12 Best Kickstarter Alternatives & Competitors (2026)

Kickstarter is a large general crowdfunding platform popular for creative and tech projects that occasionally include scientific research. It provides strong community visibility and all-or-nothing funding but lacks Experiment's dedicated science categories, open lab notebooks, and daily research-focused discovery features. Researchers may reach more backers yet face less targeted audiences for pure ecology or neuroscience work.

Zapier connects crowdfunding data to hundreds of apps for custom workflows. Teams build BackerKit-style automations by linking pledge exports to email tools or shipping services. It offers maximum flexibility at the cost of setup time and potential extra fees. Best for technically comfortable creators who outgrow rigid all-in-one pledge managers.

Indiegogo runs both flexible and fixed crowdfunding campaigns with built-in commerce features. It provides more in-platform backer management than Kickstarter yet still lacks the specialized survey and shipping automation many teams add via BackerKit. Pricing uses a mix of fees that can be higher for international campaigns. Creators compare it when they want one dashboard for both raising funds and light fulfillment.

Crowdfox focuses on post-campaign backer management with survey collection and pledge tracking. It positions itself as a simpler, lower-cost option than BackerKit for mid-size campaigns. Strengths include straightforward CSV handling and basic shipping labels, though it offers fewer analytics and integrations. Use-case fit is strongest for teams that need essentials without extra reporting layers.

Patreon enables recurring monthly support for creators including scientists sharing ongoing work. Unlike Experiment's project-based crowdfunding with lab notebooks, Patreon focuses on subscription-style funding across many fields. It works well for long-term research updates but provides less emphasis on one-time experiment goals or category browsing like ecology and neuroscience.

PledgeBox provides survey forms, pledge management, and direct shipping integrations aimed at crowdfunding creators. It is frequently evaluated against BackerKit for lower per-pledge pricing and faster setup. Feature parity is close on core tasks but lighter on advanced segmentation and multi-campaign reporting. Ideal for first-time creators who want quick migration from spreadsheets.

GoFundMe is a donation-based platform often used for personal and nonprofit causes including some research efforts. It differs from Experiment by lacking science-specific discovery, open lab notebooks, and structured project categories. Campaigns can gain quick traction for urgent needs but offer fewer tools for formal scientific research funding and results sharing.

DonorsChoose focuses on classroom and education projects with many science-related requests from teachers. It provides targeted education funding unlike Experiment's open research platform for professional scientists. The site excels at school-level biology or ecology kits but does not support independent lab notebooks or broad research crowdfunding.

Gamefound is a tabletop-focused crowdfunding site with its own pledge manager and survey tools. It competes with BackerKit when creators run board-game projects and prefer staying inside one ecosystem. Strengths include strong community features and built-in retail pre-orders; weaknesses are narrower use-case scope outside games and less flexible export options.

RocketHub offers crowdfunding for creative, tech, and social projects with some science campaigns. Compared with Experiment it has fewer research-specific features like open notebooks or daily science highlights. It provides mentoring resources and flexible funding suitable for early-stage experiments seeking general audiences.

SurveyMonkey is a general online survey tool sometimes used to collect backer information after campaigns end. It lacks native pledge import or shipping workflows, so teams combine it with spreadsheets or other services. Compared with BackerKit it is cheaper for pure surveying but requires extra manual steps for fulfillment tracking.