Crowdfunding vs crowdlending: what is the difference?

Crowdfunding is the umbrella term for raising money from many people online. It includes donation and reward crowdfunding, where backers expect no financial return, and investment crowdfunding, where they do.
Crowdlending is one branch of investment crowdfunding: the loan-based part. You lend money to a business or a person and receive interest and repayments on a schedule. Other investment branches are debt securities (bonds or notes), equity (shares, usually in startups) and real estate (loans to developers or shares in a property).
Crowdlending is the largest part of EU crowdfunding: in 2024, 58% of the money raised went into loan-based projects, 23% into debt securities and 12% into equity.
The main risks of crowdlending are borrowers who do not repay, delays, and money locked in until the end of the term. Capital is at risk: crowdfunding investments are not covered by deposit guarantee schemes, can lose part or all of their value, and may be hard to sell before the end of their term.