What is Ko-fi Gold?

Ko-fi is built to be simple, fair, and accessible to all creators. You don’t need Gold to unlock anything, every creator can use Ko-fi with no subscription required.

Gold is still available for $12/month with 0% platform fees, but most creators find the 0-5% fee model the easiest and most flexible way to earn.

 

You don’t need Gold to use Ko-fi

Ko-fi has evolved a lot over the years, and today, every creator can use all of Ko-fi with a creator-friendly 0-5% platform fee. That means you can:

  1. Accept donations
  2. Sell products & commissions
  3. Build a membership
  4. Share exclusive content
  5. Customize your page

…all without needing a subscription!

  Note

Consider becoming a Contributor to share 5% of your donation income with us, to help us run the service and unlock cool perks!

 

A fairer way to earn on Ko-fi

We’ve been listening to creators, and we realized the Gold model wasn’t working for everyone. We noticed that:

  • Many creators felt they had to pay for Gold to use Ko-fi, which isn’t true! Now, every creator can access all tools without a monthly cost.
  • Many Gold creators weren’t earning enough to cover the subscription, while others were earning $1000's per month, generating lots of help center enquiries from supporters and consuming 100's of times more resources, but only paying $8. Both of these felt wrong.
  • For most creators, we think the platform fee model makes the most sense. You only pay a fee when you earn money.

 

Ko-fi Gold is still available

Ko-fi Gold is now available for $12/month for new users. This means:

  • If you already have Gold, nothing changes - your subscription will continue to renew as usual at the price you already pay.
  • If you decide to cancel or your plan expires, you’ll move to the contributor model and keep all of your existing benefits.
  • New creators can still sign up for Gold, but only on a monthly plan (annual plans are no longer available).

We’re always listening to creators and looking for ways to make Ko-fi better. We’ll continue improving to make Ko-fi as creator-friendly as possible.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I already have Ko-fi Gold and want to keep it?

Your current Gold subscription will continue to renew either monthly or annually depending on your subscription type.

If you cancel your subscription or it fails to renew you will automatically be switched over to the contributor model so you don’t lose any of your Gold benefits.

What happens if I cancel my Ko-fi Gold membership? Will I lose all my benefits?

Once you cancel your Ko-fi Gold subscription, you will see a confirmation that the subscription will not renew. You will keep all of your Gold benefits until the end of your billing cycle.

Once you’ve reached the end of your billing cycle you’ll become a contributor which maintains your Gold features but instead of a monthly subscription, future transactions will incur a 5% platform fee (excluding memberships started while you were Gold).

What if I want to switch off Gold now?

Sure, you’re totally welcome to switch over to the Contributor option. All you need to do is cancel your Gold membership from your account settings.

From the Ko-fi Menu select More > Account Settings, then in subscriptions simply click Cancel. You will keep Gold until the end of your payment period, but your subscription will not renew.

Note, any recurring donations or memberships created with a 0% platform fee while you were a Gold subscriber will continue to enjoy the same 0% platform fee until they cancel.

What is Ko-fi Contributor?

Consider becoming a Contributor to share 5% of your donation income with us to help us run the service and unlock these cool perks:

  1. Change the "coffee" metaphor to... anything you like
  2. Claim a shorter Ko-fi username (3 letters and up)
  3. Choose a custom color for your page
  4. Get insights about your page with Google Analytics
  5. Support our team to help us build a better Ko-fi!
What if I’m a Contributor and then I sign up to Gold?

If you’re a Contributor and then subscribe to Gold, you’ll need to turn off 'Contributor' status to stop paying the 5% platform fee.

Memberships which began before you subscribed to Gold will continue to incur the 5% platform fee.

How can I check my subscription duration?
Go to the Ko-fi Menu, select More > Account Settings, and look under "subscriptions". There, you'll see the status of your Gold membership. If you pay monthly, the start date of your membership and its monthly renewal date will be displayed. If you pay annually, you'll see the date when your subscription is set to renew.
Can I update my payment card?

Yes, you can, the process depends on your payment method:

If you paid via card: You can update your payment card details on Ko-fi.

  1. Navigate to the Ko-fi Menu.
  2. Select More > Account Settings.
  3. Look under "subscriptions."
  4. Select "update card."

Your new card will be charged when your subscription renews.

If you paid via PayPal: You need to update your payment method directly on PayPal.

  1. Log into your PayPal account.
  2. Click your name in the top right corner.
  3. Select "Account Settings."
  4. Click on "Money, Banks and Cards."
  5. Scroll down to "Pre-approved Payments."
  6. Select "Manage Pre-approved Payments."
  7. Choose the subscription for which you want to change the funding source.
  8. Click on "Funding Source."
  9. Select the card you want to use.
  10. Confirm your choice.

Your new card will be charged when your subscription is due.

Please note that it isn't possible to switch between card payment and PayPal. If you wish to change your payment method, you would need to cancel your existing subscription and rejoin after that subscription expires.

Is Ko-fi Gold available to new creators?

Yes, you can still join Ko-fi Gold to unlock 0% platform fees on all payment options for a fixed monthly cost of $12 p/m, rather than the 5% fee. You’ll also be able to post supporter-only content, schedule posts, change the coffee metaphor and choose a custom page color.

Sign up to Ko-fi Gold here (linked in the last FAQ on this page)