Whether you are a content writer , YouTuber , player or create webcomics , you take a reliable source of income where your fan and readers pay you a limit amount every calendar month . We recently reset the difference betweenPatreon vs Paypaland some of you asks us about Ko - fi . So , today , rent ’s clear up some air between Ko - Fi vs. Patreon .
Patreon was part byJack Conte , a instrumentalist who wanted a platform to make money from YouTube videos . While YouTube has a partner program which is used by trillion of professional YouTubers , Patreon proffer an extra revenue stream , even if you are in a niche market place .
Ko - Fi(yes , the coffee metaphor ) has a like story where Nigel Pickles wanted to thank a Lord who help him with a project . Wanting to buy him a coffee for the difficulty , he created Ko - Fi so creators could be rewarded for their efforts .
The essence of both service is to receive money from your rooter , but both propose different features for creators and supporters likewise . get ’s take a look at an in - depth compare of Ko - Fi vs. Patreon . Shall we ?
1. Platforms
Patreon supports a telephone number ofpopular platformsright out of the loge . If you are a blogger using WordPress then there is a plugin for you . Patreon has an app directory where you could consider a leaning of all the third - party platforms that they support including but not limited to Discord bot , MailChimp , and Google Sheets .
Ko - Fi has no API to extend which means you’re able to not add Ko - Fi everywhere . It is not developer friendly . Instead , they offer javascript powered buttons that you’re able to add on your site and pages . There is lineal backing for WordPress , Twitter , Facebook , and YouTube but that ’s it . You need to create afree Ko - fi pagewhich you’re able to share using the verbatim connexion , or by embedding the button code on your website . Lack of API is something that will frighten off the web and app developers forth in my impression .
Patreon also takes the lead story when it comes to mobile apps . There is a consecrated app for both Android and iOS program so you’re able to view and get by your subscriptions and projects on the go . Ko - Fi , at the fourth dimension of writing this article , has no mobile apps to offer which is bound .
What if I want to monetize my app with Ko - Fi or Patreon ? Both the political platform falls curt in this domain which score lilliputian sense seeing the popularity of apps these day .
victor : Patreon
2. Fees
This can be a deal - breaker for many Jehovah , especially those who are just start out out and can not give mellow fee . Both Ko - Fi and Patreon use PayPal as their default payment processors so there ’s that .
PayPalis not cheap and charge fees based on where you inhabit . In the US , you will pay 2.9%+$0.30 per transaction tutelage . deplorably , currentness conversion charges are a topic of argument because you always get 2 - 3 % grim than market rate when using PayPal ( personal experience ) . Then there is afixed feeof $ 1 load if you obtain payments in foreign currency . If you are using Virtual Terminal or PayPal Payments Pro to care subscription then you will be paying an extra $ 10 / month . In gain to PayPal , Patreon also supports Stripe which is no loud but definitely more developer friendly .
Read : How Much Paypal burster Per Transaction in India
Now , in addition to what your payment processor is charging you , you have to pay Patreon 5 % of whatever amount has been pledged to you . We are talking about the total monthly amount here . To adjourn this money from your Patreon to PayPal story , you will be charged $ 0.25 for direct deposits which is useable only in the US . International users will have to utilise PayPal which will be $ 0.25 or 1 % for the total amount with an upper limit of $ 20 per deposit . See how these costs can quickly add up ?
Ko - Fi is free . What ? Yes . Ko - Fi is free which entail you do n’t have to pay them anything for create your page and collecting money from fan and followers . Note that Ko - Fi also uses PayPal to action payments and so those bursting charge are separate . In the free report , you’re able to only bear one - time payments , popularly cognize as tip . If you want to receive subscription payments , there is Ko - Fi Gold which will cost you a fixed $ 6 per month .
gratuitous to say , Ko - Fi is a lot cheap than Patreon because a ) there is a free account and b ) $ 6 is a lot cheaper than 5 % especially if you have a large user cornerstone . Note that you pay $ 6 irrespective of what you are making but in the longsighted streamlet , you will end up saving a plenty of hard cash .
Finally , Patreon pays once a calendar month and Ko - Fi pay at once whenever you want .
Winner : Ko - Fi
3. Features
While fee structure and platform consolidation matter , they are not the only thing that count at the sentence of deciding a chopine to launch your patronage . change platforms after your business has taken off can be troublesome and in most cases , impossible . ideate get to demand all your fans and followers to transfer subscription and adopt a fresh model ? you may finish up lose a plenty of supporters in the process leading to a potential drop in your revenues . So let ’s see how Patreon justifies its high-pitched fee structure if it does so at all .
Patreon comes with a tier structure where you could drink a certain amount towards your favorite God Almighty and you will get reward for the same . Ko - Fi does n’t propose a rewards structure . Upgrading to the Gold account does get you pay back whatever you want to point unlike in the free business relationship which is set to $ 3 . Patreon has a al-Qa’ida price of $ 1 and there is no upper limit .
If you create unlike level of capacity then Patreon is more suitable for you . There is an incentive for the supporters to step up to the next tier up and pay more in the subscription . In Ko - Fi , there is no incentive so you may make a constant level of content . This will calculate on your creative field and what you have to offer .
Patreon does n’t accept tips like Ko - Fi . Patreon also seems to have the enceinte userbase which is an reward because it gives you a market place to showcase your content . If you have a recess , chance are that Patreon already has garter in it , ready to drink . Patreon take a committal that you will bring about a certain amount of subject every calendar month based on your level and rewards . Ko - Fi has low consignment levels allowing Creator to follow a schedule that is more flexible .
Both Patreon and Ko - Fi will permit you communicate with your followers , build a community , and keep them booked .
Result : Tie
Ko-Fi vs. Patreon
Here is the deal . Both Patreon and Ko - Fi are on a collision line vying for the attention of the creators . There are some feature of speech that are standardised in nature and some that are not . Patreon has a larger userbase , stomach more political platform , is more suitable for subscription payments with tier and payoff . That said , it is not only expensive at 5 % cutting , but will also show ads .
Ko - Fi is compromising and supports both one - meter and subscription requital but without tier or advantage . you’re able to create subscription - only content in the Gold plan . Ko - Fi is free to expend if you want to find one - meter payments in the form of tip and the Gold plan is only $ 6 / calendar month . No ads on Ko - Fi weapons platform .
In the last , both of them offer a way to monetize your fan understructure and act as a supplementary author of income rather than master . This is not to say that there are examples of creator who are clear a support exclusively on the military strength of their supporters on a single weapons platform but they are few . Most of the creators have a YouTube channel , a web site , a web log or some other platform where they had following and want an additional way to make some money . imagine of them as a style add more basket to keep your eggs .
So , which one are you using or project to practice and why ? Did we miss something ?
Read:7 Best Accounting Software for Small Business ( Free and Paid )