BackerKit vs PayPal Comparison 2026
Both cover monetization & payments. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
Crowdfunding with the pledge manager attached
Card and wallet payments with no monthly fee
At a glance
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
BackerKit | PayPal | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Pricing model | Free | Free |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Yes |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | 5% of what you earn | Not stated |
| Runs on (they differ) | Web | Web, iOS, Android |
| Covers | Crowdfunding, Monetization & Payments | Monetization & Payments, Creator Finance |
Shaded rows are where the two answers disagree and both listings have answered. A row where one side has not stated a fact is left plain, because silence is not a difference.
BackerKit
Crowdfunding with the pledge manager attached
BackerKit started as the thing campaigns moved to after Kickstarter closed, to collect addresses and sell add-ons, and now runs the campaign itself as well. Keeping both halves in one place removes the export and re-import that loses backers. It leans heavily toward tabletop games, which shows in the templates and in who is browsing.
Our note
The reason to launch here rather than on Kickstarter is the second half of the job. If the project is a straightforward one-reward campaign with no add-ons and no shipping tiers, Kickstarter's larger browsing audience is worth more than the pledge manager.
Only on this side
- Covers crowdfunding
PayPal
Card and wallet payments with no monthly fee
PayPal charges nothing monthly for a business account and takes its money on each transaction, which is what makes it the default for anybody whose income arrives unevenly. Buyers can pay with a PayPal balance, a card, Venmo or a pay-later option without a merchant account of their own. The rate depends on how the money arrives rather than on a plan, and receiving from another country adds a percentage on top. Its dispute process is the part sellers complain about, and it is worth reading before it matters.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.