Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Buy Me A Coffee VS Ko-fi

Compare Buy Me A Coffee VS Ko-fi and see what are their differences

Buy Me A Coffee logo Buy Me A Coffee

A free, fast and friendly way to accept donations 💰

Ko-fi logo Ko-fi

Ko-fi offers a friendly way for content creators to get paid for their work.
  • Buy Me A Coffee Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-27
  • Ko-fi Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-10-10

Buy Me A Coffee features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    The platform is user-friendly and straightforward, making it easy for creators to set up and for supporters to make contributions.
  • Flexible Support Options
    Allows supporters to make one-time contributions or set up recurring monthly donations, offering flexibility for fans and creators alike.
  • Low Fees
    Buy Me a Coffee charges a reasonable transaction fee (typically 5%), which is relatively low compared to some other crowdfunding platforms.
  • Multiple Payout Methods
    Creators can receive their earnings via various methods, including PayPal, bank transfers, and Payoneer.
  • Customization
    Creators can personalize their pages with custom URLs, themes, and branding to match their identity.

Possible disadvantages of Buy Me A Coffee

  • Limited Customization Compared to Full Websites
    While there is some ability to personalize, creators looking for extensive customization options might find the platform limited compared to maintaining a full website.
  • Fierce Competition
    With many creators using the platform, standing out may be difficult without a strong pre-existing following.
  • Dependency on Platform
    Creators rely on a third-party service, which means they have to adhere to platform rules and risk losing income if Buy Me a Coffee were to shut down or change policies.
  • Limited Tools for Engagement
    While the platform offers some basic engagement tools, it lacks more advanced features seen in other creator-centric platforms like Patreon.
  • Geographical Restrictions
    Some payout options may not be available in certain countries, potentially limiting accessibility for international creators.

Ko-fi features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Ko-fi offers an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface that allows users to set up their pages quickly and start receiving donations without any hassle.
  • No Platform Fees
    Ko-fi does not charge any platform fees on donations, allowing creators to keep 100% of the money they receive, though standard payment processing fees still apply.
  • Flexible Support Options
    Users can receive one-time donations, monthly subscriptions, and commissions, providing multiple streams of support and flexibility in how they monetize their content.
  • Goal Setting
    Creators can set financial goals and demonstrate progress towards these goals, which can motivate supporters to contribute more.
  • Customizable Page
    Ko-fi allows creators to customize their pages with different themes, images, and content types to better reflect their brand and personality.
  • Integrations
    Ko-fi offers integrations with services like Discord and Zapier, enabling more automated and streamlined interactions between platforms.

Possible disadvantages of Ko-fi

  • Limited Monetization Features
    While Ko-fi offers several payment options, it lacks some advanced monetization features available on other platforms, such as tiered membership levels or extensive analytics.
  • Mobile Experience
    The mobile experience of Ko-fi is not as optimized as the desktop version, which can be inconvenient for users who primarily access the platform through mobile devices.
  • Visibility and Reach
    Ko-fi doesn’t offer as robust a search or discovery feature compared to other platforms, making it harder for new supporters to find and follow creators.
  • Limited Community Features
    Ko-fi lacks some of the community building and engagement tools that other platforms have, such as forums, event announcements, or extensive post customization.
  • No Direct Merchandising
    Ko-fi does not currently offer built-in merchandising solutions, unlike some competitors, which means creators have to rely on external tools to sell products like merchandise.
  • Competition
    There is substantial competition from other crowdfunding and subscription platforms like Patreon, which offers more features but does charge a platform fee.

Buy Me A Coffee videos

Buy Me A Coffee ☕ Support your favorite creators - Patreon Alternative

More videos:

  • Review - Patreon Alternative?? | Buy Me A Coffee
  • Review - Patreon Who? - Buy Me A Coffee!

Ko-fi videos

What is Ko-Fi?

More videos:

  • Review - Artist Tip Jars? | Buy me a Ko-fi Picture | Art Rambles
  • Demo - Ko-fi Intro

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Buy Me A Coffee and Ko-fi)
Fundraising And Donation Management
Crowdfunding
49 49%
51% 51
Content Monetization
48 48%
52% 52
Web App
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Buy Me A Coffee and Ko-fi. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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  1. User avatar
    J. Bob
    · about 2 years ago
    · Reply

    Surprised that none of the comparison reviews talk about how Buy me a Coffee makes money... I know I know you thought it was 5%. Well there is that of course but as a banker I'd like to introduce you to the time value of money. BMAC not only has investment rights while your tip jar is filling - but after you request distribution they ROUTINELY take a week or LONGER to send make an automated bank transfer- this in the electronic world we live in... Likely Larry Litteguy says ah heck what was I gonna do with a few bucks for a week or two- but multiply that by number of users and...you get the idea.. it's abusive.

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Buy Me A Coffee and Ko-fi

Buy Me A Coffee Reviews

7 Best Buy Me a Coffee Alternatives
Are you looking for Buy Me a Coffee alternatives? Buy Me a Coffee is a payment platform designed for content creators such as artists, YouTubers, podcasters, writers, and anyone with a following. It provides a simple way of taking donations and regular subscription payments.
Source: wpforms.com
8 Best Patreon Alternatives for Creators (2023)
Buy Me a Coffee is an online donation platform that allows users to start a membership and sell anything they like. The idea behind Buy Me a Coffee is to provide an easy way for people to donate money to their favorite content creators, as well as to sell products and services.
Source: talkbitz.com
8 Best Patreon Alternatives & Competitors For 2023 (Comparison)
Ko-fi is another crowdfunding platform similar to Buy Me A Coffee. You can use it as a simple tip jar or as a membership platform. They don’t charge a fee for donations/sales but they do charge for premium features that Buy Me A Coffee customers get for free.
11 Patreon Alternatives for Audience Monetization in 2023
Add a “Buy Me a Coffee” button — or a custom button — to your website, Tumblr, Medium, or host your content on their website.
Source: www.uscreen.tv
12+ Brilliant Patreon Alternatives to Monetize Your Audience
Buy Me a Coffee is a donation-based membership platform that accepts one-off and monthly support from your fans.

Ko-fi Reviews

7 Best Buy Me a Coffee Alternatives
Patreon is one of the biggest platforms for creators to monetize their content and art, with over 8 million active users. Unlike Buy Me a Coffee and Ko-Fi, Patreon focuses on subscriptions and building a community of followers who want to support creators.
Source: wpforms.com
8 Best Patreon Alternatives for Creators (2023)
Ko-fi is another Patreon alternative that lets you receive donations and memberships and sell digital or physical items to your fans. It’s free and easy to use, and there are no fees or commissions taken on donations. You can create a page for your project, set up a payment method, and start accepting payments from your fans in minutes.
Source: talkbitz.com
8 Best Patreon Alternatives & Competitors For 2023 (Comparison)
Like Patreon, you can use Ko-fi to accept donations and memberships from your fans. You can create a Ko-fi creator page for free in under a minute. Then, set a crowdfunding goal and encourage your audience to help you reach it. Plus, you can provide incentives like exclusive supporter-only content and membership perks to incentivize people to donate.
11 Patreon Alternatives for Audience Monetization in 2023
You can remove the 5% fee by signing up to Ko-fi Gold for $6 per month — with extra perks like shorter URL handles and the option to change your page colors.
Source: www.uscreen.tv
12+ Brilliant Patreon Alternatives to Monetize Your Audience
At Ko-fi, you can share your work, and fans can support you for the price of a cup of coffee — or more. You can set up donations and commissions on a one-time basis or monthly.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ko-fi should be more popular than Buy Me A Coffee. It has been mentiond 91 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Buy Me A Coffee mentions (26)

  • Show HN: I made a privacy friendly and simple app to track my menstruation
    Doing necessary work. How can I sponsor or otherwise provide fiat for this work? https://buymeacoffee.com/, etc. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • WE ARE BACK! 🟢
    Aisekai Beta v.0.0.8 Complete UI Revamp + Creators Donation1️⃣ Creators Tip Jar - Creators can now link their "https://ko-fi.com/", "https://buymeacoffee.com/", or https://coindrop.to/, offering followers a direct way to tip. Hint at a character you'd love to see created, tip them, and watch your wish come true!2️⃣ Brand New UI ! - We hear your complaints on readability of the site. Login and see our complete... Source: about 1 year ago
  • Bluesky has blessed me with 4 invites. I would like to share
    Likely a scam. Asks for a $40 donation to a "charity", but this "charity" only seems to have kofi.com and buymeacoffee.com donation links? Source: over 1 year ago
  • Those of you that enabled 'Super Thanks' in YouTube monetization? Did you see an increase in Revenue?
    Barely anyone uses it. I also have a link in my description where people can tip me via buymeacoffee.com, and that is used far more often than the Super Thanks. Source: over 1 year ago
  • its been a run
    They ran out of funds for operation and their buymeacoffee.com page says the need $40 a month but when it comes back, will it be a new season? Source: over 1 year ago
View more

Ko-fi mentions (91)

  • Show HN: I made a privacy friendly and simple app to track my menstruation
    Doing necessary work. How can I sponsor or otherwise provide fiat for this work? https://buymeacoffee.com/, etc. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Flattr: 404 – Service No Long Exists
    A few alternatives for micro donations that people have mentioned: https://ko-fi.com/ https://github.com/sponsors https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ Any others, let me know. - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • Making 3D porn is "easy money"?
    I still have to try https://ci-en.net/, https://slushe.com/, https://ko-fi.com/, https://catbox.moe/, I heard they were possible good alternatives. But I couldn't say, dunno yet. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Rogue System Reboot
    I did, however, remember another crowdfunding platform that may be the best of both worlds here (second highest voted so far being Patreon). Ko-fi: it offers both monthly and one-time donations as well as a store where we could sell things like early access keys or things like that. Their fees are very low as well, capping out at 5%. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Regarding Somerton's supposed drop in Patreon support earlier this year
    With everything going on with Patreon lately that's probably why I've suddenly started hearing about Ko-fi this year. Source: about 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Buy Me A Coffee and Ko-fi, you can also consider the following products

Patreon - Patreon enables fans to give ongoing support to their favorite creators.

Liberapay - Liberapay is a recurrent donations platform.

Kickstarter - Kickstarter is the world's largest funding platform for creative projects. A home for film, music, art, theater, games, comics, design, photography, and more.

OnlyFans - Unlike other social platforms, OnlyFans is welcoming of all creator genres and their content.

Open Collective - Recurring funding for groups.

Gumroad - An all-in-one solution to sell your work and grow your audience.