How much does Ko-fi charge?
As of November 2026, Ko-fi's own fee depends on your plan and the kind of payment, and Stripe or PayPal take their processing fee on top:
- Free account: 5% on shop sales, memberships, commissions and monthly tips.
- Free account: 0% on one-off tips, as long as the “Get all of Ko-fi” setting is off.
- Ko-fi Gold: 0% on everything, for $12 a month.
- Stripe: about 2.9% + $0.30 on a US card. PayPal: about 3.49% + $0.49 in the US.
The Ko-fi fee formula
Fee = amount × (Ko-fi fee + processing %) + processing fixed fee. A $10 shop sale on a free account with Stripe costs $0.50 + $0.29 + $0.30 = $1.09, so you keep $8.91. With Gold, it's $0.59, and you keep $9.41.
To receive an exact amount: charge = (amount you want + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − total %). To keep $10 from a shop sale on a free account with Stripe, charge $11.19.
When does Ko-fi Gold pay off?
Gold saves the 5% fee for $12 a month, so it pays for itself once you make more than $240 a month from shop sales, memberships, commissions and monthly tips. Below that, the free account costs less. One-off tips don't count, since they're free either way.
Switching to Gold doesn't change fees on memberships that were already running through Stripe, so check your existing members before you work out the saving.
Stripe or PayPal?
On US payments, Stripe is usually cheaper: about $0.59 on a $10 payment against $0.84 with PayPal. Turning on both gives supporters a choice, which can help more of them finish paying, even if a few payments cost a little more.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Ko-fi take?
As of November 2026, nothing on one-off tips and 5% on shop sales, memberships, commissions and monthly tips on a free account, plus Stripe or PayPal processing. Gold is 0% for $12 a month.
Is Ko-fi free for donations?
One-off tips have no Ko-fi fee on a free account with the “Get all of Ko-fi” setting off. Stripe or PayPal still take their processing fee, about $0.44 on a $5 tip with Stripe.
How much is Ko-fi Gold?
$12 a month for new members, as of November 2026. It removes Ko-fi's 5% fee on every kind of payment. Processing fees still apply.
Is Ko-fi Gold worth it?
Once you make more than $240 a month from shop sales, memberships, commissions or monthly tips, Gold costs less than the 5% fee.
Does Ko-fi charge PayPal fees?
Ko-fi doesn't, but PayPal does. PayPal takes its own fee from each payment, about 3.49% + $0.49 in the US, on top of any Ko-fi fee.