Maloum Glossary

Last updated October 1, 2026

The Maloum glossary explains twelve words you will come across in Maloum’s creator contract, its help centre and your statements, from the service fee (Servicegebühr) to the duty to disclose who is writing in the chat (Offenlegungspflicht). Each definition stands on its own and names its source. We checked every entry on 1 October 2026 against the terms of use for creators (as of 9 July 2026).

Why does the Maloum glossary read like Austrian contract German?

Because Maloum is run by neolime GmbH in Vienna, and the creator contract follows Austrian law. That is where words such as Provisionsanspruch (commission claim), Gutschrift (credit note) or Unternehmereigenschaft under § 1 UGB (business-owner status under the Austrian Commercial Code) come from, which creators in Germany or Switzerland see less often. According to Maloum, only the German version of the contract is binding; translations are for information only.

Five entries are about money: service fee, creator revenue, commission claim, credit note and tip. Two concern your status as a business owner (Unternehmer), and four cover selling and being seen on the platform: mass message, Maloum shop, discovery feature and the top 100 ranking. The last term, the duty to disclose, matters as soon as a team writes in the chat for you.

We explain tax terms only as far as Maloum uses them. Whether the small-business scheme (Kleinunternehmerregelung) applies to you is a question for a tax adviser (Steuerberater); what Maloum asks for is in the guide to Maloum taxes and business registration. How the money terms work together is calculated with an example in Maloum fees explained, and what Maloum is gives an overview of the platform. For questions about payouts, the app and the operator, see the Maloum agency FAQ.

Discovery feature: The discovery feature is the part of Maloum where fans come across creators they haven’t seen before. Maloum’s home page says it puts you in front of fans hunting for new favourites, but how it ranks profiles is not published. The site also has ten category pages and pages grouping creators from Germany and from Austria. Maloum’s help centre still advises promoting yourself off the platform, on Instagram, TikTok, X, Reddit or YouTube.
Credit note (Gutschrift): A credit note (Gutschrift) is a statement issued by the payer rather than the payee: Maloum produces it for you, so you never send Maloum an invoice of your own. You accept this method in § 15.7 of the creator terms, and the money is wired to the bank details stored in your account. The help centre asks for your country, first and last name and IBAN. Maloum mentions no way of getting paid other than bank transfer.
Small business VAT exemption (Kleinunternehmerregelung): The small business VAT exemption (Kleinunternehmerregelung) lets businesses with modest turnover skip charging VAT, with thresholds that differ from country to country. Maloum’s creator terms assume creators may have this status: under § 7.1 you have to update your tax details if you lose it or are issued a VAT ID. Whether the exemption covers you, and which threshold applies, is a question for a tax adviser.
Mass message (Massennachricht): A mass message (Massennachricht) goes out from you to many fans in a single send. Maloum’s help centre says it can carry a price, meaning the text or media inside stays hidden until a fan pays. You choose that price, within limits Maloum sets for every creator but keeps unpublished. The contract does not give messages a revenue share of their own.
Maloum shop: The Maloum shop is the online store where fans buy physical items from creators, socks or shoes for example. Maloum is the seller: according to § 14.1 of the creator terms, each sale is made in the name and on the account of neolime GmbH. You post the parcel with Maloum’s Vienna address as sender and nothing that identifies you. Staff check every product by hand, and shop photos may not show 18+ content.
Creator revenue (Creatorumsatz): Creator revenue (Creatorumsatz) is Maloum’s label for the net takings attributable to one creator’s content, which excludes VAT and the 15% service fee. Section 15.1 of the creator terms uses this amount to calculate your share, 80% by default. To check your earnings, work from the price you set yourself. What a fan sees at checkout is higher, because the fee and the tax have been added.
Chat disclosure duty (Offenlegungspflicht): The chat disclosure duty (Offenlegungspflicht) sits in § 7.7 of Maloum’s creator terms, version of 9 July 2026; the archived contract from April 2026 had no such clause. If an agency or an AI writes in your chat, you must tell fans clearly and unambiguously that helpers or AI may answer there. Nobody may hide who is typing at a given moment. Responsibility for every message stays with you.
Commission claim (Provisionsanspruch): Commission claim (Provisionsanspruch) is the term Maloum’s creator terms use for the money you are owed, by default 80% of monthly creator revenue (§ 15.4). The claim arises within three days after a fan’s payment reaches Maloum, and it then appears in your account. The wording trips people up, because the same contract also calls the 20% Maloum retains for running the platform a commission.
Service fee (Servicegebühr): The service fee (Servicegebühr) is a 15% surcharge on top of the price you choose as a creator. Maloum adds it to each paid purchase a fan makes and keeps the whole amount; § 15.3 of the creator terms gives you no claim to any of it. Set a price of €10.00 and the fan pays €11.50 plus VAT. Archived fan terms show that the fee stood at 10% up to the version of 1 October 2025.
Top 100 ranking: The top 100 ranking is a public list of Maloum creators. Section 11.1 of the creator terms says it is based on engagement measured by several criteria, on earnings and on content quality. How much each factor counts is not disclosed. Under § 11.2 Maloum may alter the ranking or drop it altogether without notice. A spot on the list gives you exposure, but you have no right to one.
Tip (Trinkgeld): A tip (Trinkgeld) is a voluntary payment a fan can send you in the chat at any time. The help centre says custom requests are also paid this way: you and the fan settle price and details in the chat first, then the fan pays by tip. Maloum states no lower or upper limit for tips and no separate share rate for them.
Business status (Unternehmereigenschaft): Business status (Unternehmereigenschaft) is the condition Maloum sets for every creator: you have to count as an entrepreneur under § 1 UGB, Austria’s commercial code. Consumers are excluded from creator accounts by contract. Maloum checks this at account conversion and names a VAT ID (UID number) as one accepted proof. It has not said whether a German trade licence or a plain tax number is enough.