Last updated on July 24th, 2023
If you’re a product creator looking for a great way to fund and validate your products, you’ve come to the right place. Did you know that you can get both funding and validation from just 1 platform? Enter: crowdfunding.
As a crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter is very popular and loved. Nevertheless, there are other Kickstarter alternatives you should consider - each with its industry specification, audience, and benefits.
Want to find out which platform will work best for your product? This Kickstarter alternatives guide will explain everything you need to know about alternatives to Kickstarter as well as 8 Kickstarter competitors.
Keep on reading through to learn about the pros and cons of many product funding and validation platforms.
Before jumping into Kickstarter alternatives, let’s learn all about Kickstarter itself. So, what is Kickstarter? Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform that helps product creators generate funding to launch their creations.
Kickstarter is best for creative projects such as design, art, fashion, games, technology, and more.
If you’ve never heard of crowdfunding platforms, you should definitely take note. From all the different ways of raising funds for your startup (e.g., angel investors, VCs, grants, etc.), crowdfunding is the one that can help you kill 2 birds with 1 stone. But how?
As the name suggests, crowdfunding means generating funding from a crowd. In this case, instead of taking on 2-3 investors with big investments, you take on hundreds or thousands of investors for a smaller price.
When a user backs your product, they will be paying for a perk, which is most often the product itself. In other words, you’re pre-selling your products to future users of your product. In doing so, you are also validating your audience’s willingness to pay as well as demand for your product.
Since Kickstarter is one of the most popular crowdfunding platforms, let’s check out the pros and cons of using Kickstarter for businesses.
If you’re going to use Kickstarter for your crowdfunding campaign, consider the following advantages of Kickstarter.
When it comes to the cons of using Kickstarter for your business, here’s what you need to know:
Now that you know a bit about Kickstarter let’s dive deeper and talk about the 8 best Kickstarter alternatives.
Indiegogo is one of the 2 household names that best represent crowdfunding. The other one is Kickstarter, so if you are looking for the best alternatives to Kickstarter, listen up.
Indiegogo is best for technology, fitness, home improvement, and outdoor products. It is similar to Kickstarter in essence, but it has a slightly different target audience and capabilities.
Let’s check out the pros and cons of using Indiegogo for your funding and product validation campaign.
Indiegogo has helped in bringing over 800K successful projects into the market. So, it must be good, right? Let’s see what advantages you get with Indiegogo.
Now that you know the benefits of using Indiegogo let’s look at its disadvantages.
Crowdfunder is a website like Kickstarter, but it has many different features. Unlike Kickstarter, Crowdfunder allows you to run non-profit and personal cause campaigns. In general, it offers the most simple crowdfunding features.
Although you can run charitable campaigns, Crowdfunder is more targeted at startups and entrepreneurs.
Let’s check out the pros and cons of Crowdfunder and see if it’s the right platform for your product.
If your business targets the niche UK audience of Crowdfunder, here are some benefits you can get from running your campaign on this platform.
We covered the good parts of Crowdfunder. Now let’s talk about the bad.
Next on our list of companies like Kickstarter is SeedInvest. With an investor base of over 700K, this is a great platform for startups and small businesses.
SeedInvest is best for seed-stage startups looking to get their idea off the ground, but you’ll have to pass a screening process to get in. Let’s check out the pros and cons of using SeedInvest to see if it’s the right platform for you.
When it comes to the benefits of SeedInvest, here are the 3 pros you need to know.
Similar to SeedInvest, WeFunder is also a platform for startups where you can raise funding from investors. Plus, all investors invest in one fund, making the logistics of fundraising much easier.
The company launched in 2012, and they claim to be the first movers in the market. They created this investor-to-funder crowdfunding idea. Let’s see what the pros and cons of WeFunder are.
If you have a startup and want to raise money from investors, consider these benefits of WeFunder.
Now, let’s talk about the drawbacks of WeFunder as a high-level crowdfunding platform.
Similar to WeFunder and SeedInvest, StartEngine is an investor-based equity crowdfunding platform. It’s a mix between traditional crowdfunding and funding through VCs or investors.
As one of our Kickstarter alternatives, StartEngine is a great investment opportunity for backers, but it’s also a great platform for startups. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of StartEngine.
If you’re still unsure if StartEngine is the right platform for your project, consider these benefits.
If you’re considering applying to StartEngine and raising funding for your startup, take note of these drawbacks of the platform.
Pozible is another one of the Kickstarter alternatives you should keep in mind when crowdfunding. It is an Australia-based platform that is similar to Kickstarter in its fixed funding options (all-or-nothing).
Pozible is best for artists and Australian community causes. It supports projects across 15 different categories - from music to tech. Want to know if this is the right crowdfunding platform for you?
Let’s check out the pros and cons of the 6th platform on our Kickstarter alternatives list.
If you fit into the categories of Pozible and need a little more info, consider these benefits.
Now that you know the benefits of this Kickstarter alternative check out its disadvantages to make an educated decision.
The penultimate platform on our list of Kickstarter alternatives is Fundable. It is a very flexible crowdfunding platform that allows 2 forms of raising funds. You can use a rewards-based format just like Kickstarter and other Kickstarter alternatives, or you can choose to run an equity-based campaign - selling shares in your company instead of rewards.
Fundable is best for small businesses. If you want to open a local brewery or launch an online store for handmade products, Fundable can be the one for you.
Let’s check out Fundable’s pros and cons to see if it’s a good match.
If you’re still deciding between platforms, consider these 3 Fundable benefits.
Now that you know the advantages of the platform let’s see where Fundable is slacking.
Last but not least, let’s talk about Prelaunch.com. This platform is at the end of our Kickstarter alternatives list because it is not a direct alternative. Instead, it is an idea validation platform you simply need to succeed.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter which platform you use as a Kickstarter alternative, and you must use an idea validation platform like Prelaunch.com before launching your product on any crowdfunding platform.
Before you start raising funding for your invention, you need to make it a worthwhile product for its users. This is where startup validation tools come into play. If you don’t know how to validate a startup idea, you can leave it to the experts at Prelaunch.com to be your guides.
With Prelaunch.com, you can test out your market and make sure that your product will succeed before launching. You’ll find out if there is demand for your product, what your customers are willing to pay for it, along with other valuable customer insights.
Startup idea validation is as crucial as it gets, so let’s check out the pros and cons of Prelaunch.com to see if it’s a good fit for you.
Whether you choose one on another startup validation platform is up to you. We are simply here to help you make an educated decision. So, let’s dive into the benefits of Prelaunch.com.
Lastly, let’s talk about the disadvantages of Prelaunch.com as an idea validation platform.
And there you have it - our complete list of 8 Kickstarter alternatives you should consider for your next crowdfunding platform.
Kickstarter is a shark in the market, but there are other platforms with specific audiences and features that can sway your opinion. Launching your product on a relevant platform can make or break your success, so choose carefully.
Each product is different, and choosing the most popular option might not be the optimal decision for your startup.
If you’re launching a new tech gadget, Indiegogo might be a better option for you. If you’re based in Australia, you should consider Pozible. If you’re looking for equity funding, consider SeedInvest or WeFunder.
In the end, don’t forget to validate your idea, market, and price before launching a crowdfunding campaign.
We hope this Kickstarter alternatives guide helped you make a decision, and we wish you good luck on your next campaign!
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