all.
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Conclusion
All these sites like Kickstarter focus on the similar process where they collect funds in form of individual pledges. In fact, they have aggregated billions of funds till date through this constant fundraising process. However, there are some fixed margins and platform charges which are mentioned above in details.
But these small charges are nothing in comparison to the funds aggregated by these platforms. It can really make a difference in someone’s life because when you are starting something new, you definitely need a push to overcome the initial difficulties and these sites are doing amazing in this direction.
