Owelet Blog
Platform fees, tax fundamentals, and everything in between — written for creators who want to know their real numbers.
Patreon takes a flat 10% plus processing on every membership. Ko-fi takes 5% on its free plan and 0% on Gold for $12/month. On the same $5 membership, the gap is real — but so is what Patreon gives you for it.
Both let fans tip and buy from you, but the fee math differs. Ko-fi takes 0% on tips and offers a 0%-everything Gold plan; Buy Me a Coffee charges a flat 5% on everything with no way to zero it out. Here's who keeps more.
Patreon takes 10% as its platform fee on every new creator account — but processing, the per-pledge $0.30, and currency conversion push the real cut to 12–15%. And if fans pledge through the iOS app, Apple takes up to 30% more. Here's the actual number.
Thinkific charges 0% transaction fees — but only on its own processor, and only if you ignore the monthly plan and the surcharge it adds when you bring your own Stripe. Here's what a course sale really costs.
Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 headline is honest — but international cards, currency conversion, chargebacks, and recurring billing quietly add to it. Here's every rate that actually hits your payout.
New Patreon creators pay a flat 10% — but processing fees, the per-pledge $0.30, currency conversion, and Apple's 30% iOS cut push your real cost to 12–15% of every dollar fans pledge. Here's the full math.
Ko-fi keeps 0% of your tips, but takes 5% on shop sales, memberships, and commissions on the free plan. Ko-fi Gold drops that to 0% for $12/month. Here's the exact break-even and what each sale really nets.
Both are merchants of record, so both handle your taxes. But Gumroad's direct rate runs ~12.9% + $0.80 while Lemon Squeezy charges a flat 5% + $0.50. On a $1,000 month that gap is real money. Here's the full comparison.
Teachable's 7.5% Starter fee stacks with payment processing, international surcharges, and hidden costs most creators never see coming. Here's the full breakdown with real numbers.
Lemon Squeezy's base fee is 5% + $0.50 per transaction. But international buyers, PayPal payments, subscriptions, and affiliates all add on top. Here's the full breakdown with real numbers.
Buy Me a Coffee charges a flat 5% on everything — tips, memberships, and digital products. But Stripe adds on top of that, international buyers cost more, and micro-transactions have a completely different rate. Here's the full breakdown.
Most platform comparisons list features. This one shows exactly what you keep after fees on a $50 sale across Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Teachable, Patreon, Stripe, and Buy Me a Coffee — so you can pick based on real numbers.
Most creators know Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢. But once you add Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, and PayPal into the mix, the true number is much higher — and rarely what you think.
Gumroad advertises a simple 10% fee. What you actually pay is closer to 13% — and if a customer finds you through Discover, that jumps to 30%. Here's the full breakdown.
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