Buy Me a Coffee alternatives, compared honestly

Why people look past Buy Me a Coffee

Buy Me a Coffee does the basic job well: a page, a button, one-time support and memberships, no monthly fee. Its FAQ puts the deal plainly: "We charge a 5% transaction fee, and creators keep 95% of the earnings." The reasons people search for an alternative are usually one of these:

• The fee adds up. 5% is fair on a few coffees. On steady monthly members it is real money every year, and card processing comes on top.
• It is someone else's page. Your page lives at buymeacoffee.com/you. Buy Me a Coffee's own comparison page lists "No hosting. No custom domains." as part of the deal.
• Two links instead of one. Your bio already points at your link in bio or your site, and the coffee page is one more tap away.

None of these make it a bad tool. They are reasons it might not be the right one for you.

The alternatives side by side

Card processing applies on top everywhere. Checked October 20, 2026 on each product's own pricing or help pages, listed under Sources; Ko-fi and Patreon change their plans often, so confirm before you switch. The full fee math is in Buy Me a Coffee vs Ko-fi vs Patreon fees.

Ko-fi, Patreon, GitHub Sponsors and Liberapay

• Ko-fi is the closest swap. Its help center describes a free option with 0% on one-off tips and 5% on shop sales, memberships, monthly tips and commissions, and Gold at $12 a month with no platform fee. Ko-fi says you are paid straight into your own PayPal or Stripe account. See makerhandle vs Ko-fi.
• Patreon is for people running a membership as a real business: tiers, members-only posts, a community. Creators who published after August 4, 2025 pay a 10% platform fee plus processing, per Patreon's help center. See makerhandle vs Patreon.
• GitHub Sponsors is the obvious pick for open source. GitHub's docs say it charges no fees on sponsorships from personal accounts, and up to 6% when an organization sponsors. See GitHub Sponsors compared.
• Liberapay is a nonprofit for recurring donations that takes no cut and is funded by donations to its own account, per its FAQ. One-time donations are not properly supported yet, it says, and a donor can give at most $100 a week.
• Open Collective suits a project with a team or a shared budget; money is held by a fiscal host, and each host sets its own fee.

The other option: keep the button, move it to your page

If what bugs you is that your support page sits apart from everything else, the fix is not another platform. It is the button on your own page.

makerhandle's support button puts "Buy me a coffee" (or a book, a pizza, a server hour) on your link in bio, in your template's style and on your custom domain. It works two ways:

• Link mode, live for everyone today. The button opens your existing Buy Me a Coffee, Ko-fi, Patreon, GitHub Sponsors, Liberapay, PayPal.me or Open Collective page. Nothing changes about how you are paid.
• Built in, with Stripe. One-time support and up to three monthly membership tiers, paid through Stripe Checkout straight into your own Stripe account. makerhandle's fee is 0% on Pro and 5% on Free, plus Stripe's processing fees. Built-in support is opening to makers in stages; the link button works for everyone today.

Either way, support income can count as verified revenue: built-in payments from our own records, Buy Me a Coffee through its read-only token.

Which should you pick?

• A few coffees a month and you like your page: stay on Buy Me a Coffee or Ko-fi, and point a button at it from your link in bio. Moving is not worth the hassle.
• Steady monthly members: compare the yearly fee. 5% of $100 a month is $60 a year; makerhandle Pro is $20 a year with a 0% platform fee once built-in support reaches you.
• Members-only posts, files or a community: Patreon or Ko-fi. makerhandle does not host members-only content; perks are what you deliver yourself.
• Open source: GitHub Sponsors, with the button on your page pointing at it.
• One page for everything you make: a support button on your maker page, linking out today, built in when it opens for you.

Thinking of leaving? How to move from Buy Me a Coffee to your own page covers members, links and what to keep.