The Ko-fi alternative with goals that end.
Ko-fi does a lot well: over a million creators, friendly hosted pages, a floating tip panel for your site, and payouts that land instantly. The question is what your button does all month. Ko-fi's button asks every visitor, every day, whether you need the money or not. QuietJar asks while there is a real cost to cover, then goes quiet.
What you keep
Ko-fi charges 5% on tips by default, and only drops that to 0% on a paid Gold plan (checked September 2026). Processing comes on top, at your own Stripe or PayPal rate. On a €10 tip that is €0.50 in platform fees plus €0.40 in card fees, so you keep €9.10. On a €100 donation you keep €93.25.
QuietJar's rate is 5% with a €0.50 minimum and nothing else: we pay the card fees ourselves, whichever method your supporter reaches for. On €10 you keep €9.50. On €100, €95.00. There is no monthly plan to buy your way out of the percentage.
Goals
Give the button a real cost to cover: this month's hosting, the next release, a new microphone. The bar fills as people chip in, right next to the payment. Once the goal is met, the button steps aside, and a monthly goal brings it back on the 1st. Your visitors only see the ask when it is real, so they never learn to scroll past it. TCG Pocket Collection Tracker tried this in September 2026: a €50 goal for its hosting raised €97 in 12 hours. Its Buy Me a Coffee button brought in about €30 a month.
Ko-fi has goals too: one at a time, on your profile and in a goal bar widget. But its button keeps asking once the goal is met, and you start the next goal by hand.
A dynamic image that keeps up
A dynamic image that links straight into your donation panel. Drop it in your GitHub README or a newsletter, and it auto-updates with your goal progress, so the README you wrote in March still shows the right number in December. A static badge linking to a hosted page cannot do that.
Google Pay and Apple Pay, on your site
QuietJar puts Google Pay, Apple Pay, cards, and local methods like iDEAL and Bancontact directly on your page. Two taps on desktop, the same on mobile, and the checkout never shifts or stalls. Ko-fi's tip panel is PayPal-heavy, with no wallets or iDEAL.
| Platform fee | Monthly fee | Button hides when the goal is met | Monthly goals | Google Pay and Apple Pay | iDEAL and Bancontact | Steps back after giving | Who can use it | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QuietJar | 5%, min €0.50, all-in (Sep 2026) | None | Yes, by default | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Anyone |
| Ko-fi | 5% tips by default, 0% on Gold plan (Sep 2026) | Gold plan optional | No | No | No | No | No | Anyone |
Fees and features checked September 2026. Tell us if something changed.
QuietJar's rate is all-in: we pay the card fees. On the competitor row, processing comes on top at the creator's own Stripe or PayPal rate (1.5% + €0.25 on EU cards) and varies by method and country.