PayPal vs Ko-fi vs Crypto Tip Jar for Writers: Fees and Trade-offs
By quirkkitapp · 2026-10-17
So you want readers to be able to tip you, and you've got it down to three choices. A PayPal link. A Ko-fi page. Or a crypto tip jar. All three work. They just cost different people different amounts, and they ask different things of the reader. Here's how they compare, using the fee pages PayPal and Ko-fi publish themselves. I looked them up on 17 October 2026. They do change now and then, so give them another look before you decide.
One thing first. PayPal publishes separate fee pages for each country. The numbers below are from the US pages. If you live somewhere else, open PayPal's fee page for your country. The structure is usually similar, but the rates can differ.
Route 1: a PayPal link or button
This is the simplest thing to set up if you already have PayPal. You put a link or a button on your blog, newsletter or bio, and readers pay you through PayPal. What it costs depends on how PayPal classes the payment.
If it counts as a commercial payment, PayPal's US merchant page lists 2.99% for "Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services". Card payments are 2.99% plus a fixed fee. PayPal Checkout is 3.49% plus a fixed fee. The fixed fee depends on the currency you receive. It's 0.49 USD, 0.39 EUR or 0.39 GBP, for example.
There's also a Donate button at 2.89% plus the same kind of fixed fee. Whether your writing qualifies for donation pricing is up to PayPal's terms, not me, so read them before you use it.
If the reader is in another country, PayPal adds 1.50% on top of the commercial or donation rate. If a currency gets converted along the way, PayPal's exchange rate includes a spread of 3% or 4%, depending on the transaction type.
Then there are personal payments, the "Friends and Family" option. PayPal's US consumer page says receiving one is free when no currency conversion is involved. The sender may pay instead. It's 2.90% plus a fixed fee if they use a card, and an extra 5% international fee if they're abroad, with a minimum of 0.99 USD and a maximum of 4.99 USD. PayPal defines a personal payment as one with no purchase or other commercial transaction behind it. Whether a reader's tip fits that is PayPal's call. Don't pick this option just because it looks free.
Sources, checked 17 Oct 2026:
PayPal Merchant Fees (US), last updated 1 October 2026: https://www.paypal.com/us/business/paypal-business-fees
PayPal Consumer Fees (US), last updated 19 May 2026: https://www.paypal.com/us/digital-wallet/paypal-consumer-fees
Route 2: a Ko-fi page
Ko-fi gives you a tip page, and the money goes into your own PayPal or Stripe account. It's free to join and has no monthly cost on either plan.
On Ko-fi Free, one-off tips have a 0% Ko-fi fee. Monthly tips, memberships, shop items and commissions have 5%. On Standard, one-off tips also have 5%, and you get extras like supporter-only posts and custom branding in return. Ko-fi says new creators start with Standard switched on, and you can turn it off any time under Settings > Payment.
PayPal or Stripe still charges on top of that. Ko-fi's own page puts it at "usually around 3% + $0.30", depending on your account, location and currency. You can pick one of ten currencies for your page. Ko-fi's advice is to go with whatever most of your readers pay in, so fewer tips get converted.
One thing to know. A one-off tip through Ko-fi Free isn't free. It costs about what a direct PayPal payment costs, because the processor still takes its share. What you get from Ko-fi is the page itself, with the button already built, and a name a lot of readers have seen before.
Source, checked 17 Oct 2026:
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
Ko-fi Help, "What payment methods are available on Ko-fi?": https://help.ko-fi.com/hc/en-us/articles/24482435253661-What-payment-methods-are-available-on-Ko-fi
Ko-fi Help, "Supporter payments FAQ": https://help.ko-fi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360013140633-Supporter-payments-FAQ
Route 3: a crypto tip jar
A crypto tip jar is a wallet address that readers send coins to. There's no processor in the middle taking a percentage. The reader pays the network fee for the transfer instead, and their wallet app or exchange may add its own fee. How big it is comes down to the coin and how busy the network is. Sometimes it's next to nothing. Sometimes it stings on a small tip.
There's a catch or two. Your reader needs a wallet with coins in it already. Coins like BTC and ETH can move in price between the tip and the moment you spend it. A stablecoin such as USDT is meant to track the dollar. A coin sent on the wrong network can be lost, so the address and the network have to match. Some readers have never done this. If most of your readers pay by card, a crypto jar alone will probably get you fewer tips, not more.
What crypto does well is cross-border tips. A reader in one country can tip a writer in another without an international card fee or a currency conversion from a payment company.
If you're new to holding crypto, read our guide on receiving it safely first: https://www.quirkkit.com/earn/receive-money-with-crypto
Side by side
What's taken from a one-off tip. PayPal: 2.99% for goods and services payments, or 2.99% to 3.49% plus a fixed fee for card and Checkout payments, on the US commercial rates, or 2.89% plus a fixed fee on donation rates. Ko-fi Free: 0% Ko-fi fee, plus PayPal or Stripe fees. Ko-fi Standard: 5%, plus PayPal or Stripe fees. Crypto: no platform percentage, but the reader pays the network fee and their wallet or exchange may charge too.
What the reader needs. PayPal: a PayPal account, or a card if your button offers guest checkout. Ko-fi: a card, PayPal, or a wallet like Apple Pay or Google Pay, depending on whether you connect PayPal, Stripe or both. Crypto: a wallet that holds the coin you accept.
Readers abroad. PayPal: an extra 1.50% on commercial and donation payments, and a spread whenever currency is converted. Ko-fi: the processor's cross-border and conversion charges. Crypto: no card or currency conversion step, but still the network fee, plus exchange fees if you sell the coins for local money.
Where the money lands. PayPal: your PayPal balance. Moving it to a US bank is free by standard transfer when no currency is converted, or 1.75% (personal) or 1.50% (business) for an instant transfer. Ko-fi: your own PayPal or Stripe account, usually straight away, with no Ko-fi payout schedule. Crypto: your wallet, straight away.
Which one fits you
Go with PayPal if your readers already have it and you'd like the money to end up in your bank without much fuss.
Go with Ko-fi if you'd like a tip page that's ready to go, card payments, and a name people tend to recognise. Stay on Ko-fi Free if one-off tips are most of what you get.
Pick a crypto tip jar if your readers are spread across countries and already use wallets, or if you'd rather no payment company sit between you and the tip.
Plenty of writers do two of these. A Ko-fi or PayPal link for card readers and a wallet address for crypto readers covers most people.
Weighing up Buy Me a Coffee too? We put it next to Ko-fi and a crypto tip button in this one: https://www.quirkkit.com/blog/buy-me-a-coffee-alternative-for-writers-crypto-tips-no-cut
Where QuirkKit fits
QuirkKit is a free place to publish, and it has a crypto tip jar built into every post. Add your wallet in "My tip wallet" and a Tip button shows up on your posts. Until you add one, readers don't see a tip option.
Tips go wallet to wallet, straight from the reader's wallet to yours. QuirkKit doesn't hold them and takes no cut. There's no claim step. Readers can tip in SOL, USDT on BNB Smart Chain, BTC or ETH, whichever addresses you add, and they don't need a QuirkKit account. The reader pays the network fee.
Two things it won't do. It won't send tips to a bank, and it won't take card payments. So if your readers want to pay by card, keep PayPal or Ko-fi running alongside it.
Setting it up takes about a minute, and the steps are here: https://www.quirkkit.com/earn/accept-tips-as-a-writer
FAQ
Is PayPal or Ko-fi cheaper for tips?
For one-off tips on Ko-fi Free, Ko-fi adds 0%, so you mostly pay the PayPal or Stripe fee either way. Ko-fi Standard adds 5%. The answer can also change with your country, your reader's country and the currency, so check both fee pages for where you live.
Can I receive tips through PayPal Friends and Family?
PayPal says receiving a personal payment is free when no currency conversion is involved. It also defines personal payments as having no purchase or commercial transaction behind them. Check PayPal's terms to see where reader tips fall before you rely on it.
Does Ko-fi take a cut of tips?
On Ko-fi Free, one-off tips have 0% Ko-fi fee. On Standard, 5%. PayPal or Stripe fees apply on top in both cases.
What does a crypto tip cost the reader?
The network fee for the coin they send, plus any fee their wallet or exchange charges. It varies by coin and by how busy the network is. On QuirkKit there's no platform cut on top of that.
Can readers in other countries tip me?
Yes, on all three. PayPal adds an international fee and may convert currency. Ko-fi's processors do the same. Crypto skips the card and conversion step, but your reader needs a wallet.
What this post will not say
It won't say any one option is the cheapest 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.