How much does Patreon cost? Hidden fees and additional charges explained

If you’re considering turning your side hustle into a steady income stream, Patreon is considered the top crowdfunding platform where creators can generate support from their fans. Whether you’re looking to build a community, sell digital goods, or find other ways to expand your monetization profile, Patreon can help you realize these ventures. 

But the big question is, how much does Patreon cost? While it can be an enjoyable and profitable way to make money from your ventures, it’s essential to understand how the Patreon fee system works, so you’re not spending blindly. 

We take a deep dive into payment plans, creator fees, and pledge amounts, so you know exactly where your money is going. You’ll also find a list of the top Patreon alternatives that might be a better fit for your business - including Whop.

What is Patreon?

Before we jump right in, let’s take a closer look at Patreon and what it has to offer for creators. Patreon is a creator monetization platform dedicated to recurring revenue for creators of all kinds, mainly via memberships.

Members usually use the platform as a way to grant exclusive access to their members, or ‘patrons,’ in the form of content.

When Patreon first launched, it paved the way for creators looking for additional monetization opportunities. Today, it still does that job well, but it places too much focus on the membership model without many extras to explore. 

Patreon pricing plans

If you’re considering signing up for Patreon, you’ll have two different pricing plans to choose from - the Pro Plan and Premium Plan. It’s important to break these down so you know exactly what they have to offer members. 

Pro Plan

The Pro Plan is considered the most popular option for Patreon creators. With this plan, Patreon will take a total of 8% of your overall earnings. So, let’s say you earn $50 from a fan donation made via the platform, Patreon will take 8% of this, leaving you with $42 in your pocket. 

On top of this, additional fees including payout fees and applicable taxes will also be taken. 

The top features included in the Pro Plan are:

• Community engagement tools
• Free trials and special offers
• Premium membership benefits
• Member analytics and insights
• Monthly and annual subscriptions
• Priority customer support
• Membership tiers

Premium Plan

As an alternative option, you can also sign up for Patreon’s Premium Plan. This might be a good option for creators who have already established a loyal following, and want access to additional features that aren’t available in the Pro Plan. With this plan, Patreon will take a total % of 12 of your earnings. 

The Premium plan comes complete with everything from the Pro Plan, plus an assigned partner manager (a dedicated expert providing one-on-one support to creators who want to grow their business).

Members of the Premium Plan also have access to Team Accounts, so you can add teammates to help manage your creator page, plus Merch for Membership, allowing you to offer merchandise as a benefit to patrons. 

Commerce

On top of the original two plans, there’s a new expansion called Commerce, allowing you to sell your digital products directly on Patreon. You can sell an unlimited number of these products without any listing fees. 

You can sell a range of digital products, including:

• Audio and video, such as podcast episodes, comedy specials, and documentaries
• Game mods
• Downloadable files, such as 3D print templates and digital prints
• Images, such as image galleries

If you decide to sell on the platform, Patreon will keep 5% of your monthly sales revenue, in addition to any applicable fees and taxes.

Patreon complete fee breakdown 

Now we’ve covered the payment plans offered by Patreon, it’s time to move on to a complete free breakdown, including every single expense creators will encounter when monetizing their content.

Plan fees

As we mentioned above, the most basic expenses you’ll encounter after you sign up for Patreon are their membership fees. For the Pro Plan, Patreon will take a total of 8% of each of your earnings. For the Premium Plan, Patreon will take a total of 12% of your earnings.

Patreon payment processing fees 

Next up, the Patreon payment processing fees cover the cost of using the platform’s payment infrastructure. Basically, these fees are charged by Patreon to process payments made by patrons. 

Patreon uses third-party payment processors, typically Stripe or PayPal to process payments and to cover usage costs, a small percentage of this fee will be passed on to you.

More specifically, Patreon charges a flat fee of 5% on all pledges received by creators. However, the actual processing fees may differ based on the payment processor used and the patron's geographical location. 

For instance, if a patron from the United States pledges $10, a payment processing fee of around $0.35 would apply.

Currency conversion fees

Now, let’s take a closer look at Patreon’s currency conversion fees. Because Patreon is supported in so many countries (over 200, in fact), this means that there are multiple different currencies being used on the platform every day. To ensure creators are awarded the correct amount from overseas patrons, Patreon uses a payment converter via the payment processor. 

This comes at an additional 2.5% of every transaction, but this figure can vary depending on the payment method. 

Payout fees

As you may have guessed from the header, creators incur Patreon fees when withdrawing money from their funds. The amount depends on the payout method used, be that PayPal or direct deposit. 

For US customers, direct deposit costs $0.25 per payout, but this payment withdrawal method isn’t available for international creators. 

For PayPal withdrawals, a total 1% fee will be charged, reaching a maximum of $20. 

How to avoid Patreon fees

Now we’ve covered all the fees associated with Patreon, it’s time to move on and discuss some tips to avoid excessive payouts on the platform. 

💰 Choose your preferred currency
As we mentioned earlier, Patreon charges currency conversion fees every time you receive a patron from international customers. You can avoid this fee simply by setting your preferred currency on Patreon. If you opt to receive payments in your chosen currency, conversion fees will only apply when you receive a payment in a different currency. 

🔢 Set your pledge amount
A great way to minimize your fees is by setting a minimum pledge amount. Consider increasing this to cut down on transactions. For example, if you say you set your minimum pledge to $10k, patrons who would normally pledge $5 per month would need to increase the amount, cutting down on the number of transactions and subsequent fees. 

🅿️ Opt for PayPal
If your customers use their bank account or PayPal balance for transactions, you'll benefit from lower fees. This is because PayPal provides a reduced fee structure of 2.9% plus $0.30 for each transaction when payments are made using a bank account or PayPal balance. Consider asking your patrons to pay via this method, incentivizing them with a small discount.

Patreon pros and cons

Patreon pros

✅ Community building
You have the opportunity to bring all your followers together in one dedicated space.

✅ Membership subscriptions
Patreon provides you with a way to monetize your audience, giving creators of all sizes an invaluable revenue stream.

✅ Patreon shop
The digital store allows you to sell a variety of media types, including streamable video and audio, downloadable files and images.

✅ Recurring revenue
Patreon makes it easy to forecast your business's future thanks to its recurring revenue and cash flow. 

Patreon cons:

❌ Expensive fees
As we’ve covered, there are several fees associated with Patreon that can prove expensive. You’ll find in this article that there are cheaper (and better) alternatives out there.

❌ Limited impressions
Patreon offers very limited discoverability, so to start using it, you’ll already need to have built up a following to capitalize on. The only way to really grow through the platform is to get on the featured creators list.

❌ External pressure
Being a creator on Patreon can sometimes feel fraught, as the presence of paying subscribers introduces an extra layer of pressure and an expectation to come up with fresh new content.

❌ Negative reviews
Reputable reviewing platforms such as Trustpilot are often inundated with negative Patreon reviews. 

Top Patreon alternatives

So, if you’re not totally sold on Patreon, especially after seeing some of the hefty fees associated with the platform, don’t worry, we’ve got some great alternatives for you. 

🏆 1. Whop 

Our number one spot goes to Whop - the very best marketplace for digital creators looking to monetize their content. Whop is an all-in-one platform that has all the creator-friendly features of Patreon with the added benefit of discoverability, thanks to Whop’s online marketplace.

Creating your own whop takes a matter of minutes, and it comes complete with a wealth of customization features, including:

• Courses app
  This app allows you to create comprehensive courses within your whop. It supports classic video lessons, text pages, files, graded and non-graded quizzes, and more.
• Chat app
  Allowing you to create a chat channel within your whop. 
• Files app
  This app allows you to create a file directory within your whop, so you can easily share files with the members of your whop.
• Content app
  You can use this powerful formatting app to create text pages for your members to see.
• Affiliate Links app
  This app allows you to create a directory of affiliate links.

So whether you want to create a store, a community platform, a soapbox, or all three, you can do this all in one place. 

Whop allows you to sell more digital products than just about any other platform out there. So, granting access to exclusive content and creating paid membership tiers are just the beginning. You can also create courses, run workshops, sell computer programs like bots and algorithms, run subscriptions, invite donations, and so much more. 

Most importantly, Whop has the lowest fees in the business. While Patreon charges 8% or 12% along with the hidden fees we’ve covered in this article, Whop's fees start at just 3%. 

2. Ko-fi

Ko-fi is another alternative that comes with a few additional features that give it the edge over Patreon. While it’s traditionally known as a donation platform, Ko-fi provides ways to sell commissions and various services, manage memberships, and more. 

It has lots of nifty features, including the ability to set alerts when you get donations so you can thank your followers while streaming. Moreover, it’s much cheaper than Patreon, offering customers a free plan with 5% platform fees, plus a Gold plan that costs a mere $6 a month. 

Patreon vs Ko-fi: Which creator platform is best?

3. Gumroad

Gumroad is an e-commerce platform that allows creators to sell a wealth of digital products directly to their audience. 

As soon as you sign up, you can start listing your items. Each digital product is provided with its own URL and webpage, so you can link items to your followers and potential customers. 

It comes complete with a wealth of customization features, so you can manage the look and feel of your storefront. It also offers automated email sequences, helping to build customer loyalty and drive future sales.

Despite the wealth of opportunities offered by Gumroad, it isn’t necessarily cheaper than Patreon, or the other items on our list. In fact, the basic package charges a hefty 10% fee, making it significantly more expensive than Whop’s 3%. 

Gumroad vs Patreon: Creator monetization platforms

Why Whop is the best platform for monetizing your content

Though Patreon is considered one of the OGs of the content world, there are far more options out there for creators in 2025. If you’re looking for a platform that offers plenty of discoverability, and allows you to sell a wealth of products to your audience, then Patreon probably isn’t for you. 

Instead, we encourage you to monetize with Whop, which connects you with over 4 million unique visitors each month and lets you sell pretty much any digital product imaginable. With Whop, you can offer:

• access to online communities (including whop, Discord, and Telegram)
• online courses
• ebooks
• one-on-one coaching
• digital products like templates, workbooks, and PDFs
• masterminds
• access to virtual events such as Webinar
• SaaS
• …and much more

Whop provides creators with a centralized platform where they can offer exclusive content, products, and services to their loyal followers, all in one place.

And best of all? It’s completely free to sign up, so you can make sure it works for you and your community. Whop doesn't make money unless you make money.

Join today to discover how Whop can scale your online venture. Create your whop, set your prices, make the storefront your own, and start raking in the cash today.

FAQ

What content is not allowed on Patreon?

As diverse as Patreon is in terms of its creators, there are several types of content that are prohibited on the platform. According to the community guidelines, Patreon prohibits the following:

“Creators engaged in criminal activity including, but not limited to violent acts (e.g. murder, sexual violence or exploitation, assault, domestic violence, child or animal abuse), hate crimes, property crimes (e.g. vandalism, arson), or engagement with criminal organizations (e.g. drug cartels, gangs) are not permitted.”

How exactly does patreon work? 

Patreon is a subscription-based platform that lets professional content creators, businesses, and enthusiasts receive payment for their products and services. It’s similar to crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe and Kickstarter, but has a broader scope in terms of features. 

How often should you post on Patreon?

According to research from the platform itself, members reported that they appreciated content that was delivered on a consistent basis. 80% said that they would like to see their favorite creators post content at least once a week.

Who is the top creator on Patreon?

As of November 2024, the top show on Patreon was a podcast called Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast. The comedy podcast had a total of 91,335 paid members. 

Is Patreon better than OnlyFans?

Patreon isn’t necessarily better than OnlyFans, but both platforms serve their own purpose. If your content is more tailored toward the adult content industry, then OnlyFans is more geared toward this. 

Is Patreon difficult to cancel?

If you’ve already set up an account on Patreon, but you’ve decided there’s another platform that better suits your needs, canceling your membership is very straightforward. Simply follow the directions below.

1. Navigate “Settings.” 
2. Select “Active Memberships.” 
3. Click on “Edit” for the membership you want to cancel. 
4. Click “Edit or Cancel Payment.”

What countries is Patreon banned in? 

Patreon is banned in a number of countries, including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and specific regions such as Crimea, the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), and Luhansk People's Republic (LNR).

Does Patreon own my content?

If you’re a creator, you might be wondering whether or not you maintain ownership of your content once it’s posted on Patreon. According to the platform’s Terms of Use: “Creators keep full ownership of their creations and patrons keep full ownership of what they post on Patreon, but give us permission to use them as part of Patreon's services.”