Guide 2026

Stream donation fees, worked out in dollars

Every tip pays two fees: one to the tip platform and one to the payment processor. Comparing tools on the headline percentage alone gives the wrong answer. This guide runs the numbers in dollars, including how DonoLink stacks up against PayPal, Super Chat, Bits and the 0% tools.

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At a glance

DonoLink: 3.5% per successful tip, no monthly plan.
Stripe: 2.9% + 30¢ per card payment, charged to your account.
A $10 card tip leaves you $9.06.
International cards add 1.5% at Stripe.

Check what you keep

Open the fee calculator on the donolink.us homepage.
Pick your usual tip amount in dollars.
Note how most of your viewers pay: card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Track the actual net of each tip in your dashboard.

Worked examples in dollars

The table uses Stripe's published US card rate of 2.9% + 30¢. On a $5 tip Stripe takes $0.45 and DonoLink $0.18, so you keep $4.37; on $10 you keep $9.06, and on $25 Stripe takes $1.03 and DonoLink $0.88, leaving you $23.09.

Apple Pay and Google Pay are charged like a card, at the same 2.9% + 30¢. Checkout always uses the actual fee for the method used, so your dashboard shows the exact net for every tip.

DonoLink vs PayPal on small tips

PayPal is often the default for small tips. On a $5 tip PayPal takes about 66¢, slightly more than DonoLink and Stripe together, and the two break even around $6.50. Above that the gap is small either way.

What differs is the rest: PayPal can hold funds for up to 21 days for new sellers, and disputes around $20 are not protected. With DonoLink the money lands on your own Stripe account and every tip triggers an alert.

Platform money costs more

Direct tips beat most platform features on what you keep. Twitch Bits leave you around 71% and subs around 50%. YouTube Super Chat pays out 70% and TikTok LIVE gifts around half. Buy Me a Coffee charges 5% and Patreon 10% on new pages.

To be fair: Streamlabs, StreamElements and Fourthwall take 0% on tips, and Ko-fi does too once its 5% Contributor fee is switched off. DonoLink is not the cheapest, but 3.5% buys a tip page, alerts and payouts on your own Stripe account in one place.

When the viewer covers the fee

At checkout a viewer can choose to cover the DonoLink fee, so the tip reaches you without it. Stripe's processing fee stays with you.

Compare tools the right way

Before you switch:

Pick your typical tip, like $5 or $10.
Add the platform fee and the processing fee.
Look at what lands in your bank account.
Count payout fees, currency fees and monthly plans too.

Tip	Fees (Stripe + DonoLink)	You keep
$5	$0.45 + $0.18	$4.37
$10	$0.59 + $0.35	$9.06
$25	$1.03 + $0.88	$23.09

Card payment at Stripe's published US rate, October 2026. International cards cost 1.5% more.

Frequently asked questions

How much does DonoLink take from a $10 tip?

35¢, which is 3.5%. Stripe takes 59¢ on a card payment, so you keep $9.06.

Is DonoLink cheaper than PayPal for tips?

Roughly the same. On a $5 tip PayPal takes about 66¢, slightly more than DonoLink and Stripe together, and the two break even around $6.50. The difference is payouts and disputes, not the fee.

Is DonoLink cheaper than Streamlabs?

No. Streamlabs, StreamElements and Fourthwall take 0% on tips, and so does Ko-fi once its Contributor fee is off. Streamlabs does charge a 0.5% withdrawal fee, 2% on currency conversion and $15 per chargeback, so compare the whole picture.

Does it cost anything to get paid?

DonoLink charges no payout fee. Stripe pays out to your US bank account in dollars on your payout schedule.

Sources checked on 26 October 2026

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