There are many GoFundMe alternatives that satisfy the different needs of crowdfunders, from entrepreneurs to artists.
What are the best GoFundMe alternatives? This is a very important question for any small-business owner or novice entrepreneur who wishes to start a crowdfunding campaign. GoFundMe may have become the most popular crowdfunding app and may have some great generic features, but there are some alternatives that may suit specific needs best.
Crowdfunding has become a popular financing source among digital entrepreneurs in recent years. Crowdfunding is the practice of asking for money to complete a project directly to people on the internet.
GoFundMe is the world’s largest crowdfunding platform but lacks many features new entrepreneurs might want. Let’s look at the top 12 alternatives.
How to choose the best GoFundMe alternative
For small business owners who have recently started looking for GoFundMe alternatives, there are several features to keep in mind when looking at a crowdfunding platform.
First and foremost, the platform must be easy to use, both for donors and receivers. Unintuitive platforms may hamper the success of a campaign, therefore new users should look for the app they feel most comfortable with.
Another thing to look for is cost. Crowdfunding platforms have operating fees and often keep a percentage of the donations. This might draw specific projects, like charity activities, away from expensive platforms.
Some useful features that are not present in GoFundMe are the ability to arrange funding events and manage different donors, both of which are pretty useful for large crowdfunding campaigns.
With all this in mind, let’s look at the 12 best GoFundMe alternatives.
1) Kickstarter
The most successful crowdfunding campaign in history was made on Kickstarter. The videogame Star Citizen, currently in development, raised over $600 million thanks to this platform.
Kickstarter is the best for creative works like films, TV series, or video games. An interesting aspect of Kickstarter is that it releases funds only if projects meet their goals. This has the double advantage of ensuring donors from scams and incentivizing project heads to make the best campaign possible.
In the United States, Kickstarter has a 5% commission plus a 3% + 20 cents payment fee.
2) Patreon
Together with GoFundMe and Kickstarter, Patreon is likely the most famous crowdfunding app in the world. The best feature of Patreon is the different subscription tiers: donors can often decide between different monthly amounts to donate on a project, receiving a specific gift according to the amount donated.
This adds another layer of complexity for receivers, which can create different campaigns for the different tiers.
The pricing system of Patreon involves a 5-8% commission plus a 2.9-3.9% payment fee according to the subscription plan.
3) Fundly
One of the best GoFundMe alternatives that is not so well-known is Fundly because it takes all its good features and adds new ones.
This platform does not require any start-up fee and its campaigns are fully customizable, making it a very versatile app for both big and small projects. Moreover, Fundly has a Facebook integration that helps increase the reach of the campaign.
Fundly charges a 0% fee, relying on donors to remain active. Stripe, its payment system, takes 2.9% + 30 cents for every transaction.
4) Donorbox
Donorbox Crowdfunding is the best solution for non-profit campaigns, especially in the case of churches and other religious institutions.
This platform has a strong focus on the story of the campaigns, allowing full customization of the initial page. Its donor meter shows the progress of the campaigns and how much it’s still missing to achieve the goal.
On Donorbox, crowdfunders are charged a 1.75%-2.95% fee for site management, plus a 0.8%-2.2% payment fee according to the type of crowdfunding campaign and the payment method.
5) Donate Kindly
Probably the easiest platform to use on this list so far, Donate Kindly offers a simple donation form that receivers can fill out with their brand colors. Afterward, this form can be uploaded to the business’ site, allowing for direct communication with donors.
This obviously decreases customization, because the form is pretty much fixed for every user. However, it can be a good alternative while the main crowdfunding campaign is conducted on a more professional platform.
Donate Kindly is completely free and runs only on donations. It has, however, a 2.9% + 30 cents payment fee.
6) Bonfire
For crowdfunders who want personalized t-shirts for their campaigns, Bonfire is the perfect choice.
Bonfire allows total customization of t-shirts and is extremely easy to use. Fundraisers can also ask buyers to add a donation on sales.
Basic users only need to pay for manufacturing and shipping fees. Donations on t-shirts are charged an 8% fee.
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7) Indiegogo
The best choice for online entrepreneurs who decide to start a crowdfunding campaign is Indiegogo. The best part about this site is that it hosts promising projects right before they hit the mainstream. This makes it possible for any project to gather a lot of reach if it’s good enough.
Unfortunately, Indiegogo does not allow crowdfunding campaigns for personal causes, like medical or education expenses.
In the United States, Indiegogo charges a 3% + 20 cents payment fee. This changes for every country and can go up as high as 4.4% (for Japan).
8) Classy
Large non-profits will probably find Classy the best GoFundMe alternative for them. Classy allows the creation of many different microsites for different campaigns, each of them is highly customizable and helps manage large charity budgets.
Classy is a truly professional site. It has a direct connection between site managers and users, outlining the client’s needs and later defining the pricing.
For this reason, Classy does not have a specific pricing plan, and some subscriptions can go as high as $499 per month for very large clients.
9) ArtistShare
Artists in the music industry can use ArtistShare to help kickstart their careers. ArtistShare is reward-based, meaning receivers get a series of services the platform provides besides donations from fans.
Such services include career management, promotion, and project consultation. Musicians cannot directly subscribe to ArtistShare, and can only use it if invited. So far, musicians promoted by ArtistShare have been nominated for a total of 37 Grammy Awards, winning 15.
Similarly to Classy, the pricing of ArtistShare is decided between the platform and the fundraiser.
10) Snowball
Intuitively, Snowball makes a crowdfunding campaign go to the next level, reaching even higher tiers of funding. With Snowball, users can raise money with different types of campaigns, with a specific focus on events and auctions.
Snowball is highly customizable and can satisfy the needs of basically every fundraiser.
The pricing of Snowball shows how it targets professionals. While the Essential plan is free except for a 2.9% + 30 cents payment fee, the premium plans can go up to $999 per year.
11) GiveCampus
The stated mission of GiveCampus is to increase the “quality, affordability, and accessibility to education”, meaning it helps charities to fund educational institutions.
GiveCampus allowed the transfer of $3 billion to colleges and universities since 2015. GiveCampus also has a volunteer management team helping donors connect with fundraisers.
The Basic plan starts at $1,000 per year, but GiveCampus also has an Advanced plan whose price is not disclosed on their site.
12) OneVest
OneVest is one of the best GoFundMe alternative for entrepreneurs with new and exciting startups. This platform connects entrepreneurs seeking funds with investors trying to diversify their portfolios and looking for new business opportunities.
The management team of OneVest also analyses the fundraiser’s business and gives financing advice. It also helps manage the money raised.
The pricing of OneVest is extremely complex and detailed. For starters, it charges an annual fee equal to 0.60% of the value of the managed asset. It also charges management, transactional, and operating fees.
