Donations, Stores, and Keeping a Free App Alive

Free desktop apps die when the maintainer runs out of time or money. Time is the harder problem — it requires burnout management, co-maintainers, and a community that contributes. Money is the easier problem, in principle, but the funding channels available to a solo desktop developer are limited and each has trade-offs. This guide covers the realistic channels for funding a free Windows desktop app in 2026, the trade-offs of each, and the one channel that is a bad fit for clipboard software specifically: ads. For related reading, see how to cite open-source tools in a roundup fairly, translating a desktop utility into 30 languages, what local-first software means for clipboard apps, and why some clipboard apps will never sync.

Why this matters

A free, open-source desktop app is a gift. The maintainer wrote it, published the source, and let anyone use it without payment. That gift is sustainable as long as the maintainer has the time and the motivation to keep it alive. When either runs out, the app goes quiet. See bus factor: what if a solo app goes quiet.

Funding does not solve the bus-factor problem directly, but it helps in two ways:

1. It buys time. A maintainer who earns enough from donations to work on the app one day a week can keep it alive longer than one who works on it only on weekends.
2. It signals demand. A maintainer who sees steady donations knows the app is valued, which is motivating. A maintainer who sees zero donations for a year may quietly lose interest.

The realistic goal of funding is not "the maintainer quits their job." It is "the maintainer keeps the app alive for another year, and another, and another."

The realistic channels

Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee

Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee are tip-jar services. The user clicks a link, pays a small amount (often $3–$10), and the maintainer gets the money minus a small platform fee. Both support one-off payments and recurring memberships.

• Strengths: low friction, no commitment, supports both one-off and recurring.
• Weaknesses: discoverability is low (the user has to find the link), and the platform fee is real.
• Best for: the casual supporter who wants to throw $5 at a tool they use.

Ko-fi is widely used by open-source maintainers. The Edge-Drop project has a Ko-fi link in its README; donations fund continued development.

GitHub Sponsors

GitHub Sponsors is GitHub's built-in funding channel. It supports one-off and recurring sponsorships, with no platform fee (GitHub covers the payment processing). Sponsors are listed on the maintainer's profile.

• Strengths: integrated with the source repository, no platform fee, sponsor visibility.
• Weaknesses: requires a Stripe-connected bank account, which is not available in every country.
• Best for: developers already on GitHub who want recurring revenue.

GitHub Sponsors is the cleanest option for maintainers who can use it. The country limitation is real; not every maintainer can.

UPI and direct bank transfer

UPI (Unified Payments Interface) is an Indian payment system that allows direct bank-to-bank transfers with no fee. For maintainers in India, a UPI ID in the README lets supporters send money with no platform cut. Similar systems exist in other regions: Pix in Brazil, PromptPay in Thailand, WeChat Pay and Alipay in China.

• Strengths: no platform fee, instant transfer, works for small amounts.
• Weaknesses: region-specific, requires the supporter to use the same payment system.
• Best for: maintainers and supporters in the same region, especially India.

Edge-Drop's README lists a UPI ID alongside the Ko-fi link, reflecting the maintainer's location. The pattern is common for solo developers in regions where UPI or Pix is dominant.

Microsoft Store (paid or free with paid features)

The Microsoft Store supports both paid apps and free apps with in-app purchases. For a desktop utility, the realistic patterns are:

• Free on Store, donate elsewhere. The Store listing is for discoverability; the donation link is in the app or the README.
• Paid on Store. A small price ($2–$10) for the Store version, with the source still free. Users who want to support pay; users who want free install from source.
• Free on Store, paid "Pro" tier. The free version has the core feature set; the paid version adds extras. This is less common for open-source desktop utilities, because the source is available and a paid tier is easy to fork around.

• Strengths: discoverability, Microsoft handles payments and updates.
• Weaknesses: Store takes a 15% cut (reduced from 30% in 2021), Store builds do not auto-update for some installers, and the Store's review process is slower than direct distribution.
• Best for: reach to non-technical users who install from the Store by default.

Edge-Drop is available on the Microsoft Store as an MSIX, in addition to the GitHub NSIS installer. Both builds are free.

Patreon

Patreon is a membership platform, primarily for creators with an audience. For a desktop utility maintainer, Patreon is viable only if the maintainer produces content (blog posts, videos, dev logs) alongside the app. Pure-app Patreons are rare.

• Strengths: recurring revenue, membership tiers.
• Weaknesses: requires content production alongside the app, platform fee is 5–12%.
• Best for: maintainers who already produce content.

Consulting and custom work

For maintainers with marketable skills, the highest-revenue channel is often consulting: paid integration work, custom features, or support contracts. A maintainer who charges $100–$200/hour for custom work on their open-source tool can earn more from a few hours of consulting than from a year of small donations.

• Strengths: high revenue per hour, builds relationships with users who have real budgets.
• Weaknesses: not scalable, requires the maintainer to be available, can distract from the core app.
• Best for: maintainers with in-demand skills and the time to take on occasional work.

A summary table

The pattern: low-friction channels (Ko-fi, UPI) are good for small one-offs; medium-friction channels (Store, Patreon) are good for recurring; consulting is good for high-revenue occasional work. Most maintainers use a mix.

Why ads on a clipboard are a bad idea

Ads on a clipboard manager are a privacy problem waiting to happen. The reasoning:

1. Ads require tracking. An ad network needs to know what ad to show, which means it collects data about the user. For a desktop utility, this means the app sends data about usage, location, and possibly content to the ad network.
2. A clipboard sees everything. The clipboard contains passwords, API keys, private messages, financial data, and personal information. Any data the app sends to a third party is a leak.
3. The combination is dangerous. An ad SDK in a clipboard manager has access to the clipboard's content. Even if the SDK is honest, the temptation to "improve ad relevance" by reading the clipboard is real, and the SDK's data retention policy applies to whatever it collects.
4. The user cannot consent meaningfully. A user who installs a clipboard manager is not expecting their copies to be sent to an ad network. The consent dialog, if there is one, is a click-through that most users will not read.

The honest summary: ads on a clipboard manager are not a funding model. They are a privacy violation with a funding model attached. Edge-Drop does not show ads, does not plan to show ads, and the recommendation to anyone considering an ads-funded clipboard manager is to pick a different tool.

For more on the privacy angle, see telemetry-free desktop utilities: how to check and what local-first software means for clipboard apps.

The honest case for Edge-Drop's funding

Edge-Drop is free, Apache-2.0, and funded through a combination of Ko-fi and UPI. The maintainer also has a GitHub Sponsors page. The Microsoft Store listing is free; there is no paid tier. There are no ads.

The realistic goal of this funding mix is not "the maintainer quits their job." It is "the maintainer keeps the app alive, pays for ongoing costs (signing certificate, Store developer account, hosting), and is motivated to continue." Donations fund these. For users who want to support, the Ko-fi and UPI links are in the README.

This is the honest posture. It is not a promise of perpetual development, and it is not a promise of new features. It is a statement that the app is free, the source is open, and donations keep it alive. For more on the broader scope, see what Edge-Drop is not trying to become.

What users can do

For users who want to support a free desktop app:

1. Donate. Even $5 helps, especially if it is recurring. A maintainer with 20 supporters at $5/month has a clear signal of demand.
2. Contribute. If you can code, write docs, translate, or file good bug reports, your time is worth more than your money. See translating a desktop utility into 30 languages for one specific contribution path.
3. Share. Tell other users about the tool. A larger user base means more potential supporters and contributors.
4. Be patient. Free software is maintained by humans with limited time. Bug reports that are polite, specific, and reproducible are more useful than ones that demand immediate fixes.

The combination of these is what keeps free desktop apps alive. Funding is part of it, but it is not the whole story.

Related reading

• Translating a Desktop Utility Into 30 Languages
• Accessibility Bar for Overlay Utilities
• What Local-First Software Means for Clipboard Apps
• How to Enable Clipboard History in Windows 11

Sources

• Ko-fi — Creator documentation — official Ko-fi documentation for creators, including fees and payout options
• GitHub Sponsors — Documentation — official GitHub Sponsors documentation, including supported countries and fee structure
• Microsoft Learn — Microsoft Store developer agreement — official Store policies, including the 15% revenue share and content rules
• National Payments Corporation of India — UPI — official overview of UPI, the payment system commonly used for direct donations in India
• OWASP — Software supply chain — community reference for the risks third-party SDKs (including ad SDKs) introduce in desktop utilities

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