The 15 Best Crowdfunding Platforms in 2025 (and How to Get Started)

If you have a million-dollar idea and all that’s stopping you is not having the funds to get it off the ground, crowdfunding can help. Much like investing in the stock market, crowdfunding allows everyday people to fund a project and then get something in return if and when the idea becomes a success.

Crowdfunding is the practice of gathering a small amount of money from a large ‘crowd’ of people to help fund a new venture. This venture could be a product, software application, business idea or anything else that requires some capital to get started.

In this article, we’re going to cover the benefits of crowdfunding, share some expert tips to help you get your project funded, and highlight some popular platforms you can use.

Crowdfunding is when a large number of people donate a small amount of money to help launch a project. The project could be a physical product, or it could be an online game, software, services, or even a project for social good.

These days, crowdfunding typically happens on an online platform. This allows more people to see your project, which makes it more likely that it will be noticed by people who are interested in funding it.

Money can be raised in a variety of forms. Here are the most common ones:

• Donation-based: Supporters make payments without receiving anything in return. Donation-based is a fit-for-purpose option for charity fundraising.
• Reward-based: Contributors receive rewards, such as getting the product once it’s finished or a discount on the product or service once it’s complete.
• Equity-based: Supporters receive shares or equity in the business or project. Once the project is generating revenue, they might receive dividends or have the ability to sell their shares.
• Debt-based: Also called peer-to-peer funding, contributors put in money with the agreement that they will receive the amount back, with interest.

To get started with crowdfunding, you need to have your business plan, a platform through which to reach a new audience, and a way to promote your project. Once you have an idea, here are the basic steps of running a crowdfunding campaign.

The right platform will depend on how you want to collect funds and reward your backers. (We’ll go through your options in the next section.)

When you create your campaign, you’ll want to share your full business plan, mock-ups, concepts, what you’ll give your supporters, how much you need to raise, and anything else to help your audience understand your vision and how they can benefit.

Plan how you’ll get eyes on your campaign. The most common way to do this is through social media.

This is the hardest part. To be successful, you’ll need to share how backing your project will benefit people, either with a great new product, a worthy cause, or a return on their investment.

This whole process hinges on whether or not you can deliver on your promises. If you are taking funding from your backers, you need to be sure of your ability to deliver (or be prepared to return the funds raised).

Throughout your campaign, you’ll need to be transparent and honest with how you plan to use your backers' money.

Part of this is deciding if you’re going to make your fundraising all or nothing. (This means that, if you don’t reach your amount, you’ll refund everyone.) Another option is to make your fundraising flexible, which means that you’ll use whatever you make towards the project.

Based on how you want to raise money, here are the top 15 platforms you can consider for your crowdfunding campaign in Australia.

Mycause is an Australian platform that allows you to fundraise for a person, cause, or charity. People who put their money towards something on MyCause don’t expect to receive anything back from their donations.

Chuffed.org is a global platform designed for raising funds for social justice movements. You can raise money for any good cause on this platform and 100% of the profits will go straight to your project.

GoFundMe is one of the most well-known fundraising platforms and it boasts one of the largest audiences. It offers fee-free campaign options, so it is a good option for those needing to raise money for a worthy cause.

GoFundraise is a global platform that’s owned and operated in NSW. It helps communities raise money for people, pets, and communities in need.

Little Phil is a platform for not-for-profit organisations to raise money on. They connect with popular applications like Shopify so that you can embed your fundraising campaign on your website.

GiveNow is an Australian platform that helps people raise money for grassroots charities and not-for-profits. You can also use GiveNow to fund charity events.

Pozible is an Australian platform used as both a community-building and funding tool for creative projects. It boasts $100 million in total pledges raised across its campaigns.

ReadyFundGo is a platform designed for funding sustainability projects. They help with anything from funding a local school garden to larger projects towards building a more sustainable Australia.

Indiegogo is a popular platform for crowdfunding ideas, charities, or start-up businesses. Its popularity gives it a large audience. You can even browse and buy from their successful projects . However, it does charge a 5% fee on all funds raised.

Another popular option, Kickstarter is a global platform and arguably the most well-known. Since it is well known, it’s a trusted platform used by many Australians looking to crowdfund a project.

Equitise is an Australian platform that allows people to fund businesses they believe in. There is a range of stages on the platform, from concepts to businesses in high-growth phases needing capital.

VentureCrowd helps crowdfund for both startups and property developments. Backers can decide where they want to put their money and how much of it they are willing to invest. They then own a portion of the company or property in hopes of returns down the road.

Birchal was created as a sister company to the aforementioned Pizible. Unlike their rewards-based platform, Birchal allows backers to buy equity in startups.

OnMarket claims to be Australia's most experienced capital-raising site. They offer larger investment options for serious investors wanting to support and earn from early-stage startups with growth potential.

Plenti is an Australian-based platform with more than 20,000 members. It allows you to borrow money for all sorts of things, not just projects or businesses. You can even fund a holiday or wedding on the platform. Keep in mind that, instead of generous backers putting financials towards your project in hopes of its success, P2P lending is a loan you’ll need to pay back with interest.

If you have a cause and nowhere else to turn for support, or if you have a business idea you need some capital to get off the ground, crowdfunding can be a great option. Here are the top five benefits of crowdsourcing.

1. Access to funding: If you’ve already tried other avenues and they just don’t see your vision, the internet might. This alternative way to secure funding can be perfect for new ideas that struggle to get traditional funding.
2. Market validation: Launching your product concept and waiting to see if people are willing to back it with their wallets gives you clear validation that people are willing to pay for your product or service.
3. Community building: Crowdfunding can help build a community around a project, cause or business. It can be particularly helpful for not-for-profit organisations that need to raise awareness to get donations.
4. Lower costs: Crowdfunding can be a cheaper way to raise funds compared to traditional loans.
5. The ability to move quickly: The process of securing funding through crowdfunding can be faster than traditional methods.

If you take the time to browse one of the sites we listed above, you’ll begin to see that not all crowdfunding campaigns are created equal. Some get a flurry of attention, while others lie dormant. Here are eight tips to help you set up your crowdfunding campaign for success.

1. Share what's in it for backers: Outside of your grand plans and personal vision, you need to be clear on what’s in it for your backers. For example, if you're selling a product, perhaps you’ll be giving them the product they wish existed once you’ve made it. If you’re a charity, you’ll want to show exactly where the money will be going and the impact it will have.
2. Share the story of the brand: Brand building is all about a good story. Don’t fabricate one, but do tell the honest journey and planning you’ve been doing to launch the campaign. Maybe you’re creating an online service you wish you had access to when you needed it most, or you're looking to support a community that has recently been through some tough times. Give people a reason to get behind your campaign.
3. Invest in a quality video: On most sites, one of the first things you’ll see on a campaign is the video. This is where you can speak directly to potential backers, share the journey so far or show your product mock-ups.
4. Develop a community on social media: A successful campaign needs to have reach. Social media is a free way for you to get the word out about your plans and direct people to your campaign page.
5. Choose the right platform: In the list above, we split up the platforms into a few categories to help you find the right one. If you’re looking for VC backing for a software startup, you want to be on an equity platform; if you’re looking to raise money for a community garden, it’s best to be on a donation-based platform.
6. Have tiered levels of investment: Different backers will have different amounts that they can pledge, but every bit matters. Set up tiers to give people options and offer different levels of returns based on that. It’s a great way to please more people without promising over-delivery.
7. Communicate regularly: The worst thing you can do is go silent on your community after they’ve backed your project. Keep people in the loop. Delays are fine so long as people understand where you are in the process.
8. Rigorously plan for the delivery: From the moment you launch your campaign, you need to be clear on your plans for delivery. Infuse this throughout the project details so people feel confident in your ability to deliver on your promise.

If you have a solid idea and need some capital to get it off the ground, crowdfunding might be for you. If you’re able to generate buzz for your plans, you can fund your project through small donations from a large crowd, and there are a number of platforms you can use to get your campaign out into the world.

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