What are the best crowdfunding sites available to you as an entrepreneur? Of course, we provide this core service – connecting entrepreneurs with the best platform for their needs (and in most cases, we do that for free). But we can provide an overview of our process in a way that may both help you see the value of our services and help you decide whether you’d like to try to do this on your own first.
We do not name names in the information below because there are so many possibilities; we’d be doing you and the platforms a disservice by directing you to a platform without knowing more about your project or purpose. We’d happily help connect you to the platform that best fits your project, and there is no charge for that service. First, we wanted to present some general information.
Best Crowdfunding Websites for Finding Investors
You start with two options: There may be a crowdfunding platform that is quite specific to your project or purpose, or you may decide to go with one best crowdfunding sites for investors that share five central characteristics:  
- The best crowdfunding websites for attracting a volume of investors are those with many choices that differ in risk, background, type of crowdfunding, and types of rewards.
- On the other hand, some crowdfunding sites more carefully screen the pitches so that the ones that the investor can choose from all have potential – this may mean fewer offerings to choose from but higher quality.
- Experienced investors may be drawn toward platforms that have excellent customer service.
- Finally, investors may return to websites where they or other investors have found success.
Best Crowdfunding Sites for “Fit” with Your Project
The best crowdfunding sites naturally mirror the best websites for investors described above. After all, entrepreneurs want to go where the investors go! That said, there are some specific aspects of the potential platforms that you may want to look for.
1. The best crowdfunding site for you will have an easy-to-use platform that allows you to use multimedia and other important marketing tools to attract investors to your project of purpose.
2. The best crowdfunding sites for entrepreneurs have narrowed the number of proposals that make it. This may seem counterintuitive since you want the best chance of being chosen, but at the same time, you may want a platform that values you and gives you the support and attention you need.
3. Similarly, the best crowdfunding websites for entrepreneurs have excellent customer service, ranging from helping with technical glitches to giving tips about attracting funding.
4. Finally, the best crowdfunding sites for investors have done a great job with search engine optimization, attracting many investors by having a prominent place in search results.
Best Crowdfunding Sites by Type
There are other more specific reasons why you would choose a particular site; breaking up the two major site types is an excellent way to explore that.
Best Crowdfunding Sites: Rewards-Based
How do you choose the best rewards-based crowdfunding pitches? This may not be easy since many websites are available, and the best crowdfunding sites for you may depend on your unique goals and your pitch or investment interest. That said, there are three things you can look for when trying to find the best crowdfunding sites for rewards-based pitches: 
- A variety of rewards is essential if you are an investor because you may not even realize all of the possibilities. Even if you do, you will want those making the pitches to have to outdo the others. For entrepreneurs, various rewards allow you to compete directly with others in your niche.
- Excellent site layout and available use of multimedia are also important when it comes to choosing the best crowdfunding websites for rewards. For entrepreneurs, this allows you to show off your product, talent, or purpose and helps investors make an informed choice.
- Easy site navigation is also essential for rewards-based pitches since, unlike equity pitches, there is no easy direct comparison. You need to be able to explore all of your options quickly.
Of course, there may be specific factors you are looking for depending on your unique pitch, if you are an entrepreneur or your preferences if you are an investor.
Best Crowdfunding Sites: Arts
With arts, such as movies, signers, and TV shows, the payback is usually based on royalties or revenue gathered from streaming platforms or performances. Sometimes, this funding only leads to inside information and perks, meet-and-greets, or just the knowledge that a favorite project or purpose was funded.
The best crowdfunding sites for the Arts attract the most investors interested in this type of funding. They can be broken into two general categories: Large aggregate sites that go well beyond just Arts but attract so many investors that a good number are willing to reach Arts pitches, and more specific sites that cater only to Arts pitches.
Best Crowdfunding Websites: Equity
These agreements, where investors get a piece of the company’s value in the future, are becoming more common right now. If you’ve watched the TV show “Shark Tank,” you’ve likely learned a lot about how an investor might view equity crowdfunding platforms and how the person or people receiving the money might push back on any offer. 
Equity crowdfunding platforms fund a new or expanded product or service line that will have a measurable improvement given the funding. A business plan must be able to show the goal or target increase, and the investors get either a percentage of just the increase or perhaps a percentage of the entire product or service.
The best equity crowdfunding sites are those where investors and entrepreneurs feel they are getting a fair deal. For this reason, they get the most high-quality raises and the highest-quality motivated investors.
Best Crowdfunding Sites: Debt
Debt crowdfunding involves paying back a loan that the investors provide but does not involve giving away a part of the company. Of course, entrepreneurs often prefer debt crowdfunding, but the problem is that investors often want equity either instead or in addition. For this reason, the best crowdfunding websites for debt are the ones that attract investors willing to invest this way and set you up to make a pitch.
Best Crowdfunding Sites Overview
To summarize everything on this page about the best crowdfunding sites, we come to the following conclusions:
- Many of the best crowdfunding sites have many options but have narrowed the choices at least a little, so this variety of possibilities is high quality.
- The best crowdfunding sites have excellent site layouts and navigation so that you can easily find the pitch that matches (or is easily seen if you are an entrepreneur).
- Most of the best crowdfunding websites have good customer service and follow-up for investors and entrepreneurs.
- Most of the best crowdfunding sites allow multimedia and other ways to ensure your pitch can be seen and understood.
We will continue to update our information and advice about choosing the best crowdfunding websites for your purpose, and as always, feel free to contact us to discuss your specific situation and see whether our connection services might help. We never charge for the initial assessment, and it’s entirely possible we won’t charge anything to find you a match.
