When I was exploring ways to fund the 5 lakhs rupees i need to build a hyperlocal app, Crowdfunding was one of the options I considered, When i checked the first website I landed on was Kickstarter. While trying to create a campaing, The country of origin there was noway to select ‘India’ – Which made me wonder Why India does not have a crowdfunding site. Then I searched more and found out the list of crowdfunding site
I found half of the sites are not from India, and the ones from India are about campaigning for treatments, nothing really funding the tech innovation. Hence I thought lets build one. And WordPress is the easiest way to build a website. So i deployed a wordpress tenant and searched for plugins to support the crowdfunding capabilities transform. I landed on 2 plugins. To pick one, I asked chatGpt. The following is the response
When I was exploring ways to fund the 5 lakhs rupees i need to build a hyperlocal app, Crowdfunding was one of the options I considered, When i checked the first website I landed on was Kickstarter. While trying to create a campaing, The country of origin there was noway to select ‘India’ – Which made me wonder Why India does not have a crowdfunding site. Then I searched more and found out the list of crowdfunding site
I found half of the sites are not from India, and the ones from India are about campaigning for treatments, nothing really funding the tech innovation. Hence I thought lets build one. And WordPress is the easiest way to build a website. So i deployed a wordpress tenant and searched for plugins to support the crowdfunding capabilities transform. I landed on 2 plugins. To pick one, I asked chatGpt.
The prompt
I want to build a crowdfunding site like kickstarter
There are two wordpress plugins
GiveWP - https://wordpress.org/plugins/give/
WP Crowdfunding ( https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-crowdfunding/#description )
Do a search on web and find out all features , compare and recommend which is the better plugin to create crowdfunding site
Short answer:
- If you truly want “a Kickstarter-style marketplace” where many creators can create and manage their own campaigns, WP Crowdfunding is the better starting point.
- If you want “a donation engine” for one organisation (NGO, charity, your own brand) with powerful reports and donor CRM, GiveWP is better.
Below is the breakdown so you can decide confidently.
1. What each plugin is designed for
GiveWP
- Purpose: Donation & fundraising platform for one main organisation or site owner (nonprofits, NGOs, creators, churches, etc.).WordPress.org+1
- Core concept: Donation forms + campaigns with goals, reports, donor database and tons of add-ons (recurring giving, peer-to-peer, text-to-give, etc.).WordPress.org+1
- Not a marketplace: It does not natively support a “project owner marketplace” like Kickstarter where multiple creators sign up and get their own campaign dashboards and payouts. You can hack around it, but that’s not its native design.
WP Crowdfunding
- Purpose: Kickstarter-style, multi-author crowdfunding site powered by WooCommerce.WordPress.org+1
- Core concept: Each campaign is a special kind of WooCommerce product; multiple users can register, submit projects from the frontend, and receive pledges and payouts via a wallet/Stripe Connect.WordPress.org+1
- Built specifically to let you run a crowdfunding marketplace (basically a mini-Kickstarter).
Independent reviews generally echo this: GiveWP is recommended for comprehensive fundraising / donations, while WP Crowdfunding is recommended for multi-user Kickstarter-style marketplaces.WPBeginner+1
2. Key features – GiveWP
From the official plugin page, features page, and pricing/add-on docs.WordPress.org+2GiveWP+2
Core (free) features
- Unlimited campaigns & forms
- Create multiple campaigns, each with its own donation goal, landing page, and messaging.WordPress.org
- Powerful donation forms
- Form templates, custom donation levels + custom amount, progress bars/goal bars.WordPress.org+1
- Campaign landing pages
- Dedicated landing pages per campaign with images, copy, and donation form embedded.WordPress.org
- Donor management (CRM-like)
- Donor profiles, complete history, tax-deductible receipts, donor dashboard for history & receipts.WordPress.org+1
- Reporting & analytics
- Filterable reports by date, form, payment method; export data.WordPress.org+1
- Payment gateways (free)
- Stripe, PayPal, Venmo, Offline, test mode; more via paid add-ons.WordPress.org
- Flexible display
- Shortcodes, blocks, widgets, grids of forms/campaigns.WordPress.org
Important premium add-ons for crowdfunding-style setups
- Recurring Donations – monthly/annual/any custom interval subscriptions.GiveWP+1
- Peer-to-Peer Fundraising – supporters can create their own mini-campaigns and teams under your main campaign (like personal fundraisers).GiveWP+1
- Funds & Designations – let donors choose which fund/project they’re supporting.WordPress.org
- Text-to-Give, Fee Recovery, Form Field Manager, PDF / annual receipts, marketing integrations, Salesforce NPSP, Google Analytics, etc.GiveWP+1
Pricing snapshot (2025)
- Free plan – unlimited forms, Stripe & PayPal, donor management, reports.
- Basic – from $149/year, adds all gateways + basic add-ons.
- Plus – from $349/year, includes all premium add-ons including recurring donations.
- Pro – from $499/year, adds peer-to-peer fundraising and higher-tier support.GiveWP
3. Key features – WP Crowdfunding
From the WordPress.org page, docs, and plugin overviews.WordPress.org+2Themeum Documentation+2
Crowdfunding / campaign features
- WooCommerce-based campaigns
- Uses WooCommerce products as crowdfunding campaigns so you can leverage Woo’s cart, checkout, tax, and shipping ecosystem.WordPress.org+1
- Frontend project submission
- Registered users can submit campaigns from the frontend: title, description, media, goal, dates, etc.WordPress.org
- Campaign controls
- Start & end date, minimum/maximum contribution, recommended price, funding goal.WordPress.org
- Reward / perk system
- Reward tiers with estimated delivery dates (1 reward in free; unlimited in Pro).WordPress.org
- Campaign end rules
- End when: goal reached, date reached, either goal or date, or “never end”.WordPress.org
- Campaign updates & backers list
- Creators can post updates; show backers (optionally anonymous).WordPress.org
User / creator dashboard
Frontend dashboard sections for users:WordPress.org
- Profile & contact info edit
- List of own projects
- List of backed projects
- List of received pledges
- Bookmarked (favourited) projects
- Change password
This is exactly the “creator/backer account” style flow you see on Kickstarter.
Money management & marketplace features (Pro)
- Native wallet system
- Tracks funds per project; project owners can request withdrawals, and the system calculates commissions.Themeum Documentation+1
- Stripe Connect & PayPal Adaptive
- Split payments between admin and project owners.Themeum Documentation+1
- Reports & analytics, social sharing, email notifications, Google reCAPTCHA, additional payment gateways (2Checkout, Authorize.net, etc.) via add-ons.WordPress.org+2Themeum Documentation+2
Shortcodes & structure
Out of the box, it gives you a full site structure:WordPress.org
- Campaign listing:
[wpcf_listing] - Category-specific listing:
[wpcf_listing cat="cat_name"] - Submission form:
[wpcf_form] - User dashboard:
[wpcf_dashboard] - User registration:
[wpcf_registration] - Search, popular campaigns, single campaign, campaign box, direct donate shortcode, etc.
Pricing snapshot
From a recent third-party overview:Plugmatter
- Roughly $149/year for Individuals, $199/year for Freelancers, $299/year for Agencies (Pro version with wallet, Stripe Connect, reports, social share, etc.).
- Free version includes the basic campaign creation and one reward level, but all the “real marketplace” features are in Pro.WordPress.org
4. Direct comparison for a Kickstarter-style site
A. Multi-creator marketplace vs single owner
| Aspect | GiveWP | WP Crowdfunding |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple independent project owners | Not native. You can let people create P2P campaigns that raise money for your org, not their own payouts. | Native. Users register, submit projects, have dashboards, and get funds via wallet/Stripe Connect.WordPress.org+1 |
| Commission & revenue share | No built-in commission marketplace model. | Built-in wallet, commission calculation & payout management.Themeum Documentation+1 |
| Frontend submission & dashboards | Not built-in; you’d need extra tools/custom dev. | Included: frontend submission, creator/backer dashboards, favourites, updates.WordPress.org |
B. Crowdfunding mechanics (goals, rewards, timelines)
| Aspect | GiveWP | WP Crowdfunding |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign goals & progress bars | Yes, with goal bars and targets for amount / number of donations.GiveWP | Yes, with target goal; supports multiple end rules (goal, date, both, or never).WordPress.org |
| Reward tiers/perks | Not native; can be simulated with custom fields / form levels, but no real reward management. | Native reward system with estimated delivery (1 free, unlimited in Pro).WordPress.org |
| Funding deadlines | Supported via campaign logic & goal dates, but more donation-oriented. | Very explicit: start date, end date, and campaign end logic similar to Kickstarter.WordPress.org |
C. Payments & gateways
| Aspect | GiveWP | WP Crowdfunding |
|---|---|---|
| Base integration | Custom donation engine (no WooCommerce required). | Requires WooCommerce; campaigns are Woo products.WordPress.org+1 |
| Gateways | Stripe, PayPal, Venmo, offline in free; many more via add-ons (Square, Razorpay, Paytm, etc.).WordPress.org+1 | Uses WooCommerce gateways + add-ons (PayPal, Stripe, Skrill, etc.); Stripe Connect & wallet in Pro.WordPress.org+1 |
| Split payments | Requires significant custom dev or external tools. | Native wallet + Stripe Connect/PayPal Adaptive for split payouts between admin & creators.Themeum Documentation+1 |
D. Reporting & analytics, donor/backer management
| Aspect | GiveWP | WP Crowdfunding |
|---|---|---|
| Donor / backer database | Very strong donor CRM: profiles, notes, full history, receipts, PDF & annual receipts via add-ons.WordPress.org+1 | More campaign-centric; you get backers lists and some reporting in Pro, but not as full-blown a CRM.WordPress.org+1 |
| Reports & exports | Deep fundraising reports, exports, plus official Google Analytics integration.WordPress.org+1 | Has analytical reports add-on; more focused on project performance and wallet totals.WordPress.org+1 |
E. Ecosystem, maturity & scalability
| Aspect | GiveWP | WP Crowdfunding |
|---|---|---|
| Active installs / maturity | 100,000+ active installs, 550+ 5-star reviews, very actively developed.WordPress.org+1 | ~4,000+ active installs; niche but focused product.Plugmatter+1 |
| Add-on ecosystem | Huge: official add-ons (P2P, Recurring, Text-to-Give, Salesforce, etc.) + lots of third-party integrations.GiveWP+1 | Smaller, but enough for typical payments, reports, wallet, social share, etc.Themeum Documentation+1 |
5. So… which should you pick?
Since you explicitly said:
“I want to build a crowdfunding site like Kickstarter”
that usually means:
- Many creators can sign up
- Each creator launches and manages their own campaign from the frontend
- Backers can browse many campaigns
- Platform owner takes a percentage and pays out creators
For that exact use case, WP Crowdfunding is the better plugin choice:
- It gives you frontend submission, user dashboards, reward tiers, goals, deadlines, backers list and a wallet + payout system without heavy custom coding.WordPress.org+1
- It’s built on WooCommerce, which is a big plus if you’re already comfortable with Woo or want to integrate products/merch later.
When GiveWP would be better
Pick GiveWP instead if:
- You are one organisation (your own brand/non-profit) collecting donations for your own projects.
- You care more about donor CRM, recurring donors, advanced reports, integrations (Salesforce, MailChimp, text-to-give) than about hosting multiple third-party creators.WordPress.org+2GiveWP+2
- You’re okay with campaigns being under your organisation’s umbrella (even if they look like separate “projects”), not independent businesses getting payouts.
6. Practical recommendation
Given your goal (“like Kickstarter”):
- Use WP Crowdfunding (Pro) as your core engine.
- Install WooCommerce + WP Crowdfunding.
- Configure front-end submission, wallet, Stripe Connect, and your commission percentage.
- Add:
- A good crowdfunding-friendly theme (Themeum’s own “Backer/BackNow/Patrios” or any clean WooCommerce theme).WordPress.org
- A few UX extras: search, filters (by category/goal/percent funded), and solid hosting (because Woo + Crowdfunding is heavier).
If you want, next step I can map out a step-by-step setup plan (plugins, key settings, and must-have pages) for WP Crowdfunding so you can go from “blank WordPress” to a working Kickstarter-style site.