# Ko-fi vs Buy Me a Coffee: Fees and Features for Makers

> Ko-fi vs Buy Me a Coffee in 2026: 0% on Ko-fi one-time tips, 5% on BMC, Ko-fi Gold at $12/mo, payouts, taxes, and a worked $500/month fee example.

- Canonical: https://zeroraised.com/blog/ko-fi-vs-buy-me-a-coffee-for-indie-makers
- Published: 2026-11-10T15:30:00Z
- Author: ZeroRaised Team (https://zeroraised.com/blog/authors/zeroraised)
- Publisher: ZeroRaised (https://zeroraised.com/)
- Section: Revenue
- Tags: monetization, comparison, creator-tools, open-source

**Verdict:** Pick Ko-fi if most of your support will be one-off tips, because the "Ko-fi free" plan takes 0% on one-time tips (new pages default to Standard at 5%, so switch) while Buy Me a Coffee takes 5% on every transaction. Pick Buy Me a Coffee if you want the simplest Stripe-only setup and a flat, predictable 5%. If you maintain open source and live in a supported region, put GitHub Sponsors first: it charges no fees on sponsorships from personal accounts.

Every fee and limit below comes from the vendors' own pages and help centres, checked on 10 Nov 2026. The advice and arithmetic in between are ours and are marked as such.

## TL;DR

- **Check your Ko-fi plan:** new creators default to "Standard", which charges 5% on all payment types including tips; the 0% tip rate is on the "Ko-fi free" option ([Ko-fi pricing](https://ko-fi.com/pricing)).
- **Ko-fi free plan:** "Pay 0% on one-time tips. A flat 5% service fee applies to anything else, such as shop items, memberships, monthly tips, and commissions" ([Ko-fi help: Does Ko-fi take a fee?](https://help.ko-fi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002506494-Does-Ko-fi-take-a-fee)).
- **Ko-fi Gold:** $12 a month for a 0% platform fee on all payment types ([Ko-fi pricing](https://ko-fi.com/pricing), [Ko-fi Gold](https://ko-fi.com/gold)).
- **Buy Me a Coffee:** "We charge a 5% transaction fee, and creators keep 95% of the earnings", with no monthly fee ([BMC FAQ](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/faq)).
- **Processing is extra on both.** BMC lists Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30, plus 1% for international and 0.5% for subscription payments ([BMC fee article](https://help.buymeacoffee.com/en/articles/8105744-how-to-calculate-charges-on-your-payment)).
- **Open source:** GitHub Sponsors "does not charge any fees for sponsorships from personal accounts" ([GitHub Docs](https://docs.github.com/en/sponsors/getting-started-with-github-sponsors/about-github-sponsors)).

**Disclosure:** ZeroRaised publishes this comparison and is a launch site for bootstrapped products. ZeroRaised has no commercial relationship with Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee, GitHub or Patreon and earns nothing if you sign up for any of them. Facts come from the linked sources as checked on 10 Nov 2026.

## Who this is for

You make something people like and do not pay for: an open source library, a free extension, a newsletter, a small tool. Users want to say thanks, and you want a support page that keeps as much of each payment as possible. Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee (BMC) look almost identical from the outside. The differences are in fees, payout rails and tax handling.

If you are still deciding whether tips are the right model at all, our guide to [making money from a side project](https://zeroraised.com/blog/how-to-make-money-from-a-side-project) lays out the alternatives, from one-off sales to subscriptions.

## Ko-fi vs Buy Me a Coffee at a glance

| | Ko-fi | Buy Me a Coffee |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | Free plan $0; Gold $12/mo | None |
| Platform fee on one-time tips | 0% on Ko-fi free; 5% on Standard (the default for new creators) | 5% |
| Platform fee on memberships, shop, commissions | 5% (free plan); 0% on Gold | 5% |
| Extra platform charges | None stated | +1% international, +0.5% subscription payments |
| Card processing | PayPal or Stripe fees apply | Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 |
| How you get paid | Directly to your PayPal or Stripe account | To your Stripe account, then your bank; $10 minimum payout request |
| Payout countries | Wherever your PayPal or Stripe account works | Countries Stripe supports (44 Standard, 5 Express listed) |
| Sales tax / VAT | Not verified today | Not collected or remitted by BMC |

## Fees in detail

### Ko-fi: free plan or Gold

Ko-fi splits payments into two buckets. One-time tips carry no Ko-fi fee on the free plan. Everything else, "such as shop items, memberships, monthly tips, and commissions", carries a flat 5% ([Ko-fi fee article](https://help.ko-fi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002506494-Does-Ko-fi-take-a-fee)). The same help centre is clear that the processor still takes its cut: "PayPal or Stripe processing fees still apply either way."

Watch the plan names. Ko-fi's [pricing page](https://ko-fi.com/pricing) now lists three options: "Ko-fi free" with "0% service fee on tips" and "5% service fee on Memberships, Shop sales, and Commissions" but "No advanced features"; "Standard (default for new creators)" with a "5% service fee on all payment types (tips, memberships, commissions and shop sales)" plus extra tools such as supporter-only content and scheduled posts; and Gold. So a brand new page starts on Standard, where one-time tips do carry 5%. If tips are all you want, check which plan your account is on: Ko-fi's [fee article](https://help.ko-fi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002506494-Does-Ko-fi-take-a-fee) says you can "Turn Standard mode on or off any time from Settings > Payment", and that you are "always free to opt out and keep tips completely fee-free."

Ko-fi Gold is the paid option. The [pricing page](https://ko-fi.com/pricing) lists it at "$12 /month" with a 0% service fee, and the [Gold page](https://ko-fi.com/gold) repeats "$12 /month 0% platform fee". Ko-fi's [Gold help article](https://help.ko-fi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005506873-What-is-Ko-fi-Gold) says new creators can sign up on a monthly plan only, and lists extras such as supporter-only content, scheduled posts, changing the coffee metaphor and a custom page colour.

One catch worth knowing before you upgrade: Ko-fi's help centre says that when you join Gold, "we aren't able to update the fees we charge on memberships taken using the Stripe payment method", so those earlier Stripe memberships keep the 5% fee.

**Our read on Gold:** $12 is 5% of $240. If your memberships, shop sales, commissions and monthly tips add up to more than about $240 a month, Gold saves money. Below that, stay on Ko-fi free. One-time tips only count towards the break-even if you are on Standard, because Ko-fi free already charges 0% on them.

### Buy Me a Coffee: flat 5%, no plan

BMC keeps it simple: "We charge a 5% transaction fee, and creators keep 95% of the earnings", and "We do not charge a monthly fee. All features including publishing and emails are free for everyone" ([BMC FAQ](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/faq)).

The processing side is spelled out in BMC's [fee article](https://help.buymeacoffee.com/en/articles/8105744-how-to-calculate-charges-on-your-payment): "Stripe charges a standard payment processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per successful transaction", "Stripe also applies a 0.5% fee for payout processing", and BMC adds "+1% for international (outside of the US) transaction" and "+0.5% for subscription payments". BMC says those extra charges help it cover Stripe's payout processing fee. BMC also lets you choose whether supporters cover the card fee.

**Our read:** BMC's 5% applies to every tip, including the one-off $5 coffee. That is the biggest cost difference between the two for a small maker.

## Worked example: $500 a month from 100 supporters

This is our illustrative arithmetic, not vendor data. Assumptions: 100 supporters each pay $5, so $500 gross a month; all are US cards, processed by Stripe at 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, the standard rate quoted in [BMC's fee article](https://help.buymeacoffee.com/en/articles/8105744-how-to-calculate-charges-on-your-payment). Processing per $5 payment is $0.445, so $44.50 for 100 payments. PayPal rates differ and are not modelled. BMC's article also mentions a 0.5% Stripe payout processing fee, which we have not modelled. Ko-fi rows assume the Ko-fi free plan; on Standard, one-time tips would also pay 5%. International supporters would cost more on both platforms.

| Scenario | Platform fees | Processing | Net to you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ko-fi free plan, 100 one-time tips | $0 | $44.50 | **$455.50** |
| Ko-fi free plan, 100 monthly memberships | $25.00 (5%) | $44.50 | **$430.50** |
| Ko-fi Gold, 100 monthly memberships | $12.00 (Gold) | $44.50 | **$443.50** |
| BMC, 100 one-time supports | $25.00 (5%) | $44.50 | **$430.50** |
| BMC, 100 monthly memberships | $27.50 (5% + 0.5%) | $44.50 | **$428.00** |
| GitHub Sponsors, personal-account sponsors | $0 | $0 | **$500.00** |

Two things jump out. First, the $0.30 fixed card fee hurts more than either platform's percentage: on a $5 tip it is 6% on its own. Second, on this volume Ko-fi Gold already beats the free plan for memberships ($443.50 vs $430.50), because $25 of 5% fees is more than $12.

## Payouts, countries and refunds

**Ko-fi** sends money straight through. Its help centre says payments are "sent directly to your chosen payment method instantly (you never hold a balance on Ko-fi)" ([How do I get paid?](https://help.ko-fi.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003980093-How-do-I-get-paid)). You connect PayPal, Stripe or both, so the country question becomes "does PayPal or Stripe work where I live?" Ko-fi also says only a creator or a payment provider (PayPal or Stripe) can refund a supporter.

**Buy Me a Coffee** runs on Stripe. "Once your account reaches the first $10, you can request a payout", and after approval "your funds are transferred directly to your Stripe account, and from there to your bank account" ([BMC help FAQ](https://help.buymeacoffee.com/en/articles/4539170-frequently-asked-questions)). Its [payout countries article](https://help.buymeacoffee.com/en/articles/6258038-supported-countries-for-payouts-on-buy-me-a-coffee) says "we can only offer payouts in countries supported by Stripe", and lists 44 countries on Stripe Standard Connect plus five on Stripe Express (India, Israel, the Philippines, South Korea and Türkiye). BMC's FAQ names Stripe and Wise as its payment processors. We found no PayPal payout option in BMC's help centre today.

**Our read:** if you live somewhere Stripe does not serve but PayPal does, Ko-fi is the practical choice. If you are in a Stripe country, both work.

## Taxes: who is responsible

BMC is unusually direct. Its [tax article](https://help.buymeacoffee.com/en/articles/8039657-understanding-the-tax-process-on-buy-me-a-coffee) says "Buy Me a Coffee does not handle the collection and remittance of sales tax or value-added tax (VAT) on behalf of creators" and that "it is your responsibility to calculate and remit any applicable sales tax or VAT on your sales". It describes itself as "a direct payment platform where buyers or supporters make payments directly into the creators' accounts", and says US creators can download 1099-K forms from Stripe.

We could not verify Ko-fi's tax wording today, so we are not quoting it. Because Ko-fi also pays creators directly through PayPal or Stripe, assume you are the seller and check with your accountant.

**Our read:** for pure tips, ask a local adviser. Selling digital products to EU or UK buyers is clearer: VAT can apply, so once shop sales matter, move them to a merchant of record. Our guide on [how to sell digital products online](https://zeroraised.com/blog/how-to-sell-digital-products-online) compares the options.

## Features that matter for makers

Ko-fi's fee table covers one-time tips, monthly tips, memberships, shop items, commissions and crowdfunding goals ([Ko-fi fee article](https://help.ko-fi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002506494-Does-Ko-fi-take-a-fee)). BMC's [help centre](https://help.buymeacoffee.com/en/) has sections for memberships, the shop, posts, one-time supports and integrations, and it offers [buttons](https://buymeacoffee.com/brand), QR codes and stream alerts. Our read: feature parity is close enough that you should choose on fees and payout rails, not features.

## The other two options: GitHub Sponsors and Patreon

**GitHub Sponsors** is the strongest choice for open source. GitHub says it "does not charge any fees for sponsorships from personal accounts". Sponsorships from organization accounts carry "a fee of up to 6%" (3% card processing plus 3% GitHub service fee), and organizations can avoid the 3% card fee with invoiced billing. Anyone can sponsor, but "you must reside in a supported region to receive funds" ([GitHub Docs](https://docs.github.com/en/sponsors/getting-started-with-github-sponsors/about-github-sponsors)). Our guide on [how to make money from open source](https://zeroraised.com/blog/how-to-make-money-from-open-source) covers what comes after sponsorships: paid support, hosted versions and dual licensing.

**Patreon** is the heavier option. Its [pricing page](https://www.patreon.com/pricing) shows 10% "of the income you earn on Patreon", "Plus payment processing, currency conversion, and payout fees, and applicable taxes." Our read: for a simple tip jar, that is double Ko-fi's or BMC's 5%.

## Our picks by situation

| Your situation | Our pick |
|---|---|
| Open source maintainer in a GitHub Sponsors region | GitHub Sponsors first, Ko-fi as a backup link |
| Free tool or extension, mostly one-off thank-yous | Ko-fi free plan (0% on one-time tips) |
| Newsletter or blog with a paid membership above ~$240/month | Ko-fi Gold |
| You want Stripe only and one flat fee to explain | Buy Me a Coffee |
| You live where Stripe does not pay out but PayPal does | Ko-fi with PayPal |
| You sell templates or ebooks to EU/UK buyers | A merchant of record for sales; Ko-fi or BMC for tips only |
| You need tiers, community and a big existing audience on one platform | Patreon, accepting the 10% fee |

## Set up in 15 minutes

1. **Pick one primary link.** Two tip pages split small audiences.
2. **Set the default at $5 or more.** The $0.30 fixed fee eats 6% of a $5 tip and 10% of a $3 one.
3. **Add a monthly option.** Recurring support compounds; one-off tips do not.
4. **Place the button where gratitude happens:** the README, the options page, the end of each newsletter.
5. **Review after three months.** Past about $240 a month of Ko-fi memberships and sales, switch on Gold. Our guide to [funding a product without venture capital](https://zeroraised.com/blog/ways-to-fund-a-product-without-venture-capital) covers the next steps once tips turn into real income.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee cheaper?

For one-time tips, Ko-fi is cheaper: its free plan takes 0% on one-time tips, while Buy Me a Coffee takes 5% per transaction. For memberships both charge 5% on their free option, but Buy Me a Coffee adds an extra 0.5% on subscription payments. Once your Ko-fi memberships and sales pass about $240 a month, Ko-fi Gold at $12 a month (0% platform fee) is cheaper still. Card processing applies on both.

### Does Buy Me a Coffee support PayPal?

Buy Me a Coffee's help centre describes payouts going to your Stripe account and then to your bank, and says it can only offer payouts in countries Stripe supports. Its fee article covers Stripe only. Ko-fi, by contrast, lets supporters pay through PayPal or Stripe and sends money straight to the creator's chosen account.

### Is Ko-fi Gold worth it?

Only if you earn enough from memberships, shop sales, commissions or monthly tips. Gold costs $12 a month and removes Ko-fi's 5% fee, so the break-even is $240 a month of fee-bearing income. If most of your income is one-time tips, which are already 0% on the free plan, Gold mainly buys extra features such as supporter-only posts and scheduled posts.

### Do Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee handle sales tax or VAT?

Buy Me a Coffee says plainly that it does not collect or remit sales tax or VAT on behalf of creators and that it is your responsibility to calculate and remit it. We could not verify Ko-fi's tax wording today. If you sell digital products to EU or UK buyers, plan to handle VAT yourself or sell through a merchant of record instead.

### Should an open source developer use Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee or GitHub Sponsors?

Start with GitHub Sponsors if you live in a supported region: it charges no fees on sponsorships from personal accounts and sits next to your code. Add Ko-fi as a second link for people who will not sponsor through GitHub, because its one-time tips carry no Ko-fi fee. Buy Me a Coffee works too but takes 5% on every tip.

## Launch the thing people tip for

ZeroRaised is a launch directory for products built without institutional VC. If your free tool or open source project is ready for more users, [submit it to ZeroRaised](https://zeroraised.com/submit) for free, and run through our [guide to launching a bootstrapped app](https://zeroraised.com/blog/how-to-launch-a-bootstrapped-app) first. For more fee comparisons and no-investor playbooks, [join the ZeroRaised newsletter](https://zeroraised.com/newsletter).

## Sources

- [Ko-fi help: Does Ko-fi take a fee?](https://help.ko-fi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002506494-Does-Ko-fi-take-a-fee), last checked 10 Nov 2026
- [Ko-fi pricing](https://ko-fi.com/pricing), last checked 10 Nov 2026
- [Ko-fi Gold](https://ko-fi.com/gold), last checked 10 Nov 2026
- [Ko-fi help: What is Ko-fi Gold?](https://help.ko-fi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005506873-What-is-Ko-fi-Gold), last checked 10 Nov 2026
- [Ko-fi help: How do I get paid?](https://help.ko-fi.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003980093-How-do-I-get-paid), last checked 10 Nov 2026
- [Buy Me a Coffee FAQ](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/faq), last checked 10 Nov 2026
- [Buy Me a Coffee help: Frequently asked questions](https://help.buymeacoffee.com/en/articles/4539170-frequently-asked-questions), last checked 10 Nov 2026
- [Buy Me a Coffee help: How to calculate charges on your payment](https://help.buymeacoffee.com/en/articles/8105744-how-to-calculate-charges-on-your-payment), last checked 10 Nov 2026
- [Buy Me a Coffee help: Supported countries for payouts](https://help.buymeacoffee.com/en/articles/6258038-supported-countries-for-payouts-on-buy-me-a-coffee), last checked 10 Nov 2026
- [Buy Me a Coffee help: Understanding the tax process](https://help.buymeacoffee.com/en/articles/8039657-understanding-the-tax-process-on-buy-me-a-coffee), last checked 10 Nov 2026
- [Buy Me a Coffee help centre](https://help.buymeacoffee.com/en/), last checked 10 Nov 2026
- [GitHub Docs: About GitHub Sponsors](https://docs.github.com/en/sponsors/getting-started-with-github-sponsors/about-github-sponsors), last checked 10 Nov 2026
- [Patreon pricing](https://www.patreon.com/pricing), last checked 10 Nov 2026

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee cheaper?

For one-time tips, Ko-fi is cheaper: its free plan takes 0% on one-time tips, while Buy Me a Coffee takes 5% per transaction. For memberships both charge 5% on their free option, but Buy Me a Coffee adds an extra 0.5% on subscription payments. Once your Ko-fi memberships and sales pass about $240 a month, Ko-fi Gold at $12 a month (0% platform fee) is cheaper still. Card processing applies on both.

### Does Buy Me a Coffee support PayPal?

Buy Me a Coffee's help centre describes payouts going to your Stripe account and then to your bank, and says it can only offer payouts in countries Stripe supports. Its fee article covers Stripe only. Ko-fi, by contrast, lets supporters pay through PayPal or Stripe and sends money straight to the creator's chosen account.

### Is Ko-fi Gold worth it?

Only if you earn enough from memberships, shop sales, commissions or monthly tips. Gold costs $12 a month and removes Ko-fi's 5% fee, so the break-even is $240 a month of fee-bearing income. If most of your income is one-time tips, which are already 0% on the free plan, Gold mainly buys extra features such as supporter-only posts and scheduled posts.

### Do Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee handle sales tax or VAT?

Buy Me a Coffee says plainly that it does not collect or remit sales tax or VAT on behalf of creators and that it is your responsibility to calculate and remit it. We could not verify Ko-fi's tax wording today. If you sell digital products to EU or UK buyers, plan to handle VAT yourself or sell through a merchant of record instead.

### Should an open source developer use Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee or GitHub Sponsors?

Start with GitHub Sponsors if you live in a supported region: it charges no fees on sponsorships from personal accounts and sits next to your code. Add Ko-fi as a second link for people who will not sponsor through GitHub, because its one-time tips carry no Ko-fi fee. Buy Me a Coffee works too but takes 5% on every tip.