Ko-fi vs Stan
We give Ko-fi a 2.6 GPA and Stan a 2.4, out of 4.0. Ko-fi grades higher on the free plan. Stan grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Stan
Link-in-bio store for creators selling downloads, courses and calls
Free trial · from $29/mo
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAKo-fiGood | 2.4GPAStanFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price for Ko-fi Gold is on record, so our rule for a missing price makes this a C. On the free page, 5% of $1,000 in shop, membership and commission sales is $50 a month, with card fees on top (not counted). That's Buy Me a Coffee's rate and half Patreon's 10%. | CCreator is $300 billed yearly with no cut of sales, so $1,000 a month in sales costs $300 a year, inside this category's usual range. Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 comes on top and isn't counted. Discount codes, upsells and email need Creator Pro at $948 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe free page has tips, memberships, a shop and commissions with no monthly or listing fee, and no cap on record. You pay 5% when you sell, and the value grade counts that. | CNo free plan. There's a 14-day trial of either plan, you can sell during it, and the listing doesn't say it needs a card. |
| Features | CGraded against its own alternatives, fan-support pages. Tips, goals, member tiers with posts and Discord roles, a shop for files and physical items, commissions and stream alerts. It does that job fully, but it's a smaller kit: no email, discounts or tax handling in the listing. | BDownloads, unlimited courses, coaching calls and webinars with booking, memberships, a community and Instagram auto-replies. The whole job is here, though discount codes, upsells, funnels, affiliates and email all wait for Creator Pro. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. A page is quick to start, but you connect PayPal or a card account first, and member tiers and a shop take some setting up. | CNo App Store rating on record. The store is built for a phone screen and a bio link, but you're still setting up products, calendars and Stripe or PayPal. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with PayPal, Discord, Twitch, YouTube and a WordPress plugin, plus stream overlays. No phone or desktop app is listed. | BWeb and iPhone, with Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, Zoom, Google Meet, Google Calendar, Afterpay and Klarna. There's no Android app and no desktop app. |
| Best for | tips, memberships and commissions from fans | creators selling from a link in their bio |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Ko-fi and Stan. How we grade
Where they differ
- Ko-fi has a free plan. Stan does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Stan lists an iOS app.
- Ko-fi also covers online store.
- Stan also covers email campaigns, online courses, community, appointment booking and affiliate tracking.
In commonWebDigital downloads
At a glance
| Ko-fi | Stan | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $29 per month ($300 billed yearly) |
| Free plan | A free page with tips, memberships, a shop and commissions. Ko-fi's own pages state a 5% platform fee on shop, membership and commission sales, plus card processing fees. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of either plan, and you can sell during the trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Ko-fi Labs | Stan |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | help.stan.store |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Ko-fi
- Artists and streamers who want tips and memberships on one page
- Creators who take paid commissions from fans
- Small sellers who want a shop with no monthly fee
Stan
- Social media creators who sell from a link in their bio
- Coaches selling calls, courses and downloads in one place
- Creators who want a flat fee with no cut of sales
Worth knowing
Ko-fi
- Ko-fi sells a paid Gold plan, but its price could not be confirmed on Ko-fi's own pages for this listing.
- Shop, membership and commission sales carry a 5% Ko-fi fee on the free page, and PayPal or card processing fees come on top.
- Creators are the merchant of record, so sales tax and VAT on their sales are their own responsibility.
Stan
- No free plan; Stan takes 0% of sales, but Stripe charges US sellers 2.9% + $0.30 a sale, plus 1.5% for buyers abroad.
- Discount codes, upsells, funnels, affiliates, email broadcasts and email flows all need Creator Pro at $99 a month.
- Physical products have no shipping or stock tools: sellers collect addresses at checkout and fulfill by hand.
- The mobile app is on iPhone and iPad only; there is no Android app.
Key features
Ko-fi
- Tips and goals
- One-off tips from supporters, plus funding goals that creators can set and show on their page or on a stream overlay.
- Memberships
- Membership tiers with member-only posts (text, audio, video and polls), member-only shop items and requests, and Discord roles for members.
- Ko-fi Shop
- Sell digital downloads and physical items from a link, with no listing or monthly fees; Ko-fi takes 5% when a sale is made.
- Commissions
- Take paid requests such as artwork, tutorials, feedback sessions or video messages, with a 5% platform fee on each sale.
- Stream alerts
- Connect Twitch or YouTube to show tips, subscriptions and goals as on-stream alerts and overlays.
- Direct payouts
- Supporters pay the creator directly through PayPal, Venmo, cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay or local methods, with no payout schedule to wait on.
Stan
- Bio-link storefront
- A mobile-first store built for a social media bio link, with digital downloads, custom products and links out to other sites.
- Courses, calls and webinars
- Unlimited password-protected courses, 1:1 or group coaching calls and webinars run through Zoom or Google Meet with calendar booking.
- Memberships and community
- Charge members daily, weekly, monthly or yearly, and run a community space with admins and moderators inside Stan.
- Email marketing on Creator Pro
- Import contacts, send broadcasts and build automated email flows with unlimited sends, all on the Creator Pro plan.
- Sales tools on Creator Pro
- Discount codes, limited-quantity offers, upsells, order bumps, funnels, payment plans with Afterpay or Klarna, and an affiliate program.
- Stan AutoDM
- Sends automated replies to Instagram messages and comments, included on both plans.
Plans
Ko-fi
Pricing could not be confirmed. See ko-fi.com.
Stan
Creator$29
per month ($300 billed yearly)
Storefront, unlimited courses, calendar booking, recurring subscriptions, lead magnets, community, analytics and Stan AutoDM for Instagram. No transaction fee.
Creator Pro$99
per month ($948 billed yearly)
Adds discount codes, payment plans, upsells, order bumps, funnels, Afterpay and Klarna, affiliate management, email broadcasts and flows, and ad pixels.
Ways to pay less
Ko-fi
No public discounts listed.
Stan
- Annual discount
Lower price with yearly billing
Stan sells Creator at $300 a year instead of $29 a month ($348 over a year), and Creator Pro at $948 a year instead of $99 a month ($1,188).
