Ko-fi
Worth it
Confidence: High
Buy if you're a solo creator taking tips, commissions, or small memberships and want near-zero fees.
Comparison
Ko-fi vs Fourthwall
Ko-fi and Fourthwall both land on Worth it.
Fourthwall
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you're a creator or small brand selling merch, memberships, or digital products to an existing audience.
| Compare | Ko-fi | Fourthwall |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Worth it | Worth it |
| Best for | Artists taking commissions | YouTubers, streamers, podcasters with existing fans |
| Who it's not for | Serious online stores needing inventory and shipping | Enterprise stores needing deep platform depth |
| Privacy | Runs a HackerOne bug bounty program; a 2023 XSS hit the unofficial Ko-fi WordPress button plugin; no confirmed breach found in reviewed sources.⁸ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | 4.6/5 Trustpilot, but payout complaints exist | Praised service; priority support on Pro |
| Public sentiment | Creators broadly praise Ko-fi's low fees and simplicity, with recurring complaints about payout hiccups and support.³ | Creators praise its ease of use and customer service, while reviewers note it lacks depth for enterprise-scale sellers.12 |
| Biggest gotcha | The 5% fee applies to shop and membership income, not just tips . margins shrink on product sales.¹ | Zero built-in buyer traffic; without an existing audience expect few sales14 |
Pick Ko-fi when
- Artists taking commissions
- Streamers and YouTubers collecting tips
- Writers running small memberships
- Hobbyists monetizing a side project
When Ko-fi is not a fit
- 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
Pick Fourthwall when
- YouTubers, streamers, podcasters with existing fans
- Merch plus memberships in one branded shop
- Creators avoiding inventory and upfront costs
- Small brands wanting a storefront without coding
When Fourthwall is not a fit
- Enterprise stores needing deep platform depth
- Sellers wanting built-in buyer discovery . it's no marketplace
- Creators without an existing audience to sell to
- Big retailers with complex catalogs or ops teams
Sources
- Ko-fi Pricing | Just 0-5% feesko-fi.comofficial
- Ko-fi featuresko-fi.comofficial
- Ko-fi Trustpilot reviewstrustpilot.comreview
- Ko-fi Review 2026: Is It Worth It for Creators?builtbyfoundry.ioreview
- Patreon vs Ko-Fi vs Buy Me a Coffeealitu.comreview
- Reddit: Is Ko-Fi underrated?reddit.comreview
- HackerOne: Ko-fi bug bountyhackerone.comsecurity
- CVE-2023-2254: Ko-fi Button XSSfused.comsecurity
- Ko-fi Termsmore.ko-fi.comofficial
review
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- Fourthwall for Creators - App Store Reviewsapps.apple.comreview
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- Fourthwall Review: The Easiest Way to Launch a Premium Brandecommerce-platforms.comreview