Growing an audience
Running the business
Both cover monetization & payments. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| Ko-fi | Lemon Squeezy | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $12 | Free |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Usage-based |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | 5% of what you earn |
| Runs on | Not stated | Not stated |
| Covers | Monetization & Payments, Memberships & Subscriptions, Tips & Donations | Digital Products & Storefronts, Creator Finance, Monetization & Payments |
| Works with | YouTube, Twitch | Nothing in particular |
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Live deals | None right now | None right now |
Tips, memberships and a shop with no platform cut
Ko-fi takes nothing from tips on the free plan, which no other platform of its size does. Memberships, commissions and digital downloads all work from the same page. It is lighter than Patreon in every direction, which is often the point.
Our note
The best free option for somebody who mostly gets tipped, and worth weighing against Patreon the moment memberships become the larger half of the income. Do the Gold arithmetic yourself rather than taking the upgrade prompt's word for it.
Only on this side
Digital product sales with the tax handled
Lemon Squeezy acts as merchant of record, so sales tax and EU VAT stop being your problem. That alone justifies the fee for anyone selling internationally. Subscriptions, licence keys and affiliates are all included.
Our note
Worth the 5 percent the first time an EU VAT return would otherwise be yours to file. Against Gumroad it is half the rate and more setup, which is a good trade at any real volume.
Only on this side
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.