Free crowdfunding sites exist where you can list your project or purpose without paying an up-front cost. Remember that the biggest and most effective free crowdfunding websites are not without costs in the long term. In other words, there will be a cost when you are successful. These sites are still considered free because you can build and promote your site for free and only pay a percentage of the money pledged to you.
We want to help you compare different free crowdfunding sites to choose from, and then, at the end of this post, we will describe one way to have a completely free crowdfunding website.
Of course, you can always contact us to discuss this further, and most of our services, even for free crowdfunding sites, are free.
Free Crowdfunding Sites: How to Choose
Many platforms will advertise themselves as free crowdfunding websites, but there are still important ways to pick and choose. The best choice for you and your product or project will be to make sure you are factoring in three critical variables:
Free Crowdfunding Websites and Fees
Free crowdfunding websites may only be referring to initial setup and promotion. There may later be success fees involved. In this case, a percentage is deducted from the money raised, and sometimes, there is also an administrative fee that is either fixed or a percentage of the funds raised. Of course, you want to compare these fees carefully when looking into different crowdfunding sites.
Investor Fees
If you are not charged anything for using free crowdfunding websites, are your donors charged? This may be an attractive option to some but less attractive to others. In a way, this method of charging means that the platform is free for you, but your potential donors may not like being charged.
Success Rates Compared to Paid Sites
Most importantly, you must research how successful people have used that site. Again, all of this is a balancing act. One site may change a smaller percentage but does not have the reach of another site. Paying more can be worthwhile in the long run in some cases.
Free Crowdfunding Websites: Features
Once again, we want to be clear that there are few viable platforms where you do not pay anything during the crowdfunding process. So, the idea of “free” crowdfunding websites is a bit of a misnomer, and we might more accurately describe “no upfront cost” crowdfunding websites instead. But the question here is whether it may be advisable to pay upfront, and even if we are talking about “no upfront cost” websites, are there times when it is worthwhile to pay a little? In making a choice, you need to compare features. You may want the free crowdfunding site you are choosing to have:
Free Crowdfunding Sites Customer Support
Can you talk or chat 24 hours per day, and even if it is technically available, will there be a long wait to get in touch with someone? Do you know anything about the quality and effectiveness of the customer service department? This is where online independent reviews by users can be helpful, and we can also help point you toward unbiased information.
Free Crowdfunding Websites and Space
Large amounts of online space within which to make your pitch. Will you be limited to a small area and unable to get into the details? Or will you have enough storage space to fully get into your pitch and use multimedia and other larger applications? Are there a good amount of templates for those who do not want to have to start from scratch? It can be much easier to start with a good template and concentrate on the details of your pitch instead of the look of your site.
Free Crowdfunding Sites and Promotion
You want to be sure that your pitch gets in front of investors. Some top free crowdfunding websites already have investor traffic, but you also want to ensure social media integration. You will likely want to get the word out about your product, project, or service in as many ways as possible, and a platform integrated with major social media outlets will make that much easier.
Free Crowdfunding Sites Conclusions and Our Work
In the end, you need to honestly assess your likely overall expenditure for an amount you hope to raise. Without the necessary features, you may raise less, and the lower fees may not be worthwhile. Then again, paying a lot upfront may be a mistake if you could have been just as successful with a less expensive choice. Websites calling themselves “free crowdfunding websites” do not charge any up-front fee; in many cases, they are a great choice.
Of course, one option provides free crowdfunding sites, and that is “white label” crowdfunding, where you create your own independent site from scratch or use a free template (though there will be small costs even with this option, such as web hosting).
Take your time and look into all your choices, including up-front pay models and those where you pay later, the latter of which are often called free crowdfunding sites. Contact us any time if you have questions or want some guidance or connections.
