Patreon vs Ko-fi
Verdict. Ko-fi is the better pick for most creators, and the fee gap decides it. At $1,000 a month in $10 payments, Ko-fi Gold costs you about $71 all in, while Patreon's 10% plan costs about $159. At $5,000 a month the gap grows to $217 against $705. Ko-fi also drops each payment straight into your own PayPal or Stripe account. Patreon earns its bigger cut if you post a lot of exclusive content, since it hosts up to 100 hours of video a month and runs community chat.
Pick Patreon if
your fans already live on it and you want video hosting, community chat and digital sales covered by one 10% fee.
Pick Ko-fi if
most of your income is tips, commissions or small shop sales and you want each payment in your own PayPal or Stripe account the moment a fan pays.
Side by side
| Compared | Patreon | Ko-fi |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 6.1 / 10 | 7.9 / 10 |
| Best for | Video creators, podcasters and artists with loyal fans | Artists and streamers who mostly take tips and commissions |
| What it costs | New creators pay a 10% platform fee plus 2.9% + $0.30 card processing per payment, a 2.5% currency conversion fee when fans pay in another currency, and a small payout fee. | Ko-fi Free charges 0% on one-time tips and 5% on memberships, shop sales, commissions and monthly tips, while Ko-fi Gold costs $12 a month for 0% on everything, with PayPal or Stripe processing on top. |
| Keep from $1,000 | $841 (Standard) | $929 (Gold) |
| Plans from | Free | Free |
| Payouts | You withdraw manually up to once every 24 hours, or turn on automatic payouts on the 5th of each month. US bank transfers cost $0.25 per payout, PayPal costs 1% capped at $20 with a $10 minimum, and Payoneer costs $1 with a $25 minimum. Money arrives in 1 to 5 days, and iOS in-app earnings stay pending for up to 75 days. | There is no Ko-fi balance to withdraw. Each payment lands in your PayPal or Stripe account the moment a supporter pays, with no minimum and no schedule. Moving money from PayPal or Stripe to your bank follows their rules. |
| Who can join | Open to anyone 18+, or younger with a parent's or guardian's permission. US creators get paid by bank transfer, and creators elsewhere use Payoneer, PayPal or local bank transfer in supported currencies. | Open to anyone 18+ with a PayPal account or a full Stripe account. Stripe works in 40+ countries, and Stripe Express accounts are not supported. |
| Founded | 2013 | n/a |
Scorecards
| Criterion | Possible | Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Fees$159 on $1,000 a month | 3.0 | 1.23 |
| FeaturesDepth for its category | 2.0 | 1.60 |
| EaseSignup to first sale | 1.5 | 1.20 |
| OwnershipExport, domain, own payments | 2.0 | 1.00 |
| PayoutsSpeed, methods, countries | 1.5 | 1.05 |
| Total | 10.0 | 6.1 |
| Criterion | Possible | Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Fees$71 on $1,000 a month | 3.0 | 2.55 |
| FeaturesDepth for its category | 2.0 | 1.20 |
| EaseSignup to first sale | 1.5 | 1.35 |
| OwnershipExport, domain, own payments | 2.0 | 1.40 |
| PayoutsSpeed, methods, countries | 1.5 | 1.35 |
| Total | 10.0 | 7.9 |
Where Patreon falls short
- New pages pay 10%, up from the old 8% Pro rate, before any processing.
- Unpublishing your page even briefly moves a legacy plan to the 10% standard plan.
- iOS in-app purchases outside the US lose 30% to Apple, or 15% after a member's first year.
- iOS in-app earnings sit pending for up to 75 days before you can withdraw.
- A $3 tier loses about 23% to the platform fee and processing combined.
Where Ko-fi falls short
- New accounts start in Standard mode, which charges 5% on tips until you opt out.
- Gold rose to $12 a month for new users, from $8, and annual billing is gone.
- PayPal and Stripe are the only options. No Payoneer, Wise or direct bank payouts.
- Membership and posting tools are simpler than Patreon's, so content-heavy creators may outgrow it.
Still deciding? See every option in membership platforms.