Ko-fi vs Buy Me a Coffee
Pick Ko-fi. Both take 5% of memberships, but Ko-fi can charge 0% on tips, offers a $12 Gold plan with no platform fee, accepts PayPal, and pays instantly. Buy Me a Coffee adds small Stripe surcharges and pays weekly. The deciding factor is payout speed, since Ko-fi money arrives the moment a supporter pays.
| Ko-fi | Buy Me a Coffee | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee on memberships | 5%, or 0% on $12 Gold | 5% |
| Fee on one-time tips | 0% with Standard mode off, 5% with it on | 5% |
| Monthly cost | None, or $12 for Gold | None |
| Payment processing | PayPal or Stripe rates, about 3% + $0.30 | Stripe 2.9% + $0.30, plus 0.5% on subscriptions and 1% on non-US payments |
| Payout fee | None from Ko-fi | 0.5% |
| Take-home on $1,000 a month in $10 memberships | About $891, or $929 on Gold | About $886 |
| Payout speed | Instant | Weekly, every Wednesday |
| Minimum payout | None | $10 |
| Payout methods | PayPal, Stripe | Stripe only |
| Audience export | Supporter emails, any time | Supporter list, any time |
| Custom domain | Not documented | Not documented |
| Membership tiers | Multiple tiers, with optional member caps | Unlimited tiers plus one lifetime tier |
| You keep on $1,000 a month | $929 | $886 |
| You keep on $10,000 a month | $9,398 | $8,860 |
| Our score | 7.7 out of 10 | 6.9 out of 10 |
What you keep on $1,000 a month
Both platforms paid in $10 payments by US cards, each on whichever plan leaves you the most. The blue is yours. The hatched part is fees.
| Platform and plan | Share kept versus fees | You keep | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ko-fiGold | $929 | −$71 | |
| Buy Me a CoffeeFree | $886 | −$114 |
On $10,000 a month: Ko-fi $9,398, Buy Me a Coffee $8,860. How we calculate this.
Pick Ko-fi if
- you want money the moment someone pays.
- you need PayPal.
- tips are most of your income and you want them fee-free.
- Pick Ko-fi Gold if you sell more than $240 a month.
Pick Buy Me a Coffee if
- you want one flat fee and no modes or plans to manage.
- your supporters want to pay with Cash App, which it accepts in supported regions.
Which is cheaper, Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee?
Ko-fi, slightly at first and by a lot at scale. On a $10 US membership you keep about $8.91 on Ko-fi and about $8.86 on Buy Me a Coffee, because Buy Me a Coffee's help center lists a 0.5% subscription charge on top of Stripe. Buy Me a Coffee also takes 0.5% when you pay out.
At $1,000 a month, that is about $891 against $886. Ko-fi Gold widens the gap. For $12 a month the platform fee drops to 0%, which leaves about $929. Buy Me a Coffee has no equivalent plan.
On tips the difference is bigger. Ko-fi takes 0% of one-time tips if you turn Standard mode off, while Buy Me a Coffee takes 5% of everything. Our fee table has the full math.
Which pays out faster?
Ko-fi, by a week or more. Ko-fi payments land in your own PayPal or Stripe account instantly, with no minimum. Buy Me a Coffee sends approved payouts to Stripe every Wednesday once you reach $10, and the first one can take 7 to 14 days. Each Buy Me a Coffee payout also loses 0.5% to Stripe's payout fee.
Buy Me a Coffee also pays out only through Stripe, in 49 listed countries. If PayPal is your only option where you live, Ko-fi is the one that works.
Which has better membership features?
They are close. Both offer membership tiers, members-only posts, a shop, and stream alerts. Buy Me a Coffee allows unlimited tiers plus one lifetime tier and lets you broadcast messages to all members. Ko-fi's help center also documents commissions, Discord roles, and caps on how many people join a tier.
Neither documents video hosting. If your members pay for video, look at Patreon instead.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee better for tips?
Ko-fi. It charges 0% on one-time tips if Standard mode is off, while Buy Me a Coffee takes 5%.
Do Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee charge a monthly fee?
Neither requires one. Ko-fi Gold is an optional $12 a month that removes Ko-fi's platform fee, once you also switch off Standard mode.
Can I use PayPal with Buy Me a Coffee?
Not for payouts. Buy Me a Coffee pays out only through Stripe. Ko-fi supports both PayPal and Stripe.