2
Tips, memberships, commissions and a shop with 0% platform fee on donations; Ko-fi Gold at $8 a month.
#2.7k web rank · ▲ 16 this week · 0% on donations; 5% on shop and memberships (0% with Gold, $8/mo) · accepts Health & Supplements
8.1/10
Ko-fi lets supporters tip, subscribe monthly, buy shop items and commission work, with no fee on donations and a 5% fee on other income that Ko-fi Gold ($8 a month) removes. Payments arrive instantly through your own PayPal or Stripe. Especially popular with artists and writers. Read more →
Pros
- No platform fee on tips, and Gold removes fees elsewhere for a flat $8
- Commissions feature for artists
Cons
- Less discovery than Patreon
- Design is basic
Pricing: Free plan, paid from $8/mo · Payout: Instant via PayPal / Stripe · tips commissions memberships artists
3
Tip jar, memberships and digital extras for creators; 5% fee, instant payouts.
#4.1k web rank · ▲ 35 this week · 5% plus payment fees · accepts Health & Supplements
8.0/10
Buy Me a Coffee gives creators a page for one-off tips ("coffees"), monthly memberships and a small shop for digital extras, charging 5% plus payment fees with instant payouts via Stripe or PayPal. The lightest-weight way to accept support. Read more →
Pros
- Set up in minutes with one-off tips, memberships and shop items
- Instant payouts and no monthly fee
Cons
- 5% plus processing
- Supporter data lives on the platform
Pricing: Free · Payout: Instant · tips memberships creators
4
All-or-nothing crowdfunding for creative projects; 5% fee plus payment processing on successful campaigns.
#1.1k web rank · ▼ 5 this week · 5% plus 3-5% payment processing, only if funded
7.6/10
Kickstarter funds creative projects (books, games, films, hardware, comics) with all-or-nothing campaigns, charging 5% plus payment processing only when the goal is met. Funds arrive about two weeks after a successful campaign. Strong for a concrete, deliverable project with an existing audience to kick it off. Read more →
Pros
- Large audience of backers for creative, game and hardware projects
- All-or-nothing reduces risk of underfunded delivery
Cons
- Campaigns are a full-time job for a month
- Fulfilment of rewards is where projects fail
Pricing: Free · Payout: About 14 days after the campaign ends · crowdfunding creative projects backers
5
Transparent funding for open-source projects and communities, with fiscal hosting and public budgets.
#12k web rank · ▼ 181 this week · Fiscal host fee, typically 10%
7.4/10
Open Collective raises money for open-source projects, meetups and communities under a fiscal host that handles the legal entity, invoicing and taxes for a fee (usually 10%), with every transaction public. Companies sponsor readily because of the transparency. Read more →
Pros
- Handles invoicing, receipts and taxes through a fiscal host
- Public ledger builds trust with corporate sponsors
Cons
- Host fees around 10%
- Best for projects, not individuals
Pricing: Free · Payout: On expense approval · open source fiscal host transparent
6
Non-profit recurring donation platform with no platform fee, popular in open source.
#35k web rank · ▲ 757 this week · 0% (payment processor fees only)
6.8/10
Liberapay is a non-profit platform for recurring donations with no platform fee, only processor costs, used mostly by open-source developers and free-culture creators. Payouts run weekly. Read more →
Pros
- No platform fee
- Recurring by design
Cons
- Small user base outside open source
- Basic features
Pricing: Free · Payout: Weekly · recurring donations open source non-profit
