Buy Me a Coffee fees and calculator
Buy Me a Coffee takes 5% of every payment and charges no monthly fee. Stripe's processing adds 2.9% + $0.30, so a $5 coffee leaves you $4.30 and a $25 one $22.72. Payments from outside the US cost 1% more and subscription payments 0.5% more, and Stripe takes 0.5% of each payout to your bank.
You keep $170.58 a month, 85.3% of $200 in payments.
| A month | Amount | Of payments |
|---|---|---|
| Payments | $200 | |
| Buy Me a Coffee platform fee | −$10 | 5.0% |
| Stripe processing | −$18 | 9.0% |
| Payments from outside the US (+1%) | −$0.20 | 0.1% |
| Subscription payments (+0.5%) | −$0.36 | 0.2% |
| Payout fees (1 payout, bank account through Stripe) | −$0.86 | 0.4% |
| You keep | $170.58 | 85.3% |
Stripe's processing at 2.9% + $0.30 as Buy Me a Coffee lists it, and its 0.5% payout fee on the month's balance. Assumes you cover the card fee, Buy Me a Coffee's default. Sales tax and VAT aren't counted.
What one Buy Me a Coffee payment leaves you
| Payment | One-time, from the US | Membership, from the US | One-time, from abroad | Membership, from abroad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1 | $0.62 38.0% taken | $0.61 39.0% taken | $0.61 39.0% taken | $0.60 40.0% taken |
| $3 | $2.46 18.0% taken | $2.44 18.7% taken | $2.43 19.0% taken | $2.41 19.7% taken |
| $5 | $4.30 14.0% taken | $4.27 14.6% taken | $4.25 15.0% taken | $4.22 15.6% taken |
| $10 | $8.91 10.9% taken | $8.86 11.4% taken | $8.81 11.9% taken | $8.76 12.4% taken |
| $25 | $22.72 9.1% taken | $22.59 9.6% taken | $22.47 10.1% taken | $22.34 10.6% taken |
| $50 | $45.75 8.5% taken | $45.50 9.0% taken | $45.25 9.5% taken | $45 10.0% taken |
| $100 | $91.80 8.2% taken | $91.30 8.7% taken | $90.80 9.2% taken | $90.30 9.7% taken |
After the 5% platform fee, Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 and the surcharges, before the 0.5% payout fee. Shop sales pay the same as one-time support.
In Buy Me a Coffee's words: “Stripe charges a standard payment processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per successful transaction to securely process your payments.” “Stripe also applies a 0.5% fee for payout processing.” “In certain cases, extra fees may apply to cover processing costs: +1% for international (outside of the US) transaction +0.5% for subscription payments”
Who pays the card fee
By default, this fee is deducted from your earnings, so you receive slightly less than the amount your supporter pays. You can turn that around so supporters pay it on top of what they give. Buy Me a Coffee's own example: “they will be charged $26.03 for a $25 contribution”, which is the $25 plus 2.9% + $0.30. The 5% platform fee stays with you either way.
Quick answers
How much does Buy Me a Coffee take?
5% of each payment, plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 processing: $0.70 of a $5 coffee (14.0%) and $8.20 of a $100 payment (8.2%). A subscription payment adds 0.5% and a payment from outside the US 1%; Stripe then takes 0.5% of each payout.
What commission does Buy Me a Coffee charge?
A 5% platform fee on every payment, the same on one-time support, memberships and shop sales: “Unlike other platforms, Buy Me a Coffee doesn’t charge you a monthly fee. Instead, we only apply a 5% platform fee per transaction, which means you get to keep 95% of your earnings while we can also benefit from your work.”
Does Buy Me a Coffee charge a monthly fee?
No: “We do not charge a monthly fee. All features including publishing and emails are free for everyone.” It earns from its 5% of each payment, so a month without supporters costs nothing.
How much does Buy Me a Coffee take from $100?
$8.20 of a $100 payment from the US, leaving $91.80: $5 platform fee and $3.20 Stripe processing. From outside the US it leaves $90.80; as a subscription payment $91.30. Paying it out to your bank costs another $0.46.
What are Buy Me a Coffee's payout fees?
Stripe charges 0.5% for payout processing, $2 on a $400 payout. You can request a payout once your balance reaches $10; it goes to your Stripe account and from there to your bank.
Can supporters pay the card fee instead?
Yes. By default, this fee is deducted from your earnings, so you receive slightly less than the amount your supporter pays. You can switch that in your settings so supporters pay it on top. Buy Me a Coffee's example: “they will be charged $26.03 for a $25 contribution”. Its 5% platform fee is still taken from your earnings.
Is Buy Me a Coffee cheaper than Ko-fi or Patreon?
With 100 members at $5 a month, Buy Me a Coffee leaves $427, Ko-fi $443 (Gold) and Patreon $405 on its standard plan, before payout fees. For 50 one-time tips of $5: Ko-fi $227.50 (Free) and Buy Me a Coffee $215.
Buy Me a Coffee against the other creator platforms
| Platform | 100 members at $5 a month $500 a month | 50 one-time tips of $5 $250 a month | 50 sales of $25 $1,250 a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whop | $456 | – | $1,201 |
| Ko-fi | $443 Gold | $227.50 Free | $1,187 Gold |
| Payhip | $430 Free Forever | – | $1,145 Plus |
| Buy Me a Coffee | $427 | $215 | $1,136 |
| Lemon Squeezy | $422 | – | $1,163 |
| Skool | $411 Hobby | – | – |
| Patreon | $405 Standard | – | $1,074 Standard |
| Substack | $401 | – | – |
| Gumroad | $355 | – | $1,049 |
Kept a month after each platform's subscription, its cut, payment processing and any fee on recurring payments, on whichever of its plans open to new sign-ups leaves the most; US payments, payout fees left out; bold marks the most. A dash: the platform doesn't take that kind of payment.
Head to head: Ko-fi vs Buy Me a Coffee, Buy Me a Coffee vs Patreon. All the plans side by side: creator payment platform fees.
Thinking of leaving? See Buy Me a Coffee alternatives ranked by what they leave you.
Sources: Buy Me a Coffee's help articles on calculating charges, payouts and the credit card fee, and its FAQ, read on 7 October 2026.
Prices checked against each platform's own pricing page on .