Compare Buy Me a Coffee
Hotly vs Buy Me a Coffee
Buy Me a Coffee is a support page: tips, memberships, a shop and a newsletter, for a flat 5% plus Stripe fees. Hotly is a paid inbox: fans pay per message and you reply when you have time. For simple tips, Buy Me a Coffee is cheaper. For conversations you'd otherwise answer for free, Hotly charges for the reply.
Updated
Side by side
| Feature | Hotly | Buy Me a Coffee |
|---|---|---|
| What fans pay for | A message you answer | A tip, membership, shop item or post |
| Paid messages | Yes - the core product. Fans pay $5–$20 per message. | No. Messaging supporters is free. |
| Locked media | Yes. Send a locked photo, set the price. | No |
| Platform fee | Hosted: $5.99/mo + 20% commission, or $9.99/mo + 10% commission - servers, updates and backups included. Self-hosting the code: 0% commission, ~$430/mo to run. | 5% of every transaction, plus Stripe fees. |
| Payouts | Stripe, straight to your bank. | Via Stripe once you reach $10. First payout is reviewed (7–14 days). |
| Open source | Yes. Apache 2.0 License - take the code with you anytime. | No |
| Signup | Request a hosted plan, no card - the team emails you to set it up. Or run the code on your own Linux server. | Open signup |
Buy Me a Coffee details checked September 2026 from their own pages: Buy Me a Coffee fees, Buy Me a Coffee payouts, Buy Me a Coffee FAQ. Prices change - check before you switch.
Which one fits you
Pick Buy Me a Coffee if…
- You want tips and memberships at a flat 5%.
- You want a built-in newsletter to supporters.
Pick Hotly if…
- Your DMs are full of questions, pitches and thank-yous you answer for free.
- Brands keep pitching you and you want them to pay to reach you.
- You want servers, updates and backups handled - and the code if you ever leave.
Questions
- Is Hotly a Buy Me a Coffee alternative?
- Yes, if what your fans want is a reply. Buy Me a Coffee takes tips; Hotly sells answered messages at $5–$20 each.
- Which has lower fees?
- Buy Me a Coffee's 5% is lower than Hotly's hosted plans. Hotly's fee pays for something Buy Me a Coffee doesn't sell - paid messages - with servers, updates and backups handled.
- Can I use Buy Me a Coffee and Hotly together?
- Yes. Keep the coffee button for tips and add a Hotly link for people who want an answer.
Clone it. Make it yours.
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