SellKit

Decision guide · verified

Ko-fi vs Payhip: fees, payouts, and the right fit for your creator business

Ko-fi starts with supporters. Payhip starts with a storefront. Compare the current fee models at your monthly sales, then choose by the work you actually need to run.

The short answer

Choose by business shape, not a universal winner

Both can sell digital products and memberships. Their center of gravity—and the operating work they leave with you—is different.

Choose Ko-fi when…

Best fit for supporter-first income with a lightweight shop attached.

  • Tips, memberships, or commissions are central to the creator relationship.
  • Payments should route directly to the creator's connected PayPal or Stripe account.

Choose a storefront-first option when courses, coaching, and a fuller digital catalog are the core business.

Visit Ko-fi →

Choose Payhip when…

Best fit for a storefront-first business selling products, courses, or coaching.

  • Downloads, courses, coaching, physical goods, or memberships need one storefront.
  • Eligible recurring products and tax-handling support matter to the operating model.

Choose a supporter-first option when tips, commissions, and patron-style participation lead the relationship.

Visit Payhip →
Ko-fi Free ↗5%$0 monthly
Ko-fi Gold ↗$12monthly + 0% platform fee
Payhip Free ↗5%$0 monthly
Payhip Plus ↗$29 + 2%per month + eligible sales
Payhip Pro ↗$99monthly + 0% platform fee

Platform-fee calculator

What does each plan cost at $500 in monthly sales?

Eligible shop or digital-product sales in USD. Payment-processor fees, taxes, refunds, reserves, and currency conversion are excluded.

Monthly sales scenario

At $500: Ko-fi Gold is its lowest plan at $12; Payhip Free is its lowest plan at $25.Lowest platform fee does not mean best product fit. Compare tax handling, catalog needs, and supporter workflow before choosing.
Ko-fi Gold matches Free shop$240/mo$12 ÷ 5%
Payhip Plus matches Free$966.67/mo$29 ÷ (5% − 2%)
Payhip Pro matches Free$1,980/mo$99 ÷ 5%
Payhip Pro matches Plus$3,500/mo($99 − $29) ÷ 2%

Arithmetic scenarios, not savings promises. Ko-fi one-time tips can be 0% in the opt-out Free mode; this calculator uses the 5% rate for eligible shop sales so the same sales job is compared.

Operating differences

The fee is only half the decision

These differences change the work after checkout. Claims are limited to the vendors' current first-party documentation.

Ko-fi and Payhip by seller job
Decision jobKo-fiPayhipWhat it means
Core selling modelSupporter page with tips, memberships, commissions, and a shop for digital or physical products.Storefront for downloads, courses, coaching, physical products, and memberships.Choose the model that matches the work you expect to do every week.
Payment routingPayments go to the creator's connected PayPal or Stripe account; Ko-fi holds no creator balance.Sales route through the seller's connected processor; processor pending periods or holds can still apply.Confirm processor availability, settlement timing, and reserve rules for your country.
Tax handlingThe creator is the seller and remains responsible for applicable tax calculation, filing, and remittance.Payhip states that it handles specified digital EU/UK VAT and certain U.S. and Canadian sales-tax collection. Recheck its current country, product, and Quebec QST scope before relying on it.Do not assume tax handling is universal; verify your product type and buyer locations.
Recurring billingRecurring support and membership tiers are part of the supporter-first model.Recurring payments are available for bundles, memberships, courses, and coaching, require Stripe, and can include a free trial.Validate the exact recurring product and payment processor before migrating subscribers.
API and mobile workflowKo-fi documents a payment webhook rather than a general management API, and points phone users to its mobile web experience instead of a native app.Payhip documents a limited public API, commerce webhooks, and a monitoring app; store and product editing remains in the web dashboard.Neither vendor presents a full back-office management API; test required automations first.
Migration checkpoint

We found no first-party documentation for a one-click migration between these platforms in this evidence review. Recreate a small product set and test checkout, taxes, customer emails, delivery, and recurring payments before moving the full catalog.

A comparison that keeps a record

Watch the terms that can change your decision

This feed publishes only verified Ko-fi or Payhip fee and operating-fact updates. It is separate from SellKit's general article feed.

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  1. · verified baseline

    Current pricing and operating claims reverified

    The Ko-fi and Payhip fee formulas, operating comparison, and official source ledger now share one dated verification record.

    • Confirmed Ko-fi Free shop and Gold platform fees against Ko-fi's current documentation.
    • Confirmed Payhip Free, Plus, and Pro platform fees against Payhip's current pricing page.
    • Rechecked payout, tax, recurring-sales, API, webhook, and mobile-workflow documentation for both platforms.
    First-party evidence (16)

Evidence, not a score

Verify the current terms before you move

Official prices checked Aug 24, 2026. Vendors can change pricing and eligibility; these first-party links remain the authority.

Method: current first-party documentation and transparent arithmetic. No affiliate weighting or third-party star scores.Last evidence review: Aug 24, 2026

This guide does not claim a traffic, conversion, savings, or revenue outcome. Results depend on product mix, country, processor, and current vendor terms.