Ko-fi alternative
FAN ME vs Ko-fi
Ko-fi is a friendly tip jar that grew into memberships and a shop. FAN ME is built from the ground up as a private fan club: five medallion tiers, a members-only feed and 0% platform fee on your membership revenue. Here is the honest side-by-side.
| FAN ME | Ko-fi | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee on membership revenue | 0% | 0–5% |
| Fans pay directly into your own Stripe account | ||
| Membership tiers | 5 medallion tiers | Custom tiers |
| Private, members-only feed (no public page required) | ||
| Seven interface languages | ||
| Countdown drops & live auctions | ||
| Pay-per-unlock posts and tips | ||
| Fan XP, badges and Wall of Fame | ||
| Club goals and milestone unlocks | ||
| Installable mobile app (PWA) | ||
| Category and niche discovery pages | ||
| Built-in tip jar for one-off support |
Ko-fi details from its public pricing page — ko-fi.com. Fees change; check the source before deciding.
Ko-fi's 0% — and the catch
Ko-fi advertises 0% fees, and for simple donations on the free plan that is true. But memberships, shop sales and commissions carry a 5% platform fee unless you pay for Ko-fi Gold, a monthly subscription. FAN ME has no paid plan to unlock 0% — it is 0% on membership revenue for every creator, always.
Your money, your Stripe account
FAN ME uses Stripe Connect: your fans' payments land directly in your own connected Stripe account, in your own name, with your own payout schedule. Ko-fi routes payments through its own flow to your PayPal or Stripe. With FAN ME there is no platform layer between your fans and your money.
A private club, not a public page
A Ko-fi page is public by design — anyone can browse it. A FAN ME club lives at fanme.se/yourname and everything inside is locked to paying members. No algorithm, no public scroll: fans see your content because they joined you.
Gamification Ko-fi does not have
Countdown drops, live auctions, pay-per-unlock posts, club goals with milestone unlocks, fan XP and badges, a Wall of Fame, wishlists, birthday surprises, an AI co-writer and duo clubs with guest passes. FAN ME is built to keep fans engaged month after month, not just to collect a one-off tip.
Who should stay on Ko-fi?
If your income is mostly one-off donations and commissions, Ko-fi's free plan is genuinely good — 0% on donations is hard to beat. Many creators run both: Ko-fi for casual tips, FAN ME for the recurring membership club where the real monthly revenue lives.
Five medallion tiers. 0% platform fee.
Iron, Wood, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Your fans pay you directly through your own Stripe account — FAN ME never takes a cut of your membership revenue.
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