The financial projections and scenarios presented below are for educational purposes only and represent no guarantee of future performance. They illustrate how WikiDeal's subscription model could sustainably fund operations under various growth assumptions. Actual results may differ significantly. These projections are part of WikiDeal's transparency commitment and are included in full in the subscription agreement.
WikiDeal's financial model is built on a simple principle: subscribers fund the infrastructure that makes fair agreements possible.
Every subscription payment is distributed across four beneficiaries, each with a distinct role in sustaining the ecosystem. This page explains how that distribution works and why it matters.
When you pay CHF 10 per year (or CHF 1 per month plus 5% annual increase), your subscription is divided into four equal parts:
| Lot | Beneficiary | Percentage | Purpose | Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 1 | Early Supporters & Founders | 25% | Recognition of those who supported WikiDeal's development from the beginning (the initial CHF 50M contribution) | Private (Théo Bondolfi) |
| Lot 2 | Ynternet.org Foundation | 25% | Core infrastructure: governance, voting systems, annual events, coordination | Foundation |
| Lot 3 | Association, Special Projects & Reserves | 25% | Community impact, special initiatives, financial resilience | Democratically governed |
| Lot 4 | Platform Operations | 25% | Technology, infrastructure maintenance, operational costs | Operational |
Today, only Lot 3 is fully governed democratically. As WikiDeal grows, the other lots progressively become subject to democratic oversight. This reflects our belief that commons governance emerges from participation and scale.
Timeline:
WikiDeal's subscription model is based on a principle we call the Citizenship Tax:
Those who engage contribute less. Those who participate in governance, voting, and community building pay the standard rate (CHF 10/year).
Those who don't engage pay more. If you benefit from the system but don't contribute to its governance, you pay a higher rate to compensate for the civic infrastructure others are maintaining.
This creates positive incentives: the more you participate, the more affordable your subscription becomes. The system is self-balancing.
Not everyone can afford a subscription. WikiDeal's model includes multiple paths to access:
This creates a system of mutual aid where those with means voluntarily subsidize those without, because the subscription cost (CHF 10-100/year) is negligible for many but meaningful for others.
To protect early adopters and ensure sustainability, subscriptions increase by 5% annually:
| Year | Annual Subscription | Monthly Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | CHF 10.00 | CHF 0.83 |
| Year 2 | CHF 10.50 | CHF 0.88 |
| Year 3 | CHF 11.03 | CHF 0.92 |
| Year 5 | CHF 12.76 | CHF 1.06 |
| Year 10 | CHF 16.29 | CHF 1.36 |
This modest growth ensures that subscription revenue keeps pace with operational costs without creating affordability barriers.
To fully repay the initial CHF 100M contribution (via the 25% allocated to Lot 1), WikiDeal needs to generate CHF 400M in cumulative subscription revenue (25% of CHF 500M paid subscriptions × CHF 10/user/year).
Under conservative user growth assumptions, this happens in approximately 5 years (see the growth simulator below).
See the interactive simulator on the Growth Scenarios page to explore how different adoption rates affect the timeline to sustainability.