Subcategory report · 6.9K projects
Apps on Kickstarter
Mobile and desktop apps, services, SaaS launches. The single worst-performing subcategory we measure — and the data is brutally clear about why.
n = 6.9K · subcategory of Technology · 2009–2026
Subcategory report · 6.9K projects
Mobile and desktop apps, services, SaaS launches. The single worst-performing subcategory we measure — and the data is brutally clear about why.
n = 6.9K · subcategory of Technology · 2009–2026
What makes this subcategory different
Of the 6,857 App campaigns ever run on Kickstarter, only 555 succeeded. That is a 91.4% failure rate, the worst of any subcategory we measure. Why? Apps cannot be backed at meaningful price points. Hardware sells for $50–$300 per unit; an app sells for $5–$20. To raise $50,000 for a hardware project you need 500 backers; for an app you need 5,000. Combined with the fact that backers can't verify your code works the way they can verify a physical prototype, the result is structural. Kickstarter is not the right platform for app financing. The data is unambiguous: do not crowdfund an app here.
Finding 01 · Goal analysis
Apps projects under $10K succeed at 13.9%. Projects asking $100K+ close at 1.0% — a 28.2× drop. The middle range, $30K–$100K, lands at 3.2%.
Finding 02 · Geography
Of the eight largest creator countries by volume in this subcategory, Canada sits at the top with a 9.6% success rate — 1.0pp above the subcategory average. Geography proxies for the local ecosystem of suppliers, distributors, and audience networks that compound campaign credibility.
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