Creator platform fees compared: what Patreon, Ko-fi and 7 others take

Platform fees, card processing, charges on the fan and payout fees, side by side, with a link to each platform's own page for every number.

By Josh Wade, co-founder of SpoiletUpdated October 21, 20266 min read

The short answer

On a $10 payment a creator keeps $9.41 on Ko-fi in Free mode, $8.86 on Buy Me a Coffee, $8.41 on Patreon and $8.00 on FanFix.
Flat monthly plans beat a percentage past a point. Ko-fi Gold at $12 a month costs less than a 5% fee once tips pass $240 a month.
Some platforms charge the fan instead: Throne adds 7% to 9.75% at checkout and FanFix adds 13% on cards.
Spoilet charges 15% by default, and fans can choose to add it at checkout so the creator gets the full Spoil.

Every creator platform says its fees are low. Comparing them is harder than it should be, because each one charges in a different place: some take a percentage, some charge a monthly plan, some add a fee to the fan's checkout, and a few do two of those at once.

This page lines up 9 platforms on the same $10 payment, with every number taken from the platform's own help center or pricing page in October 2026. Spoilet is one of the 9 and it's our product, so its row says so.

What you keep from a $10 payment

Where a $10 payment goes, US card

You keep
Platform fee
Card processing

Ko-fi(Free mode, tips only)You keep $9.41
Sellfy(plus a $22+ monthly plan)You keep $9.41
Ko-fi(Standard mode, the default)You keep $8.91
Buy Me a CoffeeYou keep $8.86
Patreon(purchases, no plain tips)You keep $8.41
FanFix(fan also pays $1.30)You keep $8.00

A 0% platform fee still leaves card processing, which is $0.59 on a $10 payment. FanFix doesn't list processing separately, so its whole 20% shows as the platform fee. Passes and Linktree appear only in the table below, because their per-payment math depends on details they don't publish, and Throne doesn't take plain payments.

Every fee in one table

Creator platform fees, from each platform's own pages (October 2026)
Platform	Platform fee	Card processing	Charged to the fan	Payout fee and minimum
Patreon	10% for pages published after Aug 4, 2025	2.9% + $0.30, 2.5% currency conversion	None	$0.25 US bank, 1% PayPal, $10 PayPal minimum
Ko-fi	0% on tips in Free mode, 5% otherwise. Gold ($12/month) makes it 0%	PayPal or Stripe, about 3% + $0.30	None	None from Ko-fi, no minimum
Buy Me a Coffee	5%	2.9% + $0.30, plus 0.5% payout, 1% non-US, 0.5% subscriptions	Optional: fan covers the card fee	$10 minimum
FanFix	20%	Not listed separately	13% surcharge on cards	Not published
Passes	20% (Creators+, the default) or 10% + $0.30 (Starter)	Taken from your net	"A transaction fee may be added at checkout"	$50 minimum. Instant +10%, next day +6.5%
Throne	0%	Fan pays 2.9% + $0.30 on items	7% to 9.75% service fee, +1% non-USD	Free above $30, $2 below
Linktree	Pro ($13.50/month yearly) lists "0% fees" on product sales	2.9% + $0.30	None found	$0.25 per payout
Sellfy	0%, plans $22 to $119/month yearly, 2% over the plan's sales cap	2.9% + $0.30	None	None from Sellfy
Spoilet (ours)	15% by default. Lower with a subscription or past a set volume	Stripe	Optional: fan adds the fee so you get the full Spoil	Set at launch (beta, Stripe test mode)

Two rows come with a caveat. Linktree's pricing page says Pro sells “with 0% fees”, but its help center describes a plan-based percentage without giving a number. And Passes' homepage says it takes 10%, while its own FAQ and help center put every new creator on the 20% plan.

Who pays the fee: you or your fans

A low creator fee can hide a high fan fee. On Throne you pay nothing, and a fan sending a $100 cash gift pays $109.75 plus processing. On FanFix the fan's card is charged 13% on top. Neither is wrong, but your fans see that charge at checkout, and the price they pay is higher than the one you set.

The middle ground is letting the fan choose. Buy Me a Coffee has a setting that lets fans cover the card fee: a $25 support becomes $26.03. Spoilet lets fans add its fee at checkout so the creator gets the full amount.

When a monthly plan beats a percentage

A percentage fee grows with your income, while a flat plan costs the same every month. Past a certain monthly total the plan is cheaper, though card processing still applies either way.

$240
Ko-fi Gold beats a 5% fee
Monthly sales above which $12 a month costs less
$220
Sellfy Starter beats 10%
Where $22 a month undercuts Patreon's rate
$440
Sellfy Starter beats 5%
Where $22 a month undercuts Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee

Monthly platform cost at $500 a month in sales

Ko-fi GoldFlat $12 a month$12.00
Sellfy StarterFlat, $22 a month billed yearly$22.00
5% feeKo-fi Standard, Buy Me a Coffee$25.00
10% feePatreon$50.00
20% feeFanFix, Passes default$100.00

At $500 a month, Ko-fi Gold's $12 is less than half of a 5% fee and about a quarter of Patreon's 10%. Card processing comes on top of every option.

Payout fees and minimums

The last fee hits when you move money to your bank. Ko-fi and Sellfy send payments straight to your own Stripe or PayPal account, so they charge nothing here. The rest:

Patreon charges $0.25 per US bank payout or 1% by PayPal (capped at $20), and holds payouts 5 days after you change details.
Buy Me a Coffee needs a $10 balance and reviews your first payout by hand.
Passes needs $50. Standard payouts are free, next-day costs 6.5% and instant costs 10%.
Throne pays free above $30 and charges $2 below it.
Linktree charges $0.25 per payout.

Where Spoilet's 15% fits

Spoilet's default fee is 15%. That's more than Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee, Patreon, Throne and Sellfy charge creators, and less than FanFix or Passes' default plan. Two things change the math: fans can choose to add the fee at checkout so you receive the full Spoil, and Spoilet's terms let creators earn a lower rate with a subscription or once they pass a set volume.

Questions creators ask

Which creator platform has the lowest fees?

For one-time tips, Ko-fi in Free mode: a 0% platform fee, so you only pay card processing. Sellfy also takes 0% per sale but charges a monthly plan from $22.

Does Ko-fi take a fee?

0% on one-off tips in Free mode, and 5% in Standard mode, which is the default for new pages. Memberships, shop sales and commissions are 5% in both modes. Ko-fi Gold at $12 a month removes the fee.

How much does Patreon take?

10% for pages published after August 4, 2025, plus 2.9% + $0.30 card processing and a small payout fee.

Can fans pay the fees for me?

On Buy Me a Coffee, a setting lets fans cover the card fee. On Spoilet, fans can choose to add the 15% fee at checkout. On Throne and FanFix the fan always pays a service fee or surcharge.

What is a typical fee for creator platforms?

Across the 9 platforms here, the platform's own fee runs from 0% (Ko-fi in Free mode, Throne, Sellfy) to 20% (FanFix and Passes' default plan). Card processing adds about 2.9% + $0.30 on top almost everywhere.

From the Spoilet team

Let fans spoil you with one link

On Spoilet, fans tap a fixed-price Spoil, from a $5 Coffee to a $100 Golden, and pay without an account. Spoilet is in an invite-only beta, so claim your name and we'll hold it while we send invites.

Sources

Every fee and rule above comes from these pages, read on October 21, 2026. Platforms change their terms, so check the page before you decide.