The two options look similar in a demo. The difference shows up a year later, in who keeps the revenue, who owns the audience data and how hard it is to leave. Here is the comparison that matters.
If you have started comparing crowdfunding software, you have probably seen both words: hosted and white-label. Vendors use them loosely, so here is what they mean in practice, and why the choice matters more than the feature lists suggest.
We already compare three routes, including a custom build, in white label vs. custom build vs. SaaS. This guide goes deeper on the two products you are most likely to be choosing between today.
Hosted crowdfunding software is a platform you sign up for. The vendor runs it on their servers, under their terms, and you get a branded section or a subdomain. You pay a monthly fee, usually plus a percentage of every pledge. You are a customer of their platform.
White-label crowdfunding software is a platform installed on your own domain and hosting, with your name and branding everywhere. You may buy it once. Your platform fee is your income, because there is no vendor taking a cut of each pledge. You are the platform.
One thing to watch for: some "white-label" offers are really a hosted product with your logo on top. Ask whether it runs on your domain and your hosting, and whether you get the source code. If not, it is hosted with a nicer label.
| What you care about | White-label (your own platform) | Hosted platform |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Your domain and hosting | The vendor's servers |
| Typical cost shape | One-time launch cost, plus hosting if you want it managed | Monthly fee, often plus a percentage of what you raise |
| Who keeps your platform fees | You | Shared with the vendor |
| Branding | Your logo, colors and domain everywhere, including emails | Usually partial; the vendor's name often remains |
| Source code | Included, so you can extend it | No |
| Your user and campaign data | In your own database | On the vendor's system |
| Changing the rules | Only you can | The vendor can change pricing and terms |
| Speed to start | Days if launched for you | Fastest, often the same day |
| Effort to maintain | Little with managed hosting; some if you self-host | None |
This is where the two diverge most. Take an illustration. Your campaigns raise $200,000 in a year and your platform fee is 5%, which produces $10,000 in fees before payment processing.
The more successful you are, the more that percentage costs you. That is why hosted looks cheap at the start and expensive at scale. These are illustrations, not forecasts. Test your own volume in the revenue calculator.
In a crowdfunding business your most valuable asset is not the software, it is the people: the creators who trust you and the backers who come back. On a hosted platform that list lives in the vendor's system. You may be able to export it, you may not, and you probably cannot take the history and relationships with you.
On your own platform, the users, campaigns, pledge history and email list are in your database. If you ever want to change anything, nobody's permission is needed.
Backers decide in seconds whether a site feels legitimate. On your own domain, with your logo, your colors and your emails, checkout never leaves your site and nothing suggests you are a reseller. We built the checkout so backers never leave your domain to pay. On hosted products it is common for the vendor's name to appear somewhere, which is fine for a test and awkward for a business you want people to remember.
Leaving a hosted platform means moving campaigns, users, pledge history and links, usually while the business is running. People put that off until it hurts. Starting on a platform you own avoids the problem. If you are already on another platform, migration is a normal project and part of our Bespoke package.
We sell white-label, so you should discount what we say, but hosted is the better choice in a few cases:
If you are building a marketplace you intend to grow, ownership starts to matter quickly.
LaunchCrowdFund is white-label. We install the platform on your domain, apply your branding, connect Stripe so creators are paid directly, and set up your legal pages and SEO. You keep your platform fees with no revenue share to us. There are three launch packages: Launch at $1,999, Launch + Managed at $2,999 plus $149 a month if you want us to host and maintain it, and Bespoke from $4,999 for custom design, a custom feature or integration and migration. A branded preview can be ready within a couple of hours of receiving your logo and colors, and the platform goes live in about 10 business days.
Hosted software is a platform you rent: it runs on the vendor's servers, under their rules, usually for a monthly fee plus a percentage of what you raise. White-label software is installed on your own domain and hosting, branded as yours, and you keep the fee revenue. See the table above for the full comparison.
Usually yes over time, because there is typically a one-time cost instead of a percentage of everything raised. Hosted is often cheaper on day one. The crossover depends on your volume, and you can model it in our revenue calculator.
Yes, but moving campaigns, users and pledge history takes planning, and some vendors make exporting data difficult. If you expect to grow, it is easier to start on a platform you own. Migration from an existing platform is part of our Bespoke package.
Not with a done-for-you launch. We install, brand and connect payments, and with Launch + Managed we also host and maintain it. Day to day you manage campaigns, users and settings from an admin panel.
Your domain, your brand, your fees, with the source code included. See the launch packages, try the live demo or ask us anything before you decide.
See launch packages →Keep reading: How to start a crowdfunding businessHow crowdfunding platforms make moneyWhite label vs. custom vs. SaaS