Ko-fi vs Liberapay (2026): Which Pays Better?

Both are popular donation, tip & crowdfunding tools. Here is how Ko-fi and Liberapay stack up on requirements, what you keep, payout terms, strengths and weaknesses, and which one we would pick.

Ko-fi

Tips, memberships, commissions and a shop with 0% platform fee on donations; Ko-fi Gold at $8 a month.

8.1 /10

Pricing: Free plan, paid from $8/mo

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

Visit Ko-fi ↗

Liberapay

Non-profit recurring donation platform with no platform fee, popular in open source.

6.8 /10

Pricing: Free

Pros

No platform fee
Recurring by design

Cons

Small user base outside open source
Basic features

Visit Liberapay ↗

Ko-fi vs Liberapay at a glance

	Ko-fi	Liberapay
Editor score	8.1 / 10	6.8 / 10
Pricing model	Freemium	Free
Starting price	$8/mo	Free
Web rank	#2.7k	#35k
Minimum traffic	None	None
Revenue share / fee	0% on donations; 5% on shop and memberships (0% with Gold, $8/mo)	0% (payment processor fees only)
Commission	–	–
Payout	Instant via PayPal / Stripe	Weekly
Methods served	donations tips, memberships subscriptions, digital products, coaching services	donations tips, memberships subscriptions
Niches accepted	General, Tech & SaaS, Finance & Insurance, Health & Supplements, Gaming & Esports, E-commerce & Retail	Tech & SaaS, General
Reader upvotes	0	0
Best for	tips, commissions, memberships	recurring donations, open source, non-profit

Our pick

Ko-fi edges it with a score of 8.1 versus 6.8. Ko-fi is the better fit if you value: no platform fee on tips, and gold removes fees elsewhere for a flat $8, commissions feature for artists. Choose Liberapay instead if you need: no platform fee, recurring by design.