There is a wide array of crowdfunding platforms, each with its own unique spin on ways to raise funds. Some platforms support charitable or creative campaigns, others reward-based campaigns, while still others support equity-based campaigns or some combination. Moreover, some crowdfunding platforms allow only accredited investors to invest in campaigns, while others are open to all types of investors. Some crowdfunding platforms are designed for companies to raise funds, while others are for individuals looking for donations to help with family emergencies or personal needs.

To help make sense of all the crowdfunding platform options, I have subjected each platform to five criteria.

Projects – Some platforms are designed to help raise funds for the product development of tangible products. Some are designed just for creative projects developed by artists. Still, others are designed strictly to allow people to make donations to help an individual or family deal with personal needs.

Funding – Some platforms have an all-or-nothing funding model where campaign pledges must surpass a target amount or threshold before the campaign charges backers. Others simply share all funds raised with the company or individual, regardless of whether a goal is reached.

Backers – Some platforms cater only to institutional investors, generally considered accredited investors. Others are open to all types of investors.

Types – At their core, crowdfunding platforms support a combination of three types of campaigns: charitable or donation-based, reward-based campaigns, and equity-based campaigns.

Fees – Some platforms take a portion of the money raised as a success fee. Others use a subscription model where companies pay a monthly fee for a set of services offered.

The combination of offerings from the many crowdfunding platforms can be staggering, so it is always recommended that you do your research before choosing a crowdfunding platform for your campaign. Moreover, there are so many platforms out there changing daily that it is impossible to maintain a complete and comprehensive list of everyone. To make the task of listing crowdfunding platforms a bit more manageable, I’ll stick primarily to global or US-based platforms, ignoring the many regional platforms and limiting the list by unique niche platforms.

Popular Crowdfunding Platforms

The following list should help you make some sense of which platforms are best suited for your crowdfunding needs:

Kickstarter

• Projects: Focus on creative projects such as art, music, film, design, and technology. Examples include launching a new board game, producing an independent film, or developing a unique gadget.
• Funding: All-or-nothing model; projects must meet their funding goals to receive funds.
• Backers: Open to all types of investors globally.
• Types: Reward-based campaigns.
• Pros: Large user base, integrated marketing tools, extensive support for project creators.
• Cons: High competition, strict project approval process, some issues with customer support and project delivery.
• Fees: 5% platform fee, plus 3% + $0.20 per pledge for payment processing.

Indiegogo

• Projects: Broad range including creative works, entrepreneurial ventures, tech innovations, and community projects. Examples include developing innovative tech products, artistic endeavors, and social impact initiatives.
• Funding: Fixed funding (all-or-nothing). Note: Indiegogo eliminated flexible (keep-what-you-raise) funding for new campaigns as part of its October 2025 platform upgrade; use stretch goals instead to keep backers engaged.
• Backers: Open to all types of investors.
• Types: Reward-based campaigns.
• Pros: Large, established backer base; in-demand tech products; international reach.
• Cons: Less brand recognition compared to Kickstarter; platform is mid-transition following its 2025 acquisition.
• Fees: 5% platform fee, plus 3% + $0.20 per transaction for payment processing.

Indiegogo was acquired by Gamefound, a Poland-based tabletop crowdfunding platform, in July 2025, and moved to an upgraded, Gamefound-powered platform in October 2025. The site still operates at indiegogo.com under its own name, but ownership, funding tools, and payment processing have changed under the new owner. See Indiegogo’s official acquisition and platform upgrade FAQ for details.

GoFundMe

• Projects: Personal causes, medical expenses, charity. Examples include raising funds for medical treatments, emergency expenses, and community projects.
• Funding: Keep-what-you-raise model; no requirement to meet the goal.
• Backers: Open to all types of donors.
• Types: Charitable or donation-based campaigns.
• Pros: No platform fee, ideal for personal and emergency fundraisers.
• Cons: Not suitable for product or business funding, reliant on personal networks.
• Fees: No platform fee; 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction (2.2% + $0.30 for registered charities).

GoFundMe acquired the following crowdfunding platforms in recent years:

CrowdRise (Acquired in 2017) was designed for nonprofits.

YouCaring (Acquired in 2018) was designed for charitable and personal causes with specific categories for medical, funeral, tuition, adoption, faith-based, pet expenses, and community causes.

GiveForward (Acquired in 2018) was a donation-based platform with specific categories for medical bills, veterinarian bills, and funeral expenses.

Classy (Acquired in 2022) allowed you to create donation websites, fundraising events and ticketing, virtual events, and auctions, with backend donation management and payment processing. As of May 2025, GoFundMe retired the Classy brand name; its functionality now continues under GoFundMe Pro.

Mightycause

• Projects: Nonprofit fundraising, personal causes. Examples include charity campaigns for nonprofits and peer-to-peer fundraising for personal emergencies.
• Funding: Keep-what-you-raise model.
• Backers: Open to all types of donors.
• Types: Charitable or donation-based campaigns.
• Pros: Robust tools for nonprofits, customizable campaigns.
• Cons: Monthly fees can be high, not suitable for commercial projects.
• Fees: $79 (Essential) to $119 (Accelerate) per month. Nonprofits pay no more than 2.2% + $0.29 per transaction when donors decline to cover fees; donors are optionally asked to cover roughly 7.9% (6.9% for subscribers) + $0.30 to fully offset platform and processing costs.

Patreon

• Projects: Ongoing support for creators (artists, podcasters, writers). Examples include monthly support for a podcast series, an online comic strip, or a music album.
• Funding: Subscription model; creators receive monthly payments from patrons.
• Backers: Open to all types of supporters.
• Types: Membership-based campaigns.
• Pros: Reliable monthly income, direct relationship with patrons.
• Cons: Dependent on ongoing patron engagement, high competition among creators.
• Fees: As of August 4, 2025, Patreon moved to a flat 10% platform fee for all new creator pages, replacing the old tiered structure. Creators whose pages were live on or before August 4, 2025 keep the legacy tiered pricing (5% Lite, 8% Pro, 12% Premium) for as long as their page stays published. Payment processing (roughly 2.9% + $0.30 per pledge) applies on top of the platform fee either way.

Source: Patreon’s official pricing and fees policy.

StartEngine

• Projects: Equity crowdfunding for startups. Examples include raising capital for a tech startup or expanding a growing business.
• Funding: Keep-what-you-raise model.
• Backers: Unlike many equity-based funding types, StartEngine is open to both non-accredited and accredited investors. The minimum investment by investors spans $100 to $1,000.
• Types: Equity-based campaigns.
• Pros: Large network of investors, extensive support for legal and financial requirements.
• Cons: Complex application process, high-risk investments.
• Fees: Issuer commission and investor securities fees vary by offering type (Reg CF vs. Reg A+) and have been reported anywhere from roughly 4% to 13% depending on the raise; confirm current rates directly against StartEngine’s issuer fee schedule before quoting a specific number, since it changes by offering.

StartEngine completed its acquisition of SeedInvest in May 2023. SeedInvest is no longer a separate, standalone platform — it has been fully folded into StartEngine, and former SeedInvest investors were migrated into StartEngine accounts. Visitors to seedinvest.com are now redirected to StartEngine’s own SeedInvest transition page. SeedInvest previously served companies with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) already developed and some market traction; that niche is now handled within StartEngine’s own listing process.

iFundWomen

• Projects: Female-led businesses and entrepreneurs. Examples include launching a women-led tech startup or expanding a women-focused service business.
• Funding: Flexible funding model.
• Backers: Open to all types of investors.
• Types: Reward-based and donation-based campaigns.
• Pros: Targeted support for women, coaching, and networking opportunities.
• Cons: Niche market focus, may not suit all types of projects.
• Fees: 5% platform fee, plus payment processing fees.

iFundWomen was acquired by Honeycomb Credit and now operates as “IFW by Honeycomb Credit.” The rewards/donation crowdfunding described above is unchanged, but the platform is now also promoting Honeycomb’s investment-crowdfunding and small business loan products alongside it.

Fundable

• Projects: Startups and small businesses. Examples include raising capital for a new restaurant or a tech product launch.
• Funding: All-or-nothing or flexible funding.
• Backers: Accredited investors.
• Types: Reward-based and equity-based campaigns. NOTE: Transactions do not go through Fundable nor are they facilitated by Fundable. For this reason, equity campaigns are not “all or nothing” fundraisers on Fundable. Ultimately, a company’s agreements with the investor and SEC filings are what determine how much can be raised and how much can be oversubscribed.
• Pros: Support for both reward and equity campaigns, access to accredited investors.
• Cons: Monthly fees can be high, limited to accredited investors.
• Fees: Fundable does not work on a commission based on the amount of money raised for equity-based fundraising. Their fees start at $179 per month to create and manage the fundraiser. For reward-based campaigns, third-party sources cite an additional payment processing fee of roughly 3.5%, though this specific figure is not published directly on Fundable’s own pricing page.

Wefunder

• Projects: Wefunder accepts nearly any type of company, be it a brick-and-mortar restaurant or a high-tech software startup. Wefunder has a help center where you can learn more.
• Funding: Wefunder uses Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), separate LLCs set up for the sole purpose of investing in your company, which aggregate all investors into a single cap table. SPVs use a lead investor with whom you deal in corporate actions; all other investors have no voting rights, making management simple.
• Backers: Anyone can be an investor, but accredited investors will have more options.
• Types: Equity-based and debt-based campaigns.
• Pros: Broad investor base, support for a wide range of businesses.
• Cons: High competition, extensive vetting process.
• Fees: For Reg CF campaigns, Wefunder currently charges a flat 7.9% of the total raise at closing, with no upfront fee, plus an annual administration fee (the lesser of $1,000 or 0.5% of the amount raised). Reg A+ campaigns have been cited at a flat fee of roughly $395K on a $5M raise (about 7.9%), though this figure isn’t confirmed on Wefunder’s current fee page and should be verified directly. Wefunder also charges investors a payment processing fee (roughly 3.5%) for credit card payments.

Source: Wefunder’s help center.

Crowd Supply

• Projects: Hardware and physical products. Examples include crowdfunding for a new electronic gadget or a DIY hardware kit.
• Funding: Keep-what-you-raise model.
• Backers: Open to all types of backers.
• Types: Reward-based campaigns.
• Pros: Specialized support for hardware projects and fulfillment services.
• Cons: Niche focus, high competition within the category.
• Fees: Crowd Supply’s fee structure: a crowdfunding fee typically around 12% of the total pledged during your campaign, plus credit card processing (historically 2.9%, though some third-party sources now cite a higher processing rate). Confirm the exact current processing rate directly on crowdsupply.com before quoting a number.

Fundly (now SignUpGenius Fundraisers)

• Projects: Personal causes and nonprofit fundraising. Examples include medical expenses, education funds, and nonprofit initiatives.
• Funding: Keep-what-you-raise model, run as one campaign for a whole group or as a peer-to-peer drive where each supporter fundraises individually.
• Backers: Open to all types of donors.
• Types: Charitable or donation-based campaigns.
• Pros: Easy campaign setup, strong social media integration, backed by SignUpGenius’s broader fundraising and event tools.
• Cons: The Fundly brand no longer exists as a standalone product, so links and references to “fundly.com” should be updated.
• Fees: Pricing now follows SignUpGenius’s fundraiser plans rather than Fundly’s old 4.9% + 2.9% + $0.30 structure; check signupgenius.com/pricing for current rates.

Fundly was absorbed by SignUpGenius; fundly.com now redirects to signupgenius.com/how-to-use/fundly, which states plainly: “Fundly is now SignUpGenius Fundraisers.” The old Fundly platform no longer operates independently.

CauseVox

• Projects: Nonprofit and social good projects. Examples include charity drives, community projects, and disaster relief.
• Funding: Keep-what-you-raise model.
• Backers: Open to all types of donors.
• Types: Charitable or donation-based campaigns.
• Pros: Customizable campaigns and robust donor management tools; also offers a 0%-platform-fee donor-tipping option (“Tip CauseVox”) on all plans.
• Cons: Monthly fees can be high and limited to nonprofit projects.
• Fees: CauseVox does not charge a commission based on the amount of money raised. It uses a tiered monthly subscription model with paid plans starting around $100/month; see the current pricing page for exact current tiers, as pricing has changed since 2024.

Source: CauseVox’s current pricing page.

FundRazr

• Projects: Personal causes, nonprofits, and business projects. Examples include medical bills, nonprofit campaigns, and startup funding.
• Funding: Keep-what-you-raise model.
• Backers: Open to all types of donors.
• Types: Charitable, reward-based, and business campaigns.
• Pros: Versatile platform, easy to use.
• Cons: Payment processing fees can be high, less brand recognition.
• Fees: FundRazr offers three pricing models ranging from free (optional tips) to a flat 5% platform fee, plus Stripe or PayPal payment processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 for domestic transactions).

EquityNet

• Projects: Startups and growing businesses. Examples include raising equity for a tech startup or expanding a manufacturing business.
• Funding: Equity crowdfunding.
• Backers: Accredited investors.
• Types: Equity-based campaigns.
• Pros: Access to accredited investors and comprehensive support.
• Cons: Limited to accredited investors, complex application process.
• Fees: EquityNet uses a flat-fee model vs. commission, with three subscription tiers: “Starter” is free, “Premium DIY” costs $299 per month, and “Full Service” costs $2,990 per month.

Republic.co

• Projects: Startups, real estate, and crypto/tokenized-asset projects. Examples include early-stage tech startups, real estate developments, and blockchain initiatives.
• Funding: Equity crowdfunding.
• Backers: Accredited and nonaccredited investors.
• Types: Equity-based campaigns.
• Pros: Diverse investment options and strong support for startups; has expanded into tokenized assets and a broker-dealer arm (Republic Capital).
• Cons: High competition and regulatory requirements.
• Fees: Republic takes a success-based commission at the end of a campaign: 7% of the money raised in cash and 2% (Crowd SAFE) of the securities issued. Investors also pay a roughly 2.5% admin fee (minimum $5, maximum $250) not previously noted here.

MicroVentures

• Projects: MicroVentures is best suited for early-stage emerging companies looking for seed money, typically raising between $150,000 and $1 million. They support technology, consumer products and services, healthcare, media and entertainment, and telecommunications projects, and accept a small fraction of companies who apply.
• Funding: MicroVentures is the only major equity crowdfunding site that is a broker-dealer registered by FINRA. MicroVentures may legally sell shares of companies on its own; competing platforms require a third-party middleman to sell shares.
• Backers: Backers can be sophisticated non-accredited investors, accredited investors, and institutional investors who want to invest in startups or purchase shares of private investment funds.
• Types: Equity-based campaigns.
• Pros: Access to high-growth potential startups, strong vetting process.
• Cons: High-risk investments; fee structure varies by offering type.
• Fees: Per MicroVentures’ current Customer Relationship Summary, Reg CF and Reg A offerings now carry $0 fee to investors, with issuer-side costs (audit review, filing fees, closing costs) varying by raise. Reg D placement fees vary by offering; contact MicroVentures directly for current terms rather than relying on older flat-percentage figures.

Source: MicroVentures’ Customer Relationship Summary.

CrowdStreet

• Projects: Real estate and other private-market investments. Examples include commercial real estate developments, private credit, private equity, and venture capital funds.
• Funding: Equity and fund-based investing.
• Backers: Accredited investors.
• Types: Equity-based campaigns.
• Pros: Broad access to private-market opportunities, transparent review process.
• Cons: Only for accredited investors, complex investment process; see the disclosure below.
• Fees: Fees vary by offering and investment type: generally no direct fee for marketplace deals, 0.25%–2.5% for Managed Accounts, plus sponsor fees (roughly 2–5%) that vary by deal.

Important disclosure: In 2023, roughly $63 million in investor funds tied to two CrowdStreet-listed deals with partner company Nightingale Properties went missing after the equity bypassed escrow and was diverted into accounts controlled by Nightingale’s CEO, Elie Schwartz. Schwartz pleaded guilty and was sentenced in May 2025 to 87 months in federal prison, with $45.8 million in restitution ordered; as of the sentencing, only a fraction of investor funds had been recovered. CrowdStreet made third-party escrow mandatory on all new deals starting in June 2023 in response. Read the full account: Nightingale Properties CEO Gets Hefty Sentence for CrowdStreet Fraud (Propmodo).

Other Real Estate Specialized Crowdfunding Platforms

Here are five real estate crowdfunding platforms, each offering unique investment opportunities:

1. Fundrise – Accessible to both accredited and non-accredited investors, Fundrise allows individuals to invest in a variety of real estate, private credit, and venture assets, with a very low minimum investment requirement.
2. RealtyMogul – This platform provides opportunities to invest in diversified real estate portfolios that include both commercial and residential properties, and is designed to be accessible for both accredited and non-accredited investors. RealtyMogul was acquired by The Wideman Company in November 2025 and, as of mid-2026, new subscriptions were paused on at least some of its REIT offerings — confirm current availability before referring investors.
3. EquityMultiple – Focused on accredited investors, EquityMultiple offers a range of investment opportunities, including equity, preferred equity, and syndicated debt in real estate projects.
4. AcreTrader – Specializes in farmland investments, AcreTrader is available only to accredited investors and allows them to earn returns through land appreciation and annual rent payments from farmers. AcreTrader was acquired by Proterra in August 2025 and continues operating under the AcreTrader brand, with a stated intent to eventually open the platform to non-accredited investors.
5. DiversyFund – DiversyFund’s original $500-minimum product open to all investors has closed to new investors. The platform has pivoted to an accredited-investor-only “Distressed Income Fund” with a $100K–$1M minimum. Its earlier REITs have shown signs of financial distress, and litigation against related entities and executives (filed in 2022) remains active. Anyone considering DiversyFund should review its current disclosures carefully rather than assume the “open to all investors” description still applies.

Note on PeerStreet: PeerStreet, previously listed here as a real estate debt-investment platform for accredited investors, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2023 and is no longer an active investment platform. It has been removed from this list; a court-approved wind-down process has been liquidating remaining loans since 2023.

Conclusion

In summary, the crowdfunding landscape offers a diverse array of platforms tailored to various types of projects, funding models, and investor requirements. Platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo (now under Gamefound ownership) cater primarily to creative and entrepreneurial ventures, while GoFundMe and Mightycause focus on personal and nonprofit fundraising needs. For ongoing creator support, Patreon provides a subscription-based model, now built around a flat platform fee for new creators, enabling artists and content creators to maintain a steady income.

Equity crowdfunding platforms such as StartEngine (which fully absorbed SeedInvest in 2023), Wefunder, and the UK/Europe-based Crowdcube offer opportunities for startups to raise capital from both accredited and nonaccredited investors, with each platform presenting unique benefits and challenges. For hardware and physical products, Crowd Supply offers specialized support, while SignUpGenius Fundraisers (formerly Fundly) and CauseVox provide versatile options for personal and nonprofit campaigns.

Understanding the specific features, advantages, and fees associated with each platform is crucial for selecting the most suitable crowdfunding option. By leveraging the strengths of these platforms, creators, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits can effectively raise the funds needed to bring their projects and initiatives to life.

Which crowdfunding platform is right for your next fundraising campaign?

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