# Hotly

> Share one link. People pay $5–$20 to write to you. Reply when it suits you. Stripe pays you. Open source under the Apache 2.0 License. Hosted: $5.99/mo + 20% commission, or $9.99/mo + 10% commission on Hosted Plus - servers, updates and backups included. Self-hosting the free code has 0% commission but costs about $430/mo in servers and developer time, plus ~$600 to set up.

## Product

- [Home - A simple way to turn conversations into income](https://www.hotly.com/)
- [Facts - Hotly at a glance](https://www.hotly.com/facts)
- [FAQ - common questions about Hotly](https://www.hotly.com/faq)
- [About Hotly - why we built this](https://www.hotly.com/about)
- [Be Like Bailey - case study](https://www.hotly.com/be-like-bailey)
- [Sadie - your AI chief of staff](https://www.hotly.com/sadie)

## Pricing

Hosted: $5.99/mo + 20% commission, or $9.99/mo + 10% commission on Hosted Plus - servers, updates and backups included. Self-hosting the free code has 0% commission but costs about $430/mo in servers and developer time, plus ~$600 to set up.

- [Plans](https://www.hotly.com/#pricing)

## Use cases

What people pay creators to message about.

- [Get paid to answer advice DMs](https://www.hotly.com/use-cases/paid-advice): People DM you for advice? Share one link and they pay $15 per message to ask. You answer from one inbox, when you have time.
- [Make brands pay to pitch you](https://www.hotly.com/use-cases/brand-pitches): Brand pitches get buried in your DMs. Put one link in your bio: brands pay $15 to reach you, in an inbox you actually read.
- [Get paid when fans message you](https://www.hotly.com/use-cases/fan-messages): Fans want to be heard. Let them pay $5 to write to you, read every note in one inbox, and reply when you have time.
- [Sell locked photos in your DMs](https://www.hotly.com/use-cases/locked-photos): Send a locked photo in a conversation and set the price. Fans pay to unlock it - $20 to unlock in our example - and Stripe pays you.

## Comparisons

Honest side-by-sides with other ways creators get paid by fans.

- [Hotly vs Ko-fi](https://www.hotly.com/compare/ko-fi): Ko-fi is a tip jar with a shop. Hotly is paid DMs: fans pay $5–$20 to message you and you reply on your time. Fees, payouts and features side by side.
- [Hotly vs Buy Me a Coffee](https://www.hotly.com/compare/buy-me-a-coffee): Buy Me a Coffee takes 5% of tips and memberships. Hotly sells answered messages: fans pay $5–$20 to write to you. Fees, payouts and features side by side.
- [Hotly vs Passes](https://www.hotly.com/compare/passes): Both let fans pay to message you. Passes is closed, reviews applications and takes 10–20%. Hotly is open source and hosted from $5.99/mo.
- [Hotly vs Fanfix](https://www.hotly.com/compare/fanfix): Both sell paid DMs and locked content. Fanfix is invite-only and keeps 20%. Hotly is open source and hosted from $5.99/mo.