Platforms change pricing and features — verify on the provider’s official pages.
The clearest fee difference is that Ko-fi charges 0% on tips when Contributor status is disabled on its free plan, while Buy Me a Coffee applies a 5% platform fee to tips, memberships, and shop sales (Ko-fi pricing; Buy Me a Coffee charges). Tips let followers send a one-time thank-you, with nothing for you to deliver and no membership for them to join. Every offer is one priced request on the same page. You publish the price, scope and delivery window; the brief is collected at checkout; and the follower pays upfront by card as a guest. The work arrives already paid for and already specified.
Checked against Patreon's Creator fees overview, the Ko-fi pricing page, and Buy Me a Coffee's how charges are calculated help article. Pricing and features can change, so confirm the current terms on each company’s official page before deciding. A follower pays once for one question, one commission or one video, and nothing is owed afterwards — so the people who were never going to subscribe can still pay you, beside the Patreon you already run.
What’s the core difference between Patreon, Ko-fi, and Buy Me a Coffee?
Patreon is membership-first. Its core creator-page flow is designed around recurring memberships through which followers pay for exclusive posts, community access, and ongoing benefits. One-time purchases may be available in parts of Patreon’s product, but the central creator relationship remains a recurring subscription.
Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee are tip-first. Both let a follower make a one-off payment without subscribing, while shops and memberships are optional additions. A creator can therefore use either service primarily as a tip jar — for a closer look at just these two, see Ko-fi vs. Buy Me a Coffee head-to-head.
The clearest fee difference is that Ko-fi charges 0% on tips when Contributor status is disabled on its free plan, while Buy Me a Coffee applies a 5% platform fee to tips, memberships, and shop sales (Ko-fi pricing; Buy Me a Coffee charges).
How do Patreon, Ko-fi, and Buy Me a Coffee compare on fees and payouts?
| Platform | Core model | Monthly cost | Platform fee | Follower minimum | Payouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patreon | Recurring membership tiers and built-in community | Free to start; $0 per month | 10% of earnings on the standard plan for pages published after August 4, 2025; legacy pages may be on 5%, 8%, or 11% | No minimum found on the official pages reviewed | Bank transfer through Stripe or Payoneer, or PayPal, depending on region; payment processing is additional |
| Ko-fi | One-off tips, plus optional shop, memberships, and commissions | Free; Gold is $12 per month | 0% on tips when Contributor status is disabled; 5% on shop sales, memberships, and commissions on the free plan; 0% on everything with Gold | No minimum found on the official pages reviewed | Payments go to the creator’s connected PayPal or Stripe account |
| Buy Me a Coffee | One-click support, plus memberships and a shop | Free; $0 per month and no paid tier | Flat 5% per transaction on tips, memberships, and shop sales | No minimum found on the official pages reviewed | Stripe or PayPal, depending on region |
Patreon’s standard platform fee is 10% for creator pages published after August 4, 2025, while some legacy pages retain 5%, 8%, or 11% plans.
Ko-fi’s free plan charges 0% on tips when Contributor status is disabled and 5% on memberships, shop sales, and commissions; Ko-fi Gold costs $12 per month and reduces those platform fees to 0%.
Buy Me a Coffee charges a flat 5% platform fee on tips, memberships, and shop sales.
Payment-processing charges are separate from these platform fees. Stripe’s standard price for a successful US domestic card transaction is 2.9% plus $0.30 (Stripe pricing). PayPal charges 2.99% on domestic Goods and Services payments in the US, with different rates for international or card-based transactions (PayPal business fees). Patreon likewise lists payment processing separately from its platform fee in its Creator fees overview.
The official platform pages reviewed in August 2026 did not publish a follower minimum for Patreon, Ko-fi, or Buy Me a Coffee. That is narrower and more accurate than claiming that no unpublished eligibility or regional requirements can ever apply.
Which platform is cheapest for creators?
To see what each fee leaves from a real payment, compare a $3 tip, a $25 portfolio review, and a $50 commission—not only the headline percentage:
- For one-off tips: Ko-fi’s free plan charges 0% when Contributor status is disabled, versus Buy Me a Coffee’s flat 5% (Ko-fi pricing; Buy Me a Coffee charges). Patreon’s core creator-page experience is oriented toward memberships rather than a conventional tip jar.
- For shops and commissions: Ko-fi’s free plan and Buy Me a Coffee both charge 5% on shop sales (Ko-fi pricing; Buy Me a Coffee charges). If you're selling digital products specifically, it's worth checking how Buy Me a Coffee's shop fees stack up against Gumroad.
- For recurring memberships: Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee charge 5%, compared with Patreon’s 10% standard fee for pages published after August 4, 2025.
- For higher sales volume: Ko-fi Gold costs $12 per month and charges 0% in platform fees, so its fixed subscription may cost less than percentage-based fees once revenue is high enough.
- For legacy Patreon pages: Older creators may retain a 5%, 8%, or 11% plan rather than the current 10% standard plan.
Ko-fi’s 0% tip rate requires attention during setup. New pages begin with Contributor status enabled, which applies a 5% fee to tips; creators can disable it under Settings > Payment to receive the 0% platform-fee rate (Ko-fi Contributor status).
On top of platform fees, payment processing still applies. For example, Stripe’s standard US domestic card rate is 2.9% plus $0.30 per successful charge. The actual processor charge can vary by country, currency, payment method, and processor.
For more detail, see does Ko-fi take a percentage and the Buy Me a Coffee fees explainer.
Which platform should you choose?
Choose Patreon if your main product is an ongoing membership supported by a regular publishing schedule, exclusive posts, community access, and recurring benefits. Its tools and audience expectations are built around monthly subscriptions.
Choose Ko-fi if you want a low-fee tip jar with the option to add a shop, memberships, or creator commissions later. At 0% on tips with Contributor status disabled, its free plan has the lowest platform fee for tip-first creators in this comparison.
Choose Buy Me a Coffee if you want a straightforward tip-jar, membership, and shop combination with one consistent 5% platform fee across transaction types. Its model is simpler to forecast than Ko-fi’s mix of transaction-specific fees, Contributor status, and an optional Gold plan. If you're still on the fence about the fee, see is Buy Me a Coffee worth it for a closer look.
| Your priority | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring membership and community | Patreon | Memberships are the core product |
| Lowest platform fee on one-off tips | Ko-fi | 0% on tips when Contributor status is disabled |
| One consistent percentage across tips, memberships, and shop sales | Buy Me a Coffee | Flat 5% platform fee |
| Zero-percentage platform fee across multiple transaction types | Ko-fi Gold | $12 per month with 0% platform fees |
What do all three platforms have in common?
Patreon, Ko-fi, and Buy Me a Coffee can all be started without a required base-plan monthly subscription. Their official fee pages describe charges tied to creator earnings or follower payments rather than a fee merely for maintaining an inactive page (Patreon fees, Ko-fi pricing, and Buy Me a Coffee charges).
Patreon, Ko-fi, and Buy Me a Coffee did not publish a minimum follower count on the official pages reviewed in August 2026. A small creator can therefore evaluate them based on the payment model rather than a stated audience-size threshold.
The key difference is the follower relationship each platform emphasizes: Patreon centers recurring memberships, whereas Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee center optional one-off support and purchases. A small audience is not a guarantee of sales, but a clear $3 tip, $25 portfolio review, or $50 commission gives supporters a concrete way to support your work without another membership pitch.
When might Brillay be an alternative?
Alternative platform disclosure: Brillay is the publisher of this comparison and is not part of the three-way fee table above.
Patreon, Ko-fi, and Buy Me a Coffee are not primarily structured around a follower paying once for a defined personal interaction, such as a private question or personalized video. Brillay lets you set the price for a clear question, personalized video, or commission — followers pay once, with no membership.
Brillay’s Paid Questions, Personalized Videos, and Custom Work are fixed-price, one-time purchases: followers pay upfront as guests, you deliver inside the window you set — 1–24 hours or 1–5 days — and you can decline a request you would rather not take. There is no follower minimum, and creators in 41 countries can get paid while followers pay by card from anywhere. No monthly fee, you only pay a small platform fee when you get paid. 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work, 5% platform fee on tips and goals. Card processing is separate. Brillay lets you connect your bank through Stripe so Stripe pays you out.
You can also review Brillay’s pricing page, its how-it-works guide, and the direct comparisons at Brillay vs. Patreon, Brillay vs. Ko-fi, and Brillay vs. Buy Me a Coffee.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Patreon, Ko-fi, and Buy Me a Coffee at the same time?
Yes. A creator can use Patreon for recurring subscriber content and add Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee for one-off tips and shop purchases. Before combining platforms, check their current terms and account requirements and make the different payment options clear to followers.
Is Patreon’s fee really 10%?
Patreon’s standard platform fee is 10% of earnings for creator pages published after August 4, 2025, plus applicable taxes and payment processing. Some legacy creators may remain on older 5%, 8%, or 11% plans.
How much of my one-off tip do Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee take?
Ko-fi is cheaper for one-off tips when Contributor status is disabled: Ko-fi charges 0%, while Buy Me a Coffee charges 5% (Ko-fi fee explainer; Buy Me a Coffee charges). Payment-processing fees still apply to both.
New Ko-fi accounts start with Contributor status enabled, which adds a 5% fee to tips. Creators must disable it under Settings > Payment to receive Ko-fi’s 0% tip rate.
Do Patreon, Ko-fi, or Buy Me a Coffee require a minimum number of followers?
No published minimum: the official Patreon fees, Ko-fi pricing, and Buy Me a Coffee charges pages, reviewed in August 2026, do not state a minimum follower count for signing up. Creators should still check each platform’s current account, age, identity, content, payout, and regional requirements before signing up.
What should you read next?
For a broader comparison, see Best Creator Monetization Platforms in 2026. If you are comparing these services with one-time paid interactions, read Brillay vs. Patreon, Brillay vs. Ko-fi, and Brillay vs. Buy Me a Coffee. Weighing Buy Me a Coffee against other options specifically? See the best Buy Me a Coffee alternatives.
If supporters want to send a one-time thank-you through Tips, or followers want to pay for a $25 portfolio review or $50 commission through Custom Work, Brillay gives you one link for those clear choices instead of another membership pitch. Create your free Brillay page