Abstract: [Purpose/Significance] This study aims to determine whether and how information cues affect knowledge consumers' post-purchase satisfaction in different payment modes. [Design/Methodology] A research model based on two theories, namely cue diagnosticity and cognitive dissonance was proposed, and 2,630 pieces of live information collected from Zhihu Live were analyzed to test the research model by combining multiple regression and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis（fsQCA）. [Findings/Conclusion] （1）Description text length, duration, number of reviews, and reputation of knowledge provider positively affect consumer satisfaction, while product price negatively affects consumer satisfaction;（2）Information cues in the paid mode have stronger impact on consumer satisfaction than those in the free membership mode;（3）In free membership mode, there are two kinds of configuration paths that trigger consumer satisfaction: price insensitive and high price preference, and there are three kinds of configuration paths in paid mode: price insensitive, low price preference and high price preference. [Originality/Value] The results of this study provides reference for knowledge providers to better present information cues under different payment modes and also provides enlightenment for knowledge platforms to improve operation mechanism.

Key words: Online knowledge payment, User satisfaction, Cue diagnosticity theory, Payment mode, Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis