What is Patreon?
Patreon is a platform that allows creators to receive ongoing financial support from their fans. It provides a way for creators to offer exclusive members-only content, rewards, and experiences to their patrons in exchange for recurring payments. Patreon has become popular amongst artists, musicians, YouTubers, and other creators who rely on a steady income to support their work.
Is Patreon free to use?
Patreon does not have a free tier of subscription. Patreon can take 5%, 8%, and 12% of Transactions based on the level of subscription. While Patreon is widely used, there are also several alternative platforms available for creators to explore. Patreon and many other services integrate with payment processors, which also have their own fees. These fees typically apply to all platforms so we listed the payment processor fees below.
Finding Alternatives to Patreon
For certain situations, the following alternatives to Patreon offer comparable services with lower platform fees. Be sure to research the current features, pricing, and terms of service for all platforms and choose the one that aligns best with your goals and preferences.
Best Patreon Alternative for Streamers: Ko-fi
Ko-fi allows creators to receive one-time payments, or "coffees", from their fans. There are zero platform fees on one-time payments and no fee to get started, but Ko-fi does charge a 5% commission fee on Ongoing Subscriptions, Commissioned sales, and Shop sales of digital/physical products. This makes it one of the best free patreon alternatives. Creators can also offer exclusive content and rewards to their supporters. Ko-fi enables the ability to receive donation alerts for streams, making it a top choice for those who want to be a streamer while remaining independent of streaming platform revenue splits. These splits are typically can be as high as 50% on platforms like Twitch.
Ko-fi Highlights:
- No transaction fees on tips/donations for free users.
- Custom subdirectory of Ko-Fi (e.g. ko-fi.com/username)
- Integrations include: HTML Widget, Discord (Rewards/Role Assignment), WordPress, and Zapier
- Donation alerts (Great for Streamers)
- 5% fee on Subscriptions, Commissions, and Shop Sales
- Uses PayPal & Stripe for processing payments
Patreon Alternative for Tips and Donations: Buy Me a Coffee
Buy Me a Coffee is another popular Patreon alternative for creators to receive financial support from their fans. Similar to Ko-fi, creators can receive one-time payments from their supporters. However, Buy Me a Coffee takes a flat 5% on all transactions for the platform. Buy Me a Coffee also includes features that are a paid option on Ko-Fi, which includes mobile app, analytics, and live chat support.
Buy Me a Coffee Highlights:
- No monthly fee for creators, but 5% flat fee across all transactions.
- Custom subdirectory of Buy Me a Coffee (e.g. buymeacoffee.com/username)
- Email Newsletter, Analytics, and Mobile App
- No account required to donate
- All major credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay accepted
Best Patreon Alternative for Ecommerce Creators: Sellfy
Sellfy is a popular Patreon alternative for creators who focus on ecommerce. Sellfy allows creators to sell digital products such as ebooks, music, videos, and subscriptions directly to their audience. With Sellfy, creators can set their own prices, create discount codes, and customize their storefront to match their brand. Storefronts can live on your own custom domain. Sellfy charges a monthly fee starting at $19/month, but it does not charge any transaction fees, allowing creators to keep all of their earnings. Sellfy also offers integrations with other platforms like YouTube, WordPress, and MailChimp to streamline the selling process.
Sellfy Highlights:
- Customizable storefront and Domain URL
- Monthly fee starting at $19/month with a 2 year plan (limited to 10k in sales per year)
- No transaction fees
- Ability to sell digital products with unique download links to prevent sharing.
- Sell print on demand merch and videos on demand
- Discount codes
- Paypal and Stripe payment processing
- Embed in Youtube video end screens and cards
Best Patreon alternative for Writers: Substack
Substack is a popular Patreon alternative for writers to monetize their work. It allows writers to create paid newsletters and offer exclusive content to their subscribers. Substack offers a range of features including customizable email templates, audience analytics, and the ability to offer both free and paid subscriptions. Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue, but there are no upfront costs or transaction fees. It also offers integration with Stripe for payment processing. Substack has gained traction in the writing community and has attracted renowned writers who have built successful paid newsletters on the platform.
Substack Highlights:
- Customizable email templates
- Audience analytics
- Free and paid subscription options
- Integration with Stripe for payment processing
- No upfront costs or transaction fees
- Popular among renowned writers
Best Patreon Alternative for Podcasters: Glow.fm
Glow.fm is a Patreon alternative specifically designed for podcasters. It allows podcasters to offer exclusive content, bonus episodes, and ad-free episodes to their subscribers. Glow.fm enables podcasters to set up different subscription tiers, each with its own benefits and pricing. The platform integrates with popular podcast hosting platforms like Libsyn and Anchor. Glow.fm charges 55 cents per user per month plus card processing fees. However, there are no additional transaction fees. It also offers features like customizable landing pages, analytics, and free trials. Glow.fm uses Stripe for payment processing, ensuring secure transactions for both podcasters and subscribers.
Glow.fm Highlights:
- $.55 / user monthly plus Stripe processing fees.
- Offer exclusive content, bonus episodes, and ad-free episodes
- Different subscription tiers with customized benefits and pricing
- Integrates with popular podcast hosting platforms
- Customizable landing pages
- Analytics
- Free trial option
Best Patreon Alternative for Wordpress: Memberful
Memberful is the best Patreon alternative for WordPress users. It allows creators to monetize their WordPress content and offer exclusive membership options to their audience. With Memberful, creators can easily create subscription plans, sell digital products, and offer member-only content. Memberful seamlessly integrates with WordPress, making it easy to manage memberships and access controls directly from the WordPress dashboard. Memberful charges a monthly fee starting at $25, but there are no additional transaction fees. It also offers features like email newsletters, analytics, and integrations with Stripe and PayPal. Users should note that Memberful is owned by Patreon.
Memberful Highlights:
- Free plan available, Pro/Premium plan fees starting at $25/mo
- Free plan with 10% fees, Pro/Premium at 4.9%
- Seamless integration with WordPress
- Create subscription plans and sell digital products
- Member-only content and features
- Email newsletters and analytics
- Easy management of memberships and access controls from the WordPress dashboard
- Payment processing with Stripe and PayPal
Best Patreon Alternative for Bloggers: Ghost
Ghost is a popular Patreon alternative for bloggers. It is a powerful publishing platform that allows bloggers to create and manage their own websites. With Ghost, bloggers can easily write and publish content, engage with their audience through comments, and monetize their blogs through membership subscriptions. Ghost offers search optimization tools, customizable themes, and integrations with popular email marketing platforms like Mailchimp via Zapier. Ghost's pricing starts at $9/month for the Ghost Pro hosted version, but there is also a self-hosted option for more flexibility with web developers. The platform does not charge any transaction fees, allowing bloggers to keep all of their earnings. Ghost is the chosen platform for Gum Chewing Club due to the ease of generating blog content and SEO features.
Ghost Highlights:
- Custom Domain URL available
- Pricing starts at $9/month for Ghost(Pro) hosted solution. (up to 500 members, annual subscription)
- Powerful publishing platform for bloggers
- Easy content creation and management
- Membership subscriptions for monetization
- Refined SEO optimization tools built in
- Customizable themes
- Integrations with popular email marketing platforms via Zapier
- Self-hosted option available
- No platform transaction fees
- Native Stripe integration
Payment Processor Fees
PayPal and Stripe also charge fees on top of the platforms mentioned above.
PayPal Fees
- PayPal charges a standard transaction fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction for domestic sales. For international sales, PayPal charges an additional cross-border fee ranging from 1.5% to 4.5% depending on the country.
- PayPal also offers discounted transaction fees for qualified nonprofit organizations.
- Additional fees may apply for currency conversion and chargebacks.
- It's recommended to review PayPal's official website for the most up-to-date fee information on transaction fees.
Stripe Fees
- Stripe charges a standard transaction fee of 2.9% + 30ยข per successful card charge for domestic sales. For international sales, Stripe charges an additional fee based on the country, ranging from 1% to 3.9%.
- Stripe also offers discounted transaction fees for nonprofits and volume-based pricing for businesses with high transaction volumes.
- There are no setup fees, or monthly fees with Stripe.
- Refer to Stripe's official website for the most accurate and up-to-date fee information.
There are several Patreon alternatives available for different types of creators. Whether you're a writer, podcaster, WordPress user, or blogger, there is a platform that can help you monetize your work and connect with your audience. Many of these Patreon alternatives take advantage of lower fees and are best for different situations. Consider your specific needs and choose the Patreon alternative that best suits you.
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