FanBase is a Ko-fi alternative for creators whose supporters have moved past one off tips. If people already pay you every month, buy single files and send requests, you can run all of it on one page: up to three tiers, pay per view posts, paid messages and tips. You keep 80 percent of everything, the 20 percent fee already includes payment processing, and payouts arrive every week in your bank account or crypto wallet.
Ko-fi is a good product, and for a lot of creators it is the right one. Tips carry no platform fee, the setup takes ten minutes, and money goes straight to your own PayPal or Stripe account. Creators start looking for sites like Ko-fi for a narrower set of reasons: their PayPal or Stripe account was limited, their fans want to pay with crypto, they want to charge for single posts and personal messages instead of only tiers, or their work is for adults and Ko-fi does not allow it.
Ko-fi vs FanBase at a glance
Ko-fi figures come from its public pricing as reported by several independent guides. Fees and plans change, so check your own Ko-fi settings before you move anyone.
| FanBase | Ko-fi | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee on tips | 20 percent, processing included | 0 percent on the free plan, plus processing |
| Platform fee on memberships and sales | 20 percent, processing included | 5 percent on the free plan, 0 percent with Ko-fi Gold, plus processing |
| Payment processing | Included | PayPal or Stripe fees, about 2.9% + $0.30 in the US |
| Monthly plan for creators | None | Optional Ko-fi Gold subscription |
| How fans pay | Card or crypto | Card, PayPal and wallets through PayPal or Stripe |
| How you get paid | Weekly to your bank or crypto wallet from $50 | Straight to your PayPal or Stripe account |
| Needs your own PayPal or Stripe account | No | Yes |
| Membership tiers | Up to three, $4.99 to $49.99 a month, plus 3, 6 and 12 month bundles | Yes |
| Pay per view posts | Yes | Single items through the shop |
| Paid messages | Yes | No |
| Commissions | Priced inside paid messages or a top tier | Dedicated commissions tool |
| Adult content | Separate, age gated 18+ section for verified creators | Not allowed |
Where Ko-fi wins: no platform fee on tips, an optional plan that removes fees on memberships and sales, a polished commissions queue, and instant access to your money through PayPal or Stripe. Where FanBase wins: no PayPal or Stripe account needed, crypto at checkout, pay per view posts and paid messages built in, and a verified 18+ section for adult creators.
Why creators look for a Ko-fi alternative
Your PayPal or Stripe account was limited
Ko-fi does not hold your money. Every payment goes straight to the PayPal or Stripe account you connected, which is fast when it works. When PayPal or Stripe limits that account, your Ko-fi page stops taking payments until the issue is resolved, and some creators never get it back. FanBase collects payments itself and pays you by bank transfer or to a crypto wallet, so your income does not depend on a personal PayPal or Stripe account.
Fans want to pay with crypto
Some supporters do not want a card statement line, and some live where cards get declined on creator sites. FanBase accepts card or crypto at checkout. A crypto purchase buys a fixed period of access, and one month card plans renew automatically. The crypto payments page explains how both sides work.
You sell more than tiers and coffees
Ko-fi grew out of a tip jar, and its tools still reflect that: tips, memberships, a shop and commissions, each in its own place. FanBase puts the ways fans pay on the page they already follow. A tutorial video or a layered file can sell as a pay per view post without becoming a tier, a fan can pay for a personal reply inside a paid message, and tips work on any post.
Your work is for adults
Ko-fi's rules do not allow sexually explicit content, largely because payments run through PayPal and Stripe. FanBase keeps adult work in a separate 18+ section that fans opt into after age checks, open only to creators who verified their identity. Our NSFW Patreon alternative guide compares the adult friendly options in more detail.
What you keep on FanBase compared with Ko-fi
Take a creator with 60 members on a $7 tier, so $420 a month in memberships. On Ko-fi's free plan the platform fee is 5 percent ($21) and processing at 2.9 percent plus $0.30 per payment adds about $30, so roughly $369 arrives. On FanBase you keep 80 percent, which is $336, with processing already counted.
On pure memberships Ko-fi is cheaper, and with Gold it is cheaper still. The math changes when you add income Ko-fi does not have a slot for. Ten paid messages at $20 add $160 on FanBase, and eight pay per view posts at $12 add another $76.80. The fees page has a worked breakdown, and the homepage estimate tool shows your own numbers before you sign up.
If tips and commissions are most of your income and PayPal has never caused you trouble, stay on Ko-fi. FanBase makes sense once paid messages, single posts or crypto payments are a real share of what fans want to buy from you.
How to move from Ko-fi to FanBase
- Preview your page. Enter your name, category, price and expected fans on the homepage to see a page preview and a payout estimate.
- Create your account and set tiers. Up to three tiers between $4.99 and $49.99 a month, plus 3, 6 and 12 month bundles with your own discount.
- Verify your identity. A government ID and a selfie, 18 or older, before the first payout. The verification page explains what is checked.
- Add a payout method. A bank account, a crypto wallet, or both. Payments clear 7 days after they are made and go out in the weekly run once your balance reaches $50, as the creator payouts page shows step by step.
- Tell your members. Ko-fi memberships cannot be transferred, so each member joins again. Post the new link with a discounted 3 month bundle and keep your Ko-fi page open for one billing cycle.
Our guide to moving members to a new platform has a timeline and message templates that work the same way for Ko-fi supporters.
Who FanBase suits, and who should stay on Ko-fi
FanBase suits illustrators, cosplayers, musicians, writers and coaches who sell a mix of tiers, single posts and personal requests, creators who lost access to PayPal or Stripe, and adult creators who want a verified 18+ section with crypto checkout. Artists can see a sample setup on the page for artists.
Stay on Ko-fi if your supporters mainly tip, if its commissions queue runs your business, or if you pay for Gold and keep nearly every dollar. Plenty of creators run both: Ko-fi for tips, FanBase for paid membership content.
Comparing more platforms? The sites like Patreon comparison puts Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee and the membership sites in one table, the SubscribeStar alternative page covers creators leaving SubscribeStar, and the Patreon alternatives for artists guide compares Ko-fi, Gumroad and Memberful for illustrators.