Get paid to build on TRMNL
one of my favorite books is Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb. the central idea: one shall not be immune from the consequences of their decisions.
until now, TRMNL creators who contributed to the platform with plugins, mount designs, jailbreak guides, translations, open source server clients, and firmware were indeed immune. that changes today.
impact-driven distribution
we're standing on the shoulders of giants (Kindle, Spotify) with a shared consumption model. the more value your work adds to the community, the larger revenue share you'll receive.
a "contribution" can be a published plugin or a merged commit to our open source repositories. these are the most straightforward to judge as we can count installs, forks, and API request volume.
source of funds
where will cash come from, and how much? here we observe the 2nd component of Skin in the Game. as more TRMNL devices go online, costs increase, but revenue does not necessarily follow.
yet our audience provides a clear directive that will only exacerbate variable server costs: faster refresh. higher rate limits. more speed, more power.
to accommodate both customer demand and creator upside, today we're introducing TRMNL+, an optional subscription for power users.
each month 80% of TRMNL+ revenue will go directly to creators. the other 20% will mitigate the growing server costs that TRMNL+ will produce. we'll also deduct 10-15% from other revenue streams including Developer Edition and Clarity Kit upgrades.
here was our first payout breakdown, using sales between July 22 and November 13, 2025.
note that Clarity Kit (X) sales were excluded as this product is not yet released. Rest assured these values will continue accruing for a future Creator Fund payout.
when is the first distribution?
after debating basic algebra for way too long, TRMNL's first Creator Fund payout was distributed mid-November 2025.
- total payout: $15,395.77
- plugin author share: $10,777.04 (70% of total)
- strategic contributors share: $4,618.73 (30% of total)
this amount reflects a revenue share collected between July 22 (when this article was published) and November 13. future payouts will span each calendar month beginning early December 2025.
plugin author earnouts are calculated automatically by a collection of factors including a plugin's age (on live playlists), presence (by % dominance on playlists), and impressions (times displayed on device), relative to all other community plugins. there is a minimum threshold of 50 total connections (installs + forks) to qualify for monthly payouts.
strategic contributors are those who contribute to TRMNL open source projects. these earnouts are calculated with a mix of automation + human touch and there is a minimum $20 threshold to qualify for monthly payouts. relative to the funding available, below are allocations by category:
- Firmware, 25%
- 3D Models, 8%
- BYOS, 36%
- Localizations, 8%
- BYOD, 20%
- Documentation/Resources, 3%
over time the above weights, revenue share percentages, and minimum thresholds may change. our reporting will also become more transparent. my goal is an open sourced algorithm and self-service calculations with daily (or faster) resolution.
TRMNL+ features and benefits
if you're happy with our default plugin refresh speed and other limitations (webhook payload size, rate limits), no action is required.
but if you'd like to unlock the following:
- 5 minute refresh (current: 15 minutes)
- 5kb webhook payloads (current: 2kb)
- up to 30 webhooks per hour, per Private Plugin (default: 12)
- [coming soon] 1 minute Playlist rotation (current: 5 minute max speed)
- [coming soon] < 1 minute Redirect plugin refresh rate (current: 60 seconds)
then you may want to consider TRMNL+ (or self-hosting).
get started
visit your account tab and find the TRMNL+ Subscription area on the left side. ongoing FAQ and benefits will be documented here.
creators - stay tuned for more details regarding earnings calculations and tips to grow your community footprint.
skin in the game
those responsible for increased costs will help pay for it. those responsible for making TRMNL better will be rewarded for it.
candid feedback is welcome, email team@usetrmnl.com.
