Alternatives · Digital Products
Buy Me a Coffee alternatives
Buy Me a Coffee compared with 5 alternatives: Ko-fi, Patreon, Gumroad, Stan and Memberful.
Buy Me a Coffee is free to use. 3 of the 5 alternatives are free or have a free plan. 2 more offer a free trial.
5 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 18, 2026 · Where the facts come from
At a glance
Price against what you get
Buy Me a Coffee has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. None of the 4 alternatives on this chart both scores higher and starts lower.
Patreon, Gumroad and Stan score higher without starting lower.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
How each one differs from Buy Me a Coffee
- Free plan
Ko-fi
Creator page for tips, memberships, a shop and paid commissions
- Only Buy Me a Coffee lists iOS and Android apps.
- Ko-fi also covers online store.
- Buy Me a Coffee also covers paid newsletters.
Suits: Artists and streamers who want tips and memberships on one page
- Free
Patreon
Paid memberships, a shop and community for creators and their fans
- Patreon is free. Buy Me a Coffee is free.
- Patreon also covers community.
Suits: Podcasters, video makers and artists funded by monthly members
- Free
Gumroad
Sell downloads, memberships and courses for a cut of each sale
- Gumroad is free. Buy Me a Coffee is free.
- Gumroad also covers email campaigns, affiliate tracking and merchant of record.
- Buy Me a Coffee also covers paid newsletters.
Suits: Creators testing a first product who want no monthly bill
- Free trial · from $29/mo
Stan
Link-in-bio store for creators selling downloads, courses and calls
- Stan starts at $29 per month ($300 billed yearly). Buy Me a Coffee is free.
- Buy Me a Coffee has a free plan. Stan does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Buy Me a Coffee lists an Android app.
- Stan also covers email campaigns, online courses, community, appointment booking and affiliate tracking.
- Buy Me a Coffee also covers paid newsletters.
Suits: Social media creators who sell from a link in their bio
- Free trial · from $49/mo
Memberful
Membership platform for paid newsletters, podcasts and communities
- Memberful starts at $49 per month. Buy Me a Coffee is free.
- Buy Me a Coffee has a free plan. Memberful does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Buy Me a Coffee lists iOS and Android apps.
- Memberful also covers online courses and community.
Suits: Writers and publishers running a paid newsletter on their own site
Limits worth knowing in Buy Me a Coffee
- Each payment costs 5% plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 and 0.5% payout fee; international payments add 1% and subscription payments 0.5%.
- Payouts go straight to a bank account, but only for creators in the 44 countries Buy Me a Coffee supports.
- The help center describes one 5% platform fee for every creator, with no paid plan that lowers it.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Buy Me a Coffee?
The alternatives to Buy Me a Coffee in this directory are Ko-fi, Patreon, Gumroad, Stan and Memberful. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Buy Me a Coffee.
Is there a free alternative to Buy Me a Coffee?
Yes. Patreon and Gumroad are free to use. Ko-fi has a free plan alongside paid ones.
When were these prices checked?
Every listing on this page was checked on Oct 18, 2026, against the pages it cites. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.