Fee Calculator | Compare fees on creator platforms - Patreon, Ko-fi, Gumroad

Subscription and donation platform fees

When it comes to choosing the right subscription platform, many creators starting out focus on their own creatives, comparing the ease-of-use and features on each platform. They forget that at the end of the day, they are running a business and using these platforms to do one thing, transaction. As a creator, you need to be cautious of the fees each platforms are charging you. Subscription platforms charge you from 5-10%; however, the base platform fee does not include the transaction fee of each member paying you nor the fee you withdraw your money from these platforms to your PayPal, most people just prefers using a mediator between platforms and their local bank account. lets take a look at each platform and their hidden fees.

*PayPal fees | **Wise fees

Last updated on March 1, 2024

Platform processing fees

For every purchase on these platforms, there is a transaction fee, a percentage plus a fixed amount, a practice common to most platforms utilizing payment processors like PayPal or Stripe. Let's break it down with an example: Suppose you have 100 patrons each paying $5 on Patreon. Without any fees, you'd expect $500 in revenue. However, with Patreon's processing fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction, each $5 payment nets you $4.55 after fees. So, your total revenue drops to $455. On top of that, Patreon also charges a platform fee ranging from 8% to 12%. If we take the maximum platform fee of 12%, you're left with just $400.40, losing 20% of your expected revenue.

Expectation:

100 x 5 = $500

With processing fee ( PayPal: 2.9%+$0.46 | Stripe: 2.9%+$0.3 ):

$5 x 2.9% + $0.3 = $0.45

$5 - $0.445 = $4.55 ( what you receive every time )

100 x $4.55 = $455

Patreon platform fee ( 8-12% )

$455 x ( 1- 12% ) = $400.4

Payout fees

When you withdraw money from these platforms to PayPal, PayPal charges a fee for receiving transactions. For domestic transactions, Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services is charged for 2.99%. If the member is not in US and the transaction is considered an international commercial transaction, the fee is in fact (2.99%+1.5%) + fixed fee. Fixed fee is calculated according to the currency used to pay you.

Currency conversion and exchange rate

It's worth noting that platforms also add an extra 2.5% for currency conversion fees if transactions occur in currencies other than USD. In that particular example listed above, you only earn $389.84 if all your members are international.

$5 x ( 2.9% + 2.5% ) + $0.3 = $0.57

100 x ( $5 - $0.445) = $443

$443  x ( 1- 12% ) = $389.84

Not to mention, if you need to convert your payout in USD, you also need to pay PayPal interactional fees and currency conversion fee, which is 3% and a shitty currency exchange rate.

Tips for creators not in US

If you are not a US citizen, the best solution to this is use Payoneer to receive your payout instead of PayPal. According to Patreon, Payoneer charges $1.00 USD per payout to your Payoneer account. On Payoneer's website, it states that receiving accounts has a up to 1% fee. Then you sign up a Wise account; Wise is an online wallet that excels in providing cost-effective international money transfer services and the best exchange rates. Wise charges flat fees for every transaction, $4.14 USD for receiving wire payments and costs are listed in their currency calculator. Send your payout from platform to Payoneer or Wise ( if the platform allows ) and use Wise to convert to the currency you desire before depositing to your local bank account.

In-depth look into every platform

Ko-fi fee

If you want to avoid the processing fee, Ko-fi allows your members to pay you directly into your own payment account. "PayPal and Stripe take their normal transaction fees which will vary based on the type of account, location and currencies used but it's usually around 3% + $0.30." According to PayPal, every Standard Credit and Debit Card Payments is charged for 2.99%+fixed fee for domestic transactions and an additional 1.5% for international payments.

Although one-off donations care free on Ko-fi, every donation is charged a 5% fee if you are not a Ko-fi gold creator, which is $6 per month. For receiving donations on PayPal, PayPal charges 2.89% + fixed fee and an additional 1.5% for international donations. If you are a US citizen, any "donations" you receive are taxable and should be reported as self-employment income.

While it might seem that Ko-fi imposes significant fees, it's important to note that fees are standard across all platforms. In comparison, Ko-fi stands out as one of the platforms with the most affordable fee structures. For creators seeking straightforward tools to receive donations and market products or commissions, I highly recommend using Ko-fi.

Patreon fees

If you are looking for monthly subscription features, Patreon does provide you a more stable income. Although Patreon started one year earlier than Ko-fi, which started on 2012, Patreon does have a stronger branding and connotation. Everyone know what it means to "Check out my Patreon" on YouTube. However, Patreon does charge a lot for every transaction.

Buy me a coffee fee

Pretty much the same as Ko-fi, but it has an option to allow you to let your client and fans pay for the processing fee for every purchase.

Gumroad fee

The e-commerce platform for creators. Gumroad offers a versatile platform for creators to sell digital products, physical items, and subscriptions, making it a convenient choice for various types of content. While it lacks a specific feature for selling commissions, it provides a user-friendly interface for managing sales and delivering products. Additionally, Gumroad's marketplace provides an additional avenue for potential sales; however, it does charge 10% platform base fee plus transaction fee, which is, you know the drill, maximum 14.5%+fixed fee if it's an international transaction.

Unifans / Fantia / Pixiv Fanbox

These are platforms in Asia that are popular for creators in the NSFW community, especially for R-18 artists and novel authors who can't post in their own country, such as China and some South East Asian counties. Pixiv Fanbox and Unifans use a virtual coin system that is convenient for fans in different regions; thus, the burden of processing fee is taken by the purchaser.

Platform for NSFW creators

Out of all the platforms I listed, only Ko-fi heavily R-18. Patreon is cracking down on content what Pixiv call R-18G or any content that is related to minor, like loli, but in general, Patreon is quite lenient on nudity content. Most platforms don't have much a problem is NSFW content, but the payment processor does. PayPal is infamous for freezing or shutting down your account if you try any kind of trick/loophole. Stripe, on the other hand, recognize NSFW content if they are artistic and they are not porn content of real humans as that's classified as pornographic in any visual medium. If you are looking for alternatives, you may want to check out Pixiv/ Fanbox and Unifans. Do note that Pixiv is currently banning creators who are posting art made with AI, especially 3D models.