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# How We Work |
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Flat fee. All your revenue passes through to you. |
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--- |
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## For Creators |
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1. **Sign up** and choose a pricing tier (${{ tiers.standard.basic }}-${{ tiers.standard.everything }}/month based on content type) |
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2. **Upload content**: text, audio, video, software, or digital files |
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3. **Organize** using hierarchical tags and projects |
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4. **Set pricing**: free, pay-what-you-want, fixed price, or membership |
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5. **Get paid**: 0% platform fee, only payment processing fees |
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## For Fans |
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1. **Browse** creator pages at `/u/username` |
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2. **Purchase or join a membership** to access content |
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3. **Download** files directly or stream in-browser |
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4. **Build a library** of purchased content |
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## Payment Flow |
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``` |
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Fan pays $10 |
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v |
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Payment processor |
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v |
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Funds held in creator's connected account |
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Creator withdraws on their schedule |
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``` |
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We never touch creator revenue. Payments go directly to creator-controlled payment accounts. |
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--- |
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## The Model |
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You pay a monthly tier fee based on content type (${{ tiers.standard.basic }}-${{ tiers.standard.everything }}). We take 0% of your fan revenue. The only deduction is the payment processing fee (~3%). No ads, no percentage cuts, no hidden fees. |
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### The Math |
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Stripe's US standard processing fee is `2.9% + $0.30 per transaction` (see [stripe.com/pricing](https://stripe.com/pricing)). The total depends on how many fan transactions you take, not just the gross dollars. The examples below assume an average fan transaction of **$10**. |
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At $1,000/month in fan revenue (≈100 transactions × $10): |
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- 10% platform cut = $100 to the platform |
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- Flat fee model = ${{ tiers.standard.basic }}-${{ tiers.standard.everything }} tier fee, plus Stripe: `100 × $0.30 + 2.9% × $1,000 = $30 + $29 = $59` processing |
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At $10,000/month (≈1,000 transactions × $10): |
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- 10% platform cut = $1,000 to the platform |
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- Flat fee model = same ${{ tiers.standard.basic }}-${{ tiers.standard.everything }} tier fee, plus Stripe: `1,000 × $0.30 + 2.9% × $10,000 = $300 + $290 = $590` processing |
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At $50,000/month (≈5,000 transactions × $10): |
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- 10% platform cut = $5,000 to the platform |
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- Flat fee model = same ${{ tiers.standard.basic }}-${{ tiers.standard.everything }} tier fee, plus Stripe: `5,000 × $0.30 + 2.9% × $50,000 = $1,500 + $1,450 = $2,950` processing |
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The gap widens as you grow. A percentage-cut platform is most expensive exactly when you're doing the best. Higher average transaction sizes shift more of Stripe's cost into the 2.9% line and away from the per-transaction $0.30; lower average sizes do the opposite. |
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--- |
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## Pricing |
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| **Basic** | ${{ tiers.standard.basic }} | Text, blogs, newsletters | {{ tier_limits.basic_per_file }} | {{ tier_limits.basic_total }} | |
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| **Small Files** | ${{ tiers.standard.small_files }} | Audio, software, plugins, sample packs | {{ tier_limits.small_files_per_file }} | {{ tier_limits.small_files_total }} | |
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| **Big Files** | ${{ tiers.standard.big_files }} | Video, games, large software | {{ tier_limits.big_files_per_file }} | {{ tier_limits.big_files_total }} | |
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| **Everything** | ${{ tiers.standard.everything }} | All features, current and future | {{ tier_limits.everything_per_file }} | {{ tier_limits.everything_total }} | |
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Every tier is a complete creator presence: your `/u/username` profile, project and item pages, a [project forum](https://forums.makenot.work), [Discover](/discover) listing, memberships, pay-what-you-want, promo codes, RSS feeds, [analytics](../guide/analytics.md), full data export, 0% platform fee on fan payments, and 2FA/passkeys. The tier picks the file-size envelope, not the feature set. Use the [pricing calculator](/pricing) to compare what you'd keep versus other platforms. |
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Monthly billing, no contracts, cancel anytime. An [earn-back credit program](./roadmap.md#earn-back-credit-program) is on the roadmap. See [Pricing Tiers](../guide/tiers.md) for full feature breakdowns, storage details, and tier selection guidance. See our [written guarantees](./guarantees.md) for pricing commitments. |
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## Your Data, Your Audience |
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Export everything, anytime: |
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- All uploaded content in original quality |
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- Complete metadata and organization |
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- Full fan/subscriber list (when fans consent to share contact info) |
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- Transaction and payment history |
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### What Leaving Looks Like |
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1. Export your data (instant, complete) |
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2. Download your fan contact list |
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3. Cancel your tier |
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4. Done |
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### Content Archive Policy |
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*Planned, not yet implemented. We intend to build this before leaving beta.* |
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Content that has been on the platform for 12 months or more would stay hosted even if you cancel. Your fans keep access. You just can't upload new content without reactivating. See our [written guarantees](./guarantees.md) for the full commitment. |
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--- |
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## Discovery: Intentional |
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The [Discover page](/discover) has search, tag browsing, content type filters, and sorting, but none of it tracks behavior or optimizes for engagement. Fans find your work through their own choices: a search, a tag, a follow. We call this [Discovery Through Exploration](../guide/discovery.md#discovery-through-exploration). |
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No recommendation engine, no behavioral profiling, no paid placement. Visibility comes from good metadata, accurate tags, and consistent publishing. See [Discovery](../guide/discovery.md) for the full picture. |
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## Community |
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Every project can have a discussion forum powered by [Multithreaded](https://forums.makenot.work): threaded conversations with no algorithmic sorting, built-in moderation tools, and a public mod log. The platform-wide forum handles feedback, feature requests, and creator-to-creator discussion. See [Forums](../support/forums.md). |
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## Source Available |
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The source code is public. Read it to verify anything we say on this site. |
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We use the PolyForm Noncommercial license rather than MIT or GPL because permissive licenses let corporations take community-built software and compete against its makers without giving anything back. PolyForm Noncommercial means anyone can read, audit, and learn from the code, but no company can clone this platform for profit. |
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Your content is never used to train AI models. See our [Generative AI Policy](./generative-ai.md) for how we define generative AI and how it affects what's allowed on the platform. |
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## Self-Funded |
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No outside investors. No debt. Nobody can make us raise prices, add ads, or sell the company. If we can't sustain this on creator tier fees, we'll wind down honestly, not pivot into something exploitative. |
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Prices won't go up unless infrastructure costs force it. If they ever do, we'll say exactly what changed, give 90 days notice, and grandfather everyone at their current rate. |
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### Where Your Money Goes |
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Surplus from creator tier fees funds, in order: operations and infrastructure (~${{ expenses.F_monthly }}/month today), the founder's wage, then reserves and platform development. No investors taking dividends, no board taking compensation. After 1.0 ships, surplus is also planned to fund a residency that would train engineers without traditional credentials into full-stack engineers, on a flat pay scale applied equally to every resident, with graduation rather than retention as the goal. See [Platform Economics](/economics) for the full financial breakdown. |
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## Who This Is For |
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Artists, musicians, writers, developers, and makers who: |
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- Are tired of platforms that profit more from their work than they do |
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- Have an audience (even small) or are building one through other channels |
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- Want direct relationships with their supporters |
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- Want to own their data, audience, and revenue |
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- Prefer predictable costs over percentage cuts |
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- Care about privacy and transparency |
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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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- [You're the Merchant of Record](./merchant-of-record.md): What it means, pros and cons, tax tools |
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- [Generative AI Policy](./generative-ai.md): Content tiers and disclosure requirements |
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- [What We Guarantee](./guarantees.md): Binding commitments, in writing |
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- [FAQ](../support/faq.md): Quick answers |
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