Reward the Fediverse, on your own terms
FediPay is a user-owned, federated tool for supporting creators and Free/Open Source Software—based on what you actually read, watch, and use.
You set a monthly budget. FediPay privately tracks your consumption and suggests a fair split—so your money follows your attention, not an algorithm.
The Problem
You moved to the Fediverse to escape centralized platforms. But when you want to pay the people you follow, you're sent right back to centralized services with platform fees and lock-in.
The Platform Tax
Patreon, Ko-fi, and BuyMeACoffee take 5-15% of every contribution. That's money that should go to creators.
Data Lock-in
These platforms own the relationship between you and creators. They can change rules or de-platform anyone, anytime.
Subscription Chaos
You end up with a dozen different subscriptions across a dozen different sites. It's messy, expensive, and hard to manage.
Guesswork
You have to guess who to support and how much. There's no connection between what you consume and who you pay.
The FediPay Solution
FediPay brings the "federated" philosophy to payments. It's not a platform—it's a protocol for patronage.
🔒 User-Controlled
Your rules, your budget, your data. Your browsing history stays on your device or your private server—never sent to a central platform.
🕵️ Privacy-First
Tracking is opt-in, local-first, and designed to stay under your control. You choose what to track and what to exclude.
🌐 Federated
Host your own FediPay server or join a community-run instance. Just like email or Mastodon—no single point of control.
💻 FOSS-Friendly
Support not just content creators, but the developers of the Free and Open Source Software you use every day.
⚖️ Usage-Based
Instead of guessing, FediPay calculates a fair split based on who you actually engage with—reading, watching, using.
🔓 No Lock-in
Creators don't need to "join" anything. They just add payment info to their profile or website. You can switch servers anytime.
How It Works
FediPay has three simple parts working together:
Track (Privately)
Install the FediPay browser extension or use a compatible app. It records lightweight "usage events"—like reading a post or watching a video—without uploading the content itself.
Your data stays on your device or your personal server. No central tracking, no surveillance.
Allocate (Fairly)
Set a monthly budget (e.g., £10). At the end of the month, FediPay calculates who you engaged with and suggests a fair percentage for each creator.
You have full control: set caps per creator, exclude accounts, pin favorites, or manually override the suggestions.
Reward (Your Choice)
Review your "payout plan" and approve it. In the current phase, FediPay helps you decide who to pay and how much—you handle the actual payment via existing methods.
Automated federated settlement (server-to-server transfers) is on the roadmap.
Built for Creators and Contributors
The Fediverse is full of people doing meaningful work—often without reliable income. FediPay is designed to help you support them all.
🎨 For Users
Support the artists, writers, podcasters, and filmmakers you actually follow—without juggling a dozen subscriptions.
- Set one monthly budget
- See who you actually spent time with
- Get a fair, transparent payout plan
- Support FOSS projects you use daily
✨ For Creators
Get paid for your contribution to the commons—without joining another centralized platform or paying hefty fees.
- No platform fees (only transaction costs)
- Keep control of your audience relationship
- Add payment info to your profile or site
- Works across the Fediverse and beyond
🛠️ For FOSS Developers
Get recognized and rewarded for the libraries, tools, and systems that power the digital world.
- Users can track app usage (opt-in)
- Link your project to your funding info
- Support individual contributors
- Built by FOSS, for FOSS
Project Status
FediPay is early-stage and being built in public as Free Open Source Software.
📍 Current Phase: Allocation
We're building the "sensor" (browser extension) and the "brain" (server) to help you calculate who to pay and how much. Actual payments are handled manually for now.
🔜 Next: Broader Coverage
Expanding beyond ActivityPub to RSS/WordPress, podcasts, and more FOSS integrations. Plus SDKs for app developers.
🔮 Future: Federated Settlement
Server-to-server credit settlement to reduce transaction costs—with careful attention to legal and regulatory realities.
Get Started
FediPay is in active development. Here's how you can get involved:
1. Install the Extension
Status: Coming soon
A browser extension for Chrome/Chromium (Manifest v3) and Firefox is in development. It will privately track your Fediverse usage and sync to your FediPay server.
2. Run a Server
Status: In development
The FediPay server is the "brain" that aggregates your usage data and calculates allocations. You can self-host or join a community instance.
3. Follow the Project
Stay updated:
4. Contribute
FediPay is FOSS and built in the open. We welcome contributions from developers, designers, writers, and community builders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is FediPay a payment platform?
Not at first. The initial goal is to make it easy to compute a fair allocation plan—without requiring custody of funds. Think of it as "Spotify Wrapped for patronage" that helps you decide who to support.
Does FediPay track everything I do?
No. Tracking is opt-in, designed to be minimal, and intended to stay under your control. You choose what to enable, what to exclude, and where your data lives.
Can I use it for things outside the Fediverse?
Not yet, but it's on the roadmap. We're starting with ActivityPub (Mastodon, PeerTube, etc.), then expanding to RSS/WordPress, podcasts, and FOSS projects.
How is this different from Patreon?
Patreon is a centralized platform that takes a cut and controls the relationship. FediPay is a protocol—you own your data, choose your server, and creators don't need to "join" anything.
What about transaction fees?
Transaction fees are unavoidable (banks, payment processors, etc.). FediPay is designed to minimize them through batching, thresholds, and (eventually) federated settlement between servers.
Can I help build this?
Absolutely! FediPay is FOSS and built in public. Check out the GitHub repos, read the docs, and get in touch.