FAQ
Common questions.
How Backer Sonar works, who it’s for, and what it costs. Still have a question? Contact support.
How it works
Where the numbers come from.
Source data
Campaign history comes from the Web Robots Kickstarter Dataset, a full historical snapshot of 191,384 Kickstarter campaigns — not a hand-picked sample.
Normalized comparisons
Goal and pledged amounts are converted to USD so campaigns launched in different currencies can be compared on the same basis, with confidence noted per campaign.
Deterministic calculations
Success rates, medians, and funding multiples are computed directly from source records. The same filters always produce the same numbers — nothing is model-generated.
Who it’s for
Research for wherever you are in the process.
Researching feasibility
Check how campaigns like yours have historically performed before committing time to a launch.
Optimizing a launch
Compare goal size, duration, and category signals across comparable campaigns to calibrate your own.
Evaluating for a client
Save research views and comparisons you can revisit and share as part of client due diligence.
Known limitations
We surface what we’re unsure of.
Historical data may contain source limitations, missing fields, classification edge cases, or incomplete currency comparability. Where those limitations are known, Backer Sonar surfaces them as warnings or confidence signals in the workspace rather than presenting every number with equal certainty. Full detail is in the legal disclaimer.
Questions
Pricing, AI Co-Pilot, and cancellation.
What is Backer Sonar?
A research workspace for evaluating historical Kickstarter campaign data before deciding what to launch. It replaces guesswork with source-linked campaign history, explicit filters, and reproducible calculations.
What data does Backer Sonar use?
The full Kickstarter dataset (Web Robots Kickstarter Dataset), with money values normalized to USD and campaigns classified into a product taxonomy beyond Kickstarter’s own category labels. Curated research workflows currently focus on TTRPG, with more categories planned.
How much does it cost?
$29/month after a 7-day free trial, no credit card required to start.
Is the analysis AI-generated?
No. Core research, reporting, and comparisons are deterministic calculations from source data — the same inputs always produce the same numbers. An optional AI Co-Pilot (included with Paid) can narrate saved research in plain language, but it never invents numbers or predicts campaign outcomes.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancelling keeps full access through the period you already paid for, with no refund for the remaining time.