Crowdfunding Fees Platform Compared

Choosing a crowdfunding platform can make or break your fundraising campaign. Platform fees vary significantly across providers, and these differences directly impact how much money reaches your cause. Many fundraisers don’t realize how processing fees, platform percentages, and transaction charges stack up until it’s too late.

This guide compares the real costs of Tiing, GoFundMe, Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Donorbox. You’ll discover which platforms offer transparent pricing, where hidden charges lurk, and how to maximize the funds you keep. The conclusion? Tiing consistently ranks among the lowest-fee platforms in North America, helping Canadian and American fundraisers keep more of what they raise

Crowdfunding fee comparison table

What are crowdfunding fees and why do they matter?

Crowdfunding fees represent the costs deducted from donations before funds reach your account. Understanding these charges helps you set realistic fundraising goals and avoid unpleasant surprises.

Platform fees are percentages taken by the crowdfunding website itself. Some platforms charge nothing, while others take 5% or more of every dollar raised. These fees fund the platform’s operations, customer support, and technology infrastructure.

Payment processing fees cover the cost of accepting credit cards, debit cards, and digital payments. Third-party processors like Stripe or PayPal handle these transactions and charge fees based on each donation amount. You can’t avoid these charges because they’re part of online payment infrastructure.

Transaction fees include small fixed amounts charged per donation, often $0.20 to $0.30. These add up quickly when you receive many small contributions. A campaign with 100 donations of $50 each pays the same fixed fee 100 times.

Success fees apply only when campaigns reach their funding goals. Kickstarter pioneered this model, charging fees only on successful projects. If your campaign falls short, you don’t pay platform fees, but you also receive nothing.

Consider a $50 donation to your campaign. After a 2.9% processing fee plus $0.30, you receive $48.25. That’s $1.75 gone from a single contribution. Multiply this across hundreds of donations, and the impact becomes substantial. Small fundraisers feel these costs more acutely because fixed fees represent a larger percentage of each gift.

Starting a crowdfunding campaign in Canada requires awareness of how fees affect your bottom line. The difference between keeping 92% versus 97% of donations can mean hundreds or thousands of dollars for your cause.

Full comparison of crowdfunding fees across major platforms

Platform selection determines how much money your supporters’ generosity actually delivers. We’ve analyzed the fee structures of North America’s leading crowdfunding sites to show you exactly what you’ll pay and what you’ll keep.

Tiing: The lowest-fee platform in Canada & the U.S.

Platform fee: 4% charged when you request withdrawal
Processing fees: $1 per contribution
Success fee: None
Currencies: CAD & USD
Use cases: Personal fundraisers, nonprofits, education, community causes

Tiing’s fee structure puts more money in your pocket through transparent, straightforward pricing. The platform charges no upfront fees and applies its 4% commission only when you close your campaign and request a transfer. Each contribution carries a flat $1 charge, which keeps pricing predictable.

The Canadian advantage matters here. Tiing processes CAD natively, eliminating currency conversion fees that drain funds from Canadian campaigns on U.S.-based platforms. American fundraisers benefit equally from clear pricing without hidden charges or surprise deductions.

Unlike platforms with complex fee tiers or optional donor tips, Tiing maintains simple pricing that fundraisers can calculate before launch. You know exactly what you’ll receive, making budget planning straightforward. The platform serves personal causes, educational funding needs, nonprofit initiatives, and community projects with equal effectiveness.

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GoFundMe: No platform fee but higher processing costs

Platform fee: 0%
Processing fee: 2.9% + $0.30
Success fee: None
Currencies: CAD, USD, and others

GoFundMe eliminated platform fees in 2017, making it attractive for personal causes and emergency fundraising. The platform now relies on optional donor tips to support operations, though these tips don’t reduce what organizers receive.

The 2.9% + $0.30 processing structure applies to every donation. On a $10,000 campaign with 200 donations of $50 each, you’d lose approximately $290 to percentage fees plus $60 in fixed charges, receiving around $9,650. Larger individual donations reduce the impact of fixed fees, while many small gifts increase total costs.

GoFundMe’s donor tip system prompts contributors to add extra amounts “to help GoFundMe continue supporting fundraisers.” These tips are optional and don’t affect organizer fees, but they can influence donor behavior and total contribution amounts. The platform emphasizes that 100% of each donation goes to the cause, minus only the standard processing fee.

For urgent personal needs or medical expenses, GoFundMe’s zero platform fee combined with its large user base makes it competitive. However, the processing fees still extract nearly 3% of funds raised, which adds up on larger campaigns.

Kickstarter: High fees + all-or-nothing system

Platform fee: 5%
Payment processing: ~3% + $0.20
Success fee: Applied only to fully funded campaigns
Currencies: Primarily USD (some CAD support)

Kickstarter’s all-or-nothing model creates high stakes for creators. The platform charges its 5% fee only on successful campaigns that meet or exceed their funding goals. Projects that fall short receive nothing and pay nothing, but supporters’ payments never process.

The combined 8%+ total cost (5% platform + 3%+ processing) makes Kickstarter one of the most expensive crowdfunding options. A $10,000 campaign pays $500 to Kickstarter plus roughly $320 in processing fees, leaving approximately $9,180 for the creator. That’s $820 in deductions, or more than 8% of funds raised.

Success fees sound appealing until you realize they only benefit failed campaigns. Successful projects pay standard fees regardless of how much they exceed their goals. The pressure to set conservative funding targets conflicts with the need to raise sufficient capital for project completion.

Creative projects and product launches dominate Kickstarter because the platform pioneered reward-based crowdfunding. However, comparing crowdfunding versus traditional fundraising reveals that Kickstarter’s high fees and rigid rules make it less suitable for causes, education, or community fundraising.

Indiegogo: Flexible funding but higher costs

Platform fee: 5%
Processing: ~3% + $0.30
Success fee: None
Currencies: USD, CAD, and others

Indiegogo offers flexible funding, letting campaigns keep whatever they raise regardless of whether they hit their goals. This flexibility comes with the same 5% platform fee that Kickstarter charges, plus similar payment processing costs.

The total fee burden reaches approximately 8% of funds raised. On $10,000, expect to lose $500 to platform fees and another $330 to processing, leaving roughly $9,170. Indiegogo charges these fees on all funds collected, whether you reach your target or not.

Fixed versus flexible campaigns create different risk profiles. Fixed funding (goal must be met) refunds all donations if you fall short, avoiding fees but delivering nothing. Flexible funding charges full fees on partial success, which helps some projects but costs others who might have succeeded under an all-or-nothing model.

Startups and creative entrepreneurs use Indiegogo for product launches and business funding, but the platform’s fees make it expensive for personal causes or community projects. The InDemand program lets successful campaigns continue raising money indefinitely at the same 5% rate.

Donorbox: Low platform fee but add-ons increase price

Platform fee: 1.6% to 2.95% (varies by plan)
Processing: Stripe/PayPal standard rates
Success fee: None
Currencies: USD, CAD, and others

Donorbox targets nonprofits with a tiered pricing structure that rewards higher-volume fundraising. The Standard free plan charges 2.95% per transaction, while Premium plans reduce this to 1.6% plus a monthly subscription fee.

Processing fees stack on top of platform charges. Stripe typically charges nonprofits 2.2% + $0.30 per transaction, though rates vary by country and organization type. Combined costs reach 4% to 5% of donations, depending on your plan and payment processor.

The monthly subscription model ($195 for Premium) makes sense for organizations raising significant funds regularly. A nonprofit collecting $10,000 monthly pays $195 plus roughly 3.8% in combined fees, retaining approximately $9,425. That’s competitive for high-volume fundraising but expensive for one-time campaigns.

Nonprofits raising money for charity benefit from Donorbox’s recurring donation features and donor management tools. However, smaller organizations or individual fundraisers may find the learning curve and potential subscription costs challenging.

Real Examples: How much campaigns actually receive after fees

Numbers tell the story best. Here’s what different campaign sizes keep after fees across platforms.

Example 1: $5,000 CAD personal fundraiser

A family in Toronto raises $5,000 for medical expenses through 100 donations averaging $50 each.

• Tiing: Receives approximately $4,700 after 4% withdrawal fee and $1 per donation
• GoFundMe: Receives approximately $4,625 after 2.9% + $0.30 per donation
• Kickstarter: Not applicable (personal causes not allowed)
• Donorbox: Receives approximately $4,530 after 2.95% platform + 2.2% processing

The family keeps the most with GoFundMe but faces currency conversion if using a U.S.-based account. Tiing’s native CAD processing eliminates that concern.

Example 2: $20,000 USD creative project

An artist launches a photography book project with 400 backers pledging an average of $50.

• Tiing: Receives approximately $18,800 after fees
• GoFundMe: Not ideal for reward-based campaigns
• Kickstarter: Receives approximately $17,800 after 5% platform + 3% processing + $0.20 per pledge
• Indiegogo: Receives approximately $18,140 after 5% platform + 3% + $0.30 per pledge

Kickstarter’s success fee model and higher per-transaction costs make it the most expensive option. Tiing offers significant savings even though it wasn’t designed specifically for creative projects.

Example 3: $8,000 CAD nonprofit event

A local charity runs a fundraising campaign for a community event, receiving 160 donations of $50 each.

• Tiing: Receives approximately $7,520 after fees
• GoFundMe: Receives approximately $7,420 after processing fees
• Donorbox: Receives approximately $7,340 after platform and processing fees (Standard plan)

The nonprofit keeps more money with any platform compared to traditional fundraising events with venue costs, catering, and entertainment expenses. However, choosing the right platform still affects how much goes to the cause versus administrative costs.

Which platform has the lowest overall fees?

Tiing consistently ranks as one of the lowest-fee crowdfunding platforms available to Canadian and American fundraisers. The combination of transparent pricing, native CAD processing, and straightforward fee structure makes it the smart choice for maximizing funds received.

Three factors set Tiing apart: zero platform fees until you withdraw money, no success fee requirements, and complete currency support for both CAD and USD. You don’t pay to launch your campaign, maintain it, or share it. The 4% commission applies only when you request a transfer, and the $1 per contribution charge covers payment processing infrastructure.

Canadian fundraisers benefit most because many competing platforms operate in USD, forcing currency conversions that eat into donations. A $10,000 CAD campaign can lose hundreds of dollars in conversion fees and exchange rate differences on U.S.-based platforms. Tiing processes CAD natively, ensuring every dollar raised stays in your local currency.

American fundraisers gain equally from transparent pricing without hidden charges or complex tier systems. You know exactly what you’ll pay before launching, making budget planning simple and accurate.

Students raising tuition funds, families covering medical expenses, communities supporting local causes, and nonprofits running campaigns all keep more money with Tiing’s low-fee structure. The platform handles personal fundraising campaigns with the same efficiency it brings to organizational initiatives.

How to reduce crowdfunding fees on any platform

Smart strategies help minimize fees regardless of which crowdfunding platform you choose:

Encourage larger individual donations to reduce the impact of fixed per-transaction charges. A single $100 donation costs less in fees than ten $10 donations because fixed charges apply once instead of ten times. Offer meaningful reward tiers or recognition levels that incentivize bigger gifts.

Choose transparent platforms that clearly state all fees upfront. Hidden charges, optional tips, and complex tier systems make budgeting difficult and can surprise you at withdrawal time. Platforms with straightforward pricing let you calculate exactly what you’ll receive.

Use native currency processing whenever possible. Canadian campaigns should use platforms that handle CAD directly rather than converting from USD. Currency conversion fees typically add 2% to 3% in hidden costs that never appear in advertised fee structures.

Share updates frequently to improve conversion rates and donor retention. Engaged supporters give more generously and share campaigns more widely, reducing your cost per dollar raised. Active communication doesn’t reduce fees directly but increases total funds raised, making fees a smaller percentage of your success.

Target local donors first to avoid international transaction fees. Many platforms charge extra for cross-border donations or currency conversions. Building your donor base locally keeps costs down and often generates more passionate support.

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FAQ: Crowdfunding fees