Coil

Pioneer in web monetization and micropayment technology for content creators

Coil was a web monetization technology company founded in 2018 that pioneered an alternative revenue model for online content creators. The platform allowed subscribers to pay a flat monthly fee that was then distributed as micropayments to websites and content creators they visited, based on engagement time. Coil leveraged the Interledger Protocol (ILP) and Web Monetization API to enable seamless, privacy-preserving payments without requiring ads or paywalls. The company positioned itself as a solution to the problems inherent in ad-supported content models, offering creators a more direct and sustainable revenue stream while providing users with an ad-free browsing experience. Coil supported various content platforms including blogs, videos, music, and gaming, and worked to establish Web Monetization as a W3C standard. Coil ceased operations in 2023 after facing financial difficulties and being unable to secure additional funding. The company's technology and vision for web monetization represented an important experiment in alternative internet business models, though it ultimately struggled to achieve the scale necessary for long-term viability. The Web Monetization standard and related technologies continue to be maintained by the community and other organizations.