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# How We Compare |
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What you keep on Makenot.work versus other platforms at $500, $2,000, and $10,000/month revenue. |
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## Fee Comparison |
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All numbers assume US Stripe rates (2.9% + $0.30) and an **average fan transaction of $10**. Per-transaction cost depends on sale count, not just gross revenue; see [How We Work § The Math](./how-we-work.md#the-math) for the full breakdown. Patreon's row uses their "Pro" tier (8%); their Lite (5%) and Premium (12%) tiers shift the column up and down respectively. |
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The Makenot.work range reflects the lowest tier (${{ tiers.standard.basic }}, Basic) at the high end and the highest tier (${{ tiers.standard.everything }}, Everything) at the low end. |
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### At $500/month revenue (50 sales × $10) |
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| **Makenot.work** | 0% + ${{ tiers.standard.basic }}-${{ tiers.standard.everything }} sub | ~$29.50 | **$410-454** | |
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| Bandcamp | 15% = $75 | ~$29.50 | $395 | |
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| Gumroad | 10% = $50 | included | $450 | |
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| itch.io (default) | 10% = $50 | ~$29.50 | $420 | |
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| Patreon (Pro) | 8% = $40 | 2.9%+$0.30 = ~$29.50 | $430 | |
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### At $2,000/month revenue (200 sales × $10) |
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| **Makenot.work** | 0% + ${{ tiers.standard.basic }}-${{ tiers.standard.everything }} sub | ~$118 | **$1,822-1,866** | |
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| Bandcamp | 15% = $300 | ~$118 | $1,582 | |
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| Gumroad | 10% = $200 | included | $1,800 | |
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| itch.io (default) | 10% = $200 | ~$118 | $1,682 | |
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| Patreon (Pro) | 8% = $160 | ~$118 | $1,722 | |
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### At $10,000/month revenue (1,000 sales × $10) |
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| **Makenot.work** | 0% + ${{ tiers.standard.basic }}-${{ tiers.standard.everything }} sub | ~$590 | **$9,350-9,394** | |
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| Bandcamp | 15% = $1,500 | ~$590 | $7,910 | |
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| Gumroad | 10% = $1,000 | included | $9,000 | |
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| itch.io (default) | 10% = $1,000 | ~$590 | $8,410 | |
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| Patreon (Pro) | 8% = $800 | ~$590 | $8,610 | |
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The flat-fee model becomes more favorable as revenue grows. At $10,000/month you save **$350-1,484/month** versus percentage-cut platforms: about $350-394 versus Gumroad at the low end, up to $1,440-1,484 versus Bandcamp at the high end. itch.io and Patreon sit between those two endpoints. |
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--- |
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## Feature Comparison |
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| Audio hosting + player | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | |
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| Video hosting + player | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | |
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| Software versioning + license keys | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | |
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| Git hosting | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
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| Memberships | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
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| Pay-what-you-want | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
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| Data export (full) | Yes | Partial | Yes | No | Partial | |
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| RSS feeds | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | |
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| Custom domains | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | |
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| Guest checkout (no account) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
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| Source-available code | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
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## Discovery Comparison |
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| Search by title/description | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
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| Tag/genre browsing | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
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| Filter by content type | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
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| Filter by price range | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | |
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| Sort by popularity | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
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| Chronological feed from follows | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | |
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| Editorial/staff picks | No | Yes | No | No | No | |
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| Algorithmic recommendations | No | No | No | No | Yes | |
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Discovery is driven entirely by fan intent: search, filters, tags, feeds, sorting. No algorithmic recommendations, behavioral tracking, or editorial curation. |
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## Pricing Model Comparison |
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| **Model** | Flat monthly (${{ tiers.standard.basic }}-${{ tiers.standard.everything }}) | % of revenue | % of revenue | % of revenue (optional) | % of revenue | |
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| **Platform cut** | 0% | 15% | 10% | 0-10% (creator sets) | 5-12% | |
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| **Processing** | ~3% (Stripe) | ~3% (Stripe) | included in 10% | ~3% | ~3% | |
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| **Break-even vs 15%** | ~$107-400/mo revenue | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
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| **Break-even vs 10%** | ~$160-600/mo revenue | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
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| **Break-even vs 8%** | ~$200-750/mo revenue | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
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Break-even is `subscription / platform-percentage`. Below that revenue, the percentage-cut platform costs you less; above it, the flat fee wins and the gap widens with every dollar earned. The ranges above span the Basic tier (${{ tiers.standard.basic }}) at the low end to Everything (${{ tiers.standard.everything }}) at the high end. |
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## What We Don't Do |
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Things other platforms offer that we deliberately exclude: |
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- **Algorithmic feed**: Content shown by fan choices, not engagement metrics |
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- **Promoted listings**: No paid placement in search or discover |
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- **DRM**: Purchased files are yours, unencrypted, forever |
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- **Advertising**: No ads on your pages or your fans' experience |
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- **Behavioral tracking**: No profiles, no fingerprinting, no cross-site tracking |
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These are design decisions, not missing features. See [What We Guarantee](./guarantees.md) for binding commitments. |
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## A Note on Ko-fi |
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Ko-fi isn't in the comparison above because it's a different category. Ko-fi is a payment widget you embed on a site you already run: link in bio, tip button, simple shop. The free tier charges 5% on memberships and shop sales; Ko-fi Gold removes that for ~$6-12/month depending on when you signed up. |
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If you already have your own website, mailing list, file hosting, and audience presence, and you just want a payments button, Ko-fi is the right service. Makenot.work is for creators who'd rather not assemble that stack themselves. Profile pages, project and item pages, forum, discovery, memberships, RSS, analytics, and data export come together as one platform, with one identity, on every tier. Pick the one that matches how you want to spend your time. |
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## When We're Not the Right Fit |
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Be honest about what you need: |
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- **You need algorithmic amplification.** If you have no existing audience and need a platform to surface your work via recommendations, Bandcamp's editorial picks or YouTube's algorithm will serve you better today. |
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- **You earn under $107/month.** A 10-15% cut costs less than our ${{ tiers.standard.basic }} minimum. itch.io's optional revenue share (including 0%) is hard to beat at small scale. |
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- **You need community features.** If comments, polls, and DMs with fans are core to your model, Patreon has those. We have forums. |
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- **You sell physical products.** We don't handle shipping, inventory, or physical fulfillment. |
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We'd rather you pick the right platform than sign up and be disappointed. |
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--- |
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## See Also |
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- [Platform Economics](/economics): What it costs to run, where the money goes |
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- [Pricing Tiers](../guide/tiers.md): What each tier includes |
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- [Our Story](./story.md): Why we built this |
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