10 Best Crowdfunding Websites for Smart Fundraising

Crowdfunding helps startups, nonprofits, researchers, and individuals raise millions yearly.

Once you’ve set and defined your project’s fundraising goal, it’s time to look for the right fundraising platform to rally your community, source collective impact, and support your unique needs. The right tools can make the difference between a seamless giving experience and a headache for everyone involved.

Understanding that the crowdfunding platform selection process can feel overwhelming in its early stages, we’ve compiled a list of the top crowdfunding sites with the best success rates to guide your decision-making. Regardless of what types of crowdfunding your organization pursues, you’ll come away with a better understanding of each platform’s offerings.

Best overall crowdfunding website: GoFundMe

GoFundMe is the trusted leader in online fundraising, connecting more than 150 million people and organizations through its mission of helping people help each other. The popular crowdfunding site is available in 20 countries and counting. 

Since 2010, GoFundMe has enabled more than $30 billion of generosity for individuals and nonprofits. With no fee to sign up or start a fundraiser, hands-on customer support, and the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee, GoFundMe is the platform for individuals and organizations alike to mobilize global support.

More reasons to love GoFundMe for crowdfunding 

• Easy fundraising for individuals or charities in just a few steps
• A platform trusted by over 150 million people that raises $50 million weekly
• Everything you need to succeed, including the ability to share updates, thank donors, and perform daily transfers to your bank account
• Easy donation transfers at any time 
• No time limit on fundraiser length 
• “Keep what you raise” payout model, enabling fundraisers to start receiving their money before reaching their total fundraising goal 
• A dedicated support team is available around the clock to ensure global coverage

Fees and pricing plans

For individuals and businesses: 

• $0 platform fee to create a fundraiser 
• 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee per donation

For charities: 

• $0 platform fee to start or manage a fundraiser 
• 2.2% + $0.30 transaction fee per donation

Safe and secure fundraising is GoFundMe’s top priority. That’s why the platform partners with industry-leading payment processors to handle donations. The only fee deducted is the standard transaction fee, which ensures secure fund delivery and covers processing costs.

GoFundMe’s pricing breakdown

Best crowdfunding website for nonprofits: Classy from GoFundMe

Classy from GoFundMe empowers thousands of the world’s top nonprofits to share their stories and activate support with customizable, conversion-optimized nonprofit crowdfunding campaigns.

Our suite, powered by Classy Studio, provides the flexible crowdfunding tools needed to connect people to the causes they care about most through community-driven, intuitive giving experiences. What’s even better is that Studio allows nonprofits to incorporate these capabilities into any campaign they build to engage their community with social proof, fuel connection, drive urgency, and reach their goals more efficiently. 

More reasons to love Classy for crowdfunding

• Customizable, mobile-optimized crowdfunding websites that allow you to keep your story at the forefront with built-in accessibility features
• Branded, tailored progress bars to reflect your organization and add to thank-you pages to encourage sharing
• First-of-their-kind social media sharing tools for nonprofits
• Ability to highlight the impact of sponsor matching and set 2–4x multipliers and qualifying minimums to encourage higher donation amounts
• Powerful nonprofit reporting software that helps glean practical data and intelligence from beginning to end
• Our nonprofit payment solution, Classy Pay, makes it easy to accept payments through flexible and trusted options such as digital wallets, ACH, Venmo, PayPal, and others
• Thoughtful integrations and award-winning APIs to unite your giving
• Safe environment for donor data with Level 1 PCI compliance and SSL security, built on Amazon Web Services
• Machine learning tools that deliver personalized ask amounts to every donor who visits your donation forms
• Campaign activity wall to encourage real-time engagement where donors and nonprofits can like and comment on contributions in the feed
• As a true global giving platform, international audiences can automatically see their local currency reflected across the donation page, including elements like impact tiles and activity feeds, to inspire and engage wider audiences

Fees and pricing plans

Explore Classy’s suite of digital fundraising tools to determine which package and pricing plan best suits your nonprofit’s performance and scalability demands.

Best crowdfunding website for individuals: Fundly

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

The donation platform is available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the U.K. to help nonprofits reach more donors.

More reasons to love Fundly for crowdfunding

• No startup fees
• Fundly mobile app to manage campaigns from anywhere
• Easy withdrawals at any time
• Built-in custom T-shirt selling feature
• Donor heat maps
• Powerful integration with Facebook

Fees and pricing plans

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

Best crowdfunding website for startups and small businesses: Indiegogo

Indiegogo prides itself on “giving entrepreneurs everywhere a platform to launch new and groundbreaking products.”

The platform provides a space to support people with innovative business ideas and new technology from the earliest stages of development. Startups and small businesses can choose a fixed or flexible funding goal, making it possible to customize experiences as needed.

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

Best crowdfunding website for creators: Kickstarter 

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

Since its launch in 2009, over 24 million people from every continent have backed a project on Kickstarter. The platform leverages a rewards-based model that offers unique incentives to potential investors to make them feel like they get something in return.

Kickstarter has processed a total donation volume of over $8.3 billion and has tallied over 265,000 successfully funded projects. The platform helps bridge the gap between creators, backers, and their communities.

More reasons to love Kickstarter for crowdfunding

• 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 reaches its fundraising goal:

• 5% platform fee
• 3% + $0.30 payment processing fee per pledge of $10 or more
• 5% + $0.08 payment processing fee per pledge under $10

If a project doesn’t reach its fundraising goal, the creator pays no fees.

Best crowdfunding website for raising funds from investors: StartEngine

StartEngine is a platform that helps early-stage startups find accredited investors at every step of the process. Advised by Kevin O’Leary of “Shark Tank,” inventors and founders can apply for guidance in crafting their stories, preparing legal documents, and launching a funding round.

The platform supports companies in raising capital by exchanging capital for equity or debt from the general public. If you’re interested in becoming an investor, you can also use the platform to seek opportunities to fund startups.

More reasons to love StartEngine for crowdfunding

• Ability to raise up to $5 million annually 
• Straightforward launch in 4–6 weeks
• Dedicated team to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, set up campaign pages, market your raise, and disburse funds

Fees and pricing plans

• For investors: Securities fees up to 3.5% based on the dollar amount of securities purchased in each investment
• For startups: You’ll establish your funding terms at the outset to reach your maximum raise and collaborate with an outside certified public accountant if applicable

Additional crowdfunding websites to explore

The most effective fundraising efforts come from a deep understanding of the available technology. We’ve added bonus crowdfunding websites to explore to support a well-rounded selection process and discover the best option for you.

Great for individuals: FundRazr

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

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.

Fees and pricing plans

• 0% platform fee + 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing fees per transaction
• Zero setup fees, monthly subscription fees, or contracts 

For convenience and flexibility, users can assign different pricing models to multiple campaigns.

Great for startups and small businesses: Fundable

Fundable is an equity crowdfunding platform that helps companies raise capital from investors, customers, and friends. This online fundraising platform has received over $700 million in funding commitments with a determination to help great companies succeed.

Entrepreneurs can select between a self-managed fundraising campaign, where Fundable offers a platform for them to post their pitch and promote the effort, or a guided fundraising campaign, where the Fundable team creates a pitch deck for you, researches prospective investors, and supports you throughout the process.

Fees and pricing plans

• Free to set up a profile prior to launch
• Starts at $179 per month to fundraise

Great for creators: Patreon

Patreon provides a way for creatives to invite fans to support their work through monthly memberships. In exchange, supporters gain exclusive access to content, community, and insight into the artist’s creative process. 

This membership model helps establish stronger connections with fans and gives individuals the resources they need to fully embrace their talents.

Fees and pricing plans

It’s free to get started, but there’s a small monthly fee on earned revenue. Creators have the ability to choose from two plans:

• Pro: Everything needed to build a thriving membership for 8% of a creator’s monthly income
• Premium: Dedicated coaching, support, and advanced features for 12% of a creator’s monthly income

Payment processing fees vary depending on the payment amount and method. These range from 2.9% to 6%, in addition to a flat fee of $0.10 to $0.30 per transaction.

Great for growing an existing business: Wefunder

Wefunder is a crowdfunding site where startups can raise capital by connecting with investors seeking small equity stakes. To date, Wefunder has helped more than 3,500 founders raise over $800 million.

Fees and pricing plans

The fee structure on this crowdfunding platform includes:

• No upfront fees
• 7.9% on the total raised if successful 

Crowdfunding FAQs

What are the success rates of crowdfunding campaigns?

Crowdfunding success rates vary based on topics, marketing efforts, and more. On Kickstarter, about 41.7% of campaigns get fully funded. Meanwhile, Fundable has found that if an organization can meet 30% of its goal within the first week, it’s more likely to succeed. Additional data sources suggest that, as a whole, 23.9% of crowdfunding campaigns meet their goals.

Given these varying success rates, nonprofits can increase their odds with mobile-ready, customizable crowdfunding pages that connect donors to a meaningful story. By building an emotional connection, these pages inspire immediate action, empowering organizations to capture momentum and achieve their goals. Crowdfunding’s accessible format allows nonprofits to expand their reach, turning supporters into active participants in their mission.

Here are a few success stories from nonprofits using Classy to achieve their crowdfunding goals: 

• Classy’s crowdfunding campaigns have an average conversion rate of 20%
• To Write Love On Her Arms saved 5–6 hours developing a campaign with Classy Studio
• Atlanta Habitat for Humanity had an average donation of $670 and exceeded a $100,000 goal with a single crowdfunding campaign

4 examples of successful crowdfunding campaigns

What’s the best crowdfunding site?

The best crowdfunding site depends on what you hope to raise money for, the scale you want to achieve, and your unique goals. The answer will differ for nonprofits versus organizations like startups, schools, or scientists. 

This list of the best crowdfunding sites for smart fundraising is a great place to begin your search and start to think about which features matter most to you. If you’re a nonprofit, see how Classy’s crowdfunding websites can support your impactful goals.

What are the advantages of crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding can facilitate everything from personal fundraising and venture capital to financial support for business owners in early-stage startups with a new product. 

Most importantly, crowdfunding puts your cause in the spotlight and gives you the opportunity to tell your story in a way that activates new and existing supporters to take action. Whether looking to power giving days, collect recurring donations, or support a timely need, crowdfunding gives your donors a choice to become a part of your mission. 

Wonderful crowdfunding use cases include:

• Creating an easy-to-share social media giving campaign 
• Sharing a link to feature on podcasts or in livestreams
• Providing organizations or corporate sponsors with a simple way to collect donations among employees
• Calling on supporters in the wake of crisis and high demand for help
• Raising awareness and funding for a specific project 

How does crowdfunding work?

The potential of crowdfunding relies on the experience supporters have when engaging with your campaign. That’s why crowdfunding sites should be evergreen, with microsites that bring your story to life through videos, images, and clean copywriting. 

Crowdfunding sites also give donors the power to select how much they’d like to contribute with a clear picture of what different gift sizes mean for your work. From there, they can access an online donation form and complete the transaction with a few clicks.

How do you set up a crowdfunding site?

The key to a successful crowdfunding site is offering the best user experience. Think about how someone who’s never heard of your organization will navigate the fundraising page at every step. 

Consider these steps for an excellent donor experience:

• Greeting new supporters with your brand and a relatable story 
• Hooking them with visuals and words that explain the importance of giving
• Showing the impact of a donation clearly (for example, $50 feeds three families this month)
• Including a clear call-to-action button that people can’t help but click
• Offering a donation form with minimal fields and helpful instructions
• Offering payment methods people trust, from credit cards to PayPal and Venmo
• Wrapping it up with a thank-you email that celebrates their decision to donate

Can you use more than one crowdfunding site?

That decision is up to you. However, remember the importance of delivering a consistent experience and streamlining your reporting to maintain clean data. Some may be able to do that through multiple platforms, but we recommend simplifying your back-end management and ensuring a consistent experience for your donors by keeping everything on one site. 

Select the best crowdfunding site for your goals to raise key funds 

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

Start your selection process by solidifying your fundraising goals, defining a budget, conducting thorough research on each site’s functionality, and doing your due diligence to confirm each donation platform’s track record and fee structure. 

Dedicating the time upfront to weigh your options will set you up for success in the long run. If you’re ready to learn more about how Classy’s fundraising platform can support your next campaign with impactful storytelling, progress tracking, sponsor matching, and more, request a demo from our team today.

Copy Editor: Ayanna Julien