Quick answer
Ko-fi is free to join with no monthly cost, and its commission is a 5% service fee on shop sales, commissions, memberships and monthly tips; Ko-fi Free mode charges 0% on one-time tips, while Standard mode charges 5% on them too. PayPal or Stripe also take their own processing fee, which Ko-fi puts at around 3% + $0.30. Ko-fi Gold costs $12/month and removes the service fee, so on a $50 commission you pay $4.30 without Gold or $1.80 with it.
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. It is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, so it is not in the fee comparison. See where Nation fits.
How much does Ko-fi take? The commission in one table
Ko-fi's commission is called a service fee. It is 5% of each payment, and Ko-fi says it is no more than 5%. Which payments pay it depends on the mode your account is in: Ko-fi Free, Standard, or the paid Ko-fi Gold plan.
On top of Ko-fi's fee, the payment processor takes its own cut. Ko-fi does not hold your money: payments go straight into your own PayPal or Stripe account, and PayPal or Stripe charge their normal fees there. The table lists Ko-fi's service fee by payment type, as Ko-fi's help center states it.
Ko-fi's pricing page says there are no buyer fees, payout fees, marketing fees. In your PayPal or Stripe history the service fee appears under another name: Application Fee in Stripe, Partner Fee in PayPal.
The Ko-fi commission fee on Commissions sales
If you sell custom work through Ko-fi Commissions, each order pays the 5% service fee unless you are on Gold. Ko-fi's Contributor page puts it plainly: 5% service fee, whatever the Contributor setting. Switching Standard mode off does not change this, because Ko-fi says Contributor mode only affects tips.
The fee is a percentage of the payment, so a larger order pays a larger fee. A listing can offer up to 12 'add-on' options, which raise the order total. The processing fee from PayPal or Stripe applies to the same payment.
Ko-fi is not a party to the commission itself. You set your own terms, and handled between you and the buyer. If you take commissions regularly, a written agreement covers scope, revisions and refunds before work starts.
How to work out the fees on one $50 commission
Example: one $50 art commission paid by card in US dollars, no add-ons, no tax and no currency conversion, on an account without Gold.
Take Ko-fi's service fee
Ko-fi's fee is 5% of the payment. In your payment history it is labelled Application Fee in Stripe, Partner Fee in PayPal.
Add the processing fee
PayPal or Stripe take their own fee on the same payment. Ko-fi puts it at around 3% + $0.30; the exact rate depends on your account type, location and currency.
Total the two
Together the service fee and the processing fee come to $4.30 on this $50 commission. The rest goes straight into your own PayPal or Stripe account.
Compare with Gold
With Ko-fi Gold the service fee drops to zero, so the same commission costs $1.80 in processing. You pay $12/month for Gold whether you sell or not.
Ko-fi fees compared with other creator platforms
The same $50 sale on Ko-fi, Ko-fi Gold and two other creator platforms, using each platform's own published rates. Ko-fi and Stan Store leave processing to PayPal or Stripe; Gumroad charges its own fee plus processing.
- Stan Store $1.75 plus $29/month Card 2.9% + $0.30 $1.75
- Ko-fi Gold $1.80 plus $12/month PayPal or Stripe, about 3% + $0.30 $1.80
- Ko-fi (Free or Standard) baseline $4.30 no monthly plan Service fee 5% $2.50, PayPal or Stripe, about 3% + $0.30 $1.80
- Gumroad $7.25 no monthly plan Gumroad 10% + $0.50 $5.50, Processing 2.9% + $0.30 $1.75
Assumes a $50 sale, a standard US card, no tax, no add-ons and no currency conversion. Ko-fi's processing uses Ko-fi's own estimate of around 3% + $0.30. Gumroad assumes the sale did not come through its Discover marketplace.
PayPal and Stripe fees on Ko-fi payments
Ko-fi does not process payments, so you need a PayPal or Stripe account to get paid. Connecting one costs nothing. Each provider then charges its usual rate on every payment, separate from Ko-fi's service fee, and Ko-fi gives around 3% + $0.30 as a typical figure.
The exact rate is on each provider's own pricing page. The table shows their published US rates for common payment types.
Currency matters too. only payments in a different currency are converted, usually for a small percentage. Setting your Ko-fi currency to the one most of your buyers pay in keeps conversion fees down.
Is Ko-fi free? Free, Standard and Gold compared
Ko-fi is free to join in both of its fee-based modes, with no monthly cost. What you pay depends on what you sell and which mode you choose.
Ko-fi Free charges 0% on one-time tips and the 5% fee on shop sales, commissions, memberships and monthly tips. Standard charges a flat 5% fee on one-time tips, shop, commissions, monthly tips and memberships, and in return unlocks perks such as supporter-only content, custom branding. For new accounts, Ko-fi's rule is that new creators start with Contributor status and can opt out. The switch is under Settings > Payment.
Ko-fi Gold is the paid option. It costs $12/month and gives 0% service fees on all payment options. Memberships that began before you joined Gold keep paying the 5% platform fee. If Standard mode is already on when you subscribe, you'll need to opt out separately to remove the service fee. Gold makes sense once the 5% fee on your monthly sales is more than the Gold price. Example: at $300 a month in commissions, the service fee is $15, which is more than Gold costs.
Where Nation fits
Nation
Category: an AI store builder
Nation says one description of what you make builds the store, then agents handle orders, customers and delivery and run ads, content and social posts, with you approving the work. Because pricing is not announced yet, it is not in the fee comparison.
Limits today
- Status: pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai.
- Pricing and fees: not announced yet.
- Shopper marketplace: no shopper marketplace has been announced.
- Track record: no independent reviews or public stores yet.
Nation publishes this page. Nation is not in the fee comparison until signup is public and pricing is published.
Describe what you makeQuestions about Ko-fi fees
How much does Ko-fi take from a commission?
Ko-fi takes a 5% service fee from each commission unless you pay for Ko-fi Gold. PayPal or Stripe also charge a processing fee, which Ko-fi puts at around 3% + $0.30. On a $50 commission the two come to $4.30, and the rest goes straight to your account.
Is Ko-fi free to use?
Ko-fi is free to join, with no monthly cost on its Free and Standard modes. Ko-fi Free mode charges 0% on one-time tips, while shop sales, commissions, memberships and monthly tips pay a 5% fee. PayPal or Stripe processing fees apply to every payment in every mode.
What is Ko-fi Gold and is it worth it?
Ko-fi Gold is a paid plan that costs $12/month and gives 0% service fees on all payment options. It is worth it once the 5% fee on your monthly Ko-fi sales would cost more than the plan. Processing fees from PayPal or Stripe still apply with Gold.
Does Ko-fi charge buyers a fee?
Ko-fi does not charge buyers a fee. Its pricing page says there are no buyer fees, payout fees, marketing fees, and the only Ko-fi charge is the creator's service fee, which is no more than 5%. The buyer pays your listed price, and PayPal or Stripe take their processing fee from what you receive.
Why does PayPal show a partner fee on my Ko-fi payment?
The partner fee on a Ko-fi payment in PayPal is Ko-fi's own service fee under another name. Ko-fi's help center says it appears as the Application Fee in Stripe, Partner Fee in PayPal. It is the 5% fee, separate from PayPal's processing fee on the same payment.