Ko-fi

Tips, memberships, commissions, shop sales, and crowdfunding pages

NOT REALLY · consider alternatives
price variesestimated build time not a true replacement; consolation build in one to two daysreplaced by 0 people

Do not mistake the interface for the product. Ko-fi's durable value is payments, network, compliance, which a solo one-shot build cannot reproduce responsibly. The prompt therefore builds only the closest honest personal consolation tool.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • native apps and community moderation
  • fulfilment, email, and affiliate ecosystems
  • marketplace discovery and buyer trust
  • tax, disputes, payouts, and fraud operations

Why people still pay

Ko-fi: Creators pay to outsource payments, tax complexity, disputes, deliverability, moderation, and the trust needed to convert strangers.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • Node.js 22
  • PostgreSQL
  • Stripe account and API keys in .env
  • Explicit README warning that this is a consolation build, not a production replacement
01
Use exactly this stack: Next.js 15 + TypeScript + PostgreSQL + Stripe.
02
Model products, buyers, purchases, entitlements, and delivery receipts; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.
03
Interface for this creator support workflow: a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views.
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1, architecture and data

Use exactly this stack: Next.js 15 + TypeScript + PostgreSQL + Stripe. Model products, buyers, purchases, entitlements, and delivery receipts; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.

2

Phase 2, implement

For creator support, define products or membership access rules and record prices in integer minor currency units.

3

Phase 3, implement

Create a checkout session through the user’s payment provider and verify the signed completion webhook.

4

Phase 4, review and output

Grant digital access exactly once and show purchase, refund, and delivery history.

5

Phase 5, recovery and acceptance

Verify this invariant with a saved fixture: A repeated payment webhook cannot deliver twice; a refund must revoke the relevant access without deleting the audit trail. State the practical limit: native apps and community moderation.

the pro prompt
Build me a focused creator support workflow for the personal core of Ko-fi. Requirements:

- Use exactly this stack: Next.js 15 + TypeScript + PostgreSQL + Stripe. Model products, buyers, purchases, entitlements, and delivery receipts; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.
- Paid product context: Tips, memberships, commissions, shop sales, and crowdfunding pages. Build only this DIY scope: Build a narrow creator support storefront or member area for one creator, using Stripe Checkout and explicit digital-delivery rules.
- For creator support, define products or membership access rules and record prices in integer minor currency units.
- Create a checkout session through the user’s payment provider and verify the signed completion webhook.
- Grant digital access exactly once and show purchase, refund, and delivery history.
- Use a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views. Required input or access: Stripe account and API keys in .env. Keep credentials in .env.
- Acceptance: with one labelled sample, show the input, saved intermediate state, and exported result; verify this invariant: A repeated payment webhook cannot deliver twice; a refund must revoke the relevant access without deleting the audit trail.
- Out of scope: native apps and community moderation; fulfilment, email, and affiliate ecosystems. Keep this a personal, inspectable workflow.
- Include a README with setup, a sample input, required keys or permissions, data location, and the supported scope.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan

prior art · use these instead of building, if you'd ratherMedusaOpen-source commerce modules and backend.↗GhostOpen-source publishing and membership platform.↗
share on X ↗

Ko-fi pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
ko-fi free$0$00% fee on one-off tips/crowdfunding; 5% on monthly tips, memberships, shop sales and commissions.
contributor$0$05% platform fee on all payment types; advanced features included.This $0 option trades the Free plan's 0% one-off-tip fee for advanced tools.
gold$12—0% Ko-fi platform fee across tips, memberships, shop and commissions.New-customer page publishes monthly billing; legacy Gold users may still renew annually, but the current annual amount is not public.

free tierNo monthly fee; Free takes 0% on one-off tips/crowdfunding and 5% on memberships, shop and commissions; Contributor takes 5% on all payments

billingFree/Contributor are transaction-based; Gold is currently sold monthly; no current annual price published

hidden costsPayment processors still charge roughly 3% + a fixed fee, and cross-border/currency-conversion charges may apply even on Gold.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-14 · pricing source ↗

Questions about Ko-fi

Can you build your own Ko-fi with AI?

A full replacement is not the recommended project. Do not mistake the interface for the product. Ko-fi's durable value is payments, network, compliance, which a solo one-shot build cannot reproduce responsibly. The prompt therefore builds only the closest honest personal consolation tool.

What does the Ko-fi build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Build a narrow creator support storefront or member area for one creator, using Stripe Checkout and explicit digital-delivery rules. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: native apps and community moderation; fulfilment, email, and affiliate ecosystems; marketplace discovery and buyer trust. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the Ko-fi prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this Ko-fi project take?

The catalogue estimate is not a true replacement; consolation build in one to two days for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing Ko-fi?

native apps and community moderation; fulfilment, email, and affiliate ecosystems; marketplace discovery and buyer trust; tax, disputes, payouts, and fraud operations. Ko-fi: Creators pay to outsource payments, tax complexity, disputes, deliverability, moderation, and the trust needed to convert strangers.

What can I use instead of building Ko-fi?

The prior-art section lists Medusa, Ghost as starting points. Review their current scope, license and maintenance before adopting one.

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