SamPerson

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.

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, 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.

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.

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 am currently opening the service in batches, you can join the waitlist to get access :)

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. :)

Hey HN, over the past few months I have been working on miko forms which replaces traditional user onboarding forms with AI based chat that collects the data through conversations, making onboarding for users much less tedious and fun filled!