Ko-fi fees and calculator
Ko-fi takes 0% of one-time tips on Ko-fi Free and 5% of everything else: memberships, monthly tips, shop sales and commissions. Standard, the default for new creators, takes 5% of tips too, and Gold costs $12 a month and takes 0%. Payments go straight to your own PayPal or Stripe account, whose fees come on top: at 2.9% + $0.30 a $5 tip leaves you $4.55 on Free and a $5 membership $4.30. Gold leaves more than Free once memberships and sales pass $240 a month.
You keep $177 a month, 88.5% of $200 in payments.
| A month | Amount | Of payments |
|---|---|---|
| Payments | $200 | |
| Ko-fi service fee | −$5 | 2.5% |
| Card processing | −$18 | 9.0% |
| You keep | $177 | 88.5% |
Processor fees at the standard US card rate, 2.9% + $0.30, or PayPal's own US rate for PayPal Checkout, 3.49% + $0.49; Ko-fi gives only “usually around 3% + $0.30”. PayPal adds 1.5% for international payments, not counted here. Memberships started before you switch to Gold keep paying 5%.
Ko-fi's three options
| Option | A month | One-time tips | Memberships, monthly tips | Shop, commissions | Keep of a $5 tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 0% | 5% | 5% | $4.55 |
| Standard | $0 | 5% | 5% | 5% | $4.30 |
| Gold | $12 | 0% | 0% | 0% | $4.55 |
In Ko-fi's words: “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.” “Standard - No monthly cost, but a flat 5% fee applies to one-time tips, shop, commissions, monthly tips and memberships too.” Gold: “New creators can still sign up for Gold, but only on a monthly plan (annual plans are no longer available).”
What one Ko-fi payment leaves you
After Ko-fi's fee and card processing at 2.9% + $0.30, before Gold's $12 a month:
| Payment | Free, one-time tip | Free or Standard, membership or sale | Gold, any payment | Free, tip by PayPal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1 | $0.67 33.0% taken | $0.62 38.0% taken | $0.67 33.0% taken | $0.48 52.0% taken |
| $3 | $2.61 13.0% taken | $2.46 18.0% taken | $2.61 13.0% taken | $2.41 19.7% taken |
| $5 | $4.55 9.0% taken | $4.30 14.0% taken | $4.55 9.0% taken | $4.34 13.2% taken |
| $10 | $9.41 5.9% taken | $8.91 10.9% taken | $9.41 5.9% taken | $9.16 8.4% taken |
| $25 | $23.97 4.1% taken | $22.72 9.1% taken | $23.97 4.1% taken | $23.64 5.4% taken |
| $50 | $48.25 3.5% taken | $45.75 8.5% taken | $48.25 3.5% taken | $47.76 4.5% taken |
| $100 | $96.80 3.2% taken | $91.80 8.2% taken | $96.80 3.2% taken | $96.02 4.0% taken |
“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).” The PayPal column uses PayPal's published US rate for PayPal Checkout; Ko-fi doesn't state which PayPal rate applies.
When Ko-fi Gold pays for itself
Gold costs $12 a month and saves the 5% Free and Standard take from memberships, monthly tips, shop sales and commissions, so it leaves more once those pass $240 a month:
| Payment | Gold leaves more from | That month's payments |
|---|---|---|
| $3 | 81 payments | $243 |
| $5 | 49 payments | $245 |
| $10 | 25 payments | $250 |
| $25 | 10 payments | $250 |
Against Ko-fi Free; one-time tips cost nothing on Free, so they don't count. Fees worked out per payment to the cent.
Quick answers
How much does Ko-fi take?
On Ko-fi Free, 0% of one-time tips and 5% of memberships, monthly tips, shop sales and commissions; on Standard 5% of everything; on Gold 0% for $12 a month. Your processor's fee comes on top, which Ko-fi puts at “usually around 3% + $0.30”. At 2.9% + $0.30, a $10 tip leaves $9.41 on Free and a $10 shop sale $8.91.
Does Ko-fi take a fee on donations?
Not on one-time tips with Ko-fi Free, which is 0%; monthly tips pay 5%. Standard, the default for new creators, takes 5% of one-time tips as well: “In return, you unlock perks like supporter-only content, custom branding, and more.” “You can toggle Standard mode on or off any time from Settings > Payment.” PayPal or Stripe still take their own fee on every tip: $0.45 of a $5 tip at 2.9% + $0.30.
What are Ko-fi's PayPal fees?
Ko-fi's fee is the same whichever you connect: “Just different names for the same thing: Ko-fi's 5% service fee. Stripe labels it the "Application Fee," and PayPal shows it as a "Partner Fee."” PayPal charges its own fee, which Ko-fi doesn't state; PayPal's US fee page lists 3.49% + $0.49 for PayPal Checkout, plus 1.5% for international payments. On that rate a $5 tip on Ko-fi Free leaves $4.34, against $4.55 by card at 2.9% + $0.30.
Is Ko-fi Gold worth it?
Once your memberships, monthly tips, shop sales and commissions pass $240 a month, the 5% Free would take is more than Gold's $12. In payments: 81 of $3, 49 of $5, 25 of $10 and 10 of $25. One-time tips are free on Ko-fi Free anyway, so they don't count towards it. New creators can only pay for Gold monthly.
Does Ko-fi charge payout fees?
No. Payments go straight into your own PayPal or Stripe account, and Ko-fi's pricing page says: “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.” Moving money out of PayPal or Stripe is under their own terms.
Is Ko-fi free?
Yes, to join and to use: Ko-fi Free and Standard cost $0 a month, and Ko-fi earns its 5% from payments instead. Gold is the paid option, $12 a month for 0% on everything.
Is Ko-fi cheaper than Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee?
With 100 members at $5 a month, Ko-fi leaves $443 on Gold, Buy Me a Coffee $427 and Patreon $405 on its standard plan. For 50 one-time tips of $5, Ko-fi Free leaves $227.50; Buy Me a Coffee $215.
Ko-fi 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: Patreon vs Ko-fi, Ko-fi vs Buy Me a Coffee, Ko-fi vs Gumroad. All the plans side by side: creator payment platform fees.
Thinking of leaving? See Ko-fi alternatives ranked by what they leave you.
Sources: Ko-fi's help articles Does Ko-fi take a fee? and What is Ko-fi Gold?, its pricing page, and PayPal's US merchant fees, read on 7 October 2026.
Prices checked against each platform's own pricing page on .