Brandwave

Kickstarter vs Patreon:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Patreon had more branded searches than Kickstarter among crowdfunding platforms in New Zealand. Patreon had about 15,000 branded searches, while Kickstarter had 2,420. Patreon made up 40.8% of all crowdfunding platform searches we track, and Kickstarter accounted for 6.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about crowdfunding platforms, Kickstarter appeared in four of the five answers and Patreon in none.

Among crowdfunding platforms in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Patreon, about 6 searches for every 1 for Kickstarter

Patreon 15K searchesKickstarter 2.4K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Kickstarter, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Patreon in 0

Kickstarter in 4 of 5Patreon in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Kickstarter, the only one of the two named

Kickstarter first in 4Patreon never named

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Top crowdfunding platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Kickstarter was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Patreon did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Givealittle1st
  2. PledgeMe2nd
  3. Kickstarter3rd
  4. Boosted4th
  5. GoFundMe5th
  6. Snowball Effect6th
  7. Patreon–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • PledgeMe5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Givealittle4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Kickstarter4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Snowball Effect2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Boosted2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • GoFundMe1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Patreon0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about crowdfunding platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.

Is Kickstarter or Patreon more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Kickstarter and Patreon by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven crowdfunding platforms we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Kickstarter and Patreon among crowdfunding platforms in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Patreon, Kickstarter. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthPatreonGivealittleGoFundMeKickstarterSnowball EffectPledgeMeBoosted
Oct 202534.1%50.1%5.5%6.5%1.1%2%0.74%
Nov 202527.9%60.8%3.5%4.4%1.1%1.8%0.5%
Dec 202535.3%42.2%15.5%4.4%0.91%1.1%0.51%
Jan 202641.9%41.2%8.3%5.5%1.1%1.6%0.5%
Feb 202644.1%35.4%8.6%7.1%2.6%1.4%0.79%
Mar 202640.9%40%6.7%7.9%1.9%1.6%0.89%
Apr 202642.1%41.2%4.6%8.1%1.6%1.3%0.92%
May 202636.9%44.5%6.1%7.2%1.8%2.5%1%
Jun 202651.3%27.6%7.3%8.4%1.6%2.8%0.95%
Jul 202638.1%46%6.6%6.2%1.2%1.2%0.69%
Aug 202644.3%35.7%7.6%7.2%2.1%2.2%0.97%
Sep 202640.8%26.9%22.2%6.6%1.6%1.1%0.82%

How has the Kickstarter and Patreon comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for New Zealand crowdfunding platforms in September 2026?

2 changes
  1. In September 2026, Patreon lost share of searches among crowdfunding platforms in New Zealand, from 44.3% to 40.8%.

  2. In September 2026, Kickstarter lost share of searches among crowdfunding platforms in New Zealand, from 7.2% to 6.6%.

How are branded searches counted?

13 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Kickstarter’s and Patreon’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Kickstarter

4 branded search terms

  • kickstarter
  • kickstarter crowdfunding
  • kickstarter donate
  • kickstarter fundraising

Patreon

9 branded search terms

  • cold ones patreon
  • dross patreon
  • kemono patreon
  • patreon
  • patreon app
  • patreon crowdfunding
  • patreon donate
  • patreon fundraising
  • patreon view

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among crowdfunding platforms

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

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