Givebutter vs Kickstarter
Compare Givebutter's pricing, features, and support to Kickstarter. Both can help you raise money online, but which one is right for you?
See for yourself why Givebutter is a better way to give
🧈 Our take: Kickstarter’s all-or-nothing fundraising model may light the fire that some creative projects need to reach their goals. But with Givebutter, you can raise the funds you need with more tools, more flexibility, and more payment options—all for free. We’ve laid out what each platform has to offer so you make the best choice for you.
Givebutter
Kickstarter
A+
D-
Givebutter is a free, all-in-one fundraising platform that nonprofits, schools, businesses, and individuals can start using in minutes to raise money for good causes and creative endeavors.
Share your story and keep your donors engaged with fun, world-class fundraising tools. Plus, accept donations from multiple payment types—all at your own pace.
Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform exclusively for creative projects where supporters pledge to donate—often incentivized by perks related to the finished project.
Like Givebutter, Kickstarter users can create beautiful fundraising pages, but unlike Givebutter, campaigns only receive pledged donations if they reach their fundraising goal within a predetermined amount of time.
Givebutter is free thanks to optional donor tips.
The fee charged by our secure payment processors is 2.9% + 30¢ except ACH, which offers a reduced rate of 1.9% + 30¢ per transaction. Donors can choose to cover these fees (which 95% do!).
If you'd prefer to disable tips, a platform fee applies instead:
→ 1% for Donation Forms
→ 3% for Fundraising Pages
→ 5% for Events & Auctions
Kickstarter charges a 5% platform fee on all funds raised.
Kickstart also charges a payment processing fee of 3% + 20¢ per transaction, unless the amount donated is under $10, in which case a fee of 5% + 5¢ per transaction applies.
Campaigns are paid out only if their fundraising goal is met within the designated timeline of 1-60 days; otherwise, donors are not charged for their pledges and no money is exchanged.
💳 Major credit/debit cards
📱 Google Pay, Apple Pay, & Microsoft Pay
⚡️ Venmo
🤝 PayPal
💫 ACH
💵 Checks & cash
💳 Major credit/debit cards
📞 Phone
💬 Chat
🕊️ Always free
💛 Always human
🕊️ Always free
✅ Customizable fundraising pages, donation forms, embeddable donate widgets, & events
✅ One-time, monthly, quarterly, & annual payment options
✅ Campaign updates via email, outbound text blasts, video messages, & live supporter feed
✅ Built-in livestreaming and real-time supporter feed with likes, comments, images, GIFs, and drawings
✅ Mobile app (coming soon!)
✅ Individual, peer-to-peer, team, & multi-team fundraising
✅ Event management for virtual, in-person, & hybrid events, including auctions
✅ Donor management CRM with list segmenting filters
✅ Customizable fundraising pages
✅ One-time payment options
✅ Campaign updates via email
✅ Supporter comment wall
✅ Mobile app
Methodology
Givebutter’s editorial staff aims to bring you the most transparent and objective comparisons possible. We sourced these comparison metrics directly from sites like G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, BBB, InHerSight, Comparably, Glassdoor, and more. Score data gathered on October 6 2022.
Givebutter leads the pack in user satisfaction
According to G2, the largest independent software review site, Givebutter was ranked as the #1 fundraising software in 2022 across User Satisfaction, Return on Investment, and Ease of Use.
Givebutter is the leader in
online fundraising
According to G2, Givebutter is the leading Fundraising Software in all of the following categories:
- Quality of Support
- Ease of Use
- Ease of Setup
- Likelihood to Recommend
Givebutter is very adaptive to specific fundraising needs given the full suite of products offered. Whether you are looking for a quick crowdfunding campaign, event ticketing, awareness campaigns, or always-on fundraising campaign, Givebutter offers those capabilities. I found the quality of the technology and the many features to be a major selling point. This is complemented by the thoughtful team and stellar customer service that makes this an 11/10.
Samir Goel
Co-Founder
Esusu
