Potential Decentralized Fediverse Alternative to Ko-fi, Patreon, etc.? (lemmy.world)

submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by Teknevra@lemmy.world to c/fediverse@lemmy.world

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Hey everyone,

I was curious on whether anyone has ever thought about potentially introducing a Fediverse equivalent to platforms like:

Ko-fi
Patreon
Gumroad
LiberaPay
Buy Me a Coffee
Web Monetization (e.g., Coil)
etc.

What I’m imagining is a decentralized platform that allows users across the Fediverse to directly tip or support creators, all without relying on plugins or third-party integrations.

For instance, I know that creators on platforms like PeerTube can add plugins for cryptocurrency or payment solutions, but these require additional configuration or technical know-how.

What I’m suggesting is a straightforward tipping platform built directly into the Fediverse ecosystem, one that doesn’t depend on plugins—just a seamless way to support creators on ALL Fediverse platforms.

To clarify upfront:

I am NOT a “crypto bro.” I’m not here to promote any cryptocurrency or blockchain agenda—I’m just thinking about user-friendly, decentralized solutions.
While I AM open-minded about crypto-based approaches, I feel there’s potential for a non-crypto, user-first Fediverse tipping system.

What do you all think?

Has this idea been explored?
Are there any projects in the works that aim to address this?
Do you think it’s feasible or even a good fit for the Fediverse ethos?

I’d love to attempt something like this myself, but sadly I personally lack the time, technical knowledge, and energy to make it happen.

Still, I’d be really curious to hear the community’s thoughts.

Thanks in advance for sharing your insights.

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[-] hendrik@palaver.p3x.de 30 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I think we all know micropayment, donation are nice things to have. But it's really hard to become a payment provider. When handling money for other people, you'll face fraud, disputes. You need to do proper accounting. you're liable. You need to register a company, do taxes, handle international things, you need a legal department, customer service etc. That's why we rely on Liberapay, KoFi, Patreon and all the predecessors and sucessors. They're companies / legal entities who can handle that.

(And I'm not sure how this would even work. I mean I can't share (federate) your real name, address and credit card number with a few hundred different fediverse admins... So it'd need to be a central service anyways. Pretty much like the ones we already have.)

[-] z3rOR0ne@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Yeah I can see that. These payment platforms need to be centralized due to just the nature of, y’know, nation state backed currencies.

My only interest in this thread comes from my curiosity as to whether or not Patron, KoFI, etc. Can still provide their services at the level they already are, but way cheaper (I.e. give a higher percentage back to the creators). I know its somewhat low currently, but is it as low as possible?

Just something I occasionally think about.

[-] hendrik@palaver.p3x.de 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Hmmh, what's their current platform fee? I'd say somewhere between 0% to 5% sounds alright. Depending on what kinds of features they offer. The minimum is probably somewhere around what Stripe takes. If you want to offer credit card payments and convenience...