What is Ko-fi used for?

Ko-fi is a hosted platform where creators receive tips from supporters, sell items from a shop and offer optional paid memberships. It is a good fit for artists accepting small tips, creators selling a few products and offering paid supporter tiers.

Is Ko-fi open source?

No. Ko-fi is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Ko-fi include Easy Digital Downloads and Paid Memberships Pro.

What are some alternatives to Ko-fi?

Ko-fi competes with Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee and Payhip. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Ko-fi alternatives.

Ko-fi: features, pricing and alternatives

About Ko-fi

Ko-fi is a commercial platform that gives creators a page for receiving tips from supporters. Fans can send small one-off payments, and creators can extend the page with a shop for selling items and optional memberships for recurring support.

It is a hosted service run by the vendor, so there is no software to install or self-host. It is aimed at independent artists, writers, streamers and other creators who want a lightweight way to be paid for their work; consult the official site for current features, fees and terms.

Key features

Tip jar page for creators
Shop for selling digital or physical items
Optional paid memberships
Hosted creator profile page

Good fit for

→Artists accepting small tips
→Creators selling a few products
→Offering paid supporter tiers

Tags: tips; donations; creators; memberships; shop; crowdfunding

Ko-fi: questions and answers

What is Ko-fi used for?: Ko-fi is a hosted platform where creators receive tips from supporters, sell items from a shop and offer optional paid memberships. It is a good fit for artists accepting small tips, creators selling a few products and offering paid supporter tiers.
Is Ko-fi free?: Yes. Ko-fi has a free plan.
Is Ko-fi open source?: No. Ko-fi is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Ko-fi include Easy Digital Downloads and Paid Memberships Pro.
What are some alternatives to Ko-fi?: Ko-fi competes with Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee and Payhip. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Ko-fi alternatives.