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Rates checked November 6, 2026. Examples use USD and US standard pricing, one successful payment per contribution, no Kickstarter pledges below $10, and no optional services, taxes, currency conversion, refunds, or failed payments. Other countries and campaign types can have different terms.

Kickstarter vs Indiegogo vs GoFundMe at a Glance

A fee comparison is useful only when the campaign itself fits the platform. A donor helping a family cover urgent costs has different expectations from a backer funding a new board game or product.

Sources: Kickstarter US fees, Indiegogo fees, and GoFundMe pricing. The GoFundMe row does not use certified charity or GoFundMe Pro pricing.

Rewards vs Donations Comes Before Fees

Kickstarter and Indiegogo support campaigns where people back an idea and often select a reward. The campaign must explain what is being created, what remains to be done, and how the creator plans to deliver. Manufacturing, printing, shipping, customer support, and replacements may all affect the amount available to complete the work.

GoFundMe primarily serves donation fundraising. Its lower fee does not automatically make it the best checkout for a commercial reward campaign. Supporters need to understand whether they are donating to a cause or supporting the production of something they expect to receive.

Kickstarter's project rules require a plan to create something new and share it with others. A general request for personal financial help is a different proposition. GoFundMe explains donation and other models in its crowdfunding overview.

For a medical fundraiser, emergency appeal, or community support effort, evaluate donation platforms first. For a new game, film, book, or eligible product, compare reward platforms and the full delivery budget. If you are seeking investment or a loan, this three-platform reward and donation comparison is not a pricing guide for those funding models.

What Kickstarter Charges in 2026

Kickstarter's official fee guidance separates its platform charge from payment processing. Fees are collected when a project funds successfully; an unsuccessful project does not pay those campaign fees.

The US schedule lists standard processing of 3% plus $0.30 per pledge. Pledges below $10 use a processing rate of 5% plus $0.08 per pledge instead. The platform fee remains a separate cost, so a campaign with many small pledges needs a separate calculation rather than a flat 8% assumption.

For standard US pledges, estimate fees as 0.08 times collected funds plus $0.30 times the number of successful pledges. Use collected funds rather than the headline pledged total when estimating the amount you will receive. Failed payments reduce the cash available to deliver the project.

Kickstarter's Pledge Manager can generate further charges on money collected after the campaign. Its official help page says the platform fee excludes taxes there, while processing applies to the full payment including taxes. Include those later collections in the budget rather than treating the first payout as the entire cost.

What Indiegogo Charges in 2026

Indiegogo's current fee page, updated October 13, 2026, lists a 5% platform fee and processing of 3% plus 0.20 in the project currency per transaction. For USD, that fixed amount is $0.20. Its standard crowdfunding example says no campaign or processing fees apply if the project misses its goal.

In the standard US example used here, the fee difference from Kickstarter is $0.10 per payment. At 1,000 payments, that is $100. A larger or smaller audience changes the dollar difference; the campaign total alone does not determine it.

Indiegogo also publishes charges for its pledge manager. Budget for later payments using the applicable terms and avoid applying the campaign commission twice to the same payment. If you use installments, confirm how many chargeable payments your configuration creates rather than assuming that each supporter generates exactly one transaction.

Flexible Funding Ended but Express Is a Separate Mode

Indiegogo's platform upgrade guidance says Flexible Funding was discontinued for new campaigns after the October 16, 2025 migration. Calling Indiegogo the default keep-what-you-raise alternative to Kickstarter is outdated.

However, saying every Indiegogo offer works identically would also be inaccurate. Its Express Crowdfunding documentation describes a separate mode with no campaign goal, payments at checkout, immediate address and shipping collection, and payouts during the campaign after required onboarding. It is intended for products ready or close to fulfillment that do not depend on reaching a goal to deliver.

Express is not the old Flexible Funding option. Creators planning a manufacturing run that depends on a minimum budget should evaluate regular crowdfunding. If you need an Express or preorder setup, confirm its current commercial terms before applying the regular-campaign estimate.

What GoFundMe Charges in 2026

GoFundMe's pricing page lists no fee to start or manage a fundraiser. Standard US personal or business donations have a transaction fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 each, automatically deducted from the donation.

A zero platform fee therefore does not mean the fundraiser receives the entire donation. The effective percentage also rises when the average gift gets smaller, because the fixed charge applies to every donation.

GoFundMe lists separate US certified charity pricing of 2.2% plus $0.30 per donation and says GoFundMe Pro pricing differs. Do not apply the charity rate to a personal fundraiser simply because it supports a worthwhile cause.

Optional Tips and Recurring Donations

GoFundMe's fee help page distinguishes the recipient's transaction fee from optional donor contributions to the platform. A donor's optional tip supports GoFundMe; it is not additional money for the beneficiary.

The same help page says recurring donors pay a 5% fee per donation for that feature. The worked examples in this article use one-time donations and exclude that donor-paid charge. When comparing donor experience, explain both what the recipient receives and what the donor may pay.

How Much Will GoFundMe Take From $100,000?

For a standard US personal fundraiser, the calculation is 2.9% of the collected amount plus $0.30 for each successful donation. If $100,000 comes from 1,000 donations of $100, the percentage component is $2,900 and the fixed charges total $300. The estimated fee is $3,200, leaving $96,800 before any other applicable adjustments.

That answer changes with the number of donations:

These are calculations from the published US personal-fundraiser rate, not payout guarantees. The fundraiser type and country must match the rate being used. Optional tips are excluded from the amount collected for the beneficiary.

What Each Platform Costs on the Same Amount Collected

This comparison holds the average contribution at $100. It illustrates transaction fees, not the cost of creating and delivering a reward. All Kickstarter pledges in these examples are above its micropledge threshold.

The small standard fee difference between Kickstarter and Indiegogo should be weighed against campaign fit, eligible countries, payment options, and your ability to reach likely backers. Even a modest difference in marketing cost or conversion can outweigh $100 on a $100,000 campaign. That is a planning observation, not a promise that either platform will produce better results.

Which Crowdfunding Platform Has the Lowest Fees?

Among these three, GoFundMe has the lowest listed standard fee for a US personal donation fundraiser under the assumptions above. Indiegogo is slightly cheaper than Kickstarter for the standard US reward-campaign payments modeled here.

This does not establish the cheapest platform worldwide. Different countries, payment methods, donation products, nonprofit eligibility, and optional tools can change the result. Compare the full recipient deduction and any donor-paid charges, not just the platform fee in a headline.

If a service advertises free fundraising, check whether it still charges payment processing, requires a subscription, relies on optional donor contributions, or only serves verified nonprofits. Eligibility can remove an apparently cheaper option from your shortlist.

Is Kickstarter Better Than GoFundMe?

Kickstarter is a more appropriate candidate when you have an eligible creative project with a defined outcome and a plan to deliver. GoFundMe is a more appropriate candidate when supporters are giving to a personal need or cause and do not expect a product in return.

Consider two hypothetical cases. A designer needs a minimum production run to manufacture a new tabletop accessory. A reward campaign can explain the prototype, minimum funding requirement, reward tiers, and delivery plan. A family raising funds for emergency expenses needs clear donation messaging and access to funds without a requirement to reach a campaign target. These are different fundraising jobs, even if both need $20,000.

GoFundMe confirms that reaching the fundraising target is not required to transfer funds, subject to its transfer requirements. The target still needs to reflect the amount required after fees.

Compare Success Rates With Care

A platform's historical funding success rate is not your probability of success. Category mix, campaign screening, goal size, time period, and the definition of success all affect a published percentage.

A successful all-or-nothing campaign reaches its goal. A donation fundraiser may receive and use money without reaching its displayed target. Comparing those outcomes as though they were the same metric can mislead readers.

Do not choose between Kickstarter and Indiegogo using an unsourced percentage from a comparison article. Use comparable, dated platform data if available, and assess your own audience, reward margin, and minimum viable budget. A rewards launch also needs an audience plan; ScaleUp Lab's pre-launch marketing guide explains that preparation.

Are Fundraising Sites Free and Global?

International donations and international organizer eligibility are different questions. A service may accept donations from abroad while only supporting fundraisers with qualifying identity, address, and bank information in certain countries.

GoFundMe's supported-country page currently lists 20 countries for receiving funds directly. An organizer must meet that country's requirements. Its unsupported-country guidance explains that an eligible organizer raising for someone elsewhere must receive and deliver the money and disclose a transparent transfer plan.

Before comparing fees internationally, confirm organizer eligibility, settlement currency, identity checks, supported bank accounts, and potential transfer or conversion costs. A US fee estimate is not a quote for every country.

Build a Budget Around What You Need to Keep

Start with the net amount needed for the purpose of the campaign. Then add the applicable fees and other costs. For a reward project, include creative production, audience building, manufacturing or printing, packaging, freight, fulfillment, customer support, and contingency. For a donation appeal, account for the costs of the need being funded and any necessary transfer arrangements.

A useful estimate is: net receipts equal collected funds minus percentage fees minus fixed charges per successful payment. With a known payment count, you can reverse the calculation: required collections equal net cash needed plus fixed charges, divided by one minus the combined percentage fee. Recalculate if contribution size or the payment mix changes.

Run a cautious collection scenario as well as a fully collected scenario. Refunds, declined payments, installments, and payout timing can affect cash availability. Money shown on a campaign page is not necessarily cash ready to pay a supplier.

For a deeper comparison of reward platforms, read ScaleUp Lab's Kickstarter vs Indiegogo guide. Use the current official schedules linked above when finalizing numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Choose the Platform That Fits Your Campaign

Use GoFundMe's donation model for an eligible cause when it fits supporters' expectations. For a defined creative project or product launch, compare Kickstarter and Indiegogo using your audience, campaign mode, and delivery budget. Talk to ScaleUp Lab to review platform fit and campaign economics before setting your funding goal.

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