How to Monetize a Discord Bot (2026 Rules and Fees)

Short answer: If your team is in the US, EU or UK, plan around Discord's own Premium Apps: Discord's Developer Policy requires developers there who sell paid features to support buying them through Premium Apps, at prices no higher than on other payment options. You can still offer Patreon, Ko-fi or Stripe alongside it. If you are outside those regions, sell through Patreon, Ko-fi or Stripe and unlock features by linking the payment to a Discord account or server. Either way, keep the core bot free and charge for limits, scale and extras.

Every rule, limit and price below comes from Discord's, Stripe's, Patreon's, Ko-fi's and Top.gg's own pages, checked on 10 Nov 2026. The advice in between is ours and is marked as such.

TL;DR#

• Native route: Discord Premium Apps sells user subscriptions, guild subscriptions, durable items and consumables, and "Discord handles billing, fraud detection, and receipts" (Discord app monetization).
• Gatekeepers: your app must be verified and owned by a team, and Premium Apps "is not currently available outside" the US, EU and UK (Enabling monetization).
• Payout threshold: "Once your app has made its first $100 it will become eligible for payout."
• Price parity: where Premium Apps is supported, paid features must be purchasable through it at prices "no higher than the prices at which they are offered through other payment options" (Discord Developer Policy).
• Off-platform fees: Patreon 10% plus processing (Patreon pricing), Ko-fi 0% on one-time tips and 5% on memberships (Ko-fi help), Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 per card payment plus 0.7% for subscriptions (Stripe).
• Rules to watch: no unsolicited DMs and no ads unrelated to your bot's function (Discord Developer Policy).

Disclosure: ZeroRaised publishes this guide and is a launch site for bootstrapped products. ZeroRaised has no commercial relationship with Discord, Patreon, Ko-fi, Stripe or Top.gg and earns nothing if you use them. Facts come from the linked sources as checked on 10 Nov 2026.

Who this guide is for#

You have a bot in some servers, the hosting bill is real, and you want it to pay for itself without driving away the servers that made it popular. This is a similar problem to monetizing a VS Code extension or an MCP server: a free distribution channel, users who expect free, and a platform with its own rules. The difference is that Discord now runs its own checkout, so you have a native option the others lack.

Option 1: Discord Premium Apps (native)#

What you can sell#

Discord calls the things you sell SKUs. Its docs list four types (Managing SKUs):

Two limits matter for planning. "You can create up to 50 total SKUs per app", and "You can offer either user subscription SKUs or guild subscription SKUs, but not both simultaneously." Prices "are automatically converted to the user's local currency based on their locale", and a subscription price change "will only affect new subscribers."

The pitch for the native route is friction. Discord says "Users never leave the platform to subscribe or make a purchase", and you can link straight to your store page at discord.com/application-directory/<your app ID>/store (Managing SKUs).

The eligibility checklist#

Discord's checklist, quoted from its docs (Enabling monetization):

• "App must be verified"
• "App belongs to a developer team"
• "Team owner must be at least 18 years old"
• "Team must have verified emails and 2FA set up"
• "App uses slash commands, or has been approved for the privileged Message Content intent"
• "App has a link to your Terms of Service"
• "App has a link to your Privacy Policy"
• "App must not contain any harmful or bad language in the name, description, commands, or role connection metadata."
• "Payouts must be set up with a valid payment method"
• Agreement to the Monetization Terms and Discord Developer Policy.

Our read: verification and the team requirement trip up most hobby bots. The legal pages take an evening, and any paid route needs them anyway.

Payouts and regions#

Payouts run through Stripe. Discord's docs say: "Once your app has made its first $100 it will become eligible for payout." A review follows, and "if everything looks good, your team will begin to receive payouts." We could not find a payout schedule on the developer docs we were able to read today.

Regions are the hard stop. For teams based outside the United States, European Union or United Kingdom, the docs say: "Premium Apps is not currently available outside of these regions. These features will be made available to more regions soon."

What Discord takes#

Discord's developer docs on monetization do not state a revenue share, as of 10 Nov 2026. The Monetization Terms govern the commercial details, and that page was not reachable from our tools today, so we are not quoting a number. Read the terms and check your Developer Portal before you set prices, and do not trust a figure from a third-party blog.

The price-parity rule (US, EU and UK)#

This is the rule most older guides miss. Discord's Developer Policy says that since October 7, 2024, "in regions where Discord supports monetization through its Premium Apps products, all developers who offer paid features or capabilities for their Application will be required to: (i) support purchase of such features or capabilities through Discord's Premium Apps products; and, (ii) offer such features or capabilities at prices on Discord that are no higher than the prices at which they are offered through other payment options." It adds that "Only paid features or capabilities that are offerings supported by Discord's Premium Apps products will be subject to these requirements."

Our read: if you are in a supported region, Patreon, Ko-fi and Stripe are extra checkout options, not a way around Premium Apps. Set one price, make it available inside Discord, and use your own checkout for people who prefer to pay on the web.

Verification, intents and server counts#

Older guides tell you verification kicks in at 75 servers and the Message Content intent at 100. Here is what Discord's own pages say today.

• Verification: Discord's 2020 announcement said "we are making verification a requirement for bots in 100 or more servers" and "Verification is open to any bot in more than 75 servers" (Discord blog). That post is from 2020, so treat it as background and check the Developer Portal for your app's current status.
• Privileged intents: a changelog entry dated 10 June 2026 says "The review threshold is now based on user count, not server count." Previously, "apps in fewer than 100 servers could access Privileged Intents by toggling them on". Now, "Once your app reaches 10,000 users, you'll need to apply for Privileged Intent access", counted as "the number of users your app can access across all the servers it belongs to". The same entry says Discord has "separated App Verification and the Privileged Intent review process" (Discord change log).

Our read: move to slash commands before you monetize. They satisfy the eligibility checklist without Message Content approval, and Discord itself calls them "The most direct replacement for text commands" (Discord docs).

Option 2: Take payments off Discord#

If Premium Apps is not available in your region, these are your main routes. If it is available, you can still offer them, but only alongside Premium Apps and at no lower a price than inside Discord (see the price-parity rule above).

Patreon#

Patreon's pricing page lists a platform fee of "10%" of "the income you earn on Patreon", "Plus payment processing, currency conversion, and payout fees, and applicable taxes" (Patreon pricing). Patreon's fee breakdown article was not reachable today, so we are not quoting processing rates. It suits bots whose users already think of you as a creator, and it handles recurring billing for you.

Ko-fi#

Ko-fi's help centre says that on Ko-fi Free you "Pay 0% on one-time tips", and "A flat 5% service fee applies to anything else, such as shop items, memberships, monthly tips, and commissions" (Does Ko-fi take a fee?). Payments land in your own PayPal or Stripe account, and Ko-fi notes the processor's fees still apply, "usually around 3% + $0.30".

Stripe direct#

Stripe gives you the most control and the lowest platform cost. Stripe says "payment processing starts at 2.9% + $0.30 for card payments", and that Billing "Fees start at 0.7% and apply to all subscription invoices" (Stripe support). You build the checkout and the link between payment and Discord account yourself.

The usual pattern:

1. User runs /premium and the bot replies with a link to your site.
2. Your site signs them in with Discord OAuth2, so you know their user ID and, if needed, which server they are upgrading.
3. Stripe Checkout takes the payment. A webhook marks that user or server ID as premium in your database.
4. The bot checks that flag before running premium commands. Optionally it gives the buyer a role in your support server.
5. When Stripe sends a cancellation or failed-payment webhook, you clear the flag.

Our read: keep the premium check on your server and cache it, so a database blip does not lock paying servers out.

Top.gg (discovery, not payments)#

Top.gg describes itself as "a discovery platform where developers list, promote, and grow Discord bots and servers" (Top.gg docs). Its vote webhooks work like this: "When a user votes for your bot or server on Top.gg, Top.gg sends an HTTP POST request to a URL you specify" (Top.gg webhooks). Our read: reward a vote with a short premium trial or bonus credits. It earns nothing directly but lets free users taste premium. We could not verify Top.gg's paid features today, so they are left out.

Decision table#

This is our editorial summary, based on the rules and fees above.

What to gate and what to keep free#

Our read: the free tier is your marketing. Every server that adds the bot is an admin who might add it elsewhere.

Keep free:

• The core command people install the bot for.
• Enough usage for a small server to never need to pay.
• Basic setup and help commands.

Gate:

• Scale: higher limits, more tracked channels, longer history, more scheduled jobs.
• Cost-heavy features: anything that calls a paid API, such as AI generations or transcription. These are natural consumables.
• Customisation: custom bot name or avatar per server, branded embeds, custom prefixes or responses.
• Convenience: faster queues, priority support in your server, early access to new commands.

Avoid gating fixes for something the free version does badly. Users read that as ransom, and the reviews follow.

Pricing your premium tier#

Price per server for server tools and per user for personal tools. Start with a single paid tier, watch who buys, then add a higher tier once you see admins hitting the limits. Our read: a price that feels small to a server admin, paid every month, beats a clever tier structure nobody reads.

Worked example: 60 paying servers#

Illustrative example, our arithmetic. A developer outside the US, EU and UK (so Premium Apps and its parity rule do not apply yet) runs a moderation bot that sells a guild subscription at $5 a month through Stripe direct and has 60 paying servers. We use $10 a month for hosting as a placeholder, not a quoted price. See our best VPS for indie hackers guide for real plans.

The same 60 servers on Ko-fi memberships would cost 5% ($15.00) plus processor fees. On Patreon the 10% platform fee alone is $30.00 before processing. On Premium Apps you would pass the $100 payout threshold in the first month, but we cannot model the net because Discord's docs do not state its share.

Our read: at this size the fee gap is smaller than one lost customer, so pick the route users will actually complete.

Mistakes to avoid#

• Ads in bot messages. The Developer Policy says messages from an app should be relevant to its function and must not carry unrelated material (Discord Developer Policy). Rule 6 reads: "Do not target users with advertisements or marketing." Selling ad slots in embeds is a fast way to lose your app.
• Upgrade DMs. Rule 5: "Do not contact users on Discord without their explicit permission. This includes frequently sending unsolicited direct messages and/or sending direct messages not directly related to maintaining or improving an Application's functionality." Put the upgrade prompt in the response when someone hits a limit.
• Selling data. Rule 17 says: "Do not disclose API Data to data brokers, advertising networks or services, or any other monetization-related service."
• Ignoring the region rules. Outside the US, EU or UK, plan for Stripe, Patreon or Ko-fi from day one. Inside them, a Stripe-only premium tier that skips Premium Apps, or undercuts its price, conflicts with the Developer Policy.
• Weak premium checks. If cancelling Stripe does not remove access, you are running a free trial forever.

Frequently asked questions#

Can you make money from a Discord bot?#

Yes. Discord's Premium Apps feature lets eligible apps charge for features inside Discord with subscriptions and one-time purchases, and Discord handles billing, fraud detection and receipts. You can also take payments through Patreon, Ko-fi or Stripe, but in regions where Premium Apps is supported, Discord's Developer Policy says those paid features must also be offered through Premium Apps at prices no higher than elsewhere.

What are the requirements for Discord Premium Apps?#

Discord's eligibility checklist says the app must be verified, belong to a developer team, have a team owner who is at least 18, have verified emails and 2FA for the team, use slash commands or have approval for the Message Content intent, link to a Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, avoid harmful language, set up payouts, and agree to the Monetization Terms and Developer Policy.

How much does Discord take from bot subscriptions?#

Discord's developer documentation on monetization does not state a revenue share, as of 10 Nov 2026. It says payouts are processed through Stripe and that your app becomes eligible for payout after its first $100. Check the Monetization Terms and your Developer Portal before you set prices.

Can I monetize a Discord bot outside the US, EU or UK?#

Not through Premium Apps yet. Discord's docs say Premium Apps is not currently available outside the United States, European Union or United Kingdom. Developers elsewhere can still sell access through Patreon, Ko-fi or their own Stripe checkout and link payments to Discord accounts or servers.

Can my bot send ads or promotional DMs to make money?#

That is a bad idea. Discord's Developer Policy says apps must not contact users without their explicit permission, including frequent unsolicited DMs or DMs not related to the app's function, and that messages from an app should be relevant to what the app does. Put upgrade prompts inside command responses instead.

Launch your bot#

ZeroRaised is a launch directory for products built without institutional VC, and a paid Discord bot counts. When your premium tier is live, run through our product launch checklist and submit your bot for free. For more guides on earning from what you build, join the ZeroRaised newsletter.

Sources#

• Discord: Premium Apps and Activities (app monetization), last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Discord: Monetization overview, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Discord: Managing SKUs, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Discord: Enabling monetization, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Discord: Change log (privileged intent changes, 10 June 2026), last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Discord: You might not need a privileged intent, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Discord blog: The future of bots on Discord (2020), last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Discord Developer Policy, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Discord Monetization Terms, linked from Discord's docs (page not reachable from our tools), last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Patreon pricing, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Ko-fi: Does Ko-fi take a fee?, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Stripe: Invoicing and Billing pricing, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Top.gg developer docs, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Top.gg vote webhooks, last checked 10 Nov 2026