Ko-fi
Worth it
Confidence: High
Buy if you're a solo creator taking tips, commissions, or small memberships and want near-zero fees.
New check
Comparison
Ko-fi vs Patreon
Ko-fi lands on Worth it, and Patreon lands on Depends.
Patreon
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you're a creator with an existing audience who wants recurring membership income on a proven platform.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Worth it | Depends |
| Best for | Artists taking commissions | Podcasters and YouTubers |
| Who it's not for | Serious online stores needing inventory and shipping | Creators with no audience . Patreon offers no discovery |
| 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 | Mixed record: 2015 breach and 2022 security-team layoffs reported; official security and vulnerability-reporting program exists. |
| Support quality | 4.6/5 Trustpilot, but payout complaints exist | Recent 1-star Trustpilot service reviews |
| Public sentiment | Creators broadly praise Ko-fi's low fees and simplicity, with recurring complaints about payout hiccups and support.³ | Feedback splits: a 4.2/5 G2 rating, but Trustpilot, BBB, and Reddit show recurring complaints about fees, billing, and support.10 |
| Biggest gotcha | The 5% fee applies to shop and membership income, not just tips . margins shrink on product sales.¹ | Fees are commission-based and the structure changed recently . verify current rates before launching.14 |
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 Patreon when
- Podcasters and YouTubers
- Creators with an existing fanbase
- Membership and exclusive-content businesses
- Fan communities wanting a home
When Patreon is not a fit
- Creators with no audience . Patreon offers no discovery
- Fee-averse creators (Ghost, Ko-fi charge 0%)
- One-off art or product sellers
- Creators wanting full ownership of their member list
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
review
- r/Patreon . creator discussionsreddit.comreview
- Patreon Pricing Planspatreon.comofficial
- Creator fees overview . Patreon Supportsupport.patreon.comofficial
- Patreon Pricing (2026): Fees by Tiercasrai.orgnews
review