7 Best GoFundMe Alternatives for Creators in 2025

Why People Are Looking for GoFundMe Alternatives

If you’ve ever engaged in online fundraising, it’s likely that you’ve encountered GoFundMe. It is the crowdfunding name everyone refers to when discussing online fundraising. The GoFundMe platform has successfully guided millions of people in sharing their story and ultimately raised money for that donation. But now that we are in 2025, many fundraisers are searching for GoFundMe alternatives, and this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Things have changed significantly in the online fundraising space and, obviously, the online fundraising experience for both campaign creators and donors.

The Changing Landscape of Online Fundraising

When crowdfunding first started to be a thing, GoFundMe was a true pioneer in making it easier to collect money for people’s personal causes, emergencies, and community causes. Since then, the internet has changed dramatically. Creators, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits are building brands that endure beyond single campaigns. So, they will want better flexibility, more powerful tools, and a platform that scales with their needs as they grow.

Many fundraisers are now searching for sites like GoFundMe—sites that feel modern, give users more control, and support plenty of different fundraising goals. Whether you are fundraising for a social movement, launching a startup, or simply engaging with your audience in a better way, there are plenty of alternatives to GoFundMe worth exploring.

Why Traditional Crowdfunding No Longer Fits Everyone

Here’s the situation: GoFundMe is still effective for some campaigns, but it is not perfect. Some users are burdened with transaction fees, others want to customize their campaigns but are somehow limited, while many consider their crowdfunding efforts to be buried under thousands of similar stories. It is becoming increasingly popular for many to collect regular donations, sell digital perks, and have a group of loyal supporters. Unfortunately, this isn’t an option on GoFundMe.

The irritation is apparent and is beginning to spur an innovation boom. Dozens and dozens of new platforms are responding to specific audiences, from users from nonprofits and educators to content makers or small businesses. Each Go Fund Me alternative is trying to address a different issue, whether it is total freedom over your branding, reaching global audiences, or ownership of all donor data.

In this article, we’ll explain what is causing the shift, how GoFundMe’s model factors into that, and which GoFundMe alternatives are leading the charge in 2025.

Platform Limitations and Fees: Why a GoFundMe Alternative Might Work Better

Let’s face it—GoFundMe has done a bang-up job making fundraising online easy. But if you’ve run a campaign on GoFundMe, you’ve noticed a few hurdles in the process. The fees, restrictions, and limited customization can leave a lot to be desired in the campaign experience, particularly for creators or entrepreneurs who are more interested in building long-term endeavors. This is where a GoFundMe alternative will come in handy.

Hidden Costs Behind the “0% Platform Fee”

At first glance, GoFundMe appears to be a platform with no fees and sounds appealing. However, GoFundMe does not have a no-fee platform, and every donation you make or receive through GoFundMe has a fee, which is normally $0.30 plus a 2.9% payment. This may not seem like a fee for smaller fundraising campaigns, but in a larger fundraising campaign, that percentage can add up to a lot of fees.

For example, if a fundraising campaign were to raise $10,000 on GoFundMe, for example, of the above fees, you would take an immediate loss of roughly $300 due to processing fees. If you are an agency or organization operating on a lean-funded fundraising campaign, that fee may be the difference between raising your original fundraising goal or falling short. Other fundraising sites like GoFundMe sometimes offer lower fees, subscription-based models, or even 100% payout options, giving users more flexibility and transparency.

Payout Restrictions and Regional Limitations

An additional limitation that is sometimes ignored is geography. GoFundMe only operates in a very few countries. So, people that are in countries outside of its supported countries cannot start campaigns and directly deposit cash into accounts. This makes international fundraising architecturally awkward at best and completely unusable, which is typically uncommon for creators who have a global following and want to use the cord to raise funds.

There are several donation sites, like GoFundMe, that are facilitating the elimination of geography limitations and support custom payment processors, cryptocurrency, and multiple international payouts, and basically anyone can raise money regardless of “positive geography.”

Lack of Branding and Customization

If you’re using GoFundMe for personal fundraising, it works just fine using the basic, simple interface. But if you’re a business, nonprofit, or influencer building a professional image, you may feel boxed in with GoFundMe. It’s difficult to make your campaign unique since it is on their domain, there are limited customizations allowed, you are following their brand rules, and you are using their branding.

Modern alternatives to GoFundMe are changing that by offering white-label solutions, embeddable widgets, and complete website integration. Instead of having just a donation page on GoFundMe, you can create a unique donation page to match your brand, connect your domain, and own the user experience.

Content and Policy Restrictions

In addition, be mindful that GoFundMe has a very rigid policy regarding allowed campaigns. Some subjects, industries, and causes have restrictions, limits, or risks of disallowing or accepting campaigns.

An alternative to GoFundMe often provides more flexibility here, especially for creators and entrepreneurs operating in niche or emerging fields. These platforms are built with adaptability in mind, giving users the freedom to tell their stories authentically without fear of removal or rejection.

Why Are People Making the Switch?

Ultimately, the truth of switching fundraising platforms is simply about control. Fundraisers want to have more money in their hands. Moreover, fundraisers want to share their message with other audiences around the world. They also want to show their brand in whatever way they feel is right. The next generation of GoFundMe alternatives seeks to give you those things, providing transparency, freedom, and independence.

Next, we’ll discuss some of the most exciting and all-encompassing pledge-based crowdfunding platforms as they roll out in 2025. Each platform will serve different creators, nonprofits, and communities.

Top 7 Fundraising Platforms for 2025: Best GoFundMe Alternatives

These days, the experience of raising money online has never been more thrilling. Each year new technologies come out with sophisticated new capabilities, lower fees, and additional control over the way campaigns present and function. If you’ve been searching for GoFundMe alternatives, this is a great opportunity.

Here we will take a look at some of the most trustworthy and best-selling fundraising sites like GoFundMe in 2025—each with a slightly different focus or strength. One of these platforms is bound to work well for you whether you’re a nonprofit, a small business, or a freelancer.

1. Donorbox: Professional Tools for Nonprofits

This platform has become one of the most dependable options for nonprofit and community-based projects. What makes it stand out is its built-in CRM features, simple website integration, and recurring donations process.

You can embed donation forms directly into your site, add goal meters, and even accept Apple Pay and Google Pay. Taking into account the small 1.5% platform fee for the basic plan, as well as the more advanced features available for users willing to pay a small fee, Donorbox is one of the best donation sites like GoFundMe available today.

2. Kickstarter: The Pioneer of Creative Crowdfunding

It has been an established platform for creative projects for nearly its first decade. Whether for film, music, a gadget, or a game, it’s built a reputation as a platform to help bring all ideas to life.

They have their “all-or-nothing” funding model, in which if you don’t meet the goal, a creator receives none of the funds. This motivates backers because they know if you don’t reach your goal, they won’t be charged. The all-or-nothing model is great for creative projects but not ideal for personal or charitable campaigns.

So, if you’re launching a product or artistic project, Kickstarter is a classic GoFundMe alternative, known for its years of credibility and visibility.

3. Indiegogo: Flexible Funding for Innovators

If you like the Kickstarter concept, but you want some flexibility, then Indiegogo is the best option for you. Indiegogo offers both fixed and flexible fundraising types. This basically means with a flexible funding option, you can keep the money raised even when you don’t achieve your campaign goal. Many startups, tech inventors, and social entrepreneurs love this flexibility. Indiegogo is also a crowdfunding platform for international campaigns and allows for perk and product pre-orders.

In summary, Indiegogo is an alternative to GoFundMe for someone looking for an alternative to traditional crowdfunding.

4. Fundly: Simple and Social

It is a casual, straightforward tool that works best for individuals, families, and small community initiatives. Fundly is focused on visual storytelling—your campaign page will feel more like a social media feed and much less like a formal donation page.

There is no minimum fundraising goal, and you can easily upload photos and updates and even share live progress with supporters. Fundly is one of the easiest options of any of the GoFundMe alternatives if you want to get started quickly and share your campaign around social media.

5. Patreon: Ongoing Support for Creators

Unlike the crowdfunding platforms you may be most familiar with, Patreon is designed to support ongoing commitments as opposed to one-time support. The site is intended for creators (podcasters, streamers, educators, and artists) that want to create a way to have a long-term relationship with their audience. Creators set tiers on their Patreon accounts for their fans to subscribe to, which in turn provides them with exclusive content or other more traditional perks.

The site enables a creative endeavor to become a sustainable income stream. Patreon likely is not thought of as a fundraising vehicle. However, its unique and creative offering creates an alternative for GoFundMe, where the appeal lies more in developing ongoing support around an engagement in the community.

6. BetterWorld: Fundraising for Nonprofits and Events

It is a unique option amongst current fundraising platforms. BetterWorld allows nonprofits to run raffles, auctions, and donation pages without charging platform fees, only standard payment processing costs, so more money stays with your campaign.

Its clean interface and event-oriented features make it one of the most efficient fundraising sites similar to GoFundMe, especially for organizations that host charitable events like galas or online drives.

7. Scrile Connect: All-in-One Fundraising and Community Platform

Finally, we have a newer and rapidly growing name in the fundraising industry: Scrile Connect. Unlike other crowdfunding software, it allows you to create your own branded donation platform under your own domain.

This is perfect for many content creators, educators, or entrepreneurs experiencing crowdfunding fatigue and longing for independence—independence to design, independence to manage, and independence to monetize their audience directly. We will go deeper into Scrile Connect later, but we can already see it being one of the most robust GoFundMe alternatives of 2025.

Best GoFundMe Alternatives: A Summary

Platform	Best for	Key Features & Notes
Donorbox	Nonprofits & community projects.	Built-in CRM tools, recurring donations, website integration, goal meters, Apple Pay & Google Pay. Trusted donation sites like GoFundMe with sustainable donation flows.
Kickstarter	Creative projects (films, music, gadgets).	“All-or-nothing” funding (product for artistic). Global reach. Best for product or artistic campaigns, a classic Go Fund Me alternative.
Indiegogo	Startups & innovators.	Versatile alternative to GoFundMe for non-traditional campaigns, biennial and international fundraising, perks, pre-orders, and fixed and flexible fundraising options.
Fundly	Individuals, families, small community causes.	An accessible site like GoFundMe for fast, easy campaigns with visual storytelling, social-media-friendly features, and live updates on fundraising progress.
Patreon	Creators (podcasters, streamers, educators, and artists).	This platform is built around recurring backing, tiered subscriptions, and exclusive content for supporters. It can be a great way to nurture relationships with your supporters, and it can be a great alternative to GoFundMe.
BetterWorld	Nonprofits & events.	Raffles, auctions, donation pages, and event-oriented tools. No platform fees; an efficient fundraising site directly tied to the community events and fundraising drives.
Scrile Connect	Content creators, educators, entrepreneurs.	Fully branded platform, audience monetization, community engagement, intuitive dashboard. White-label solution; full control over branding and donor data; powerful GoFundMe alternative.

How to Choose the Best Solution for Your Fundraising Needs

Having so many GoFundMe alternatives out there, figuring out the right one to run a campaign on can feel like an uphill climb, and you may become overwhelmed by the choices. Each platform has its own personality, pricing model, and ideal demographic. The trick is to find a platform that suits your needs—not the one that’s trending. Below are tips to help you make a smart choice when exploring sites like GoFundMe.

Identify Your Fundraising Goals

Begin with your “why.” Are you fundraising for a personal cause, a creative venture, or a business that does not stop moving?

There are many alternatives to GoFundMe that are solely for nonprofits and charities or just for startups or influencers. If your fundraising campaign is mission-driven, a platform like Donorbox or BetterWorld would be best suited for your goals. If your fundraising campaign involves a creative venture or offers memberships or subscriptions, you’ll want to consider Patreon or Scrile Connect to help out your project.

Your goals decide not only where you will raise your funds but also how you will communicate your message.

Compare Fees and Payout Policies

As previously indicated, fees can chip away at your success. GoFundMe mentions transaction fees on their main page but claims they have 0% platform fees. If you try out a few other fundraising platforms, GoFundMe-type sites may have a fixed subscription model or might charge, typically much less than GoFundMe, even a smaller percentage per transaction.

Moreover, you’ll want to check the fine print to see if there are different payout options and currency options, especially if your donors are international. Those 2-3 percentage point savings add up significantly in large campaigns.

Evaluate Customization and Branding Options

If you’re looking to create your own personal brand or organization, you want your fundraiser to reflect your identity as well, not just GoFundMe’s plain green-and-white branding. Check to see if other platforms allow you to add your logo, connect your own domain, and potentially create custom landing pages.

Modern donation sites like GoFundMe usually have built-in branding tools to make you look trustworthy as well as make your campaign look professional. Sites like Scrile Connect can let you own your whole fundraising platform, which is a major benefit, especially for creators building their own independence.

Check Marketing and Audience-Building Features

An excellent campaign isn’t only about where donations go—it is about who is seeing the donation page. Find a platform that has sharing tools, SEO, and analytics built-in. Social media integration, email marketing, and tracking engagement will all amplify your campaign.

If you have existing audience loyalty, consider moving them to a private platform where you can engage them even further and strengthen your relationship with them.

Prioritize Transparency and Data Ownership

While it may be easy to overlook, this is such an important but often undervalued point. Who actually owns the donor data you collect?

When you use public fundraising platforms, you are often giving away control over donor data and communications. Independent and private solutions allow you to keep everything from emails sent to payment history and knowledge of your audience. That all equals long-term value that you own and control, not a third-party provider.

Think About Long-Term Flexibility

The best platform is not merely the one that allows you to fundraise today, but the one that will grow with you tomorrow. In a few months, you might wish to implement a membership program or have some digital events and sell exclusive content. If you choose a flexible alternative to GoFundMe, you will not need to shift from one system each time your business model changes.

Summing up, it does take some work to figure out the right fundraising solution, but it’s worth it. When your fundraising platform connects with your mission, style, and audience, you can now get back to what really matters—connecting with human beings and building a meaningful experience. Next, let’s talk about a developing trend: your own donation platform, instead of entering the public networks.

From Public Campaigns to Personal Donation Platforms

Crowdfunding has changed. Years ago, launching a campaign on a large platform like GoFundMe felt like the only option. You created a page, shared it around, and hoped for some traction. In 2025, a new generation of creators, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits is doing something unique—they are creating their own personal donation platforms.

For creators and small businesses, a personal donation platform is not merely a new way to raise money. Rather, it is an extension of their personal brand. When they ask a fan or follower to donate, they are not asking them to go to GoFundMe or a public donation platform. They are inviting them into their own personal space that is shaped in some way by them.

In the next section, we’ll take a closer look at Scrile Connect, one of the most innovative GoFundMe alternatives on the market today. You’ll see how it empowers users to create their own branded platforms, engage audiences directly, and raise funds without the limitations of traditional crowdfunding sites.

Scrile Connect: Fundraising Platform for Independent Creators and Organizations

Imagine having your own version of GoFundMe—but fully under your control. No hidden fees, no third-party branding, and no limitations on what kind of campaigns you can run. Scrile Connect is all that and more.

What Is Scrile Connect?

Scrile Connect is a brandable fundraising and membership platform that allows you to create a completely branded platform on your own domain name. Unlike fundraising sites like GoFundMe that aggregate thousands of campaigns into one site, Scrile Connect offers you a dedicated online space built completely with your audience’s needs in mind.

Key Benefits of Using Scrile Connect

• Total brand control. Your logo, your design, your specifications. Scrile Connect allows you to customize every element of your platform so that it feels like a natural extension of your business or cause.
• No platform fees. You keep what you raise: quite literally. Scrile Connect doesn’t take a cut of your donations like GoFundMe, which takes a cut based on transactions. You keep 100 percent of what you earn, and it’s as easy as that.
• Global payment options. Contributions can come from anywhere, and they can be funded through credit card or PayPal on computers and mobile devices. Scrile Connect provides smooth payment options and means of connection.
• Community engagement features. Scrile Connect is not just a donation site but rather a companion site that creates a connection with engagement. Update your supporters, post content exclusively for them, and build ongoing relationships over time.
• All-in-one dashboard. You will be able to manage users, payments, analytics, and content all from one control panel, all in one convenient place. No coding is required, which means that you’ll have everything ready to go on day one.

Learn more about Scrile Connect and discover how easily you can launch your own fundraising site—one that’s fully yours. Empower your brand, engage your audience, and keep 100% control over your growth. Contact our team to learn more about our ready-made solution for building your customized fundraising platform.

Frequently Asked Questions About GoFundMe Alternatives

Is there a better option than GoFundMe?

Definitely—if you’re looking for flexibility and lower fees. Sites like Zeffy give you a completely free option, even covering credit card fees, so you can give every dollar directly to your cause. That’s the minimalist option. Beyond Zeffy, there are new tools like Scrile Connect, which allow you to create a personal branded donation platform, own your audience, and facilitate engagement with supporters.

Who is GoFundMe’s biggest competitor?

By 2025, there are many solid alternatives starting with different fundraising goals:

• Givebutter. This is a great fundraising platform for charities and social good charities, where you can raise funds, run events for your supporters, and engage with them all in one place.
• Kickstarter. A great place for creative projects or launching a product. If you want to go the “all-or-nothing” route, this is a great option.
• Fundly. The donation sites are easy to use and friendly with social media that can raise funds for any cause.
• Indiegogo. Best suited for entrepreneurs, this range-based crowdfunding site attracts more technology projects or early-stage companies.
• Bonfire. A unique way to fundraise with custom merch to fundraise for your fundraiser.

All of these platforms may offer you something unique in comparison to GoFundMe.

What’s better, JustGiving or GoFundMe?

JustGiving has been a long-standing company for millions of donors worldwide, and it is known for facilitating fundraising aimed at charitable causes and has an excellent reputation. GoFundMe is better for personal causes that have a one-time campaign. If you are aiming for a professional fundraising level with ownership, next-generation solutions like Scrile Connect are available.

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