Ko-fi for memberships
A creator support platform with tips, memberships, a shop, and commissions, where a flat $12 a month buys 0% platform fees.
What Ko-fi is
Ko-fi is a creator support page. Fans can tip, buy from a shop, commission work, or join a monthly membership, and the money goes straight into your own PayPal or Stripe account.
Who it’s best for
Individual creators, particularly artists and writers, who want a low-friction way to accept support without a platform holding their money.
- Artists, writers, and small creators taking tips as well as memberships
- Anyone who wants payments in their own account immediately
- Creators who would rather pay $12 flat than a percentage
Who should avoid it
Anyone building a structured membership with courses, community, or gated video. Ko-fi is intentionally much simpler than that.
- Course, coaching, and community-led memberships
- Video or podcast subscription products
- Anyone who needs real community tooling
Membership models it supports
Not every platform suits every kind of membership. These are the models we consider it a genuine option for.
- Creator or fan membership
- Low-cost membership
- Paid community
Pricing and fees
Read from Ko-fi's own pricing page on 2026-07-28. Always check the official page before you buy.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual, per month | Platform fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ko-fiNo subscription cost. A 5% service fee applies to memberships, shop sales, and commissions. Tips are free of Ko-fi's fee. | $0 | $0 | 5.0% |
| Ko-fi Gold$12/month removes the 5% service fee on every payment type and unlocks branding and shop features. | $12 | Not offered | None |
Payment processing. Payments go straight to your own PayPal or Stripe account. Ko-fi states that processor fees are usually around 3% + $0.30 but vary by account type, country, and currency.
Trial. Free plan with a 5% fee; Gold is optional
What it costs in practice
Cheapest plan that holds the member count, including the platform's cut and payment processing.
Just starting
25 members at $20 a month
$34.50 / month
On Ko-fi Gold. About 7% of your revenue.
Established
100 members at $25 a month
$117 / month
On Ko-fi Gold. About 5% of your revenue.
Growing
500 members at $25 a month
$537 / month
On Ko-fi Gold. About 4% of your revenue.
Feature support
What is included, what needs a higher plan, and what simply is not there.
Community features
Partially supportedMember posts and comments, not a discussion platform.
Courses
Not supportedCoaching and live events
Not supportedVideo hosting
Partially supportedVideo attachments on posts rather than a hosting product.
Livestreaming
Third-party integrationStream alerts and overlays for Twitch and YouTube.
Newsletter and publishing
Partially supportedPosts emailed to members.
Private podcast support
Not supportedPayments and monetization
SupportedTips, memberships, shop, and commissions, paid directly into your own PayPal or Stripe.
Branding and customization
Higher plan requiredPage customisation and branding options come with Gold.
Branded mobile app
Not supportedAudience discovery
Partially supportedA creator directory exists but is not a meaningful growth channel.
Email and marketing
Partially supportedIntegrations and API
Partially supportedWebhooks, Discord, and stream integrations; no full public API.
Migration support
Partially supportedCustomer and data ownership
SupportedPayments land directly in your own PayPal or Stripe account rather than being held by Ko-fi.
Important limitations
- The membership experience is deliberately light; this is a support page, not a platform.
- No courses, no private podcasts, and no real community spaces.
- Discovery is negligible, so you bring the audience.
Data ownership and migration
Unusually good for this category. Payments are never held by Ko-fi, and Gold at $12 a month means the platform takes nothing at all.
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Sources
Every fact on this page traces to one of these official pages.