Subscriptions
Monthly or yearly fees with several tiers, plus one-time payments. You can start by sharing for free.
Comparison
Patreon: what it is, how it works and what alternative to choose
Patreon is a platform where your followers pay you a fee in exchange for exclusive content. Here's how it works, how much it keeps of what you earn and when Membersfy may be a better fit.
Patreon data taken from its official pages on November 7, 2026.
What is Patreon
Your followers subscribe to your page, choose a tier and pay every month or every year. In return, they see what you publish for them.
Posts
Text, images, audio, video hosted on Patreon and live sessions, plus tools for podcasts.
Community
Comments, real-time group chats, direct messages and polls.
Shop
Sale of individual digital products: videos, audio, images and downloadable files.
How much it charges Patreon
Opening your page is free: Patreon charges once you start earning. This is the fee it advertises today for those just starting out.
Standard fee
10 % of your revenue
No fixed fee
Plus payment processing fees, currency conversion fees and payout fees, and any applicable taxes.
An example with numbers
With 100 followers at 5 € per month you earn 500 €. For the platform fee alone, Patreon keeps 50 € per month.
Payment processing for each payment, currency conversion if your follower pays in another currency and whatever it costs to withdraw the money are on top of that. The exact amounts are in Patreon's help center.
On Membersfy there is no commission per sale, but there is a fee and your payment gateway's rates. Do the math with its plans and with your payment gateway's rates, because the result changes depending on what you sell.
Patreon and Membersfy, point by point
They are different tools: Patreon is a site where people subscribe to you, and Membersfy is your own platform. Here's what changes.
| What to compare | Patreon | Membersfy |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free: no fixed fee | Free. Paid plans from 37 €/month, or 30 €/month with yearly payment |
| Platform commission | 10 % of what you earn, plus payment, currency conversion and payout fees | 0 % on all plans. The payment gateway charges its rates |
| How your followers pay | Card, PayPal, Apple Pay and other methods, in more than 16 currencies | Stripe, PayPal and Mercado Pago, with Klarna through Stripe |
| Where the money goes | Patreon charges. You withdraw whenever you want, or through automatic payouts, by transfer, PayPal or Payoneer | Straight to your own payment gateway account |
| Taxes | Patreon takes care of most applicable taxes | You turn it on and the customer sees the breakdown at checkout |
| Your brand | Your page lives inside Patreon: you choose the background color and how posts are ordered. Custom domain doesn't appear on its pages | Your own platform with your brand, and a custom domain from the Creador plan |
| Courses | They don't appear as such: sell videos, posts and collections | Courses by modules, with exams and certificates. 1, 10 or unlimited, depending on the plan |
| Community | Comments, group chats, direct messages and polls | General forum and one per training program, with pinned posts and a space to ask the tutor |
| Live sessions | Its own, inside Patreon | With Zoom or Meet, and the recording uploads itself |
| Emails to your followers | Email newsletters included | With Membersfy CRM, included in the Creador+ plan |
| Getting discovered | Patreon can show your page to other users | It's not a storefront: your community has its own website and you bring the visits |
Which one to choose
Patreon is a fit if…
- You want to start without paying anything until your first revenue arrives.
- Your audience already knows Patreon and has an account there.
- You mostly publish standalone content: videos, podcasts, art or text.
- You prefer that the platform charges for you and handles the taxes.
- You want Patreon to help people discover you.
Membersfy is a good fit if…
- You want your own platform, with your brand and your domain.
- You sell courses, training or a community with follow-up.
- You don't want the platform to keep a percentage of every payment.
- You want the money to go straight to your Stripe, PayPal or Mercado Pago account.
- You want support and guidance in Spanish.
FAQ
Patreon is a subscription platform for creators: their followers pay a monthly or yearly fee and, in return, get access to what the creator publishes for them, such as videos, podcasts, text posts or community chats.
Creators open their page for free, set up subscription tiers with their own prices and publish content for each tier. Their followers subscribe and pay by card, PayPal or other methods, and the creator withdraws the money whenever they want or through automatic payouts.
According to its pricing page, opening your page is free and Patreon keeps 10 % of what you earn. Payment processing fees, currency conversion fees and payout fees are charged separately, along with any applicable taxes.
For creators, opening a page costs nothing: Patreon charges once you start earning. For followers, each creator decides what they share for free and what is paid.
Patreon charges the followers and holds the money in the creator's balance. From there, the creator withdraws it whenever they want, or through automatic payouts, by bank transfer, PayPal or Payoneer.
It depends on what you sell. If you publish standalone content and your audience is already on Patreon, staying may be the best choice. If you sell courses, training or a community and you want your own brand, no platform commission on your payments and support in Spanish, Membersfy is an option.
You can import your students from a CSV or Excel file. The subscriptions that Patreon bills don't transfer automatically: your followers will need to subscribe again on your platform. Talk to the team before making the move.
Comparing more platforms? Check out Skool, Kajabi and the membership platform comparison.
Sources, accessed on November 7, 2026: Patreon pricing, Paid memberships, Community, Digital products, Customization. Patreon is a trademark of its owners and has no relationship with Membersfy.
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