criar-produto-ia-kiwify
Kiwify grew by positioning itself as "Hotmart with lower fees" (4.49% + $0.25 vs 9.9% + $0.30). For a beginner course creator, that difference is real. But for selling a recurring AI SaaS product, the game changes: Kiwify wasn't designed for AI, has no agent builder, no BYOK support, and the recurring fee still erodes margin.
The model generating sustainable MRR in 2026 is different: independent SaaS with direct Stripe Connect. Instead of paying 4.49% on every monthly charge, you only pay the flat subscription of a platform like Member AI and keep 0% sales fee. This post explains why and how.
Why Kiwify attracts AI sellers
- Lower fee than Hotmart. 4.49% + $0.25 vs 9.9% + $0.30 — about 5% savings per sale.
- Native recurring with no configuration hack.
- Clean checkout, modern UX, generally good conversion.
- Pixel + tracking work well for Meta Ads and Google Ads.
These points make Kiwify a good option for selling recurring courses. The problem appears when the product is AI.
The 4 Kiwify limitations for AI SaaS products
- No agent builder. Kiwify delivers a member area for courses/content. There's no tool to build a conversational agent trained on your PDFs. You'd have to build the AI on another platform and link.
- No BYOK. You can't plug your OpenAI/Anthropic key into Kiwify. To have AI, you need another SaaS — stacking costs.
- Custom domain is template-based. It exists, but the customer notices they're on a standard member area, not on your unique SaaS.
- 4.49% recurring fee bleeds throughout the year. At 200 subscribers x $19/month: $2,500/year in Kiwify fees. At 500: $6,200/year.
The alternative: direct SaaS with Stripe Connect
Member AI solves in one product what would require Kiwify + external AI SaaS: agent builder + own checkout + BYOK + custom domain.
You build the agent in ~15 minutes (master prompt + knowledge base + contextual memory), point your domain with auto SSL, connect your Stripe Connect account and bill directly in BRL/USD/EUR. Member AI charges only the flat plan subscription (starting at $19/month) — 0% on every recurring sale.
Kiwify vs Member AI: financial comparison
Concrete scenario: 200 subscribers, $19/month, 12 months.
| Kiwify + external AI | Member AI + direct Stripe |
|---|
| Annual gross revenue | $45,600 | $45,600 |
| Kiwify fee (4.49% + $0.25) | −$2,650 | $0 |
| External AI SaaS (~$160/month) | −$1,920 | $0 |
| Member AI Pro ($59/month flat) | $0 | −$708 |
| Direct Stripe (~3.99% + $0.08) | $0 | −$2,011 |
| AI cost via BYOK (~$1.60/user/month) | −$3,840 | −$3,840 |
| Annual net | $37,190 | $39,041 |
12-month difference at 200 subscribers: +$1,851 going to direct SaaS. At 500 subscribers, the difference exceeds $5k. And you get a unified SaaS product instead of two stacked SaaS (Kiwify + external AI) with fragile integration.
Step-by-step for an AI SaaS from scratch
- Member AI account (Starter $19 or Pro $59, depending on volume).
- Build the agent in ~15 min — full tutorial.
- BYOK: plug your OpenAI/Anthropic/Google key.
- Custom domain with auto SSL.
- Stripe Connect: link your Stripe account directly, receive in BRL/USD/EUR.
- Configure plans and trial (monthly/annual, 7 or 14 free days).
- Launch on
yourdomain.com. Customer pays, gets access, chats with the agent — all inside YOUR SaaS.
When Kiwify wins vs direct SaaS
Kiwify makes sense for:
- Digital courses (not AI SaaS) with recurring billing.
- One-time high-ticket products where marketplace traffic helps.
- Beginner creator without domain or audience (Kiwify delivers checkout in 1 hour).
Direct SaaS wins for:
- AI SaaS product with monthly recurring.
- Creator with own audience of 5,000+ who doesn't need a marketplace.
- Anyone wanting to build a brand and own data control (customer is yours, not the platform's).
- B2B operators or high-ticket recurring (above $59/month).
Migrate a Kiwify product to your own SaaS
If you already sell something with AI on Kiwify and want to migrate:
- Coexistence (3-6 months). Build the SaaS on Member AI in parallel. Kiwify keeps selling meanwhile.
- Upgrade email to Kiwify subscribers: "We're migrating to our own platform, get 30 bonus days if you switch by [date]."
- Active migration. Customer cancels Kiwify and subscribes on the new SaaS. Typical conversion: 60-80%.
- Shutdown. When 80%+ have migrated, close the Kiwify product.
Full playbook in how to migrate a course to an AI agent without losing revenue.
Decision by creator profile
- Selling recurring courses? → Kiwify wins on reach + UX.
- Selling recurring AI SaaS product? → Member AI + direct Stripe wins on margin.
- Want to start cheap and simple? → Member AI Starter $19/month + direct Stripe. Single stack.
- Have a big audience and want your own brand? → Direct SaaS, always.
Ready to start? Full guide: how to sell AI agents on the internet or see Member AI plans.
Read more at memberai.pro/en/blog/create-ai-product-on-kiwify.
Learn more: plans and pricing · about Member AI · real customer cases · full blog.