Patreon vs Ko-fi Creator Take-Home Calculator

The Patreon vs Ko-fi Creator Take-Home Calculator helps you decide where your membership revenue keeps the most after fees. You enter current members, average pledge, and monthly churn to estimate this month’s active base. Then set fee lines for each platform: platform percent, payment percent, and a fixed payment charge per pledge. If your audience is partly in VAT or sales tax regions, add the taxed share and average rate. Choose pass-through when tax is added on top of the pledge; pick absorb if the tax comes out of the pledged amount. The result shows net monthly take-home and net per member for Patreon, Ko-fi, and a custom other option, plus members needed on each to hit a take-home goal.

Model tax correctly. In many regions, sales tax or VAT is collected on top of the pledge. If you enable pass-through, your gross creator revenue is the pledge itself and tax is added for the buyer. If you absorb tax, the taxed share of pledges is reduced by the average rate, which lowers platform and payment fees slightly but also shrinks your net. If your audience has a wide region mix, adjust the taxed share and rate quarterly so the calculator mirrors reality.

Mind fixed processor fees. A flat per-pledge charge hits lower pledges harder. If your average pledge is in the two to three dollar range, the fixed component can dominate and make platforms with lower fixed fees more attractive even if their percent is higher. For higher pledges, percent differences matter more than fixed fees.

Use churn to set weekly goals. Churn turns a snapshot into a plan. The calculator reduces current members by your expected monthly churn to estimate the paid base that will actually bill. If the members-needed number to reach your take-home target is higher than your adjusted base, you can back-solve for how many new members you should acquire this month to stay level after cancellations.

Compare platforms fairly. Enter realistic fees for your account tier. Patreon plans differ by features; Ko-fi may have zero platform percent but standard payment processing. The custom other slot lets you test a self-hosted membership with a typical processor or a different platform like Buy Me a Coffee or Memberful.

Practical steps to lift take-home. Encourage annual plans with a modest discount to reduce churn, bundle bonus downloads for higher pledge tiers, and nudge supporters to upgrade after major drops. Keep payment declines low by posting billing reminders on renewal days and offering a grace period for failed payments. Small lifts in average pledge have an outsized impact on net per member, especially when fixed fees are present.

This calculator is educational and offline. It does not fetch live fee tables or tax rules. Always confirm your plan rates and local tax handling in your platform settings, then update the inputs here.

Adjusted members m′ = m × (1 − churn%). Effective pledge p′ = p × [1 − absorb × taxShare × taxRate]. Platform fee f₁ = p′ × platform%. Payment fee f₂ = p′ × payment% + fixed. Net per member n = p′ − f₁ − f₂. Monthly take-home T = m′ × n. Members needed for target Z = ceil(Z ÷ n). Because percent fees are taken on the reduced pledge when absorbing tax, pass-through usually yields a higher net when buyer tolerance is the same.