01
What each platform keeps, and who pays the card fees
Here's each platform's cut, its card processing and what fans pay on top, from its own pages, read on 9 Nov 2026. Patreon's are from US search results for its support pages, because patreon.com can't be opened from here. Ko-fi's are from its own marketing site and terms.
We make Hotly, so weigh that. Every other platform's details are from its own pages.
| Platform | What it keeps | Card processing | What fans pay on top | Monthly fee |
|---|
| Patreon | 10%, for pages launched after 4 Aug 2025 | 2.9% + 30¢, from your share | Sales tax or VAT where required | None |
|---|
| Ko-fi | 0% to 5%, by plan | PayPal's or Stripe's own fees, from your share | Not stated | Not stated |
|---|
| Buy Me a Coffee | 5% | 2.9% + 30¢ and 0.5% on payouts, from your share unless supporters cover it | Nothing by default | None |
|---|
| Fanfix | 20% | Not stated for creators | 13% on credit cards | None |
|---|
| Passes | 20% on Creators+, after processing | Taken before the split, not published | A checkout fee may be added, plus tax | None |
|---|
| OnlyFans | 20% | Not stated | Tax where it applies | None |
|---|
| Instagram Subscriptions | 30% to Apple or Google; Instagram takes none for now | Inside the 30% | Nothing stated | None |
|---|
| Hotly | 20% on Hosted, 10% on Hosted Plus | Hotly pays it | Nothing | $5.99 or $9.99 |
|---|
Patreon, Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee, Fanfix, Passes, OnlyFans and Instagram details checked November 2026: Patreon standard fee for new pages, Patreon creator fees overview, Patreon sales tax for members, Ko-fi: Patreon alternative, Ko-fi terms, Buy Me a Coffee FAQ, Buy Me a Coffee: charges on a payment, Buy Me a Coffee: who pays the card fee, Buy Me a Coffee: payouts, Fanfix creator terms, Fanfix payment terms, Passes Creators+ plan, Passes fan payments, OnlyFans terms of use, Instagram Subscriptions pricing. Terms change - check them before you decide.
02
How to compare creator fees
Look at three things, not one. What the platform keeps, who pays the card processing, and whether fans pay anything on top. A low cut with card fees on your side can keep you less than a higher cut without them.
Small payments cost more. Card processing usually has a fixed part, like 30 cents a payment. On a $5 payment, that's 6% before anything else.
Monthly fees matter at the low end. A plan with a monthly price is dearer in a quiet month and cheaper in a busy one.
03
Patreon
10% for new pages. Patreon's support pages say pages launched after 4 August 2025 are on a standard 10% plan, plus taxes where they apply. Older pages may be on 5%, 8% or a higher legacy rate, and Patreon's own pages disagree on that one.
Card fees come from your share. Patreon lists 2.9% plus 30 cents for card payments over $3. So a $5 payment loses about 95 cents before you see it.
Fans may pay more. Sales tax or VAT is added where required. These are from search results for Patreon's support pages, which we couldn't open directly.
04
Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee
Ko-fi: 0% to 5%. Its own site says "0-5% service fees", and elsewhere "Ko-fi charges just 5% service fees", "+ card processing fees". Ko-fi doesn't hold your money: supporters pay "directly from supporters into your own PayPal or Stripe account".
Buy Me a Coffee: 5%. "We charge a 5% transaction fee, and creators keep 95% of the earnings", and "We don't charge a monthly fee." Stripe's fee is on top: "a standard payment processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per successful transaction", and "Stripe also applies a 0.5% fee for payout processing." By default, "this fee is deducted from your earnings", but you can change a setting "so that supporters cover the fee instead". A $5 payment loses about 72 cents.
Getting paid on Buy Me a Coffee. You can request a payout "once your outstanding balance reaches $10 or more", and "the first payout may take up to a total of 7 - 14 days" while your account is reviewed.
05
Fanfix, Passes and OnlyFans
All three keep 20%. Fanfix adds 13% to fans' credit card payments and sets your minimum prices. Passes takes processing fees out before its 20% and charges 6.5% or 10% for faster payouts. OnlyFans adds tax for fans where it applies.
The details are in their own posts: Fanfix vs OnlyFans, how Passes works and OnlyFans fees.
06
Instagram Subscriptions
About 70%. Instagram says Apple and Google deduct 30% of in-app purchases and that it takes nothing itself, for now. You need 10,000 followers. More in Instagram Subscriptions: what creators keep.
07
Where Hotly fits
Hotly is premium conversations. Fans pay your price to write to you, one note at a time or every week, and you reply when it suits you.
Hotly pays the card fees. On Hosted you pay $5.99 a month and keep 80% of what fans pay. On Hosted Plus you pay $9.99 a month and keep 90%. That covers Stripe's card fees, hosting and upkeep, so a $5 payment and a $50 one keep the same share, and fans pay your price with nothing added. The commission halves for every 5 creators you invite who join and pay, down to 5%. Your share is paid out once a month through Stripe to your bank, with no payout fee, from $1.
Where others win. Buy Me a Coffee and Ko-fi keep less on paper and charge no monthly fee: at $10 payments, Buy Me a Coffee keeps you more than Hosted Plus until about $750 a month. Every platform here except Hotly costs nothing in a month with no sales.