Fourthwall vs Ko-fi
Side-by-side comparison on fees, payouts, monetization, and audience ownership.
Platform fee
0-5% · 0% on merch, 5% on digital
0–5% · 0% tips · 5% sales
Payout speed
monthly
instant
Minimum payout
$25
$0
Countries
Stripe-supported
PayPal- or Stripe-supported
Email list export
Full access
Limited export
Custom domain
Yes (custom + free .store on Pro)
Yes (subdomain)
Community features
Member-only posts, Discord integrations
Comments and DMs
Best for
YouTubers running merch plus membership tiers from one homebase
Visual artists, beginners, small audiences, fee-sensitive creators
Fourthwall vs Ko-fi: which one wins?
Fourthwall charges 0-5% (0% on merch, 5% on digital) versus Ko-fi at 0–5% (0% tips · 5% sales).
On payout speed, Fourthwall pays monthly while Ko-fi pays instant. For creators where cashflow matters, the faster cadence usually wins.
For audience ownership, Fourthwall offers full access email export and Ko-fi offers limited export. Email portability matters most for creators planning to migrate later or build a list independent of any single platform.
Best for: Fourthwall suits youtubers running merch plus membership tiers from one homebase. Ko-fi fits visual artists, beginners, small audiences, fee-sensitive creators.