Ko-fi alternatives
With 200 one-time tips of $5, Ko-fi leaves you $910 (Free). 1 of the 6 alternatives we price for that leaves more, the most Whop at $912, $24 a year more; Payhip, Buy Me a Coffee, Lemon Squeezy, Patreon and Gumroad leave less. With 50 one-time tips of $5, Ko-fi leaves $227.50 and Whop the most, $228. With 100 members at $5 a month, Ko-fi leaves $443 and Whop the most, $456. With 50 sales of $25, Ko-fi leaves $1,187 and Whop the most, $1,201.
What you keep on each platform
| Platform | 50 one-time tips of $5 $250 a month | 200 one-time tips of $5 $1,000 a month | 100 members at $5 a month $500 a month | 50 sales of $25 $1,250 a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ko-fi | $227.50 Free | $910 Free | $443 Gold | $1,187 Gold |
| Whop | $228 +$6 a year | $912 +$24 a year | $456 +$156 a year | $1,201 +$174 a year |
| Payhip | $215 −$150 a year, Free Forever | $861 −$588 a year, Plus | $430 −$156 a year, Free Forever | $1,145 −$504 a year, Plus |
| Buy Me a Coffee | $215 −$150 a year | $860 −$600 a year | $427 −$192 a year | $1,136 −$606 a year |
| Lemon Squeezy | $212.50 −$180 a year | $850 −$720 a year | $422 −$252 a year | $1,163 −$288 a year |
| Patreon | $202.50 −$300 a year, Standard | $810 −$1,200 a year, Standard | $405 −$456 a year, Standard | $1,074 −$1,356 a year, Standard |
| Gumroad | $177.50 −$600 a year | $710 −$2,400 a year | $355 −$1,056 a year | $1,049 −$1,656 a year |
| Skool | – | – | $411 −$384 a year, Hobby | – |
| Substack | – | – | $401 −$504 a year | – |
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, and the difference from Ko-fi over a year. US payments, payout fees left out. Only Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee have a tip button: elsewhere a one-time tip is priced as a one-time sale of the same amount. A dash: the platform doesn't take that kind of payment.
Where each one leaves more than Ko-fi
With one-time tips of $5, from 1 to 1,000 a month:
- Whop leaves more at every size.
- Payhip, Buy Me a Coffee, Lemon Squeezy, Patreon and Gumroad never leave more.
- Skool and Substack don't take one-time tips.
What each one is for
| Platform | One-time tips | Memberships | One-time sales | A month | In its own words |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ko-fi | Yes | Yes | Yes | Gold $12 | “A flat 5% service fee applies to anything else, such as shop items, memberships, monthly tips, and commissions.” |
| Whop | – | Yes | Yes | None listed | “Whop aims to be the cheapest, most resilient place to accept pure payments.” |
| Payhip | – | Yes | Yes | Plus $29, Pro $99 | “Unlimited products Unlimited revenue” |
| Buy Me a Coffee | Yes | Yes | Yes | None | “Accept support. Start a membership. Setup a shop.” |
| Lemon Squeezy | – | Yes | Yes | None | “Recurring billing + subscriptions Charge customers on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis.” |
| Patreon | – | Yes | Yes | None | “Monthly and annual subscriptions Membership tiers One-time payments” |
| Gumroad | – | Yes | Yes | None | “Per transaction for all sales through your profile or direct links to your customers.” |
| Skool | – | Yes | – | Hobby $9, Pro $99 | “Unlimited members Unlimited courses Unlimited videos Unlimited live calls” |
| Substack | – | Yes | – | None | “Publishing on Substack is free, no matter how many subscribers you have. If you turn on paid subscriptions, Substack keeps 10% of subscription revenue, and Stripe charges its own payment processing fees.” |
What you'd leave behind on Ko-fi
- 0% on one-time tips on Ko-fi Free: “Ko-fi Free - Pay 0% on one-time tips.” “A flat 5% service fee applies to anything else, such as shop items, memberships, monthly tips, and commissions.”
- Gold, $12 a month for 0% on everything, which costs less than Free's 5% once memberships and sales pass $240 a month. See Ko-fi's fees.
- No payout fees from Ko-fi: “All payments go straight into your own PayPal or Stripe account. Your payment processor's usual fees still apply on top (typically around 3% + $0.30).” “You only pay the service fees (no more than 5%) plus standard payment processor fees, and that’s it. No buyer fees, payout fees, marketing fees or any other surprises.”
Quick answers
What is the cheapest alternative to Ko-fi?
With 50 one-time tips of $5, Whop leaves $228 against $227.50 on Ko-fi; with 200 one-time tips of $5, Whop leaves $912 against $910 on Ko-fi; with 100 members at $5 a month, Whop leaves $456 against $443 on Ko-fi; with 50 sales of $25, Whop leaves $1,201 against $1,187 on Ko-fi. Ko-fi Free takes nothing from one-time tips, so only a lower card rate can beat it there. Whop has no tip button: there a tip is a one-time sale of the same amount.
Is Buy Me a Coffee cheaper than Ko-fi?
No: Buy Me a Coffee leaves $215 with 50 one-time tips of $5, against $227.50 (Free); $860 with 200 one-time tips of $5, against $910 (Free); $427 with 100 members at $5 a month, against $443 (Gold); $1,136 with 50 sales of $25, against $1,187 (Gold). It takes 5% of every payment, one-time tips included, where Ko-fi Free takes 0% of one-time tips and 5% of the rest.
Is Patreon cheaper than Ko-fi?
No: Patreon leaves $202.50 (Standard) with 50 one-time tips of $5, against $227.50 (Free); $810 (Standard) with 200 one-time tips of $5, against $910 (Free); $405 (Standard) with 100 members at $5 a month, against $443 (Gold); $1,074 (Standard) with 50 sales of $25, against $1,187 (Gold). Patreon has no tip button, so tips are priced as one-time purchases there.
Is there a Ko-fi alternative without PayPal?
Ko-fi itself works without PayPal: “Yes, because Ko-fi doesn’t process payments you’ll need to connect your Ko-fi to a PayPal or Stripe account to get paid.” Stripe alone will do. Of the alternatives, Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, Whop, Lemon Squeezy and Gumroad pay out other ways than PayPal; Buy Me a Coffee, for one: “You get paid directly to your bank account.”
Is there a free alternative to Ko-fi?
Ko-fi Free is hard to beat on one-time tips: a $5 tip loses only card processing, $0.45. Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, Whop, Lemon Squeezy, Substack and Gumroad charge nothing a month either, but each takes a cut or lists card processing on every payment.
Should I switch to Ko-fi Gold instead of leaving?
If your memberships, monthly tips, shop sales and commissions pass $240 a month, Gold's $12 costs less than the 5% Free would take. With 100 members at $5 a month, Ko-fi Gold leaves $443; the best alternative, Whop, $456.
Ko-fi in detail: Ko-fi fees, and head to head: Patreon vs Ko-fi, Ko-fi vs Buy Me a Coffee, Ko-fi vs Gumroad. Also: Patreon alternatives, Buy Me a Coffee alternatives, and every creator payment platform's fees.
Fees from each platform's own pricing and help pages, read on 5 October 2026 or later; the sources are listed on each fee page.
Prices checked against each platform's own pricing page on .