- Top complaint:
- Customer support is effectively non-existent
- Price:
- Free plan
- Pick it if you are:
- Artists and illustrators taking tips and commissions; Hobby creators and streamers
- Top complaint:
- Ko-fi support is slow and unhelpful for account problems
- Price:
- Free plan, paid from $12/mo
Score Comparison
Signals Comparison
Gumroad
- 10% fee plus $0.50 per transaction is excessive(9/10)
- 30% fee for Discover marketplace sales(8/10)
- Withholds payouts and balances under $10(8/10)
- Gumroad fees are 10% + $0.50 per sale, 30% on Discover(6/10)
Ko-fi
- Ko-fi takes 5% of shop, membership and commission sales without Gold(6/10)
- Ko-fi Gold costs $12 a month for new creators(6/10)
- Memberships taken before switching to Gold keep paying the 5% fee(5/10)
- Supporters confuse Ko-fi membership billing and cancellation(6/10)
Gumroad
- Customer support is effectively non-existent(10/10)
Ko-fi
- Ko-fi support is slow and unhelpful for account problems(8/10)
Gumroad
- Accounts get suspended without explanation(10/10)
- Payment processing issues are common(7/10)
Ko-fi
- Ko-fi payment pending or unclaimed because of PayPal(7/10)
- PayPal holds Ko-fi funds for up to 21 days(7/10)
- Ko-fi page unpublished or account suspended with little explanation(9/10)
- Supporters cannot see Ko-fi content after paying(6/10)
Gumroad
- No real protection for sellers against fraud(8/10)
Ko-fi
No signals
Gumroad
- Missing features compared to competitors(6/10)
- Limited storefront customization(5/10)
- Limited payout options by region(5/10)
- No proper affiliate marketing system(4/10)
Ko-fi
- Ko-fi refunds are the creator's job, not Ko-fi's(6/10)
Gumroad
No signals
Ko-fi
- Ko-fi Discord roles do not sync for members(6/10)
- Weak marketing and discovery tools for growing creators(5/10)
Pricing Comparison
Gumroad
Users: Unlimited
Storage: Unlimited
Limits: 10% + $0.50 per sale, 30% on Discover sales, limited storefront customization, balance held 30-45 days after a high-chargeback suspension
Users: Unlimited
Storage: Unlimited
Limits: 30% commission, Less control over customer relationship, Competing with other sellers
Ko-fi
Users: Unlimited supporters
Storage: Standard upload limits
Limits: No custom branding, no analytics and insights, no early feature access, standard upload limits, basic support
Users: Unlimited supporters
Storage: Higher upload limits
Limits: Only pays off at roughly $240/month in shop or membership sales
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Gumroad | Ko-fi |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| No monthly fee Pay only per transaction | ||
| Low transaction fees 10% + $0.50 is high vs competitors | ||
| Support | ||
| Tips and donations 0% Ko-fi fee on free plan | ||
| Human customer support 1.4/5 Trustpilot, chatbot only | ||
| Products | ||
| Digital downloads Core functionality | ||
| Memberships Recurring subscriptions | ||
| Physical products With shipping support | ||
| Selling | ||
| Digital and physical shop | ||
| Commissions | ||
| Compliance | ||
| Global tax handling Automatic tax remittance since 2025 | ||
| Merchant of record Seller assumes liability | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Discord role rewards Ko-fi bot assigns roles | ||
| Growth | ||
| Discover marketplace Additional traffic, but 30% fee | ||
| Marketing | ||
| Email campaigns and automation Limited per review roundups | ||
| Basic email marketing Simple customer emails | ||
| Built-in audience marketplace You bring your own traffic | ||
| Affiliate system Basic affiliate features | ||
| Sales funnels Not available | ||
| Payments | ||
| Platform-level refunds Refunds are handled by the creator | ||
| Reliability | ||
| Account security Suspensions without explanation | ||
| Security | ||
| Seller protection No real chargeback protection | ||
| Branding | ||
| Advanced customization Limited storefront options | ||
| Analytics | ||
| Advanced analytics Basic stats only | ||
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