shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Ko-fi?

Make money doing what you love - ko-fi.com

Worth it. Buy if you're a solo creator taking tips, commissions, or small memberships and want near-zero fees. Skip it if you need real e-commerce, invoicing, or business-grade support.

Confidence

High. Based on 20+ public sources: Ko-fi's own pages, Trustpilot, Reddit, Threads, HackerOne, and third-party reviews.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0/mo

Standard

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Gold$12/mo

Best for

  • Artists taking commissions
  • Streamers and YouTubers collecting tips
  • Writers running small memberships
  • Hobbyists monetizing a side project

Not for

  • Serious online stores needing inventory and shipping
  • Businesses needing invoices or B2B billing
  • Large creators wanting Patreon-style discovery tools
  • Anyone needing enterprise support or uptime SLAs

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

The 5% fee applies to shop and membership income, not just tips — margins shrink on product sales.

medium

Payouts go through your PayPal/Stripe, so account problems there can freeze your income.

medium

Creator reports of stuck payouts forced some to pause tips and shop sales.

low

Terms state Ko-fi does not guarantee uninterrupted service — no SLA for your income stream.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free plan with no monthly fee
  • Cheapest creator platform per independent reviewers
  • Instant payouts direct to your own PayPal or Stripe
  • Tips, shop, commissions, and memberships in one account
  • 4.6/5 on Trustpilot across 771 reviews

Cons

  • 5% service fee on shop and membership sales
  • Gold tier costs $12/month for extras
  • Feature depth trails Patreon and dedicated store builders
  • Some creators report pausing sales over payment issues

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/21/2026 - 9 sources - Runs a HackerOne bug bounty program; a 2023 XSS hit the unofficial Ko-fi WordPress button plugin; no confirmed ko-fi.com breach found in reviewed sources.

official x3review x4security x2
  • CVE-2023-2254: Ko-fi Button WordPress plugin XSS, Cross-site scripting in the third-party Ko-fi Button WordPress plugin — not itself, but affects sites embedding its donate button.
  • Unverified breach chatter, User posts reference alleged security incidents; no confirmed data breach appears in the sources reviewed.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0/mo

    Starting price

  • 9

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free plan, 0–5% fees, cheapest per reviewers
  • Ease of use: 5/5. Setup in minutes; beginners praise it
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Tips, shop, memberships; lighter than Patreon
  • Support quality: 4/5. 4.6/5 Trustpilot, but payout complaints exist
  • Security posture: 3/5. HackerOne bounty; 2023 plugin XSS; unconfirmed breach chatter
  • 4.6/5 Trustpilot rating 771 reviews
  • $0/mo Starting price +5% service fee on shop/memberships
  • Yes Free tier No monthly fee on Standard plan
  • 1M+ creators Scale self-reported by Ko-fi

Pricing

Standard

$0/mo

  • No monthly fee
  • 5% service fee on shop and memberships
  • Paid via your own PayPal/Stripe

Gold

$12/mo

  • Extra customization and tools
  • For creators earning more actively

Security

Runs a HackerOne bug bounty program; a 2023 XSS hit the unofficial Ko-fi WordPress button plugin; no confirmed ko-fi.com breach found in reviewed sources.

  • CVE-2023-2254: Ko-fi Button WordPress plugin XSSCross-site scripting in the third-party Ko-fi Button WordPress plugin — not itself, but affects sites embedding its donate button.⁸
  • Unverified breach chatterUser posts reference alleged security incidents; no confirmed data breach appears in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Creators broadly praise Ko-fi's low fees and simplicity, with recurring complaints about payout hiccups and support.

“Is it just me, or is Ko-Fi a bit underrated?”
Reddit, r/artbusiness
“I have used Ko-fi since 2019”
Reddit, r/Kofi
“I've had to pause tips and shop sales on my kofi”
Threads, @wurdsmyth

Companies that use it

  • HR Ready
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources: Ko-fi's own pages, Trustpilot, Reddit, Threads, HackerOne, and third-party reviews.

Free, low-fee monetization for solo creators. Great for tips and memberships; not for real stores or business billing.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources: Ko-fi's own pages, Trustpilot, Reddit, Threads, HackerOne, and third-party reviews.

Sources

  1. Ko-fi Pricing | Just 0-5% feesko-fi.com
    official
  2. Ko-fi featuresko-fi.com
    official
  3. Ko-fi Trustpilot reviewstrustpilot.com
    review
  4. Ko-fi Review 2026: Is It Worth It for Creators?builtbyfoundry.io
    review
  5. Patreon vs Ko-Fi vs Buy Me a Coffeealitu.com
    review
  6. Reddit: Is Ko-Fi underrated?reddit.com
    review
  7. HackerOne: Ko-fi bug bountyhackerone.com
    security
  8. CVE-2023-2254: Ko-fi Button XSSfused.com
    security
  9. Ko-fi Termsmore.ko-fi.com
    official

Rate this review

Anonymous. You can change your vote.

Loading votes…

Comments

One queue. No nested comments. Give a display name first. Limit: 200 words per comment and 7 comments per day. You can edit or delete yours.

Save a name to write a comment.

0 / 200 words

No comments yet.