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Ko Fi Revenue Calculator

Calculate Ko-fi income from one-time donations and monthly memberships with zero platform fees.

Reviewed by Daniel Agrici, Founder & Lead Developer

Reviewed by Daniel Agrici, Founder & Lead Developer

Formula

Net = Donations (0% fee) + Memberships (5% or 0% Gold) + Shop (5% or 0% Gold) - Processing Fees - Gold Cost

Ko-fi charges 0% on one-time donations, 5% on memberships and shop sales (waived with Gold at $6/month), and payment processing through PayPal or Stripe costs approximately 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.

Worked Examples

Example 1: Artist with Donations and Memberships

Problem:An artist receives 50 donations averaging $5 each, has 100 monthly members at $5, and makes 10 shop sales at $15 each. They use the free plan. Calculate net monthly income.

Solution:Donations: 50 x $5 = $250 gross, $0 platform fee\nProcessing: ($250 x 0.029) + (50 x $0.30) = $7.25 + $15 = $22.25\nNet donations = $250 - $22.25 = $227.75\n\nMemberships: 100 x $5 = $500 gross, 5% fee = $25\nProcessing: ($500 x 0.029) + (100 x $0.30) = $14.50 + $30 = $44.50\nNet memberships = $500 - $25 - $44.50 = $430.50\n\nShop: 10 x $15 = $150 gross, 5% fee = $7.50\nProcessing: ($150 x 0.029) + (10 x $0.30) = $4.35 + $3 = $7.35\nNet shop = $150 - $7.50 - $7.35 = $135.15\n\nTotal net = $227.75 + $430.50 + $135.15 = $793.40

Result:Total Net Monthly: $793.40 | Annual: $9,520.80 | Effective Rate: 88.2%

Example 2: Ko-fi Gold Savings Analysis

Problem:A creator earns $800/month from memberships and $200/month from shop sales. Compare free plan vs Gold ($6/month).

Solution:Free plan fees:\nMembership platform fee = $800 x 0.05 = $40\nShop platform fee = $200 x 0.05 = $10\nTotal platform fees = $50\n\nGold plan:\nMembership platform fee = $0\nShop platform fee = $0\nGold subscription = $6\nTotal fees = $6\n\nGold savings = $50 - $6 = $44/month = $528/year

Result:Free Plan Fees: $50/mo | Gold Cost: $6/mo | Gold Saves: $44/mo ($528/year)

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Ko-fi compare to Patreon for membership revenue?

Ko-fi and Patreon have fundamentally different fee structures for membership content. Patreon charges 5-12% platform fees depending on the plan (Lite 5%, Pro 8%, Premium 12%), plus payment processing fees. Ko-fi charges 5% on memberships (or 0% with Gold at $6/month), plus payment processing. For a creator with 100 members paying $5 each ($500/month), the comparison is striking. On Patreon Pro: $500 - $40 (8%) - $44.50 (processing) = $415.50 net. On Ko-fi free: $500 - $25 (5%) - $44.50 (processing) = $430.50 net. On Ko-fi Gold: $500 - $0 - $44.50 - $6 (Gold) = $449.50 net. Ko-fi Gold saves $34 per month compared to Patreon Pro in this scenario, though Patreon offers more sophisticated analytics and marketing tools.

How do I forecast revenue?

Bottom-up forecasting multiplies expected units sold by price. Top-down starts with market size and estimates market share. For existing businesses, use historical growth rates with adjustments. For SaaS: Forecast MRR = Current MRR + New MRR - Churned MRR + Expansion MRR. Always model best, expected, and worst case scenarios.

References

Reviewed by Daniel Agrici, Founder & Lead Developer · Editorial policy