— Comparison guide —
The Tree Stools vs Buy Me a Coffee
Updated 2 August 2026
Buy Me a Coffee made creator tipping simple: a button, a coffee, a thank-you. If you're searching for a Buy Me a Coffee alternative, though, it's usually because the coffee button feels a little cold — a one-off payment with nowhere for your audience to gather. The Tree Stools takes the same idea and puts it in a pub in the West of Ireland.
The short version
| Buy Me a Coffee | The Tree Stools | |
|---|---|---|
| The gesture | Buy a coffee | Buy a pint by the fire |
| Feel | A tip button on your page | A virtual Irish pub you invite people into |
| Supporter account | Optional | Not needed — guests can buy a pint in seconds |
| Where money lands | Platform-held balance / payouts | Straight into your own Stripe account |
| Platform cut | A percentage of each tip | The pub keeps 10%; Stripe's fee comes from your share |
| Community | Mostly one-to-one | A shared bar, featured creators, and rounds |
| Identity checks | Standard | Stripe legal-details matching before you can take pints |
A transaction versus a round
On a coffee page, support ends the moment the payment clears. In a pub, buying a round is a social act — it happens in front of other people, it gets acknowledged, and it gives everyone a reason to stay. The Tree Stools is built around that: a hearth, a bar where your supporters can see each other, and a public page that reads like your corner of the snug rather than a checkout form.
Fees and payouts, plainly
The pub keeps 10% of each pint. Stripe's processing fee comes out of your share, and the money lands directly in your own Stripe account on Stripe's normal payout schedule — we never hold your balance. Because processing fees differ by card type, two €5 pints can settle at slightly different amounts.
Trust and authenticity
Impersonation is the quiet risk with any tipping link. Before a creator here can accept pints, the legal details on their Stripe account must match their profile, and every public page carries one verified official link plus a way to report a suspect account. That's a deliberate step beyond a simple tip button.
Who should stay with Buy Me a Coffee
If you want memberships, digital product sales, and a large existing directory, Buy Me a Coffee is a solid, mature choice. The Tree Stools is for creators whose audience is a community — trad musicians, racing and sports pages, local storytellers, podcasters — who'd rather be bought a pint than a coffee.
Try it in a minute
Have a look around The Bar, browse creators, or set up your own page and start taking pints.