What Buy Me a Coffee is
Buy Me a Coffee is a platform where fans support creators. Fans can make one-off payments called coffees and leave a note. Creators can also offer memberships, sell products and publish free or members-only posts.
A newsletter operator can use it to take tips from readers or run a paid tier. Creators keep ownership of their supporter lists and can export them at any time.
There is no monthly fee. The company takes a transaction fee on earnings.
Who it is for
Buy Me a Coffee is for creators such as artists, podcasters, YouTubers, fitness instructors and teachers. It is designed for creators, not for businesses.
A small newsletter operator who wants readers to leave a tip, or pay a few dollars a month for extras, can use it. Sample membership tiers are $5, $15 and $25 a month. Operators who need a full newsletter platform or a business-grade billing system may want a different tool.
What you can do with it
Supporters can buy a coffee, with an optional message. The default is $3. Creators can also run memberships billed monthly or yearly, sell items from a shop, and publish free or members-only posts.
Shop items include one-on-one calls, art commissions and ebooks. Creators can also receive support without sharing their identity or address. Tools include a QR code, Stream Alerts and Buttons, and iOS and Android apps. Unlimited emails to fans come at no extra cost. The supporter list can be exported at any time.
Plans and pricing
There is no monthly fee, and publishing and email are free. A 5% transaction fee applies, so creators keep 95% of earnings.
There are no named plans. Creators are paid straight to their bank account, with no 30 day delay. Payouts are available in 44 countries. Supporters can pay by major cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App and other global methods.
What it works with
Discord is available as a members-only perk.
Stripe and Wise handle payment processing, and card data is not stored on Buy Me a Coffee's servers. The platform runs on Amazon infrastructure with Cloudflare. There are also comparison pages for Ko-fi, Patreon, Kickstarter, Ghost, Podia, Gumroad, Memberful and Teachable.
Things to know before you choose
Buy Me a Coffee does not email your supporters itself, yet unlimited emails to fans are also offered. Check how email works for your own page before relying on it.
Payout countries may differ from the countries supporters pay from. Support is by email, Intercom chat and the Help Center.
At a glance
From the company's own pages. Prices and plans change, so confirm on their site.
- What it does
- Takes one-off supporter payments, recurring memberships and shop sales, and lets creators publish posts and send email.
- Used for
- Letting newsletter readers tip the writer or pay for a members tier.
- Free plan
- Yes. Starting a page is free, and there is no monthly fee.
- How it charges
- A 5% transaction fee, so creators keep 95% of earnings. Payment processors are Stripe and Wise; no processor fee figures are published.
- Works with
- iOS and Android apps, plus creator tools including QR Code, Stream Alerts and Buttons.
- Key features
- One-off coffees with a note, monthly and yearly memberships, a shop, free and members-only posts, QR code, Stream Alerts, Buttons, mobile apps, and supporter list export.
- Plans
- No named plans. There is no monthly fee and a 5% transaction fee on earnings.
- Support
- Email, Intercom chat and the Help Center. A feature request form is also available.
- Company
- Over 2,000,000 creators use it. Page languages are Spanish, French, Italian, German and Ukrainian.
- Last checked
- October 11, 2026
Questions operators ask about Buy Me a Coffee
What does Buy Me a Coffee charge?
There is a 5% transaction fee and creators keep 95% of earnings. There is no monthly fee.
Can I charge readers a monthly or yearly amount?
Yes. Memberships earn recurring monthly or yearly income, with example tiers of $5, $15 and $25 a month.
Can I send email to supporters?
Creators can send unlimited emails to fans for free. All features, including publishing and emails, are free for everyone.
Do I own my supporter list?
Yes. Supporters are yours and you can export your supporter list at any time.
Which countries can get paid?
Payouts are available in 44 countries. Supporter payment countries may differ.
How do supporters pay?
Major credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App and other global methods.
Is my supporter list mine?
Yes. Supporters are yours and you can export the list at any time.