Hotly FAQ
Answers to the common questions about Hotly: pricing, open source, payouts, getting started and leaving.
Questions
- What is Hotly?
- Hotly is a paid inbox for creators. Share one link. People pay $5–$20 to write to you. Reply when it suits you. Stripe pays you.
- How much does Hotly cost?
- Hosted is $5.99/mo + 20% commission; Hosted Plus is $9.99/mo + 10% commission. We run the servers, updates and backups. You can self-host the free code with 0% commission, but running it costs about $430/mo in servers and developer time, plus ~$600 to set up.
- Is Hotly open source?
- Yes. The code is on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 License. Most creators let us host it; developers can run it on their own Linux server.
- What do people pay me for?
- Advice, brand pitches, thank-you notes from fans, and locked photos. Each message costs $5–$20, and you set the price to unlock a photo.
- How do I get paid?
- Fans pay by card when they send a message. Stripe pays you out to your bank. Self-hosted, it's your own Stripe account.
- How do I start?
- Request a hosted plan - no card needed - and we'll email you to set up your inbox. Self-hosting needs a Linux server, Docker, a domain, and your own Stripe, Firebase and SendGrid accounts.
- Can I leave?
- Yes. Hosted plans let you leave with the code anytime.
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