Chai Tip: A UPI Tip Jar Plugin for WordPress

If you write a blog in India, some readers want to say thanks with money. A small tip for a useful tutorial, a donation for a free tool you shared. The useful starting point is the payment method your readers already use, and whether you need one-time tips or recurring support. Chai Tip is a free WordPress plugin I built to fix that for Indian bloggers. It adds a UPI tip jar to your posts, and the money goes straight from the reader's UPI app to your own UPI ID. No separate plugin signup or plugin commission. You need an active UPI account with your bank or payment provider.

Why tipping is harder for Indian creators

Choose a payment method your readers can use. Ko-fi supports payments through PayPal or Stripe, while Tip Jar WP uses Stripe. Their account availability, supported payment methods and fees vary by provider and country.

A UPI tip jar is useful when your readers already have a supported UPI app. Chai Tip adds a UPI link and QR code to your WordPress site, so readers can choose that route without signing up for another tip platform.

How Chai Tip works

Chai Tip is a normal WordPress plugin. You install it, type your own UPI ID (the same one you use in GPay or PhonePe), and place the tip button or QR anywhere on your site using a block or shortcode. When a reader wants to tip, this is what happens:

1. The plugin generates a UPI payment link and a QR code for your UPI ID, drawn right in the reader's browser.
2. The reader scans the QR with any UPI app, or taps the link on their phone.
3. Their UPI app opens with your ID and the amount filled in. They confirm, and the money lands directly in your bank account through UPI.

There is no middleman in the payment itself. The plugin never touches the money: UPI moves it from the reader's bank account to yours. That is why there is no commission and no payout wait.

How to add a UPI tip jar to WordPress

The whole setup takes a few minutes:

1. Download Chai Tip free from rohitdangar.online/plugins and install it like any WordPress plugin (Plugins › Add New › Upload).
2. Open the Chai Tip settings and enter your UPI ID, for example yourname@okhdfcbank. Use your own personal or business UPI ID.
3. Add the tip block to a post, or paste the shortcode where you want the button to appear. You can set a suggested amount and a short thank-you message.
4. Preview the post on your phone and scan the QR once with your own UPI app to confirm everything resolves correctly.

Chai Tip vs other WordPress tip and donation options

Chai Tip is not the only way to accept tips, and it is not the right tool for everyone. Here is an honest comparison with the main alternatives I looked at before and after building it.

Simple UPI QR Code is the closest alternative. It is a clean, focused plugin that displays a UPI QR code through a shortcode with your ID, name and a custom label. If all you want is a static QR on one page, it does the job. Chai Tip adds a proper tip-jar flow on top: a button, suggested amounts, a block for the editor, and the QR generated in the browser.

Tip Jar WP is a polished option if your audience is international and pays by card. It supports recurring tips and multiple currencies, which Chai Tip does not. The trade-off is that it runs on Stripe, takes a 1% fee per tip on top of Stripe's own fees, and requires an HTTPS site and a Stripe account. Check Stripe availability and supported payment methods for your country before choosing it.

Ko-fi is a full platform with memberships, a shop and a follower feed. Ko-fi Free charges 0% on one-time tips, while Standard and other features can carry a 5% service fee. Payment processor fees also apply. It can fit creators who need memberships or a shop. Payments go directly to the creator's PayPal or Stripe account; availability and fees depend on the selected setup.

Where Chai Tip falls short

I want to be straight about the limits, so you pick the right tool:

• No recurring support. Chai Tip is for one-time tips. If you want monthly memberships, Ko-fi or Tip Jar WP handles that today.
• UPI only. Readers need an eligible UPI account and supported app; this is not a general international card-payment option. If half your audience is abroad, offer a second option next to it.
• No dashboard or analytics. Tips arrive in your UPI app like any other UPI payment. There is no supporter list or thank-you automation inside WordPress yet.

Who should use it

Chai Tip fits you if you run an Indian blog or content site, your readers mostly pay with UPI, and you want a simple, free way to accept one-time tips without a platform between you and your readers. If you need recurring memberships, an international card audience or built-in supporter management, one of the alternatives above will serve you better.

The plugin is free and open source under GPLv2+, the same license as WordPress. Download it, try it on a test post, and see how the flow feels on your own phone before you show it to readers.

Source check: 23 October 2026. Features and fees can change. Plugins page · Simple UPI QR Code · Tip Jar WP · Ko-fi fees · Ko-fi payments