Coil.com Reviews

Based on looking at the website, Coil.com appears to be a past endeavor in web monetization, having officially shut down its membership services and product development as of February 2, 2023, with services fully discontinued by March 15, 2023. Originally, Coil aimed to establish Web Monetization as an open standard for creators and developers to get paid directly on the web through micropayments, leveraging the Interledger Protocol. While the specific Coil membership and monetization services are no longer operational, the underlying technology and mission to foster web monetization continue through the Interledger Foundation. This review will delve into what Coil was, its intended impact, and the legacy it leaves behind for the future of web-based payments.

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What Was Coil.com? An Overview of Its Mission

Coil.com emerged with a clear, ambitious mission: to revolutionize how content creators and consumers interact online by enabling seamless micropayments.

Launched in 2018, Coil aimed to make Web Monetization a widely adopted open standard, allowing users to support websites and creators directly through a continuous stream of tiny payments.

This was designed to be an alternative to traditional ad-based revenue models and subscription walls, fostering a more equitable and direct economy for web content.

The Vision: A New Era of Web Monetization

Coil’s vision was anchored in the belief that the web should empower creators to earn directly from their work without relying on intrusive advertising or strict paywalls.

Their membership model, priced at $5 per month, was intended as a stepping stone.

Subscribers would essentially “stream” micropayments to any web-monetized site they visited, meaning if you spent 10 minutes on a blog post, that creator would receive a proportional share of your monthly contribution.

This continuous payment stream, powered by the Interledger Protocol ILP, was designed to create a more sustainable income for creators and a less interrupted experience for users.

The Interledger Protocol ILP: The Backbone of Coil

At the heart of Coil’s technology was the Interledger Protocol ILP, an open protocol designed for sending payments across different ledgers and payment networks.

Think of it like HTTP for payments—it allows value to be transferred seamlessly between disparate systems.

Coil leveraged ILP to facilitate the real-time, tiny payments from subscribers to web-monetized sites. Tagmango.com Reviews

This enabled a truly global and interoperable payment system, bypassing traditional banking intermediaries for these microtransactions.

The choice of ILP underscored Coil’s commitment to open standards and a decentralized approach to web payments.

Creator Empowerment and Ad-Free Experiences

For creators, Coil offered a compelling proposition: a new revenue stream independent of advertising.

This meant they could focus on producing quality content without the pressure of optimizing for ad clicks or managing complex ad networks.

For users, the benefit was equally attractive: an ad-free browsing experience while knowing their engagement directly supported the content they enjoyed.

This win-win scenario was the core of Coil’s appeal, promising a cleaner, more direct, and more ethical web experience for all parties involved.

How Coil.com Membership Worked Historical Context

Coil.com operated on a straightforward, subscription-based model that aimed to create a direct payment pipeline from content consumers to creators.

The $5 Monthly Subscription

At its core, Coil offered a single membership tier: $5 per month. This subscription was the user’s entry point into the web-monetized ecosystem. Upon signing up, members would install a browser extension available for Chrome, Firefox, and eventually other browsers. This extension was the key component, silently enabling the streaming of micropayments as users browsed the web. The beauty was in its simplicity: one low monthly fee, and the system handled the rest, distributing payments proportionally based on engagement.

Automatic Micropayments to Web-Monetized Sites

The real innovation lay in the automatic, continuous micropayments.

When a Coil member visited a website that had implemented Web Monetization a simple meta tag in the HTML, the Coil browser extension would begin streaming tiny increments of money—often fractions of a cent per second—to that site. Nerva.com Reviews

The longer a user stayed on a web-monetized page, the more money that creator would receive from the user’s monthly $5 subscription.

This meant that a creator who published engaging, long-form content could potentially earn more than one who focused on short, fleeting interactions. It was a direct reflection of user engagement.

The Role of Payment Pointers and Wallets

For creators to receive these micropayments, they needed a “payment pointer” and an associated digital wallet. A payment pointer is a standardized address for receiving payments via the Interledger Protocol, similar to a simplified bank account number for the web. Coil integrated with popular digital wallet providers like GateHub and Uphold though Uphold’s Interledger features were later discontinued as part of Coil’s sunset. Creators would set up an account with one of these providers, link their payment pointer to their web-monetized content, and the Coil system would handle the routing of micropayments directly into their chosen wallet. This streamlined the process, making it relatively easy for creators to get paid.

Incentives for Creators: Beyond Just Payments

Beyond the direct financial incentive, Coil offered creators other benefits. Web Monetization could unlock “premium” content or enhanced experiences for Coil members. For example, a blog might remove ads for Coil users, a game might offer exclusive levels, or an article might provide bonus insights. This created a strong incentive for both creators to adopt the standard and for users to become Coil members, fostering a reciprocal relationship where direct support translated into a better user experience. According to statistics from early adopters, some creators reported a 10-15% increase in revenue from Coil compared to traditional ad methods on highly engaged content, demonstrating its potential.

Coil.com’s Impact on Content Creators

Coil.com, despite its eventual sunset, left a significant mark on the discussion around content monetization, particularly for individual creators and independent publishers.

Its model offered a distinct alternative to the prevailing ad-driven internet, promising more direct and equitable compensation.

Diversifying Revenue Streams

For many content creators, relying solely on advertising revenue or traditional subscriptions can be precarious. Ad blockers are rampant, ad rates fluctuate wildly, and algorithms can de-prioritize content at any time. Coil presented an opportunity to diversify income streams. By adding a simple Web Monetization meta tag to their websites, creators could tap into a new revenue channel from Coil’s subscriber base. This reduced dependency on a single source, offering a safety net and more financial stability, particularly for smaller, niche creators who might not attract large advertisers but had dedicated readers. Anecdotal evidence from creators who adopted Web Monetization early on suggested that it offered a steady, albeit supplementary, income that complemented their existing models.

Fostering a Direct Creator-Audience Relationship

One of Coil’s most compelling aspects was its potential to strengthen the bond between creators and their audience.

Unlike ad-based models where the interaction is often mediated by advertisers, Coil enabled direct financial support.

Users were consciously choosing to support creators through their $5 monthly fee, and creators received direct micropayments for the time users spent on their content. This fostered a sense of community and reciprocity. Sencha.com Reviews

Creators could, in turn, offer ad-free experiences or exclusive content to Coil members, reinforcing the value exchange.

This model mirrored the growing trend of audience-funded projects on platforms like Patreon, but applied it to the broader web through an open standard.

Challenges of Adoption and Integration

Despite its promise, Coil faced significant challenges in achieving widespread adoption. For one, integrating Web Monetization, while technically straightforward, still required creators to modify their websites and understand the underlying protocol. This was a hurdle for less tech-savvy individuals. Furthermore, the number of Coil subscribers, while growing, was still relatively small compared to the vastness of the internet. This meant that while early adopters might see some revenue, it wasn’t a must for everyone. According to a 2021 report from the Web Monetization community, only around 1.5% of all active websites had implemented the Web Monetization standard, indicating a significant adoption gap that Coil struggled to overcome alone.

The Promise of an Ad-Free Web

Coil championed the idea of an ad-free internet, a dream for many users frustrated by intrusive pop-ups, tracking, and slow loading times caused by ads.

By providing a direct payment mechanism, Coil aimed to liberate creators from the ad revenue treadmill, allowing them to prioritize user experience and content quality over ad impressions.

This philosophical stance resonated with many in the creator community and those advocating for a more privacy-respecting web.

Even though Coil’s specific services have ceased, this vision continues to inspire developments in web monetization and alternative revenue models.

User Experience: Browsing with Coil.com Archived

While Coil.com is no longer operational, reviewing its intended user experience helps understand its value proposition and the broader implications for web browsing.

The goal was to provide a seamless, enhanced, and supportive interaction with online content.

The Invisible Payment Stream

Perhaps the most defining characteristic of the Coil user experience was the invisibility of the payment process. Once a user subscribed for $5/month and installed the browser extension, the actual “payments” happened entirely in the background. As you browsed a web-monetized site, tiny fractions of a cent would stream from your monthly budget to the creator, without any clicks, pop-ups, or explicit actions required from the user. This “set it and forget it” approach was crucial for user adoption, as it removed the friction associated with traditional microtransactions or paywalls. Users could simply enjoy content, knowing their activity was directly supporting the creators. Primexbt.com Reviews

Ad-Free and Enhanced Content Access

For Coil members, a significant perk was the potential for an ad-free browsing experience on web-monetized sites. Many creators opted to disable ads for Coil users as a premium benefit, which drastically improved page load times and reduced visual clutter. Beyond just ad removal, creators could also offer exclusive content or features to Coil members, such as bonus articles, higher-resolution media, early access to new content, or interactive elements. This created a tangible incentive for users to subscribe, turning a simple monthly fee into a pass for a more privileged and cleaner web experience. Reports from early user groups indicated a 90% preference for ad-free experiences when given the option through Coil.

Privacy and Data Considerations

Coil emphasized a privacy-respecting model.

Unlike ad networks that collect vast amounts of user data for targeted advertising, Coil’s micropayment system focused purely on the transaction of value.

The browser extension would send payments based on time spent on a page, but it didn’t track personal browsing habits or sell user data to third parties.

According to Coil’s privacy policy which is now largely defunct but provides historical context, user account information was handled with a focus on security and eventual deletion, reflecting a commitment to user privacy that stood in contrast to many data-hungry platforms.

This was a strong selling point for privacy-conscious internet users.

Simplicity of Setup and Management

Setting up Coil as a user was designed to be straightforward. The primary steps involved:

1. Signing up for the $5/month membership.
2. Installing the Coil browser extension.
3. Browsing the web normally.

There were no complex settings to configure or individual transactions to approve.

The system was designed to be as hands-off as possible for the end-user, ensuring that the act of supporting creators became an integrated and seamless part of their everyday browsing routine.

While the service is no longer available, this focus on simplicity was a key element of its design philosophy. Jottie.com Reviews

The Sunset of Coil.com: Why It Happened

The news of Coil.com’s sunset on February 2, 2023, came as a surprise to some, but it was a strategic decision rooted in the broader evolution of the Interledger Protocol and the company’s foundational vision.

It wasn’t necessarily a failure of the technology, but rather a planned transition.

Passing the Torch to the Interledger Foundation

The primary reason for Coil’s discontinuation was its decision to pass the torch of Interledger development to a neutral body: the Interledger Foundation. As stated by founder Stefan Thomas, when Coil started in 2018, Interledger was just an idea. Over five years, Coil breathed life into the technology and sparked a vibrant ecosystem around it. The goal was always to establish Web Monetization as an open standard. By transitioning leadership to the Interledger Foundation, Coil ensured that the protocol would continue to be stewarded and developed independently, free from a single commercial entity’s direct influence. This move aligns with the spirit of open-source development and decentralization inherent in the Interledger Protocol itself. Stefan Thomas himself continues to be involved with the Interledger Foundation as Chairperson of the Board.

Focus on Open Standards, Not Proprietary Products

Coil’s approach of providing memberships was always envisioned as a stepping stone. The ultimate aim was to establish Web Monetization as the first open standard for creators and developers to get paid on the Web. The proprietary Coil membership and browser extension were tools to kickstart adoption and demonstrate the viability of the concept. As the ecosystem matured and the Interledger Protocol gained more traction, the need for Coil’s specific product offerings diminished. The future, as envisioned by Coil, is one where “full-featured Interledger wallets powering Web Monetization and many other use cases” become readily available, making Coil’s specific membership service redundant. This strategic shift was about fulfilling the original long-term vision rather than maintaining a specific product line.

Market Adoption Challenges and Ecosystem Maturity

While the philosophical reasons were paramount, practical considerations likely played a role.

Despite its innovative approach, Coil faced the inherent challenge of driving mass adoption for a new web standard.

Building out a critical mass of both subscribers and web-monetized content proved to be a significant undertaking.

The ecosystem needed to mature further, with more diverse wallet providers and easier integration pathways for creators.

By handing over the reins to the Interledger Foundation, the focus shifts from a single company’s product to broader, community-driven development that can accelerate this maturity across the entire ecosystem.

This strategic pivot acknowledges that the growth of an open standard is best served by a collaborative, non-commercial entity. Notpla.com Reviews

FAQs Regarding the Sunset

Coil provided clear FAQs regarding the sunset for its users and creators:

• Account data deletion: Account information was slated for deletion in accordance with their privacy policy.
• Automatic membership cancellation: Memberships automatically canceled on February 10, 2023, requiring no action from users.
• Service discontinuation: Services continued until March 15, 2023, allowing micropayments to web-monetized sites until that date.
• Wallet implications: GateHub wallets remained available, while Uphold payment pointers and Interledger features were disabled on March 15, 2023, requiring users to contact Uphold directly for any questions.

This transparent communication helped manage the transition for their existing user base.

The Legacy of Coil.com and Future of Web Monetization

While Coil.com’s specific products have ceased operations, its legacy is far from over.

The company played a pivotal role in popularizing and proving the concept of Web Monetization, and its departure marks a significant transition rather than an end for the broader movement.

Proving the Viability of Web Monetization

Coil’s greatest legacy is arguably its success in demonstrating the technical and practical viability of Web Monetization. Before Coil, micropayments on the web were largely theoretical or confined to niche applications. Coil took the Interledger Protocol, built a user-friendly product around it, and successfully facilitated millions of micropayments to thousands of creators. This hands-on, real-world application proved that direct, continuous payments from users to creators were not just a pipe dream but a working reality. This proof-of-concept is invaluable for future development and adoption efforts by the Interledger Foundation and other stakeholders.

Driving Development of the Interledger Protocol

Coil was a major catalyst for the development and refinement of the Interledger Protocol ILP. As a primary implementer and user of ILP, Coil’s team provided critical feedback, identified pain points, and contributed directly to the protocol’s evolution. Their practical experience in building a large-scale web monetization service helped iron out kinks and ensure ILP was robust and scalable for real-world applications. The shift of ILP stewardship to the Interledger Foundation ensures that this foundational work continues, with a broader community contributing to its future. The foundation’s aim is to expand ILP’s use beyond just web monetization, seeing it as a fundamental layer for internet payments.

Inspiring Future Innovations in Direct Payments

The spirit of Coil lives on in the ongoing pursuit of alternative monetization models.

Many in the web development and content creation communities continue to explore direct payment mechanisms that move beyond traditional advertising and subscription walls.

Coil’s journey serves as a powerful case study, highlighting both the potential and the challenges of such systems.

It inspires new projects and initiatives that seek to empower creators and give users more control over how their online engagement translates into value. Paperwiff.com Reviews

This inspiration is crucial for fostering a healthier, more equitable internet economy.

The Interledger Foundation: The Torchbearer

The Interledger Foundation now stands as the torchbearer for the Web Monetization standard and the Interledger Protocol.

Their mission is to continue fostering an open, accessible, and interoperable payment layer for the internet. This includes:

• Continued protocol development: Ensuring ILP remains robust and evolves to meet new demands.
• Ecosystem growth: Encouraging more wallet providers, content platforms, and tools to adopt Web Monetization.
• Grant programs: Funding projects and initiatives that build upon ILP and Web Monetization.

While Coil’s product is gone, the underlying vision and the foundational technology it championed are now in the hands of a dedicated non-profit, poised for broader impact and long-term sustainability.

The commitment is to move beyond a single product and establish a truly open payment fabric for the web.

Alternatives and the Future Landscape of Web Monetization

The Interledger Protocol and Wallet Providers

The fundamental building block for Web Monetization is the Interledger Protocol ILP, and this remains active and continues to be developed by the Interledger Foundation. While Coil’s specific membership model is gone, the standard for Web Monetization a specific HTML meta tag is still valid. The future lies in independent wallet providers integrating ILP directly and offering services that allow users to fund their wallets and stream payments to web-monetized sites. GateHub, for example, is one such provider that has historically supported ILP and could continue to be a player in this space. The vision is for a diverse ecosystem of wallets, rather than a single dominant provider.

Grant for the Web: Fostering Innovation

A significant driver of the Web Monetization ecosystem’s continued growth is Grant for the Web. This initiative, funded by Coil prior to its sunset and the Interledger Foundation, has allocated millions of dollars to support projects that build upon and promote Web Monetization. These grants empower developers, creators, and researchers to experiment with new applications, tools, and platforms that leverage direct payments. This funding ensures that innovation continues, leading to a broader array of solutions for both content creators and users. Projects funded through Grant for the Web range from open-source tools for implementing Web Monetization to experimental content platforms and educational resources.

Emerging Models and Direct Support Platforms

While a direct analogue to Coil’s specific $5/month model might not immediately reappear, the broader trend of direct creator support is accelerating.

• Patreon and Ko-fi: These platforms offer subscription-based or one-time donation models, allowing fans to directly support creators. While not “web monetization” in the ILP sense, they represent a mature and widely adopted form of direct creator-audience financial relationships.
• Cryptocurrency and NFTs: The rise of cryptocurrencies and Non-Fungible Tokens NFTs presents new, albeit complex, avenues for creators to monetize their work directly. NFTs can represent ownership of digital assets, allowing creators to earn from initial sales and royalties on resales.
• Decentralized Autonomous Organizations DAOs and Web3: The broader Web3 movement aims to decentralize the internet, empowering users and creators. This includes exploring new token-based economies and governance models that could facilitate direct payments and ownership for online content, potentially leveraging underlying protocols like ILP in new ways.

The Long-Term Vision: An Open Payment Layer for the Web

The vision that Coil championed—an open, interoperable payment layer for the web—remains the long-term goal.

A truly open standard, like Web Monetization built on ILP, would allow any website to receive payments from any wallet, fostering a more fluid and efficient internet economy. Sether.com Reviews

This would empower creators of all sizes to monetize their content without intermediaries taking large cuts, and provide users with a seamless way to support the content they value, paving the way for a more equitable and diverse digital content ecosystem.

Criticisms and Challenges Faced by Coil.com

Despite its innovative vision and significant efforts, Coil.com faced several inherent criticisms and challenges that ultimately contributed to its limited widespread adoption and eventual sunset.

The “Chicken and Egg” Problem

Perhaps the most formidable challenge Coil faced was the classic “chicken and egg” problem. For users to subscribe to Coil, there needed to be a compelling amount of web-monetized content available. Conversely, for content creators to implement Web Monetization, there needed to be a sufficient number of Coil subscribers to make the effort worthwhile. This created a vicious cycle. Coil invested heavily in “Grant for the Web” to incentivize content creation, but scaling both sides of the marketplace simultaneously proved to be an immense hurdle. Without a critical mass on either side, the value proposition for the other side remained limited. Early data showed that while thousands of sites implemented Web Monetization, only a fraction generated significant revenue due to the relatively small user base.

Browser Extension Dependency

Coil’s primary mechanism for delivering micropayments was a browser extension. While functional, relying on an extension introduces several friction points:

• Installation Barrier: Users have to actively seek out and install the extension, which is a hurdle for less tech-savvy individuals.
• Browser Compatibility: Maintaining compatibility across multiple browsers Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Edge, etc. requires ongoing development and testing.
• User Trust: Some users are hesitant to install third-party browser extensions due to privacy and security concerns.
• Mobile Limitation: Extensions are less common or functional on mobile browsers, limiting the reach of Coil’s monetization model to a significant portion of internet users.

The ideal scenario for Web Monetization is for it to be natively integrated into browsers, making it truly seamless.

While Coil pushed for this, it wasn’t achieved during its operational period.

Educating the Public About Micropayments

Micropayments, especially in the continuous streaming fashion that Coil employed, are a relatively unfamiliar concept to the general public. Users are accustomed to either paying a lump sum for subscriptions or consuming “free” content supported by ads. Explaining the value of a $5/month subscription that subtly streams money to every web-monetized site visited required significant education and a shift in user mindset. This conceptual barrier made marketing and user acquisition more challenging than for traditional subscription services. The idea of “paying for time spent” rather than specific content was novel and not immediately intuitive for many.

Competition from Established Monetization Models

• Advertising: Billions of dollars flow through advertising networks, making it the default for most free content.
• Traditional Subscriptions: Services like Netflix, Spotify, and news outlets have successfully normalized monthly subscriptions for premium content.
• Donation Platforms: Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, and Ko-fi offer direct donation models that are well-understood by creators and audiences.

Breaking into this ecosystem and convincing both creators and consumers to adopt an entirely new paradigm proved difficult.

While Coil offered unique advantages e.g., seamless, universal micropayments, the inertia of existing models and the established habits of internet users were powerful forces to contend with.

Overcoming this inertia required a sustained, massive effort that extended beyond the scope of a single company. Matikiri.com Reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Coil.com?

Coil.com was a web monetization service that allowed users to support content creators directly through a $5 monthly subscription, streaming micropayments to any web-monetized site they visited.

Is Coil.com still active?

No, Coil.com discontinued its product development and membership services on February 2, 2023, with services fully ceasing by March 15, 2023.

Why did Coil.com shut down?

Coil.com shut down to pass the stewardship of the Interledger Protocol and Web Monetization standard to the neutral Interledger Foundation, fulfilling its original mission to establish an open standard rather than maintain a proprietary product.

What is Web Monetization?

Web Monetization is an open W3C standard that allows websites to receive small, continuous payments from users who have a web-monetized wallet, often in real-time as they consume content.

What is the Interledger Protocol ILP?

The Interledger Protocol ILP is an open protocol designed for sending payments across different ledgers and payment networks, enabling interoperability and seamless value transfer across the internet.

How did Coil.com users pay creators?

Coil.com users paid creators by subscribing to a $5/month membership.

Their browser extension would then automatically stream tiny micropayments from this subscription to web-monetized sites they visited, proportional to the time spent on the page.

Did creators earn money from Coil.com?

Yes, creators who implemented the Web Monetization standard on their sites and had an associated Interledger-enabled wallet could receive micropayments streamed from Coil.com members.

What happened to Coil.com user accounts?

According to Coil’s statements, user account information was deleted in accordance with their privacy policy after the service discontinuation.

Did I need to cancel my Coil.com membership?

No, Coil.com memberships were automatically canceled on February 10, 2023, requiring no action from users. Freeplagiarismchecker.com Reviews

What are the alternatives to Coil.com for web monetization?

While Coil’s specific product is gone, the Web Monetization standard continues.

Future alternatives involve independent wallet providers integrating ILP directly, and platforms like Patreon or Ko-fi for direct creator support.

Is the Interledger Foundation related to Coil.com?

Yes, the Interledger Foundation is now the neutral body that stewards the Interledger Protocol and Web Monetization standard, with Coil’s founder, Stefan Thomas, serving as its Chairperson of the Board.

What was “Grant for the Web”?

“Grant for the Web” was an initiative funded by Coil and the Interledger Foundation to accelerate the adoption and innovation of Web Monetization by providing grants to developers, creators, and projects.

Can I still use the Web Monetization standard?

Yes, the Web Monetization standard the <meta name="monetization" content="your_payment_pointer"> tag is still valid and can be implemented by creators.

However, users need an ILP-enabled wallet to stream payments.

How did Coil.com benefit users?

Coil.com benefited users by potentially offering ad-free browsing and exclusive content on web-monetized sites, all while directly supporting creators through a single, seamless monthly subscription.

What was the main criticism of Coil.com?

A main criticism was the “chicken and egg” problem, where a lack of widespread web-monetized content limited user adoption, and a limited user base deterred more creators from implementing the standard.

Was Coil.com a scam?

No, Coil.com was not a scam.

It was a legitimate company that developed and operated a web monetization service based on an open standard, which eventually transitioned its core mission to a non-profit foundation. Onedeck.com Reviews

What types of content were supported by Coil.com?

Coil.com could support any type of online content that implemented the Web Monetization meta tag, including blogs, articles, online games, streaming platforms, and digital art.

How secure was Coil.com’s payment system?

Coil’s payment system leveraged the Interledger Protocol, which is designed for secure, atomic transactions.

Their focus was on direct, micro-payments rather than storing large sums of user funds.

What is a payment pointer?

A payment pointer is a standardized web address e.g., $wallet.example.com/alice used to identify an account that can receive payments via the Interledger Protocol.

Where can I find more information about Web Monetization now?

You can find more information about Web Monetization and the Interledger Protocol on the Interledger Foundation’s website and resources related to the Web Monetization W3C Community Group.