12 Best Crowdfunding Sites for Smart Fundraising

Crowdfunding helps startups, nonprofits, researchers, and individuals alike raise millions of dollars worldwide every year.

Once you’ve set and defined your project’s fundraising goal, you need to find the best crowdfunding website to serve and support your unique needs. The right fundraising tools can be the difference between a seamless crowdfunding experience and a headache for everyone involved.

The platform selection process can feel overwhelming, so we’ve put together a list of the best crowdfunding sites for nonprofits to guide your decision-making. Discover what each popular platform has to offer.

Best Overall Crowdfunding Site: GoFundMe

GoFundMe is the world’s largest social fundraising platform for individuals, teams, and nonprofits, with a giving community of more than 50 million worldwide.

The popular crowdfunding site is available in 19 countries and counting and has processed more than $5 billion in donations since its start in 2010. With a free sign-up process, hands-on customer support, and donor protection guarantee, GoFundMe proudly celebrates its reputation as a trusted leader in online fundraising.

More Reasons to Love GoFundMe for Crowdfunding

• GoFundMe mobile app to fundraise on the go
• Easy donation withdrawals at any time
• No time limit on campaign length
• “Keep What You Raise” payout model
• Hands-on 24/7 customer support

Fees and Pricing Plans

For individuals and businesses:

• 0% platform fee
• 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee per donation

For charities:

• 0% platform fee
• 2.2% + $0.30 transaction fee per donation

GoFundMe Reviews

• TrustRadius: 8.5/10 stars
• Capterra: 4.4/5 stars
• G2: 3.4/5 stars

Best Crowdfunding Site for Nonprofits: Classy.org

More than 6,000 nonprofits worldwide tell their powerful stories and inspire support for their meaningful causes with conversion-optimized nonprofit crowdfunding campaigns on Classy.

Classy provides the crowdfunding campaign formats and flexibility needed to connect people to the causes they care about through engaging and intuitive giving experiences. The fundraising site is supported by world-class design and engagement tools, helping nonprofit organizations raise more than $5 billion for good since 2010.

More Reasons to Love Classy for Crowdfunding

• Branded donation receipts and emails
• Mobile-optimized campaigns
• Real-time engagement on a campaign activity wall
• Powerful reporting and analytics
• Flexible payment options, including digital wallets, ACH, PayPal, and more
• Thoughtful integrations
• Award-winning KPIs

Fees and Pricing Plans

Classy offers pricing to scale with your nonprofit organization. Learn more about the available custom pricing plans here.

Classy Reviews

• TrustRadius: 8.4/10 stars
• Capterra: 4.3/5 stars
• G2: 4.4/5 stars

Best Crowdfunding Site for Individuals: Fundly

Fundly is simple to use and scalable to any size fundraiser, providing individuals with the tools they need to have a successful campaign.

The donation platform is available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom to help nonprofits bring their stories to life and reach more donors through any fundraiser.

More Reasons to Love Fundly for Crowdfunding

• No startup or hidden fees
• “Keep What You Raise” payout model
• Fundly mobile app to manage campaigns from anywhere
• Easy withdrawals at any time
• Giving-level donor incentives
• Donor heat maps
• Powerful integration with Facebook

Fees and Pricing Plans

• 4.9% platform fee per donation
• 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee per transaction

Fundly Reviews

• Capterra: 3.9/5 stars
• G2: 3/5 stars

  Best Crowdfunding Site for Startups and Small Businesses: Indiegogo

Indiegogo is branded as the platform “where new launches,” which reflects its mission to fund clever, cool innovations and groundbreaking products before they hit mainstream availability.

Indiegogo makes it easier to support entrepreneurs and new technology from its earliest stages of development. Startups and small businesses gain the freedom to choose a fixed or flexible fundraising goal, making it possible to customize their experience to fit their needs.

More Reasons to Love Indiegogo for Crowdfunding

• Expert support and exclusive partnerships
• Pre- and post-campaign tools
• Integrated analytics
• Donor perks options
• Fulfillment and manufacturing support
• Indiegogo mobile app to simplify the fundraising process

Fees and Pricing Plans

• 5% platform fee
• 3% + $0.20 transaction fee

Indiegogo Reviews

• G2: 3.4/5 stars

Best Crowdfunding Site for Creators: Kickstarter 

Kickstarter is on a mission to help bring creative projects to life.

Since its launch in 2009, over 21 million people from every continent have backed a project on Kickstarter. The industry-leading platform leverages a rewards-based model that offers unique incentives to investors to make them feel like they’re getting something in return.

Kickstarter has processed a total donation volume of more than $6.3 billion and built a running tally of over 214,000 successfully funded projects. The platform is well on its way to bridging the gap between creators, backers, and the community.

More Reasons to Love Kickstarter for Crowdfunding

• Only platform fully dedicated to building a community around creative projects
• All-or-nothing payout model to incentivize backers
• Flexible campaign duration of 1-60 days
• Detailed creator resources, including a Creator Handbook

Fees and Pricing Plans

If a project is successfully funded:

• 5% platform fee
• 3% + $0.20 payment processing fee per pledge

If a project does not reach its fundraising goal, no fees are collected.

Kickstarter Reviews

• G2: 3.7/5 stars

Best Crowdfunding Site for Education: DonorsChoose

DonorsChoose makes it easier than ever to connect people to public schools. Over 1.7 million fulfilled classroom project requests shows just how effective the crowdfunding site is in raising money for the tools and materials teachers need to offer a great education.

DonorsChoose helps donors find a classroom project that inspires them. Once the project is fully funded, the DonorsChoose team purchases all required materials and ships them directly to the teacher. Donors even get a thank-you message from the teacher, along with photos and reports of how each dollar has made an impact.

More Reasons to Love DonorsChoose for Crowdfunding

• Detailed project breakdown reports to see where every dollar goes
• Hand-screening process prior to project approval
• Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) giving options
• Highest possible ratings on Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, and Guidestar

Fees and Pricing Plans

• 0% platform fee
• 1.5% payment processing fee

DonorsChoose Reviews

DonorsChoose has not been formally rated or reviewed.

Best Crowdfunding Site for Scientific Research: Experiment.com

Experiment.com helps fund the next wave of scientific research by bringing scientists and the public closer together.

The crowdfunding site is based on a public-funding model, which allows backers to directly support the projects of their choice without any overhead. Experiment.com is open to all scientists—labs, universities, individuals—and offers a free signup process.

More Reasons to Love Experiment.com for Crowdfunding

• All-or-nothing payout model
• Thorough content review and video interview prior to approval
• Free to start a project
• No institution overhead
• Supports projects in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia

Fees and Pricing Plans

If a project is fully funded:

• 8% platform fee
• 3-5% payment processing fee

If a project does not reach its fundraising goal, no fees are collected.

Experiment.com Reviews

Experiment.com has not been formally rated or reviewed.

Additional Crowdfunding Sites to Explore

The best fundraising technology decisions come from a deep understanding of what’s available. We’ve added bonus crowdfunding websites to explore to support a well-rounded selection process.

Great for Individuals: FundRazr

FundRazr is a multi-purpose crowdfunding platform that offers advanced technology for effective organizational and individual fundraising.

Create state-of-the-art, mobile-friendly fundraising campaigns in minutes. Reach more potential donors with the platform’s “one-click” social sharing tool, and ensure a smooth donation experience with up-to-date payment tools like PayPal, Stripe, Apple Pay, and more.

Select from three pricing models, including:

• Free: 0% platform fee + 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
• Standard: 5% platform fee + 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
• Pro: Custom pricing on your terms

There are no setup fees, monthly fees, or contract locks. Users can even assign different pricing models to multiple campaigns for convenience and flexibility.

FundRazr Reviews

• Capterra: 4.6/5 stars
• Trustpilot: 4.4/5 stars
• G2: 4.1/5 stars

Great for Startups and Small Businesses: Fundable

Fundable is dedicated exclusively to helping companies raise capital from investors, customers, and friends. This online fundraising platform has received over $568 million in funding commitments since 2012 with a determination to help great companies find their footing.

Entrepreneurs can create a profile, choose between a reward or equity fundraising campaign, and tell the world about their goals. It’s free to set up and campaign owners can defer payment until they’re ready to launch.

Pricing starts at:

• $179 per month
• No success fees

Fundable Reviews

• Trustpilot: 3.2/5 stars

Great for Creators: Patreon

Patreon is changing the way art is valued. By inviting their most passionate fans to support their creative work, artists can easily continue their craft with the support of this membership platform.

On Patreon, creators let their fans become active participants in their work by offering them a monthly membership. In exchange, supporters gain exclusive access to content, community, and insight into their creative process. This membership model not only helps establish stronger connections with fans, but also provides individuals with the resources they need to fully embrace their talents.

It’s completely free to get started, with only a small monthly fee on earned revenue. Creators have the ability to choose from three different plans, including:

• Lite: Simple tools to set up recurring support from fans for 5% of creators’ monthly income
• Pro: Everything creators need to build a thriving membership for 8% of their monthly income
• Premium: Dedicated coaching, support, and advanced features for 12% of creators’ monthly income

Keep in mind that an industry-standard payment processing rate is also included.

Patreon Reviews

• G2: 4.2/5 stars

Great for Education: AdoptAClassroom.org

AdoptAClassroom.orgis a 501(c)(3) organization designed specifically for teachers. The crowdfunding platform helps fund anything from technology to musical instruments, textbooks, or uniforms. Their mission to advance equity in education has already been supported by over $57 million in donations, which translates to roughly 5.8 million students receiving the tools they need to be successful.

Teachers begin by filling out a detailed online profile with a list of the items they need and why those items are essential to their students. Once donors find a project they’re passionate about, they can donate to a specific classroom, school, or fund. Educators order the items themselves and thank donors with detailed updates on how the money was spent.

When people give to a classroom project, a 15% optional donation to Donors Choose is encouraged. This money funds teacher outreach, provides resources to set first-time teachers up for success, and helps maintain their site.

Additionally, Donors Choose includes the following fees:

• $30 fee for fulfillment labor and materials, per project
• 1.5% payment processing fee

AdoptAClassroom.org Reviews

AdoptAClassroom.org has not been formally rated or reviewed.

Great for Scientific Research: MedStartr

MedStartr is the first medical innovation crowdfunding site for inventors, early adopters, hospital leaders, clinicians, patient activists, and so many other leading minds. Their goal is to not only help medical and healthcare projects, startups, and innovations succeed, but also improve how healthcare works for everyone.

Think of MedStartr like an Accelerator Platform powered by crowds and designed for healthcare. Rather than being funded by accelerators, each project is funded by people that want the innovative product or service for their loved ones, patients, or even themselves.

This crowdfunding site offers both an all-or-nothing payout or a “Keep What You Raise” payout. Open to any healthcare project, like medical devices, drug development, and research, MedStartr brings all the stakeholders in healthcare, both online and off, to drive the growth of new, innovative companies.

The fee structure on this crowdfunding platform includes:

• All-or-nothing payout: 6% platform fee, if fully funded
• “Keep What You Raise” payout: 9% platform fee

Additionally, the average transaction fee is about 3%.

MedStartr Reviews

MedStartr has not been formally rated or reviewed.

Select Your Crowdfunding Site to Get Started 

Whether you’re looking to fund a scientific breakthrough, introduce a new electric vehicle to the world, or provide aid to disaster relief victims, knowing how each unique crowdfunding platform can support your efforts is critical.

Start your selection process by solidifying your fundraising goals, defining your budget, conducting thorough research, and double checking each platform’s fee structure. Dedicating the time upfront to weigh all of your options will set you up for success in the long run.