ToolsLaunch date planner
Kickstarter launch date
planner.
Tell it when you’ll be ready and how long you want to run. It finds the best day and time to launch your Kickstarter, and the best day and time to end, from Kickstarter’s own advice to creators.
Launch date planner
Launch
Thu 12 Nov
Thursday at 4 pm
End
Thu 10 Dec
Thursday at 8 pm, after 28 days
- 48 hours left emailTue 8 Dec, 8 pm
- 8 hours left emailThu 10 Dec, 12 noon
- 30 days would end on Saturday. We moved the end 2 days earlier, to Thursday, so your last push lands on a clear weekday.
Best day to launch a Kickstarter.
What 296,870 campaigns show.
Share of campaigns that reached their goal, from 296,870 Kickstarter campaigns launched 2012 to 2017. Midweek and spring do best, but only by a few points.
- 39.5%Mon
- 41.6%Tue
- 39.4%Wed
- 39.1%Thu
- 37.7%Fri
- 36.1%Sat
- 39.1%Sun
- 40.5%Mon
- 41.3%Tue
- 39.4%Wed
- 39.9%Thu
- 39.1%Fri
- 38.9%Sat
- 36.6%Sun
- 38.0%38%Jan
- 41.0%41%Feb
- 41.6%42%Mar
- 41.3%41%Apr
- 40.6%41%May
- 39.6%40%Jun
- 35.1%35%Jul
- 36.8%37%Aug
- 39.9%40%Sep
- 40.8%41%Oct
- 40.2%40%Nov
- 34.9%35%Dec
Source: Kaggle “Kickstarter Projects” (2018), funded or failed campaigns only. Lexo’s count.
How the launch date planner works.
Four rules, one date.
- 1Start from when you’re ready
Being ready matters more than the day. We look from your ready date onward.
- 2Skip weekends and holidays
Kickstarter’s creator team advises against both, Easter Friday and Monday included.
- 3Launch midweek at 4 pm Eastern
Tuesday first, Kickstarter’s best day, then Wednesday and Thursday.
- 4End on a weekday evening
Monday to Thursday at 8 pm Eastern, so the reminder emails and the final push land well.
Before you pick a date, check the numbers: the Kickstarter funding calculator shows how many followers you need by launch day, and the fee calculator shows what you keep.
Worked examples.
Two ready dates, run through it.
Ready on Friday 26 March 2027, which is Good Friday, for a 30-day campaign. The planner skips Good Friday, the weekend and Easter Monday, and launches on Tuesday 30 March at 4 pm Eastern. Thirty days on is Thursday 29 April, a clear weekday, so it ends there at 8 pm Eastern. Kickstarter’s last reminder email goes out at noon that day.
Ready on Thursday 4 February 2027, for a 30-day campaign. Thursday is a good launch day, so it launches that day at 4 pm Eastern. Thirty days would end on Saturday 6 March, so the planner ends it 2 days sooner, on Thursday 4 March at 8 pm Eastern: a 28-day campaign with its last push on a weekday.
Kickstarter launch timing questions.
What is the best day to launch a Kickstarter?
Tuesday. Kickstarter’s own data shows Tuesday launches succeed most often, and in the 296,870 campaigns we looked at, Tuesday launches funded 41.6% of the time against 36.1% for Saturday. The gap is small. Kickstarter’s creator team told us the best day is whenever you’re most ready, as long as it isn’t a weekend or a holiday like Good Friday or Easter Monday.
What time should I launch my Kickstarter?
Between 1 pm and 9 pm Eastern, according to Kickstarter, with 4 pm the peak. That’s 1 pm in Los Angeles and 9 pm in London. There’s no launch timer: you press the button yourself, so pick a time you’ll be at your desk.
Can I choose when my Kickstarter ends?
Yes. On the Basics tab you either pick a number of days, and the campaign ends at the same time of day you launched, or you set an exact end date and time. Once you launch, the deadline is locked, so set it before you press launch.
What is the best time for a Kickstarter to end?
Kickstarter doesn’t say, so this is our reasoning. Kickstarter emails everyone who saved your project 48 hours and 8 hours before the end, and the last day usually brings a spike. Ending at 8 pm Eastern puts the 8-hour email at noon in New York and 9 am in Los Angeles, and the final hour in the US evening, when people are off work. Ending Monday to Thursday keeps your last push off the weekend: campaigns ending on a Sunday funded least often in the data.
What is the best month to launch a Kickstarter?
March, narrowly. In the 296,870 campaigns we looked at, March launches funded 41.6% of the time, with February, April, May and October close behind. July (35.1%) and December (34.9%) did worst, when backers are on holiday or spending on gifts. The gap is a few points, so launch when you’re ready and stay clear of late December.
Should I launch near the holidays?
Try not to. Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the weeks before Christmas fill inboxes with sales, and backers are spending on gifts. Kickstarter advises launching early enough to miss the end-of-year rush. The planner skips 20 December to 3 January and the big US holidays.
How long should a Kickstarter campaign be?
Kickstarter recommends 30 days or fewer. Most of the money comes at the start and the end, and extra days mostly add to the quiet middle.
Launch timing data.
Where the advice comes from.
- Tuesday, 1 pm to 9 pm Eastern
- Kickstarter, “The best time to launch your Kickstarter campaign”, updates.kickstarter.com, checked October 2026. Launches peak at 4 pm Eastern.
- No weekends or holidays
- Kickstarter’s Creator Success team, in an email to Lexo, February 2026: “The best day/time to launch is whenever you’re most ready.”
- End date and reminder emails
- Kickstarter help centre, checked October 2026. The end is set on the Basics tab and locked at launch. People who saved the project are emailed 48 hours and 8 hours before the end.
- Success by day and month
- Kaggle “Kickstarter Projects” (Mickaël Mouillé, January 2018): 296,870 funded or failed campaigns launched 2012 to 2017. Lexo’s count.
Ours, not published: the 8 pm Eastern end time and ending Monday to Thursday. Kickstarter doesn’t advise on end times, so treat these as our reasoning.