Patreon
Paid memberships, a shop and community for creators and their fans
Patreon report card
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 18, 2026
Best for memberships funded by fans
Patreon is where fans pay creators every month: member tiers, posts, native video, livestreams, podcasts and newsletters, plus a shop for one-off downloads. It handles payments, fraud and most sales tax, and it's free to start. The cost is 10% of what you earn, double what Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee take, with no plan that lowers it.
Who Patreon is for
- Great if you're a podcaster, video maker or artist funded by monthly members
- Handy when you want payments, fraud and sales tax handled for you
- Good for selling extra downloads to fans who already support you
Who Patreon is not for
- Pricey if you earn a lot, as 10% of every dollar goes to Patreon with no plan to lower it
- Not for you if you want buyers paying on your own site, since they need a Patreon account
Why Patreon gets a 3.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- DValue for moneyGraded against its own alternatives, fan-support platforms. Patreon keeps 10% of what you earn, so $1,000 a month costs $100, with processing and payout fees on top (not counted). That's double Ko-fi's and Buy Me a Coffee's 5%, and in this category's dearest tenth.
- AFree plan and trialStarting a Patreon is free, with no monthly fee and nothing held back. You only pay a share once you earn, and the value grade counts that.
- BFeaturesAgainst its alternatives it does the most: member tiers, free trials, a shop for downloads, native video, livestreams, podcasts with Spotify, newsletters and group chats. Not an A, because buyers need a Patreon account to purchase anything.
- AEase of use4.9 from about 580,000 App Store ratings, the best here. Getting started is free, and Patreon takes care of payments, chargebacks and most taxes for you.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone and Android, with Discord, Spotify, YouTube, Vimeo, Zapier, ConvertKit, WordPress and Crowdcast. No desktop app, which an A needs.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Patreon's own pages on 18 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/patreon#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/patreon.svg" alt="Patreon: 3.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Patreon stands among tools for selling digital products
Patreon's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 13 of the 14 other tools for selling digital products we grade.
It stands best on ease of use (A, above 13 of 14) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Patreon has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 15 tools for selling digital products we grade, cut by the letter each got. Patreon’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 14, level with 2
- AFree plan and trialAbove 7 of 14, level with 7
- BFeaturesAbove 6 of 14, level with 8
- AEase of useAbove 13 of 14, level with 1
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 14, level with 14
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 14 tools for selling digital products. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Patreon, or make your own?
Keep it
Patreon is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 13 of the 14 other tools for selling digital products we grade.
What you could make
- Paid newsletters and digital downloads: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Discord, Spotify and YouTube among them.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Patreon’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Patreon?
Patreon lets creators run paid memberships with tiers, monthly or annual billing and members-only posts, video, livestreams, podcasts and newsletters, plus a shop for one-off digital products. Patreon handles the payments itself, including chargebacks, fraud and most sales tax, and it takes a share of what creators earn instead of a monthly fee.
Patreon is free to use. See every plan
Good for
- Podcasters, video makers and artists funded by monthly members
- Creators who want payments, fraud and tax handled for them
- Creators selling extra digital products to the same fans
Worth knowing
- Patreon keeps 10% of creator income, and payment processing, currency conversion and payout fees come on top.
- Buyers need a Patreon account to purchase products, so fans pay inside Patreon rather than on your own site.
- The pricing page lists a single rate, 10% of earnings, with no monthly plan that lowers it.
Key features
- Memberships
- Membership tiers billed monthly or annually, one-time payments, free trials, discounts and sales, with member analytics.
- Shop for digital products
- Sell video, audio, images, downloadable files and collections one at a time, with no listing fee, or make them free for members.
- Posts, video and newsletters
- Publish audio, images and rich text, host video natively, livestream, and send posts as email newsletters.
- Podcasts
- Import and sync podcasts, run several shows, distribute episodes by RSS, and use the Spotify integration with synced feeds.
- Community
- Group chats, direct messages and comments for members, with exportable email lists and Discord integration.
- Payments handled by Patreon
- Patreon processes payments, handles chargebacks, disputes and fraud, collects and remits most taxes, and supports 16+ currencies.
Patreon pricing
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- Starting a Patreon is free. Patreon keeps 10% of the income creators earn, plus payment processing, currency conversion and payout fees and applicable taxes.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Patreon | $0 | No monthly fee. Patreon keeps 10% of what creators earn from memberships and shop sales, plus processing, currency conversion and payout fees. |
Read from patreon.com on Oct 18, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Patreon before you buy.
How people rate the Patreon app
4.9
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
579,795 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 18, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
Patreon alternatives
- Patreon vs Ko-fi
Free plan
- Patreon vs Memberful
Free trial · from $49/mo
- Patreon vs Whop
Free
Common questions
Is Patreon free?
Yes. Patreon is free to use. Starting a Patreon is free. Patreon keeps 10% of the income creators earn, plus payment processing, currency conversion and payout fees and applicable taxes.
How much does Patreon cost?
Patreon lists one plan. Patreon: $0. Prices were read from patreon.com on Oct 18, 2026.
What platforms does Patreon work on?
Patreon is available on Web, iOS and Android.
How is Patreon rated?
Patreon's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.9 out of 5 from 579,795 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 18, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does Patreon have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Patreon is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Patreon have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Patreon is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Patreon open source?
Patreon is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
What does Patreon integrate with?
Patreon's listing names Discord, Spotify, YouTube, Vimeo, Zapier, ConvertKit, WordPress and Crowdcast. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Patreon?
Patreon is made by Patreon.
What are the alternatives to Patreon?
The closest alternatives to Patreon in our directory are Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee, Memberful, Whop and Gumroad. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Patreon.
How does Patreon compare with other tools for selling digital products?
Patreon's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 13 of the 14 other tools for selling digital products we grade. It stands best on ease of use (A, above 13 of 14) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Is Patreon good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Patreon D for value for money. Patreon has no paid plan. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Could I make my own version of Patreon?
Patreon is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 13 of the 14 other tools for selling digital products we grade. What you could not make: A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to. A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. It plugs into other products, Discord, Spotify and YouTube among them. The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 18, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.