How donations pay

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Pay what you want

Remy wants to put a small weekend web game on itch.io, a store for indie games. It will be free, with a button saying "Enjoyed it? Pay what you want."

That is the donation model: players choose whether to pay, and how much. Nothing is locked. It sounds generous, and it is. But how much does it really earn?

How itch.io handles the money

On itch.io, the developer sets the price: a minimum (it can be $0) and a suggested amount. Players can always pay more.

itch.io is unusual: the developer chooses the share itch.io keeps, from 0% to 100%. At the time of writing the default is 10%. Payment processing fees are taken on top. The rest is paid out to the studio's account.

Quick check

On itch.io, the developer chooses how big a share itch.io keeps.

Show the answer

True

itch.io lets each developer set its share, with 10% as the default at the time of writing. Most stores set a fixed share instead.

Tip jars and supporter perks

Read the numbers

itch-month.txt
Weekend game on itch.io, first monthDownloads                    2,000Players who paid                20Average payment              $3.00itch.io share (we set it)      10%

Before payment processing fees, how much reaches the studio?

  1. $60
  2. $54
  3. $6
  4. $5,400
Show the answer

$54

20 players paid $3 each, which is $60. itch.io keeps 10%, so $6. $60 minus $6 leaves $54. Notice that only 1 in 100 players paid.

Tips, fixed fees and monthly supporters

Card fees have a fixed part, so a $1 tip loses about a third of itself to fees (the Stripe lesson does the maths). That is why tip jars often suggest $3 or $5, already filled in.

Some studios add memberships on sites like Patreon or Ko-fi: fans pay a small amount every month, often for devlogs or early looks. Steady monthly money is easier to plan with than one-off tips. The site keeps a share plus payment fees, so check the latest. Memberships renew by themselves, so supporters must be adults, or have a parent's permission, and must be able to cancel easily.

Why donations rarely pay the bills

Most players never donate, often fewer than in freemium, because nothing is for sale. Donations also go up and down from month to month, so they are hard to plan around.

Compare that with costs: the Apple Developer Program alone is US$99 every year. Donations work best as a bonus for small, free projects, not as the only plan for a studio.

Honest about the money

Donors trust us, so we tell them what their money is for, like art tools or the store fees. We never guilt-trip players, and we never promise what we can't deliver.

A real business detail: a "donation" to a company is not a charity gift. It is business revenue, recorded in our books and taxed like any sale.

Fix the message

Which support message should go under Remy's game?

  1. Pay now or this game will be deleted tomorrow!
  2. Enjoyed the game? A tip helps pay for our art tools and store fees. Thank you!
  3. Everyone who donates gets the strongest plant in the game
Show the answer

Enjoyed the game? A tip helps pay for our art tools and store fees. Thank you!

The honest message says what the money is for and leaves the choice to the player. The others use fear or sell an unfair advantage.

Who holds the account, and what is next

To receive money, itch.io and support platforms need a payout account and tax details. They are contracts about getting paid, so they need an adult account holder. You and a parent set them up together, connected to the company and its bank account.

Bolt says: Next lesson: how ads pay, the model behind Garden Defense.

Fact-checked 9 October 2026