Buy Me a Coffee vs Passes (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Buy Me a Coffee if

• Fits if you want fans to support you without making an account
• Works for podcasters, writers and streamers selling a few ebooks, commissions or calls with no monthly fee

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you live outside the 44 countries it pays out to
• Too light for selling courses or running a full store, and there's no video hosting or podcasts
• Watch out: each payment costs 5% plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 and a 0.5% payout fee
• Pricey if many fans pay from abroad or by subscription, which add 1% and 0.5% more
• Tight if you grow: there's one 5% fee for every creator, with no paid plan that lowers it

Pick Passes if

• Fits if you are a creator who wants paid DMs and calls beside memberships
• Works for people who prefer a share of earnings to a monthly fee

Look elsewhere if

• Watch out: the homepage only says up to 90%, and no pricing or fees page was found
• Skip it if you need to know your cut before signing up, because the split depends on the account
• Not for you if you want to join straight away, as creators apply and the FAQ lists follower requirements
• Watch out: whether iPhone and Android apps exist is not clear from the pages we could read

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.

Passes

• The revenue split depends on the account; the homepage only says creators keep up to 90%, and the FAQ answers were not readable here.
• No pricing or fees page was found, so the share Passes keeps could not be confirmed.
• The FAQ lists a question on iPhone, iPad and Android apps, but the answer was not readable; only the web is recorded.
• Creators apply to join; the FAQ lists questions on eligibility and follower requirements.

Buy Me a Coffee

One-off support

Fans pay in a couple of taps without signing up, pick how many coffees to buy and leave a message on the creator's page.

Memberships

Monthly or yearly membership tiers with exclusive posts and messages, email alerts for new posts and perks such as discounts.

Shop

Sell ebooks and other files, art commissions or one-to-one Zoom calls, with one-tap checkout and buyer ratings.

Posts and emails

Publish posts and email supporters from the same account, with no extra charge for publishing or sending.

Creator tools

Stream alerts, QR codes and buttons for websites point fans to the page.

Payment methods

Supporters pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App or other global methods, processed by Stripe and Wise.

Passes

Memberships

Recurring tiered access for fans, listed as the most popular revenue stream.

Paid DMs and 1:1 calls

Creators can charge for direct messages and book paid calls, with an example 30-minute session shown on the homepage.

Content vault and scheduling

A vault to organize, price and lock exclusive content, with a smart scheduler for planning posts ahead.

Mass DMs

Targeted messages and promotions that reach many fans at once.

Livestreams and group chats

Paid livestreams and group chats for exclusive communities.

Merch, digital goods and discounts

Sells merchandise and digital items, with discounts and trials to convert fans.

Buy Me a Coffee

• Buy Me a Coffee$0

  No monthly fee. A 5% platform fee per transaction, plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30; creators can choose to have supporters cover the card fee.

Passes

• Creator account$0

  Passes keeps a share of earnings; the homepage says creators keep up to 90%. A Creators+ program is listed in the FAQ, but its terms were not readable.