I built one of these for phantom and Solana. the problem is there are just too many steps involved with building the page, and then it's too slow. I wanted to replace online display ads with a JavaScript widget that would charge you 3 cents as you scroll down the page, or have the "more inside" button charge users 3 cents or whatever. Didn't get to that part, but everything was just so clunky that it only really worked as a tech demo.
The problem is that crypto people already know crypto and have a wallet. It's the people that don't know crypto and are repulsed by it that you have to convince that hey, here's a valid use case for crypto (micropayments) but you have to do all this work before you can use it, and while the rails are there, it's just too immature.
That’s a super thoughtful take — and honestly, I agree with you on a lot of it. The idea of using micropayments to replace display ads is so compelling, especially for content that’s currently ad-saturated. I’ve thought about this too — like charging a few cents to unlock parts of a page, or to keep reading — but yeah, the UX just isn’t there yet for non-crypto folks.
You nailed the core problem: crypto-native users are fine jumping through hoops, but if you’re trying to use crypto to convert or prove a use case to the average user, the bar is just too high. Wallets, gas, confirmations — it feels like asking them to learn how to solder a circuit just to turn on a light.
That’s part of why I kept Fundhog super minimal: no sign-ups, no tokens, just “send crypto to a wallet” with a nice-looking page in the middle. But I totally hear you — there’s still a lot of friction under the hood.
I think the next wave of tools (especially with account abstraction and gasless UX on chains like Polygon/Base) might actually make something like your vision feasible in the near future. Would love to jam more if you ever decide to revisit the widget idea — I think it's a powerful concept.
I also had an idea for Bitcoin entirely that was mostly build on Escrow, and I saw a startup at YC that was focusing on Base chain. The fact that this is targeted for ETH is super great.
I want to understand more on how you receive and off-ramp your donations because if it was only for USDC (which also complies with EU regulations) I knew how a normal workflow would go.
Thanks, really appreciate that — and your Bitcoin + escrow idea sounds interesting too. There’s definitely a lot of untapped UX potential in that space.
Right now, the donation flow is super simple and fully on-chain:
- The creator shares a unique page tied to their wallet address.
- Supporters send ETH, MATIC, or any ERC-20 directly to that address — no intermediaries, no custody.
- Funds are instantly available in the creator’s wallet.
There's no built-in off-ramp yet, but I’m looking into ways to plug into services like Coinbase Commerce, etc.
USDC is definitely on my radar since it’s widely accepted and has regulatory traction in the EU/US. I’d love to support flows where creators can auto-convert or cash out.
Who's your target market here? People who want to donate or people who want to receive donations?
Is this a business or a hobby? Ie do you expect it to get revenue? Or are you just doing it to pass the time until something more interesting comes along? (Both are OK, but it helps to know.)
If a business where do you expect your revenue to come from? Separate donations? A commission on donations?
Target market is content creators(so, people who receive donations). I am doing it as kind of a side gig, might get more serious if people actually show interest.
Currently the project will primarily run from donations, I might convert to a commission based model if there's traffic and interest. :)
I agree the funnel is narrow, especially early on. This kind of platform naturally faces a “cold start” problem: creators show up hoping for donors, but without initial traffic or discoverability, things can feel quiet.
Currently to deal with this scenario, I am focusing on:
1. Have a smooth frictionless setup - just connect your wallet and send you donation.
2. For the initial phase I would be focusing on creators with an already existing audience who have a preference to donate with crypto and to give creators a way to monetize where they already are (Twitter, Telegram, personal sites, etc.).
3. I’ll be relying on this myself to fund development. If other builders on HN or elsewhere support the project, great. If not, I’ll learn fast whether this is worth iterating or pivoting.
I don’t expect thousands of users overnight, but even a small group of crypto-native creators using this and giving feedback will be valuable.
I'm curious about your target market, as well — is there a substantial amount of people who would be willing to donate in crypto, who wouldn't donate with PayPal/Stripe?
I just started getting into ko-fi, and I'm wondering from a content creator perspective in which cases your product should be my choice over the classic players (patreon, bymeacoffee, ko-fi). Good luck tho :)
Back when I had a small YouTube channel and a Patreon, I actually had 5 or 6 people ask if they could donate in crypto — but I didn’t even have a wallet set up at the time. That really stuck with me. It made me realize there is a niche group of supporters who are deep into crypto and prefer using it over PayPal or Stripe, whether for privacy, convenience, or just because that’s where they keep their funds.
I’m not trying to replace platforms like Ko-fi or Patreon — they’re great. But I think there’s room for a crypto-native alternative that’s simple, creator-friendly, and doesn’t feel like a finance app. If you already have crypto-savvy followers (or are active in Web3 circles), that’s where this could really shine.
I built one of these for phantom and Solana. the problem is there are just too many steps involved with building the page, and then it's too slow. I wanted to replace online display ads with a JavaScript widget that would charge you 3 cents as you scroll down the page, or have the "more inside" button charge users 3 cents or whatever. Didn't get to that part, but everything was just so clunky that it only really worked as a tech demo.
The problem is that crypto people already know crypto and have a wallet. It's the people that don't know crypto and are repulsed by it that you have to convince that hey, here's a valid use case for crypto (micropayments) but you have to do all this work before you can use it, and while the rails are there, it's just too immature.
That’s a super thoughtful take — and honestly, I agree with you on a lot of it. The idea of using micropayments to replace display ads is so compelling, especially for content that’s currently ad-saturated. I’ve thought about this too — like charging a few cents to unlock parts of a page, or to keep reading — but yeah, the UX just isn’t there yet for non-crypto folks.
You nailed the core problem: crypto-native users are fine jumping through hoops, but if you’re trying to use crypto to convert or prove a use case to the average user, the bar is just too high. Wallets, gas, confirmations — it feels like asking them to learn how to solder a circuit just to turn on a light.
That’s part of why I kept Fundhog super minimal: no sign-ups, no tokens, just “send crypto to a wallet” with a nice-looking page in the middle. But I totally hear you — there’s still a lot of friction under the hood.
I think the next wave of tools (especially with account abstraction and gasless UX on chains like Polygon/Base) might actually make something like your vision feasible in the near future. Would love to jam more if you ever decide to revisit the widget idea — I think it's a powerful concept.
it's still up at micropayments.fyi
Getting a 404 from the linked page (https://fundhog.bunnylabs.dev/) right now, unfortunately.
Hey this issue should be fixed now :), I was moving it to a new domain, messed up the dns config of the deployment. You can also checkout fundhog.xyz
Hey guys, you can checkout the v1 page here: https://fundhog.xyz/ Let me know what you guys think :)
I also had an idea for Bitcoin entirely that was mostly build on Escrow, and I saw a startup at YC that was focusing on Base chain. The fact that this is targeted for ETH is super great.
I want to understand more on how you receive and off-ramp your donations because if it was only for USDC (which also complies with EU regulations) I knew how a normal workflow would go.
Thanks, really appreciate that — and your Bitcoin + escrow idea sounds interesting too. There’s definitely a lot of untapped UX potential in that space.
Right now, the donation flow is super simple and fully on-chain:
- The creator shares a unique page tied to their wallet address.
- Supporters send ETH, MATIC, or any ERC-20 directly to that address — no intermediaries, no custody.
- Funds are instantly available in the creator’s wallet.
There's no built-in off-ramp yet, but I’m looking into ways to plug into services like Coinbase Commerce, etc.
USDC is definitely on my radar since it’s widely accepted and has regulatory traction in the EU/US. I’d love to support flows where creators can auto-convert or cash out.
Who's your target market here? People who want to donate or people who want to receive donations?
Is this a business or a hobby? Ie do you expect it to get revenue? Or are you just doing it to pass the time until something more interesting comes along? (Both are OK, but it helps to know.)
If a business where do you expect your revenue to come from? Separate donations? A commission on donations?
Target market is content creators(so, people who receive donations). I am doing it as kind of a side gig, might get more serious if people actually show interest. Currently the project will primarily run from donations, I might convert to a commission based model if there's traffic and interest. :)
So, if 1000 content creators sign up, but there are no donors...?
What will be really interesting to see is if people who accept donations will donate to you.
I wish you well, but honestly it seems like your funnel is really really small...
I agree the funnel is narrow, especially early on. This kind of platform naturally faces a “cold start” problem: creators show up hoping for donors, but without initial traffic or discoverability, things can feel quiet. Currently to deal with this scenario, I am focusing on: 1. Have a smooth frictionless setup - just connect your wallet and send you donation. 2. For the initial phase I would be focusing on creators with an already existing audience who have a preference to donate with crypto and to give creators a way to monetize where they already are (Twitter, Telegram, personal sites, etc.). 3. I’ll be relying on this myself to fund development. If other builders on HN or elsewhere support the project, great. If not, I’ll learn fast whether this is worth iterating or pivoting.
I don’t expect thousands of users overnight, but even a small group of crypto-native creators using this and giving feedback will be valuable.
I'm curious about your target market, as well — is there a substantial amount of people who would be willing to donate in crypto, who wouldn't donate with PayPal/Stripe?
I just started getting into ko-fi, and I'm wondering from a content creator perspective in which cases your product should be my choice over the classic players (patreon, bymeacoffee, ko-fi). Good luck tho :)
Hey, thanks for the thoughtful question!
Back when I had a small YouTube channel and a Patreon, I actually had 5 or 6 people ask if they could donate in crypto — but I didn’t even have a wallet set up at the time. That really stuck with me. It made me realize there is a niche group of supporters who are deep into crypto and prefer using it over PayPal or Stripe, whether for privacy, convenience, or just because that’s where they keep their funds.
I’m not trying to replace platforms like Ko-fi or Patreon — they’re great. But I think there’s room for a crypto-native alternative that’s simple, creator-friendly, and doesn’t feel like a finance app. If you already have crypto-savvy followers (or are active in Web3 circles), that’s where this could really shine.
Interesting, thanks for the reply. Seems reasonable :)
nice idea! when will it be released ?
I am currently opening the service in batches, you can join the waitlist to get access :)