Kickstarter vs. Indiegogo

[EllisMatthews8]

Hi Everyone,

Does anyone want to weigh in on the Kickstarter vs. Indiegogo debate, specifically for comics. I was planning on using Kickstarter for Bender issue 2 (digital & print), but then I saw on r/IndieComicBooks that at least half of the projects are with Indiegogo. I'm wondering if the people who use Indiegogo know something I don't, or if I should stick with my plan for Kickstarter. Any advice from people who have used one of them would be appreciated! Thanks!!

[Croik]

My friend and I used Kickstarter for our first volume and it was a great success. About 40% of our backers seemed to have found us through Kickstarter itself, so on top of the money we were able to reach a bunch of new fans. We're planning to go with Kickstarter again for our second volume.

I've never used Indiegogo but I've heard that it has some good marketing tools. Its rules about what you can and can't post as a campaign are less strict than Kickstarter, so you can start raising money before having any kind of prototype. You also can choose to keep the money you make even if you don't reach your goal, which is good for creators, but some people don't trust that.

Personally I prefer Kickstarter. It's bigger, has stricter standards, and I would never pay into a campaign that keeps the money even if they don't make goal (thus might not be able to provide the service they promised). But I would try to ask some of your readers if they spend more time on one or the other, if you're curious about their preferences.

[MeganUosiu]

I did my campaign with IndieGoGo, because Kickstarter wasn't available in my country at the time. Also, I think IndieGoGo allows PayPal instead of credit cards?
That being said, if Kickstarter was available then, I would have most likely chosen it.

[joannekwan]

One advantage of Indiegogo is that you can have a campaign where it's not on a 'fund in X days or it's a no go'.
On Indiegogo, you can start a campaign without an end date and any money raised, even if it's just a fraction of your goal, will go into your pocket (minus fees and such of course) and you can fulfill the rewards for pledges you do have.

[DarkChibiShadow]

Something that hasn't been mentioned here is that Kickstarter is associated with Amazon and you WILL be paid thru Amazon payments when working with Kickstarter. So, if you don't want to associate with Amazon, don't use Kickstarter.

Otherwise, they seem to be pretty equal in my eyes, it's just about what you particularly value and are looking for.

[IdiotWithPencil]

I'm wondering if the people who use Indiegogo know something I don't,

Mostly it's because Kickstarter stopped being a platform for the artist and more of a platform for the activist.
they have been censoring comic creators they find "undesirable" or with "problematic" ideas. So most went to indigogo who embraced them with open arms.

as long as you don't infringe on their "Term of use" and have the "right ideas" you can continue using Kickstarter =)

also most of the artist who where banned where the ones with the biggest wins in terms of campaigns (just two of them together made 1M dollars on 1 book each) so it seems that the clients are in Indiegogo compared to Kickstarter who has a not so great track record with comics,from what I have seen anyways =/

[EllisMatthews8]

Thanks everyone! I didn't know about the censorship, or the ties with Amazon, which were eye-opening. I think I'll still try my luck with them anyway because they have more users, but I'll keep Indiegogo as a backup strategy if they try to pull some corporate nonsense. Thanks again!

[sekabead]

I heard there's growing distrust on both platforms because so many scammers doing fake projects, especially on Indiegogo. That's something to keep in mind I think

[joannekwan]

Oh there have been scammers since the sites started. I know my husband's never trusted kickstarter because he's heard too many horror stories, in particular about games getting funded but never getting finished.
I think it helps though if a creator does have a platform with a decent audience so they're held somewhat accountable and actually have followers to lose if they don't follow through with their rewards.

So if you're starting a campaign, definitely link to all your socials so you don't come off as some rando that popped into existence for the sole purpose of raising funds.

[EllisMatthews8]

I wasn't aware scams were just a big deal. That's a great tip about including social media, thanks!