CompareUpdated October 2026
When a tip jar isn’t enough.Your own website and app.
Ko-fi is a tip jar on someone else’s page. Drate is for the people who stay: a website and app made around you, with memberships, video, courses and merch, ready in minutes.
Why creators leave Ko-fi.
Stuck on ko-fi.com.
No custom domain and Ko-fi’s layout on every page. You can embed it elsewhere, but it’s still Ko-fi’s page.
No app at all.
Ko-fi has no app for your supporters. They follow you by email and on ko-fi.com.
Embeds and packing tape.
Ko-fi video posts are embeds from YouTube or Vimeo, there are no courses, and physical shop orders are yours to pack and ship.
What you get on Drate.
Your website and your app.
A site on your own domain, in your look, and your own iOS and Android app on Pro.
Hosted video and courses.
Upload members-only video, group lessons into courses and keep it all on your site, not on YouTube.
Merch that ships itself.
Design products and they’re printed and shipped on demand. No packing, no post office.
Less than Ko-fi Gold.
What you’d pay to keep 100% of every sale.
- Drate
- $10a month on Drate Pro, billed yearly
- Ko-fi
- $12a month on Ko-fi Gold, monthly only
How switching works.
Ko-fi memberships can’t be moved by anyone but your members, so switching is something you invite them to. Leave your Ko-fi page up while they do.
Start your site.
Pick a starting point, add your name and choose your look. Your site is ready in minutes, and nothing is public until you publish.
Set up your memberships.
Recreate your tiers as monthly or yearly memberships, and add fixed-length passes if they suit your work.
Bring your work over.
Upload members-only posts, video and downloads, group lessons into courses and add merch that’s printed and shipped for you.
Invite your supporters.
Link your site from your Ko-fi page and posts. Members join on your site and cancel on Ko-fi when they switch.
Side by side.
Everything below is included in Drate’s free plan unless it says otherwise.
| Feature | drate. | Ko-fi |
|---|---|---|
| Your home | ||
| Your own website, domain and look | Included | ko-fi.com page |
| Your branded iOS & Android app | On Pro | Not offered |
| Memberships & content | ||
| Monthly & yearly memberships | Included | Monthly only |
| Fixed-length passes | Included | Not offered |
| Members-only posts, video & downloads | Included | Video via embeds |
| Courses & content library | Included | Gallery albums |
| Members community feed | Included | Polls & DMs |
| Paid coaching & bookings | Included | Via commissions |
| Discord roles by membership | Included | Included |
| Keep Patreon connected | Included | Not offered |
| Merch | ||
| Merch store | Included | Self-shipped |
| Print on demand, no inventory | Included | Not offered |
| Connect Shopify or Etsy | Included | Not offered |
| Money | ||
| Monthly price | $0 or $12 | $0 or $12 |
| Fee on membership sales | 5%, or 0% on Pro | 5%, or 0% on Gold |
| Who pays you | Your Stripe, directly | Your PayPal or Stripe |
Ko-fi details are from its public pricing and help pages, checked October 2026. Prices exclude payment processing, which applies on every platform. Plans change, so check the latest before you decide.
Drate vs Ko-fi, in full