Kickstarter Project Search Scraper: Extract Crowdfunding Data at Scale

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What Is Kickstarter?

Kickstarter is a global crowdfunding platform where creators launch projects across categories from technology and design to film and music. With hundreds of thousands of active campaigns and millions of backers, Kickstarter represents a rich dataset of consumer trends, entrepreneurial activity, and funding patterns. However, manually collecting and organizing project data is impractical — the Kickstarter Project Search Scraper automates this process, delivering structured campaign intelligence at scale.

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Overview

The Kickstarter Project Search Scraper extracts detailed project information from Kickstarter's advanced search and category pages, capturing the complete project lifecycle. It is ideal for:

• Investment researchers analyzing crowdfunding trends and success metrics
• Market analysts tracking emerging product categories and consumer demand
• Competitive intelligence teams monitoring competitor campaigns
• Data journalists investigating funding patterns by geography or category
• Academic researchers studying innovation and entrepreneurial behavior

Key strengths include support for filtered search URLs (by category, location, sort method), configurable item limits, and robust error handling for large-scale runs.

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Input Format

The scraper accepts a JSON configuration:

{
  "urls": [
    "https://www.kickstarter.com/discover/advanced?category_id=7&woe_id=0&sort=magic&seed=2967492&page=4"
  ],
  "ignore_url_failures": true,
  "max_items_per_url": 200
}

Field	Description
urls	Kickstarter search or category listing URLs to scrape (supports advanced search filters)
max_items_per_url	Maximum projects to extract per URL (e.g., 200)
ignore_url_failures	If true, scraper continues if a URL fails instead of stopping

URL structure: Use Kickstarter's advanced search pages:

• category_id: Filter by category (7=design, 9=technology, etc.)
• woe_id: Geographic filter (0=worldwide)
• sort: Order results (magic, newest, most_funded, trending)
• page: Pagination for large result sets

Tip: Use pagination (page=1, page=2, etc.) in separate URLs to avoid hitting item limits on large categories.

---

Output Format

Sample output

{
  "id": 873715477,
  "photo": {
    "key": "assets/053/937/235/c98819d15ac5a40c498de67ec0a01e7d_original.png",
    "full": "https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/053/937/235/c98819d15ac5a40c498de67ec0a01e7d_original.png?anim=false&fit=cover&gravity=auto&height=315&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1780274693&width=560&sig=H%2BM5e4MPvHqXP4rRh6KYTlGtVXySVLHStIah%2BcqvLTY%3D",
    "ed": "https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/053/937/235/c98819d15ac5a40c498de67ec0a01e7d_original.png?anim=false&fit=cover&gravity=auto&height=198&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1780274693&width=352&sig=M9PVhUCTcfK8y3iiEx%2FtdZkJuVv349Qz3LgoeenXLK8%3D",
    "med": "https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/053/937/235/c98819d15ac5a40c498de67ec0a01e7d_original.png?anim=false&fit=cover&gravity=auto&height=153&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1780274693&width=272&sig=gwSUn%2Bw4tZAd%2BaG%2BMdglTVXRfxarKlXo%2B6xhlRdGpuA%3D",
    "little": "https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/053/937/235/c98819d15ac5a40c498de67ec0a01e7d_original.png?anim=false&fit=cover&gravity=auto&height=117&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1780274693&width=208&sig=czisdXb2rYTwVAFS%2BbNN9fJ3BxO%2BpsIePFf3I8InNxc%3D",
    "small": "https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/053/937/235/c98819d15ac5a40c498de67ec0a01e7d_original.png?anim=false&fit=cover&gravity=auto&height=90&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1780274693&width=160&sig=TNyHxlYFkoGyojbDEAu%2FSnPgWGdMpBCk8g%2BxhK%2F4nMg%3D",
    "thumb": "https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/053/937/235/c98819d15ac5a40c498de67ec0a01e7d_original.png?anim=false&fit=cover&gravity=auto&height=27&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1780274693&width=48&sig=lRrU1Qso3cwLeNppqcfI4DU%2FohyZshlrWKseJdXygrw%3D",
    "1024x576": "https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/053/937/235/c98819d15ac5a40c498de67ec0a01e7d_original.png?anim=false&fit=cover&gravity=auto&height=576&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1780274693&width=1024&sig=HZAlmGxZgwYbdTgYhbAMxN7wiBmxxrEv7xoBxd0VyLU%3D",
    "1536x864": "https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/053/937/235/c98819d15ac5a40c498de67ec0a01e7d_original.png?anim=false&fit=cover&gravity=auto&height=873&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1780274693&width=1552&sig=VRs4K8iurFK8d54lxnGWWN8osxhz6JskTsTb0Wn1vbk%3D"
  },
  "name": "Poplight Renter-Friendly Wall Light",
  "blurb": "Instantly upgrade your space with patented, tool-free wall lighting.",
  "goal": 5900.0,
  "pledged": 11695.0,
  "state": "live",
  "slug": "poplight-renter-friendly-wall-light",
  "country": "US",
  "country_displayable_name": "the United States",
  "currency": "USD",
  "currency_symbol": "$",
  "currency_trailing_code": true,
  "deadline": 1782107940,
  "state_changed_at": 1780311055,
  "created_at": 1776191671,
  "launched_at": 1780311051,
  "is_in_post_campaign_pledging_phase": false,
  "staff_pick": true,
  "is_starrable": true,
  "disable_communication": false,
  "backers_count": 54,
  "static_usd_rate": 1.0,
  "usd_pledged": "11695.0",
  "converted_pledged_amount": 11695,
  "fx_rate": 1.0,
  "usd_exchange_rate": 1.0,
  "current_currency": "USD",
  "usd_type": "international",
  "creator": {
    "id": 1116699707,
    "name": "Rose and Caroline",
    "slug": "poplightforthepeople",
    "is_registered": null,
    "is_email_verified": null,
    "chosen_currency": null,
    "is_superbacker": null,
    "has_admin_message_badge": false,
    "partner_badge": null,
    "ppo_has_action": false,
    "backing_action_count": 0,
    "avatar": {
      "thumb": "https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/039/705/532/bd601fd4c9c9f6c835af9d4bd517cfaf_original.png?anim=false&fit=cover&height=40&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1674081319&width=40&sig=nnx%2FTLLSYNA6a4JXmgyFUX9LIhmOxyqmxmqKGtkWx7s%3D",
      "small": "https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/039/705/532/bd601fd4c9c9f6c835af9d4bd517cfaf_original.png?anim=false&fit=cover&height=80&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1674081319&width=80&sig=8bQnNkWPBAzYI1gAiDRbTfw9a%2FQ4JcdI8tKuvqd7BBk%3D",
      "medium": "https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/039/705/532/bd601fd4c9c9f6c835af9d4bd517cfaf_original.png?anim=false&fit=cover&height=160&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1674081319&width=160&sig=sKyXf1KNek1MRiNqIrEi8WcO2VRexkjSBSN2vuWZLY4%3D"
    },
    "urls": {
      "web": {
        "user": "https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/poplightforthepeople"
      },
      "api": {
        "user": "https://api.kickstarter.com/v1/users/1116699707?signature=1780590741.3b007e5d133e881fbe038222cf86cf151ad878de"
      }
    }
  },
  "location": {
    "id": 2391279,
    "name": "Denver",
    "slug": "denver-co",
    "short_name": "Denver, CO",
    "displayable_name": "Denver, CO",
    "localized_name": "Denver",
    "country": "US",
    "state": "CO",
    "type": "Town",
    "is_root": false,
    "expanded_country": "United States",
    "urls": {
      "web": {
        "discover": "https://www.kickstarter.com/discover/places/denver-co",
        "location": "https://www.kickstarter.com/locations/denver-co"
      },
      "api": {
        "nearby_projects": "https://api.kickstarter.com/v1/discover?signature=1780565080.5ec0506497850fecc082a525a5694b0480da2369&woe_id=2391279"
      }
    }
  },
  "category": {
    "id": 28,
    "name": "Product Design",
    "analytics_name": "Product Design",
    "slug": "design/product design",
    "position": 5,
    "parent_id": 7,
    "parent_name": "Design",
    "color": 2577151,
    "urls": {
      "web": {
        "discover": "http://www.kickstarter.com/discover/categories/design/product%20design"
      }
    }
  },
  "video": {
    "id": 1434490,
    "status": "successful",
    "hls": "https://v2.kickstarter.com/1780502992-QQv6SyI0YTaxsByDIVkpQHC41NHL4wQtnM6%2BHdq3w1s%3D/projects/5318153/video-1434490-hls_playlist.m3u8",
    "hls_type": "application/x-mpegURL",
    "high": "https://v2.kickstarter.com/1780502992-QQv6SyI0YTaxsByDIVkpQHC41NHL4wQtnM6%2BHdq3w1s%3D/projects/5318153/video-1434490-h264_high.mp4",
    "high_type": "video/mp4; codecs=\"avc1.64001E, mp4a.40.2\"",
    "base": "https://v2.kickstarter.com/1780502992-QQv6SyI0YTaxsByDIVkpQHC41NHL4wQtnM6%2BHdq3w1s%3D/projects/5318153/video-1434490-h264_base.mp4",
    "base_type": "video/mp4; codecs=\"avc1.42E01E, mp4a.40.2\"",
    "tracks": "[{\"video_track\":{\"id\":241219,\"tid\":598207528,\"captionable_id\":1434490,\"captionable_type\":\"Video\",\"kind\":\"captions\",\"language\":\"en\",\"created_at\":\"2026-05-26T17:00:38-04:00\",\"updated_at\":\"2026-05-26T17:23:43-04:00\",\"import_status\":\"none\"}}]",
    "width": 1280,
    "height": 720,
    "frame": "https://d15chbti7ht62o.cloudfront.net/projects/5318153/video-1434490-h264_720.jpg?2026"
  },
  "profile": {
    "id": 5357629,
    "project_id": 5357629,
    "state": "inactive",
    "state_changed_at": 1776191671,
    "name": "Poplight Renter-Friendly Wall Light",
    "blurb": null,
    "background_color": null,
    "text_color": null,
    "link_background_color": null,
    "link_text_color": null,
    "link_text": null,
    "link_url": null,
    "show_feature_image": false,
    "background_image_opacity": 0.8,
    "should_show_feature_image_section": true,
    "feature_image_attributes": {
      "image_urls": {
        "default": "https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/053/937/235/c98819d15ac5a40c498de67ec0a01e7d_original.png?anim=false&fit=cover&gravity=auto&height=873&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1780274693&width=1552&sig=VRs4K8iurFK8d54lxnGWWN8osxhz6JskTsTb0Wn1vbk%3D",
        "baseball_card": "https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/053/937/235/c98819d15ac5a40c498de67ec0a01e7d_original.png?anim=false&fit=cover&gravity=auto&height=315&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1780274693&width=560&sig=H%2BM5e4MPvHqXP4rRh6KYTlGtVXySVLHStIah%2BcqvLTY%3D"
      }
    }
  },
  "spotlight": false,
  "urls": {
    "web": {
      "project": "https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/poplightforthepeople/poplight-renter-friendly-wall-light",
      "rewards": "https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/poplightforthepeople/poplight-renter-friendly-wall-light/rewards"
    }
  },
  "percent_funded": 198.22033898305085,
  "is_liked": null,
  "is_disliked": null,
  "is_launched": true,
  "prelaunch_activated": true,
  "from_url": "https://www.kickstarter.com/discover/advanced?category_id=7&woe_id=0&sort=magic&seed=2967492&page=4&ajax=true"
}

Each scraped project returns a comprehensive record with 40+ fields spanning campaign basics, funding metrics, and creator details:

Project Identification

Field	Meaning
ID	Unique Kickstarter project identifier
Name	Official project title
Slug	URL-friendly project identifier
Blurb	Short project tagline or summary
Photo	Project's primary cover image URL

Funding Metrics

Field	Meaning
Goal	Target funding amount in the project's native currency
Pledged	Total amount pledged to date in native currency
USD Pledged	Pledged amount converted to USD
Converted Pledged Amount	Pledged amount in the user's display currency
Percent Funded	Percentage of goal reached (e.g., 150%)
Backers Count	Total number of individual backers
Static USD Rate	Fixed USD conversion rate used for calculations
FX Rate	Foreign exchange rate applied
USD Exchange Rate	Current USD exchange rate

Currency & Regional Data

Field	Meaning
Currency	Project's native currency code (e.g., USD, GBP, EUR)
Currency Symbol	Display symbol for the currency (e.g., $, £, €)
Currency Trailing Code	Currency format (leading or trailing code)
Current Currency	Currency displayed to the current user
USD Type	Type of USD conversion applied
Country	Project creator's country code
Country Displayable Name	Human-readable country name

Campaign Timeline & Status

Field	Meaning
State	Current campaign state (live, successful, failed, cancelled)
State Changed At	Timestamp of the last state change
Created At	When the project was created
Launched At	When the project went live to the public
Deadline	Campaign end date and time
Is Launched	Boolean indicating if campaign is publicly visible
Is In Post Campaign Pledging Phase	Whether the project is in the post-campaign funding phase
Prelaunch Activated	Whether pre-launch notifications were enabled

Creator & Metadata

Field	Meaning
Creator	Project creator's profile information
Location	Creator's geographic location
Category	Primary project category (design, tech, film, etc.)
Profile	Creator's Kickstarter profile data

Features & Content

Field	Meaning
Video	Link to the project's campaign video
URLs	Associated project URLs (campaign, external, etc.)
Spotlight	Whether the project was featured in Kickstarter Spotlight
Staff Pick	Whether Kickstarter staff selected the project

Engagement & Status Flags

Field	Meaning
Is Starrable	Whether the project can be favorited/starred
Is Liked	Whether the current user liked the project
Is Disliked	Whether the current user disliked the project
Disable Communication	Whether the creator disabled backer messaging

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How to Use

1. Build your search URL — Visit Kickstarter's advanced search, apply filters (category, country, sort), and copy the URL.
2. Add pagination — For categories with 1000+ projects, create multiple URLs with &page=1, &page=2, etc.
3. Configure input — Paste URLs into the urls array. Set max_items_per_url (e.g., 200 for comprehensive data).
4. Enable error handling — Set ignore_url_failures: true for large-scale runs to avoid interruptions.
5. Execute — Run the scraper and monitor the log for issues.
6. Export & analyze — Download results as JSON, CSV, or Excel for analysis in spreadsheets or databases.

Best practices:

• Start with a single page URL to test configuration before bulk scraping.
• Use distinct sort methods (magic, newest, trending) to capture different project subsets.
• Export regularly to avoid losing data in long runs.

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Use Cases & Business Value

• Market research: Identify trending product categories and consumer preferences by funding volume
• Investment analysis: Benchmark project success rates, funding timelines, and backer behavior by category
• Competitive landscape: Track how similar projects perform across geographies and creator types
• Startup intelligence: Monitor emerging companies using Kickstarter as a market validation channel
• Academic studies: Analyze crowdfunding mechanisms, creator diversity, and innovation patterns

The Kickstarter Project Search Scraper transforms sprawling campaign data into actionable intelligence, enabling data-driven decision making in product development, investment, and market analysis.

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Conclusion

The Kickstarter Project Search Scraper empowers researchers, investors, and analysts to extract structured crowdfunding data at scale. With 40+ fields capturing funding, creator, and timeline information, it eliminates manual research and unlocks insights into global entrepreneurship and consumer trends. Start scraping today and turn Kickstarter projects into competitive intelligence.