The Ko-fi Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Ko-fi in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Ko-fi
The Insider’s Guide
Creator page for tips, memberships, a shop and paid commissions
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among tools for selling digital products, read from Ko-fi’s own pages.
Made by Ko-fi Labs · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Ko-fi’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Ko-fi’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 6 of the 14 other tools for selling digital products we grade
Ko-fi gives creators a free page where supporters can leave one-off tips, join paid membership tiers, buy digital or physical items and order commissions. Supporters pay the creator directly, and the creator stays the merchant of record. Ko-fi takes a small platform fee on most sales, and a paid Gold plan is sold alongside the free page.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Ko-fi, taken from its own pages and our grades.
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.
- 1
Best for tips, memberships and commissions from fans
It's lighter than a real store, though, and sales tax is yours to sort out.
- 2
There is a 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.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
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.
- 5
Memberships
Membership tiers with member-only posts (text, audio, video and polls), member-only shop items and requests, and Discord roles for members.
- 6
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.
- 7
A 2.6 GPA, above 6 of 14
That is against the other tools for selling digital products we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
To replace Ko-fi you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Ko-fi at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Ko-fi Labs
- Category
- Selling Digital Products
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
The report card
Best for tips, memberships and commissions from fans
Ko-fi is a free page where fans can tip you, join a membership, buy from your shop or order a commission, and the money goes straight to your own payment account. It takes 5% on shop, membership and commission sales. It's lighter than a real store, though, and sales tax is yours to sort out.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No 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%. |
| Free plan and trial | A | The 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. |
| Features | C | Graded 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. |
| Ease of use | C | No 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. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, with PayPal, Discord, Twitch, YouTube and a WordPress plugin, plus stream overlays. No phone or desktop app is listed. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Ko-fi is for
- Great if you're an artist or streamer who wants tips, members and a shop on one page
- Handy when you take paid commissions and want requests and payment in one place
- Good for small sellers who don't want a monthly fee
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want sales tax handled for you, since you're the merchant of record
- Too light for a proper store with email, discount codes and upsells
Good to know
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Ko-fi's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
No price for Ko-fi Gold is on record, so our rule for a missing price makes this a C.
We could not confirm Ko-fi’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. ko-fi.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Creator page for tips, memberships, a shop and paid commissions. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: online store, digital downloads.
Graded against its own alternatives, fan-support pages.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- PayPal
- Discord
- Twitch
- YouTube
- WordPress
Ko-fi is made by Ko-fi Labs.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
6/14
Other tools for selling digital products it is graded above
Ko-fi's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 6 of the 14 other tools for selling digital products we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 7 of 14) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 15 tools for selling digital products we grade, cut by the letter each got. Ko-fi’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 3 of 14
- AFree plan and trialAbove 7 of 14
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 14
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 14
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 14
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Ko-fi you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
What you could make
- Digital downloads: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
- It plugs into other products, PayPal, Discord and Twitch among them.
What this rests on. Ko-fi’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Buy Me a Coffee, Patreon, Gumroad, Stan and Memberful
The 5 tools Ko-fi is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Buy Me a Coffee
Free
Creator page for tips, memberships and a simple shop.
- Only Buy Me a Coffee lists iOS and Android apps.
- Ko-fi also covers online store.
- Buy Me a Coffee also covers paid newsletters.
- 3.0GPA
Patreon
Free
Paid memberships, a shop and community for creators and their fans.
- Only Patreon lists iOS and Android apps.
- Ko-fi also covers online store.
- Patreon also covers paid newsletters and community.
- 2.6GPA
Gumroad
Free
Sell downloads, memberships and courses for a cut of each sale.
- Only Gumroad lists iOS and Android apps.
- Ko-fi also covers online store.
- Gumroad also covers email campaigns, affiliate tracking and merchant of record.
- 2.4GPA
Stan
Free trial · from $29/mo
Link-in-bio store for creators selling downloads, courses and calls.
- 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.
- 2.0GPA
Memberful
Free trial · from $49/mo
Membership platform for paid newsletters, podcasts and communities.
- Ko-fi has a free plan. Memberful does not, though it has a free trial.
- Ko-fi also covers online store.
- Memberful also covers paid newsletters, online courses and community.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
10
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Ko-fi free?
Ko-fi has a free plan. A free page with tips, memberships, a shop and commissions.
What platforms does Ko-fi work on?
Ko-fi is available on Web.
Does Ko-fi have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Ko-fi is listed for Web.
Does Ko-fi have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Ko-fi is listed for Web.
Is Ko-fi open source?
Ko-fi is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
What does Ko-fi integrate with?
Ko-fi's listing names PayPal, Discord, Twitch, YouTube and WordPress. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Ko-fi?
Ko-fi is made by Ko-fi Labs.
What are the alternatives to Ko-fi?
The closest alternatives to Ko-fi in our directory are Buy Me a Coffee, Patreon, Gumroad, Stan and Memberful.
How does Ko-fi compare with other tools for selling digital products?
Ko-fi's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 6 of the 14 other tools for selling digital products we grade, and level with 5.
Could I make my own version of Ko-fi?
To replace Ko-fi you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Ko-fi’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Ko-fi's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Ko-fi Labs. Prices change, so check ko-fi.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,281
Tools graded, in 73 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,281
tools graded
73
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Ko-fi, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/ko-fi
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Ko-fi: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/ko-fi
Know someone choosing between tools for selling digital products?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/ko-fi/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded tools for selling digital products after Ko-fi, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Selling Digital Products Insider's GuideEvery one of the 15 tools for selling digital products we grade, compared
- Whop Insider's GuideStorefront, checkout and payouts for paid communities and products3.4 GPA
- Patreon Insider's GuidePaid memberships, a shop and community for creators and their fans3.0 GPA
- Lemon Squeezy Insider's GuideMerchant of record checkout for software, subscriptions and downloads2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Ko-fi’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Ko-fi is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Ko-fi Labs. Prices and plans change: check ko-fi.com before you buy.