Best donation widget for open-source projects

Open-source maintainers have more funding options than most, from platform-hosted sponsor buttons to dedicated funding sites. The right one depends on whether you want sponsorship tooling and discovery or simply a clean way to take contributions on your own project site. Here's how to weigh it.

What to look for

Where contributions land

The simplest setups pay straight into your own account. Check whether a platform holds funds or routes them through its own balance first.

Sponsor tiers and recognition vs simple support

Some maintainers want sponsor tiers, logos on a README, and corporate-sponsor invoicing. Others just want a donate button. Pick the tool to match — tiers add complexity you may not need.

Where the button lives

A widget can sit on your own docs site or project page, under your project's brand, rather than only on a platform profile.

Cost predictability

A flat monthly fee is easy to reason about for a project with irregular income; a percentage cut varies with every contribution.

Why CrowdCreate is a strong pick

CrowdCreate suits a maintainer who wants contributions on their own project site without a percentage cut. It's a flat $20 a month, 0% of contributions (Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ per payment applies and goes to Stripe), embeds on your docs or landing page, and the money lands in your own Stripe account. If your need is a clean, owned way to accept support rather than a sponsorship program, it's a good fit.

When CrowdCreate isn't the best choice

CrowdCreate is not the best choice if you want structured sponsor tiers, public sponsor recognition, or corporate-sponsorship invoicing — those live on platforms built for open-source sponsorship, and their discovery can connect you with company sponsors a widget never will. If formal sponsorship and reach matter more than owning the page, choose one of those instead.

Donations go straight to your Stripe account. The money never touches CrowdCreate.

$20/mo flat

One price, no percentage. We never take a cut of what your donors give.

Cancel anytime

30-day refund if it's not a fit. Your donor data lives in your own Stripe.

If you want owned, no-cut contributions, start your fund.

Start your fund

For the full picture of how CrowdCreate works for open-source projects, see Funding for open-source projects on your own page.