Crowdfunding Fee Calculator
Quick answer: In 2026, Kickstarter and Indiegogo charge a 5% platform fee plus about 3% + $0.20 per pledge for payment processing, while GoFundMe charges no platform fee — just 2.9% + $0.30 per donation. A $10,000 raise with 200 backers costs about $840 in fees on Kickstarter (net $9,160, effective 8.4%) but only about $350 on GoFundMe.
Enter your fundraising total, pick a platform, and add the number of backers or pledges to see the platform fee, processing fee, total fees, net received, and effective fee rate — updated instantly as you change anything.
Enter your numbers
Your results
Estimate based on 2026 published fee schedules. Pledges under $10 on Kickstarter use 5% + $0.05 per pledge instead — see FAQ.
How to use this calculator
Enter the total amount your campaign raised (or expects to raise), select the platform, and enter the number of backers or pledges. The fee breakdown updates instantly.
Use the effective fee % to compare platforms apples-to-apples: it captures both the platform fee and the per-pledge processing fee, which matters when you have many small pledges.
How this is calculated
Definitions: amount = total raised in dollars, backers = number of pledges/donations, platform% = platform fee rate, proc% = processing fee rate, fixed = per-pledge processing fee.
- Platform fee = amount × platform%
- Processing fee = amount × proc% + backers × fixed
- Total fees = platform fee + processing fee
- Net received = amount − total fees; effective fee % = total fees ÷ amount × 100
Assumptions: the standard 2026 published rates in the table below apply to all pledges; Kickstarter micro-pledges under $10 (5% + $0.05) and currency conversion are not modeled in the headline calculation — treat results as estimates.
Worked example
$10,000 raised on Kickstarter with 200 backers (2026 rates: 5% platform + 3% + $0.20 per pledge): platform fee = $10,000 × 5% = $500.00; processing fee = $10,000 × 3% + 200 × $0.20 = $300 + $40 = $340.00; total fees = $840.00; net received = $9,160.00; effective fee rate = 8.4%.
Reference data
| Platform | Platform fee | Payment processing |
|---|---|---|
| Kickstarter | 5% of funds raised | 3% + $0.20 per pledge |
| Indiegogo | 5% of funds raised | 3% + $0.20 per pledge |
| GoFundMe | 0% (no platform fee) | 2.9% + $0.30 per donation |
Source: 2026 fee schedules as reported by Shopify (2026) and BetterWorld (2026).
Method & sources
Total cost is the exact sum of the published platform percentage and the published payment-processing percentage plus the per-pledge fixed fee — all arithmetic on the 2026 tables above, so the figures are estimates built on published rates rather than quotes from the platforms themselves. Confirm the current schedule before launching: fees can change.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to fees if my Kickstarter campaign fails to fund?
Kickstarter is all-or-nothing: backers are not charged if the campaign does not reach its goal, so no platform fee and no processing fee is collected and you receive nothing. Per Kickstarter's published policy, you pay fees only on successfully funded campaigns. Indiegogo's flexible funding option works differently — you keep what you raise even below the goal, and fees apply.
How are Kickstarter micro-pledges under $10 charged?
For pledges under $10, Kickstarter charges a 5% platform fee plus a $0.05 per-pledge payment processing fee, instead of the standard 3% + $0.20 per pledge. This rate comes from Kickstarter's published fee policy as reported in 2026 fee comparisons, so campaigns with many small pledges pay a different effective rate than this calculator's headline numbers.
Why is GoFundMe cheaper for personal causes?
GoFundMe charges no platform fee (0%) on personal fundraisers — its 2026 fee structure is 2.9% + $0.30 per donation for payment processing only — while Kickstarter and Indiegogo charge a 5% platform fee on top of about 3% + $0.20 per pledge for processing. On a $10,000 raise with 200 backers, that is roughly $350 in fees on GoFundMe versus $840 on Kickstarter.
Are these fee figures exact?
They are estimates based on each platform's published 2026 fee schedules. Actual net received can differ if fees change, if currency conversion applies, or for special pledge types such as Kickstarter micro-pledges under $10. Confirm the current fee schedule on the platform before launching.