How to Receive Tips Online as a Writer: 5 Ways Compared
By quirkkitapp · 2026-10-20
Short answer: pick one tip method your readers can actually use, put the link where they finish reading, and mention it now and then without making a big deal of it. That covers most of it. The rest is picking which of the five setups below suits you. Some take a couple of minutes. Others take an afternoon, mostly because of account checks.
This is the how-to version. If you want to see what each option takes out of a tip, we compared that in a separate post with the fee pages linked: https://quirkkit.com/blog/paypal-vs-ko-fi-vs-crypto-tip-jar-for-writers-fees-and-trade-offs. I won't repeat the numbers here.
Way 1: a PayPal.Me or Stripe payment link
Good for: writers who already have PayPal or Stripe and want the plainest possible link.
With PayPal, you set up a PayPal.Me link from your account and share it. Readers who open it pay you through PayPal.
With Stripe, you create a Payment Link in the Stripe Dashboard and choose "Customers choose what to pay". Stripe's own docs list that option for tipping and pay-what-you-want. Readers land on a Stripe checkout page and type in an amount. One limit worth knowing: Stripe says this option doesn't support recurring payments, so it's for one-off tips only.
Both PayPal and Stripe have rules on what counts as a commercial payment, and they differ by country. Read the terms for where you live before you post the link.
Way 2: a Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee page
Good for: writers who want a tip page that's ready to go, with a button, a message box and a name some readers will know.
Both give you a page at your own address, like ko-fi.com/yourname or buymeacoffee.com/yourname, and you share that one link everywhere. Ko-fi sends the money into the PayPal or Stripe account you connect. Buy Me a Coffee processes payments through Stripe and pays out to your bank account. Readers can usually pay by card on both, depending on the payment account you connect.
Spend ten minutes on the page itself. A photo, one line about what you write and a link to your best piece make it feel like your corner of the internet rather than a payment form.
Way 3: Medium's tipping link
Good for: writers who already publish on Medium.
Medium doesn't take the payment itself. It lets you add a link to a payment page you already have. Go to Settings, open the Publishing tab, click "Manage tipping on your stories", paste your link and save. Medium's help page names PayPal, Ko-fi, Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee as examples. Once it's on, a tip button sits at the bottom of all your stories, next to Follow and Subscribe.
Medium also says you won't see the button on your own stories, so don't panic when it seems to be missing. Ask a friend to check.
In practice, Medium is a place to show Way 1 or Way 2, not a separate route. That's handy. Set up one page and point to it from everywhere.
Way 4: a tip button in Substack posts
Good for: newsletter writers on Substack.
Substack has no one-off tip jar of its own. Paid subscriptions are its main way for readers to pay a writer. Pledges let free subscribers promise to pay if you turn on paid subscriptions later, which isn't a tip either.
The usual workaround is a Stripe payment link. Make one with "Customers choose what to pay", then add a custom button to your post that points to it. If you already connected Stripe for paid subscriptions, you can use that same Stripe account. Just leave the subscription products Substack set up alone.
Way 5: QuirkKit's tip button
Good for: writers with readers in other countries, or readers who already use crypto wallets.
QuirkKit is a free place to publish, and posts have a tip button built in. Sign in, press "My tip wallet" in the header and paste an address for any of SOL, USDT on BNB Smart Chain, BTC or ETH. After that, a Tip button shows on your posts. Until you add a wallet, readers see no tip option.
Tips go wallet to wallet, from the reader's wallet straight to yours. QuirkKit doesn't hold them and takes no cut, and readers don't need a QuirkKit account. They do pay the network fee for the transfer. It won't take cards and it won't send tips to a bank, so if most of your readers pay by card, keep Way 1 or Way 2 running too. The setup steps are here: https://quirkkit.com/earn/accept-tips-as-a-writer
Where to put your tip link
At the end of your posts. That's the moment a reader has just got something out of your work. One line does the job.
In your bio on X, Instagram, Medium or wherever else you post. People who like one piece often click through to see who wrote it.
In your newsletter footer, so it's there in every issue and you never have to bring it up.
On your About page, next to how to reach you.
Not in the first paragraph. Nobody tips for something they haven't read yet.
How to ask without it feeling awkward
Say what a tip does, in plain words. "Tips keep me in coffee while I write these" works. So does "If this saved you an hour, there's a tip link below."
Ask once, at the end. Not in every paragraph, and not in a pop-up.
Thank people when they tip. A short reply is enough. If you want to name them in your next post, ask first.
Don't promise extras in return unless you'll actually deliver them.
And expect it to be quiet for a while. Most readers never tip anyone, and that's normal. It says nothing about your writing.
Which one to start with
If you're not sure, start with one card option, Way 1 or Way 2, because most readers have a card. Add the Medium or Substack button if you publish there. Add a crypto option like QuirkKit's if you have readers abroad or readers who already hold coins. Two methods is plenty. Five is too many for a reader to choose from.
FAQ
Can I use the same tip link everywhere?
Mostly, yes. A Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee, PayPal.Me or Stripe link can go in your bio, in Medium's tipping setting, behind a Substack button and in a newsletter footer.
Does Medium process tips?
No. Medium's help page describes the tip button as a link to your own third-party payment service, so the payment and its fees are handled by that service.
Can I get a tip button on Substack?
Not as a built-in tip jar. Writers usually add a custom button that links to a Stripe payment link where readers choose the amount.
Can readers tip me without an account?
On QuirkKit, yes. They need a crypto wallet, not a QuirkKit account. On the other options it depends on the service and on the reader's country, so check each one.
What does each option cost?
That's in our fee comparison, with each provider's own fee page linked: https://quirkkit.com/blog/paypal-vs-ko-fi-vs-crypto-tip-jar-for-writers-fees-and-trade-offs
What this post won't say
It won't say one option is best or lowest-cost for everyone, because that depends on where you and your readers live. It won't say anyone will tip you. And it won't say QuirkKit tips go to a bank, because they don't. They go to your wallet.
Sources, checked 20 Oct 2026:
PayPal, "PayPal.Me" link page: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/
Medium Help, "About tipping": https://help.medium.com/hc/en-us/articles/8177227023767-About-tipping
Stripe Docs, "Create a payment link": https://docs.stripe.com/payment-links/create
Substack Support, "What are Substack Pledges?": https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/11463706473108-What-are-Substack-Pledges
Substack Support, "How do I set up my Stripe account on Substack to start receiving payments?": https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/4405482746132-How-do-I-set-up-my-Stripe-account-on-Substack-to-start-receiving-payments
Ko-fi Help, "Does Ko-fi take a fee?": https://help.ko-fi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002506494-Does-Ko-fi-take-a-fee
Buy Me a Coffee Help, "How to calculate charges on your payment?": https://help.buymeacoffee.com/en/articles/8105744-how-to-calculate-charges-on-your-payment