Indiegogo vs Kickstarter – Which one to Choose?

Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects—everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of ambitious, innovative, and imaginative projects brought to life through the direct support of others. Thousands of creative projects — big and small — have come to life with the help of the Kickstarter community.

Indiegogo is a crowdfunding platform that helps entrepreneurs and innovators bring their ideas to life.  In addition to raising money, Indiegogo offers entrepreneurs a variety of resources to help them succeed in business and launch new products. With Indiegogo’s inDemand, you can extend your campaign after it ends, giving you more time to raise funds and build momentum.

Comparison chart

Indiegogo and Kickstarter are two of the most popular crowdfunding platforms. Entrepreneurs, startups and people with creative projects use these platforms to raise funds for their projects. While Indiegogo is an international platform, Kickstarter is limited to US-based projects.

We have compared both platforms in terms of features to help you decide which one is better suited for your needs:

 

Kickstarter IndieGoGo
Prototype Working Non-working
Setup Fees 5% 5%
Payment Processing Fee 3% + 0.2c 3% + 0.3c
Payment Partner Stripe and Amazon Payment (US only) Stripe, Paypal
Success Rate 39.4% 9%
Countries US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg 224 countries (International)
Product Categories Music, Film, Art, Technology, Design, Food, Publishing and other creative fields. Creative Works, Technology and Innovation and Community Projects.
Registration Reviewed by Staff Automatic
Pledge Charged End of Campaign Instant
Maximum Reward Offered 10 K Limitless
Unique Monthly Visitors 27 million 12 million
Backer’s Details After Survey Immediate Access
Maximum Days Up to 60 Up to 60
Funding Options Fixed Both fixed and flexible
Cost (Successful) 5% of funds raised plus a small fee for each pledge will be charged 4% of funds raised plus a small fee for each pledge will be charged
Cost (Unsuccessful) Free 9% of funds raised if flexible and 0% if free
Video Embedment Internal Vimeo or YouTube
Google Analytics Integrated Not integrated
Page Optimization Fewer options HTML options
Messaging System Own Emails
Post Campaign Spotlight Page (Referral Link) InDemand (funding can be continued)
Payout Time 14 days 15 days
Other Features Projects We Love
Other Features Kickstarter Live
Other Features Secret Perk
Other Features Referral Program

 

Difference Between Indiegogo and Kickstarter

Prototype

Kickstarter

To raise money on Kickstarter, you’ll need a prototype, and this is the best way to show potential backers that your product is authentic and will work. There’s no need for a fully functional prototype, but it should look like it does in your video and be similar in quality to the final product.

Indiegogo

If you’re starting, a prototype is not required for Indiegogo. However, it is highly encouraged. A prototype shows potential backers that you have a working product and helps them visualize what they will be receiving if they back your project. It also lets you understand how much money you need to raise to bring your product to market.

Payment Partner

Both platforms use Stripe to process payments. The choice to choose Kickstarter or Indiegogo can rely heavily upon the method of payment.

Kickstarter

You can pay with the following credit cards: American Express, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, Visa, or UnionPay. Discover, and JCB cards are currently only accepted for US-based projects. They do not accept prepaid debit or credit cards such as Visa Electron or Maestro (typically used for ATM withdrawals at overseas machines).

Indiegogo

Indiegogo accepts Visa, MasterCard, and American Express via Stripe payment processing. If you have an iPhone 6 or later with Apple Pay, you can use it to make purchases on Indiegogo.

Also, if you have an Android device running a 4.4+ operating system with the Google Pay app installed, you can use it to make purchases on Indiegogo (limited countries).

Success Rate

Kickstarter

Although 39.4% of projects on Kickstarter succeed in reaching or surpassing their funding goal, 10% never receive a single pledge (and those are just those listed as “active”).

Indiegogo

The Indiegogo platform has a 9% success rate. However, Indiegogo is a flexible funding platform that lets you keep whatever money you raise, even if you don’t meet your goal.

Product Categories

Kickstarter is mostly used by artists, filmmakers, musicians, and other creators looking to fund their projects while IndieGoGo is mostly used by startups, charities, and entrepreneurs looking to raise money for a specific cause.

kickstarter vs. indiegogo

Registration

Kickstarter

Applicants must clearly present their project, and it’s essential to include all relevant information about the project in the video and text description. If specific points are not highlighted enough, the admin will ask to make changes before the campaign goes live. After applicants submit their project idea, it will be reviewed for any legal issues or violations of our guidelines. They also check the financial viability of your project. If it looks like a good fit for Kickstarter (it’s legal and feasible), they’ll approve it and start building the page!

Indiegogo

Indiegogo doesn’t have an approval process, so you can start raising money immediately. If you’re new to Indiegogo, you might want to gather your campaign materials first: a video of your pitch, a written description, and social media links. The more information you have before launching your campaign, the better your chances of attracting backers. You should also implement a perks system for people who donate to your cause. A perks system is a way for you to give back to your contributors by offering incentive rewards for different tiers of donations.

Pledge Charged

Kickstarter

When you pledge, your credit card or other payment methods will be charged when the pledge is processed. If the project is successfully funded, your credit card will be charged at the time of the transaction, and you will receive a confirmation email to confirm that you are now a backer of the project. No charges will be made to your account if the project is not successfully funded.

Indiegogo

All contributions made on Indiegogo must be processed through our payment processors. Indiegogo immediately charges credit cards for donations made directly on Indiegogo’s website. Stripe will process contributions made with a debit card or bank account. A successful contribution will also be recorded on your Indiegogo account.

Unique Monthly Visitors

Kickstarter has been around longer and is more popular with creators and backers. The site has amassed 25 to 27 million unique monthly visitors compared to 9 million for Indiegogo. The latter has other strengths. It offers a broader range of funding options than Kickstarter — including flexible funding (which means you keep the money even if you don’t reach your goal) and a fixed allowance (where if you don’t hit your target, you don’t get anything). And unlike Kickstarter, Indiegogo lets you keep whatever money you raise even if you don’t achieve your goal.

Funding Options

 

Indiegogo uses an “all-or-nothing” model and an “optional” model. Donations are accepted whether or not a campaign reaches its goal by its deadline. The optional model allows campaigns to continue raising funds even after reaching their goal of raising more money for the project’s completion.

On the other hand, Kickstarter uses an “all-or-nothing” model, meaning that if you don’t reach your funding goal by the deadline, you don’t get any of the money pledged by backers. In this case, you will receive whatever percentage of donations you were able to raise from backers.

Kickstarter vs Indiegogo fees

Both Kickstarter and Indiegogo charge a flat 5% platform fee, plus payment fees, and PayPal charges between 3–5%, while traditional credit cards charge a flat 3%. For Indiegogo, there’s an additional $25 wire fee to transfer USD earnings to a non-US bank.

 

Conclusion

Indiegogo vs Kickstarter, which one is the best option for you? There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to deciding which crowdfunding platform is the best for your campaign. Choosing the best crowdfunding platform for your project depends on your goals, task, and audience. If you’re looking to raise exclusively charitable donations, Indiegogo is a better choice. If you’re creating and selling products, Kickstarter is the better choice. Once you’ve weighed all these factors and made your choice, getting started immediately is essential—campaign preparation takes time. But with enough planning, both platforms will surely help you make your dream a reality!

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