Patreon vs Kickstarter vs Indiegogo: Which Platform Is Finest for You?

Patreon. Kickstarter. Indiegogo. They’re all platforms that will let you increase cash to your artistic endeavors, however the enterprise fashions and use instances for every differ significantly. Which one will greatest help your work? Which is best for recurring month-to-month earnings vs a one-time fundraiser? Which instrument set makes your life the simplest? How do the payouts examine?

On this article, we’ll break down how every platform works, what instruments they’ve to supply, and who can greatest succeed on every platform. To kick issues off, right here’s a abstract of helpful details about every platform:

Are you a creator with an present viewers? Attempt Patreon and provide your followers rewards in alternate for a predictable, month-to-month earnings.

Funding Fashions: How Do You Need to Do Enterprise?

Kickstarter and Indiegogo are each crowdfunding platforms. You provide to make a product and distribute it to backers, given sufficient cash. Patreon will not be a crowdfunding platform; it’s truly a membership platform.

The most important cause to decide on one platform over the opposite is the form of enterprise mannequin you need to use. On this part, we’ll dive into these enterprise fashions.

Patreon Funding Mannequin: Membership and Ongoing Assist

Patreon is designed for creators to supply recurring rewards for constant help from patrons— the people who find themselves your largest followers. Patrons are there to help you for the long-haul (versus “backers” who pledge help for one-off initiatives). Hardly ever are patrons strangers who encounter your Patreon challenge; as a substitute, they’re usually long-time followers who’ve been having fun with your content material for a while. Listed here are a number of examples of creators whose work is funded by patrons on Patreon:

• Nate Maingard, who releases music, movies, podcasts, and different content material utilizing funds from Patreon
• Irshad Karim, who teaches artwork to his Reddit followers
• Kati Morton, who produces YouTube movies on psychological and emotional well being
• The Bitcoin Pub, which affords academic sources and neighborhood to these keen on cryptocurrency.

It doesn’t matter what you’re creating so long as you have got followers who need to help you. Most creators discover that their patrons help them for a mixture of causes: many simply need to give again to the creators they’ve adopted over time, however additionally they come for the ‘extras’ that solely patrons get—every thing from ‘behind-the-scenes’ perception to merch packages.

Many creators who selected Patreon accomplish that due to the continuing nature of help. It makes it simpler to plan initiatives and maintain inventive efforts when you realize roughly how a lot cash you’ll obtain from it every month.

Kickstarter Funding Mannequin: One-time Tasks

Kickstarter is designed to help creatives and inventors for particular, time-limited endeavors. If in case you have a one-time challenge you’d wish to convey to mild (equivalent to printing Quantity One among your webcomic), then Kickstarter is a perfect place to make that occur. Some examples embrace…

One of many advantages of working a marketing campaign on Kickstarter is that you could be get extra publicity from the platform. The corporate highlights “Tasks We Love” to get it in entrance of website guests who browse initiatives. Nonetheless, getting featured means you need to meet all their standards, and even then it isn’t assured.

It’s value noting that quite a few well-known creators on Patreon (equivalent to Michelle Czajkowsi and Amanda Palmer, famous above) constructed their fan base, funded a challenge with Kickstarter, then introduced their followers to Patreon for extra sustainable help.

“I like Kickstarter. I like the ethos. I like the folks and I find it irresistible for what it’s good for: massive pushes to make a one-time challenge manifest,” Amanda commented in a latest interview. “However Kickstarter as a musician isn’t sustainable. If you wish to make serial content material, it’s like asking somebody to subscribe to {a magazine} each two weeks. It’s not the way in which you do it.”

If you happen to do have a one-time, well-defined challenge you’d wish to convey to life, then the Kickstarter mannequin makes a variety of sense. And the platform is understood for a variety of initiatives; you don’t must be an skilled businessperson to make it be just right for you.

The one draw back? Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing platform. If you happen to don’t meet your minimal funding purpose, you gained’t see any of the cash you raised. On the similar time, it is a means of defending creators and backers from initiatives getting caught half means by means of completion.

Indiegogo Funding Mannequin: Versatile Product Launches

Indiegogo is best recognized to the neighborhood as a spot the place inventors and entrepreneurs of their early enterprise levels can convey a product to market. The platform is smaller than Kickstarter, however has extra versatile funding fashions.

If you happen to launch a challenge by means of Indiegogo, you have got three choices:

• One time cost, all-or-nothing type
• One time cost, keep-what-you-earned type
• Ongoing cost assortment, paid out repeatedly after the preliminary ‘finish date’

If in case you have a bodily product that you possibly can fund over time however don’t need to subject common rewards or keep a relationship together with your viewers, Indiegogo is the clear winner over the opposite two platforms.

Most of the initiatives funded on Indiegogo have been just like Kickstarter initiatives. Listed here are a number of examples:

So far as publicity is worried, Indiegogo is someplace between Patreon and Kickstarter when it comes to ‘further’ promotion. It’s straightforward to navigate initiatives on the positioning and plenty of initiatives profit from Indiegogo’s present backer inhabitants.

Abstract of Funding Fashions

In the end, Kickstarter and Indiegogo are essentially the most comparable. They each provide the chance to crowdfund particular initiatives or gadgets. Since each platforms are older than Patreon, they at the moment have a bigger built-in viewers for entrepreneurs nonetheless working to construct an viewers.

Patreon, then again, is a membership platform that helps creators provide recurring rewards in alternate for normal help. The platform is designed for creators who have already got an viewers; most profitable creators use the platform to interact with their largest followers on a deeper degree, keep artistic management of their initiatives, and construct a sustainable profession.

Options & Instruments: How Does Every Platform Assist You?

What do every of the platforms have to supply their customers when it comes to instruments and integrations? This part explores the options that assist customers succeed on every platform.

Patreon Options: Rising Toolkit for Fan Engagement

Patreon has—by far—essentially the most various vary of instruments and integrations to help the creators on their platform. These instruments give attention to methods to assist creators handle communication, engagement, and fulfilment.

As anticipated, creators with a Patreon account can achieve perception into and handle their marketing campaign from a single dashboard. Information supplied is built-in with Google Analytics, so you’ll be able to even see information on the place your new patrons are coming from. The general public-facing web page has a spot to your marketing campaign description, reward tiers, personal or public posts, and neighborhood interactions.

Past the fundamentals, Patreon has a rising checklist of options and integrations designed to assist with long-term marketing campaign administration. Under are only a handful of examples.

Patreon Lens

Patreon Lens is a instrument that helps creators provide ‘behind the scenes’ content material to their viewers. It’s not used or wanted by each creator, however those that do use it describe it as an actual time-saver.

Kati Morton shares behind-the-scenes content material along with her followers utilizing Lens.

Any patron can shortly see and revel in updates that creators ship.

Reward Success Monitoring

This new instrument from Patreon helps creators maintain observe of reward success. Realizing who’s due which reward at which period can get just a little tough. Now, creators on Patreon can arrange reminders and automated fulfilment monitoring so that they at all times know what to ship their patrons & when.

Discord Integration

Many creators discover that their followers/followers get pleasure from congregating in a standard house to debate concepts, hang around, and help one another. Patreon’s Discord integration means that you can gate entry to a personal Discord server by reward tier. For instance, you possibly can grant entry to all patrons on the $3/mo and up degree.

Some creators even provide particular recognition inside the server, equivalent to brightly coloured usernames. Doing so encourages patrons to maneuver up in tiers for recognition of their neighborhood.

Patreon creator Irshad Karim provides patrons color-coded names (with “nuclear yellow” implying excessive tier membership).

WordPress Integration

Patreon’s integration with WordPress permits creators to gate entry to unique weblog content material on their web sites. Non-patrons can see that the posts exist, however will probably be prompted to enroll as patrons in the event that they attempt to click on on the content material.

For instance, Laura Lawless of Lawless French makes use of the plugin to gate entry to ‘the phrase of the day,’ a reward provided solely to patrons.

Crowdcast Integration*

Patreon makes use of Crowdcast to offer the choice to host dwell streams to your patrons immediately from the Patreon platform. The service helps real-time commenting, polling, and Q&A through the livestreams.

*Be aware that utilizing Crowdcast with Patreon will not be free: Creators get a 10% low cost on providers after a one-month free trial.

Discourse App

Discourse is an easy however highly effective instrument that makes it straightforward to run and handle a patron-only neighborhood discussion board. You need to use it to facilitate neighborhood interactions or run a Q&A session—it’s as much as you. Pricing varies relying on what number of customers you have got.

Kickstarter Options: Dependable Assist for Lively Campaigns

Whereas Kickstarter has a notably smaller assortment of instruments and integrations, it does present every thing wanted for a profitable marketing campaign.

Like Patreon, it has a personal dashboard the place you’ll be able to view details about your backers and handle your marketing campaign. Additionally it is built-in with Google Analytics.

The platform helps direct messages between you and your backers and comes with a collaborators instrument so that you can provide assistants entry to the marketing campaign.

As well as, there have been a number of noteworthy instruments.

Reward Surveys

Most Kickstarter campaigns promise the supply of bodily items, which suggests it is advisable to accumulate information like bodily handle, cellphone quantity, e-mail handle, and many others. Whilst you may use any survey platform you want, Kickstarter has a built-in survey instrument that retains issues easy.

Kickstarter Reside

For these of you who need to maintain backers updated (and that ought to be all of you), you have got choices. You’ll be able to publish public or backer-only updates in your Kickstarter marketing campaign web page. However it’s also possible to use Kickstarter Reside to kick off a livestream and invite your backers to see what’s taking place. The stream is recorded (together with any chat, Q&A, or different interactions that occur through the stream).

Customized Referral Tags

Kickstarter mechanically tracks site visitors from simply identifiable sources (equivalent to Google, Fb, Twitter, and so forth). It breaks down what number of pledges and the greenback values you obtained from every supply, as proven under.

However in order for you extra details about that “Direct site visitors” part, you’ll be able to share hyperlinks with customized referral tags in e-mail blasts and different posts. That means, you’re capable of get a greater learn on which platforms it is best to focus your consideration for future campaigns.

Amazon Launchpad*

Amazon Launchpad has a web page reserved completely for funded, bodily Kickstarter merchandise. There’s no assure that your product, if funded, will make it onto their checklist. However launching on Kickstarter is one strategy to catch the attention of the Launchpad crew and get assist promoting on Amazon post-launch.

There’s no up-front price to utilizing Launchpad, however you need to decide to promoting to Amazon at wholesale pricing (and if you wish to join as an Amazon vendor, they nonetheless take their common lower).

*Not accessible to everybody and never free.

Indiegogo Options: Integrations for Bodily Product Success

So far as extra options are involved, Indiegogo has the least of all three platforms. That stated, it has a strong presentation of knowledge (gathered with Google Analytics) in its person dashboard. Like the opposite two platforms, it additionally has an app.

You’ll be able to see issues like {dollars} raised per day, common site visitors sources, and extra. Different tabs within the dashboard assist you to arrange your “perks” (aka, rewards) provided and maintain observe of backers.

Listed here are a number of extra noteworthy instruments and options.

Perk Success

Underneath the “perks” tab of the dashboard, you’ll be able to determine who has obtained their stuff, who hasn’t, and what it is advisable to do to complete success. It exhibits data like contribution numbers, transaction dates and quantities, fulfilled perks, and phone data for backers.

Sometimes, contact data is gathered from backers once they submit their cost so that you don’t must chase them down for his or her information.

InDemand

InDemand is a instrument that permits a marketing campaign to maintain accepting funds after the scheduled finish date. It’s meant to maintain funds coming throughout that awkward time between marketing campaign finish and common gross sales.

A graphic from Indiegogo explaining how InDemand works.

Indiegogo customers can choose into this system, and people who haven’t used Indiegogo can nonetheless use the instrument (albeit with the next charge charged). It affords some flexibility for inventors who don’t need the funds to cease when the official marketing campaign finish date passes, however for whom common, recurring membership doesn’t make sense, both.

Brookstone Integration

For entrepreneurs keen on a brick & mortar presence, Indiegogo teamed up with Brookstone in 2018 to supply new choices for efficiently funded merchandise. It’s not free and it doesn’t include assured placement, however Indiegogo customers who’re can apply (and obtain reductions if chosen to take part). Extra data is of their announcement.

Abstract of Options & Instruments

Every platform has a wide range of instruments that their customers must run a profitable marketing campaign. Patreon is closely in tune with creatives, providing an array of instruments that make it simpler for ongoing success of rewards. Kickstarter has the second largest set, prioritizing what you want for decision-making and communication through the marketing campaign. Indiegogo has the fewest instruments, however what they do have works very nicely.

Charge Structuring & Payout Schedules

Ah, the cash query. How a lot do you retain and when do you get it? This part examines the monetary advantages and downsides of utilizing every platform.

Patreon Payouts: Common Month-to-month Payouts

Patreon prices 5% of all of your earnings, plus cost processors take their lower (varies from 3-5%). Totally different processors are used for various areas, all with the purpose of protecting as many creators funded as potential.

For creators whose campaigns are primarily based on month-to-month contributions, funds are collected on the primary of the month and distributed shortly thereafter. If you happen to’re charging per creation, then patrons are charged every time you launch a brand new ‘paid’ merchandise (that doesn’t cease you from releasing ‘free’ creations everytime you like).

Kickstarter Payouts: Lump Sum (If Profitable)

Kickstarter, like Patreon, prices 5% of your earnings for providers rendered plus cost processing charges (additionally sometimes within the 3-5% vary).

The distinction right here is that you’ll solely see that cash in case your marketing campaign is funded efficiently. Must you meet your purpose, you’re going to get every thing you raised in a single, lump-sum cost 14 days after the marketing campaign ends.

Indiegogo Payouts: You Select

Like the opposite platforms, Indiegogo takes a 5% lower of your earnings for itself. Fee processing is just a little completely different, nevertheless: it’s a straight 3% charge plus $0.30 per transaction. If in case you have a number of high-dollar tiers, you’ll find yourself paying lower than when you’ve got many low-dollar backers.

By way of once you get the cash, that’s as much as you. If you happen to select to make use of an all-or-nothing marketing campaign, you’ll solely see the cash on the finish in case you’re profitable. If you happen to select keep-what-you-earned, you’ll get nevertheless a lot cash you earned. In each instances, the cash is shipped to you 15 days after your marketing campaign ends.

And in case you proceed your marketing campaign by means of InDemand, you’ll have extra funds rolling in over time.

Abstract of Charge Structuring & Payouts

There aren’t too many variations between Patreon, Kickstarter, and Indiegogo. All of them cost the identical flat price (5%) for his or her service, and cost processing charges differ barely. Payouts all rely on what sort of marketing campaign you run. In different phrases: It’s good things to know, however shouldn’t have an effect on your resolution a lot.

And The Winner Is…

So is there a transparent winner right here? Under no circumstances! Every platform has completely different benefits fitted to completely different folks. For ongoing help of artistic entrepreneurs, Patreon is the clear winner. For one-time challenge funding, Kickstarter and Indiegogo are each stable choices. You’ll must resolve what issues to you (website measurement, toolset, and many others.) and select accordingly.

That stated, many individuals have used a couple of platform over time. Patreon creators are recognized to provide particular initiatives on Kickstarter, then convey that viewers with them to Patreon. And it’s not unprecedented for inventors to start out on Kickstarter and change to Indiegogo (or vice-versa).

When you’ve determined what’s proper for what you are promoting, your selection of platform(s) ought to turn out to be clear.

Are you a creator searching for long-term help? Attempt Patreon.