Ko-fi
Creator monetization platform for tips, memberships, commissions, shops, and donations
What is Ko-fi?
Creator monetization platform for tips, memberships, commissions, shops, and donations
Best for
- SaaS founders setting up monetization
- Indie products accepting online payments
- Teams managing checkout or billing workflows
Common use cases
Ko-fi pricing
Launch Vault currently lists Ko-fi as a freemium tool. Check the official website for current plan details before making a purchase decision.
Payment facts
Official docs, pricing pages, help centers, and terms checked for payment details.
- Best for
- tipsdonationsmembershipscommissionscreator shops
- Pricing
- Ko-fi pricing is recorded as 0-5% fee options; free-plan one-time tips are 0%, while memberships, shop, and commissions are typically 5%.
- Tax/VAT
- Ko-fi uses connected PayPal and/or Stripe accounts and the creator receives payments directly; no clear official source in the current facts set confirms Ko-fi as MoR for sales tax/VAT remittance.
- Subscriptions
- Yes
- Global support
- Seller payouts
Stripe on Ko-fi is available to creators in over 40 countries for accepting global payments; creators may use PayPal when Stripe is unavailable, subject to PayPal availability.
- Payment methods
- Creators connect PayPal and/or Stripe; supporters may pay via PayPal, cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, Cash App, and local options depending on creator settings, supporter location, currency, payment type, browser, and device.
- Currencies
- The recorded help source lists page currencies USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, BRL, CAD, JPY, SGD, THB, and NZD; cross-currency payments are converted by PayPal or Stripe.
- Developer experience
- Ko-fi has an API/webhook for payment-made events via HTTP POST payment data; current API scope is mainly payment-made and does not cover non-payment membership-ended events.
Caveats and gaps
- Ko-fi is not a core MoR sample; use it for creator monetization, donations, and memberships.
- Support country and method availability depend on the connected PayPal/Stripe account.
- Needs follow-up: No clear official MoR-style sales tax/VAT remittance source was recorded.
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FAQ
Is Ko-fi free?
Yes, Ko-fi offers a free tier. Free page; paid Gold plan optional.
What platforms does Ko-fi support?
Ko-fi is available on Web.
Is Ko-fi open source?
No, Ko-fi is a proprietary (closed-source) tool.
What is Ko-fi used for?
Creator monetization platform for tips, memberships, commissions, shops, and donations Common use cases include Creators, Tips, Memberships, Shop.
What are good Ko-fi alternatives?
Start by comparing other Payments & Monetization tools on Launch Vault. Similar tools can differ by pricing, workflow fit, integrations, and the type of team they serve.