Platform comparisons
Ko-fi vs Buy Me a Coffee
Both let fans tip you, join a membership and buy from a shop, and both are free to start. The real differences are in what each charges on which kind of payment, what you can sell, and where you can get paid. Here is the honest comparison, with the math done for you.
Short answer: if most of your income is one-time tips, pick Ko-fi, because its free plan charges 0% on one-time tips. If you mainly sell memberships or products, the two cost about the same, so pick the one whose membership and shop tools fit how you work. If you also want help answering the people who message you, look at a third option.
The short answer
Fee tables make these two look very different. In practice, for memberships and shop sales they are close, and the bigger differences are features: commissions, membership billing, how posts work and where you can be paid. Decide by the payments you get most often.
Fees, side by side
| Payment | Ko-fi (free plan) | Buy Me a Coffee |
|---|---|---|
| One-time tips | 0% | 5% |
| Memberships and monthly tips | 5% | 5%, and Stripe adds 0.5% on subscriptions |
| Shop sales | 5% (0% with Gold) | 5% |
| Commissions | 5% (0% with Gold) | 5% |
| Monthly plan | Optional Gold, $12 a month for new users | None |
| Card processing | Your payment processor's fee | Stripe's fee, plus 1% on payments from outside the US |
Fees from each platform's help pages, checked October 27, 2026. Platforms change fees, so check their pages before you decide.
What you keep from real payments
Percentages hide the fixed part of card fees, which takes a bigger bite out of small payments. These examples assume a US supporter paying by card, Stripe's standard 2.9% + 30¢, and the free plan on each platform. Loresta's Free plan is included for comparison.
| Payment | Ko-fi | Buy Me a Coffee | Loresta Free |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5 one-time tip | $4.55 | $4.30 | $4.13 |
| $10 monthly membership | $8.91 | $8.86 | $8.56 |
| $25 digital product | $22.72 | $22.72 | $21.85 |
Ko-fi keeps you the most on one-time tips. On memberships and products, Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee are within a few cents. Loresta's Free plan costs more per payment (8% plus Stripe's fee, with lower Page fees on paid plans), and you would pick it for what it does besides taking payments, not for the lowest fee.
Features that matter more than fees
Where Ko-fi stands out
- Commissions with slots. A dedicated commissions setup suits artists who open and close slots.
- 0% on one-time tips. The best deal if tips are most of your income.
- Gold for heavy sellers. A flat monthly price instead of a percentage on shop and commission sales.
Where Buy Me a Coffee stands out
- Simple, flat pricing. 5% on everything, no plan to think about.
- Flexible memberships. Tiers billed monthly or yearly, with free trials.
- A clean shop for digital goods. E-books, templates and courses with download links.
What neither does
Neither answers your fans' questions for you. If people message you "how much for a custom?" or "is the membership worth it?" on Instagram or TikTok, you answer those yourself, on each app. That is the gap Loresta fills: its Page answers common questions from visitors in your words, and paid plans add help replying to Instagram, Facebook and X messages, with anything new sent to you. Loresta takes payments for US creators for now.
Getting paid and where you live
Both pay you through payment processors, so where you live decides what is possible. Buy Me a Coffee's help center keeps a list of countries where creators can receive payouts through Stripe. Ko-fi works with PayPal and Stripe, which each have their own country lists. Before you set up either:
- Check that your country is supported for payouts, not only for supporters paying.
- Check how often payouts arrive and whether there is a minimum.
- Make a small test payment to yourself from a friend's card and watch it reach your bank.
Which one to pick
- Mostly one-time tips, such as streamers, writers and open-source creators: Ko-fi.
- Artists who live on commissions: Ko-fi, and consider Gold once commission sales pass about $240 a month.
- Memberships with yearly billing or trials: Buy Me a Coffee.
- A simple shop with one flat fee: Buy Me a Coffee.
- Lots of fan questions in your DMs: look at a page that also answers them, such as Loresta.
For a wider comparison that includes Patreon, Throne, Stan Store and others, see creator support platform fees compared.
How to switch without losing supporters
- Set up the new page fully, with the same offers and prices, and test a payment.
- Tell members first, in a post on the old platform, with the date and the new link.
- Give monthly members a clear way to move: cancel on the old page, join on the new one. Never move anyone's billing for them.
- Change your bio links on every app on the same day.
- Leave the old page up for a month with a pinned note pointing to the new one.
Expect some members not to move. Losing a few is normal. Being clear and early keeps it small.
Research notes
Sources checked for this guide
Product details and policies can change. First-party pages were checked on October 27, 2026.
- Ko-fi service fee breakdown
Ko-fi's fee breakdown, checked on August 21, 2026: 0% one-time tips, 5% on the rest (free plan).
- Ko-fi Help: what is Ko-fi Gold
Gold is listed at $12 a month for new users and removes Ko-fi's fee on shop and commission sales. Checked October 27, 2026.
- Ko-fi product and supporter-data overview
What Ko-fi offers: tips, memberships, a shop and commissions, and supporter data you can export.
- Buy Me a Coffee fee calculation
A 5% platform fee per transaction and no monthly fee; Stripe adds 2.9% + $0.30, 1% for payments from outside the US and 0.5% on subscriptions. Checked October 27, 2026.
- Buy Me a Coffee product overview
Membership tiers billed monthly or yearly, a shop for digital goods, and posts for supporters.
- Buy Me a Coffee Help: supported countries for payouts
The countries where creators can receive payouts through Stripe.
- Stripe pricing
Stripe's standard US card rate, 2.9% + 30¢, used in the worked examples.
Questions creators ask next
Direct answers that keep the plan realistic.
Is Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee cheaper?
For one-time tips, Ko-fi: its free plan charges 0% on one-time tips, while Buy Me a Coffee charges 5% on every payment. For memberships and shop sales both charge 5% on their free plans. Payment processing fees apply on both, so compare what you keep, not the headline fee.
Does Buy Me a Coffee charge a monthly fee?
No. Buy Me a Coffee's help center says it takes a 5% platform fee per transaction with no monthly fee. Stripe's processing fee comes on top, with an extra 0.5% on subscription payments and 1% on payments from outside the US.
What is Ko-fi Gold and is it worth it?
Ko-fi Gold is Ko-fi's paid plan, listed at $12 a month for new users, which removes Ko-fi's fee on shop and commission sales. It pays for itself only if you sell more than about $240 a month through the shop and commissions, since 5% of $240 is $12.
Can I use both Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee?
You can, but one link is easier for supporters. Two pages split your supporters, your posts and your messages. Pick one, and if you move, follow the switching steps in this guide.
Which is better for artists taking commissions?
Ko-fi has a dedicated commissions feature with slots, and Gold removes its fee on commission sales. Buy Me a Coffee can sell services through its shop. If commissions are your main income, compare how each handles deposits, delivery and refunds before you choose.
Do supporters need an account to pay?
On both, supporters can usually pay by card without creating an account, which keeps the step short. Check the checkout yourself once before you share your link.
See what a Loresta Page looks like with your offers
Claim your name and paste your link. Loresta builds a free Page for tips, offers and answers to your followers' questions. Nothing goes live until you publish.
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