Does Ko-fi Take a Fee?
Ko-fi Takes 0% Of Your Donations
Over $100m has been earned on Ko-fi and unlike almost every other service we take 0% platform fees on one-off donations.
Donations go directly to your PayPal or Stripe account. We just get a notification that the transaction was successful so we can update the creator's page, but we do not take a fee from donations (unless you choose to opt-in to become a Contributor).
Do Payment Processors Take a Fee?
PayPal and Stripe do take their normal transaction fees which will vary based on the type of account, location and currencies used but it's usually 2-3.4% + $0.30.
Minimise fees taken by payment processors by making your currency on Ko-fi the same as the currency you receive most donations and increasing the unit price if it's very low in Settings > Payment.
Currencies you can currently offer on Ko-fi:
- United States Dollar USD $
- Euro EUR €
- British Pound GBP £
- Australian Dollar AUD A$
- Brazilian Real BRL R$
- Canadian Dollar CAN C$
- Japanese Yen JPY ¥
- Singaporean Dollar SGD S$
- Thai Baht THB ฿
- New Zealand Dollar NZD $
What Fees Does Ko-fi Charge?
We don't show adverts or sell your data and there will always be an option to take Ko-fi donations without paying a platform fee.
Ko-fi makes money in three ways:
- Premium features used on Free accounts. If you use Memberships, Commissions or Ko-fi Shop and don't have a Ko-fi Gold subscription, you will pay a 5% platform fee for those payments, but you still pay 0% platform fee on one-off donations.
- Contributors. Unlock extra features without paying for a subscription, but pay a low 5% platform fee on your earnings. Become a contributor from Settings > Payment.
- Ko-fi Gold Subscriptions. Unlock all features by paying for a monthly or annual subscription but pay 0% platform fees on everything. Learn more about Ko-fi Gold.
Here's a full overview of subscription and platform fees with the features each type of account unlocks.
| Free | Contributor | Gold | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Subscription to Ko-fi |
$0 |
$0 |
$6-8 |
| Platform Fees | |||
| One-off Donations | 0% | 5% | 0% |
| Crowdfunding (Goals) | 0% | 5% | 0% |
| Monthly Donations | 5% | 5% | 0% |
| Membership Tiers | 5% | 5% | 0% |
| Ko-fi Commission Sales | 5% | 5% | 0% |
| Ko-fi Shop Sales | 5% | 5% | 0% |
| Extra Perks | |||
| Supporter-Only Content | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Schedule Posts | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Change "Coffee" Metaphor | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Exclusive Page Color | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Contributor Badge | ❌ | ✅ | *Optional |
*Ko-fi Gold creators can also become contributors to help us make Ko-fi better, faster.
Becoming a Contributor
It's really easy to become a Contributor, unlock those cool perks and support Ko-fi with 5% of your earnings. Turn contributor status on/off whenever you like from Settings > Payment.
If you do opt-in you’ll get a special badge on your profile and a great feeling that you are making a real difference to the future of Ko-fi.
Notes About Contributor Fees and Recurring Payments
When you start or stop being a Contributor we don't update existing recurring payments taken using the Stripe payment method. This means:
- If you become a Contributor with existing members then those existing memberships or recurring donations that you receive via the Stripe payment method will not incur the 5% contribution.
- If you turn off being a Contributor then any memberships or recurring donations that commenced while you were a contributor will continue to incur the 5% contribution even after you switch off being a Contributor.