Patreon is one of the most well-known platforms for creators who want to earn recurring income directly from their fans. Whether you're a podcaster, artist, writer, or educator, Patreon makes it easy to monetize your community with monthly memberships, exclusive content, and fan support.
But how much does Patreon cost in 2025? And how much of your earnings does Patreon actually take once transaction and payment processing fees are factored in?
In this article, we’ll break down Patreon’s pricing in 2025, and share some cheaper or better alternatives depending on your needs.
Patreon Pricing Plans in 2025
Unlike traditional course platforms or digital storefronts, Patreon is free to start using but uses a commission-based pricing model, meaning they take a percentage of your earnings instead of charging a fixed monthly subscription.
Before August 4th, 2025, Patreon had 3 pricing plans with different commission structures. See below:
But from August 2025, Patreon now has one flat pricing plan for all new users and it charges a 10% transaction fee on this plan. Users who subscribed before August 4th, 2025 will continue being charged based on the old plan commission structure they were on before the change.
The new Patreon pricing plan charging a 10% flat commission takes effect from August 4th, 2025 and offers these features:
- Earn from your members with monthly and annual subscriptions, membership tiers or one-time payments.
- Create content with audio, images and rich text editing, access native video and livestreaming.
- Build exportable email lists and send email newsletters to your subscribers.
- Build a thriving community with chats, DMs and comments
- Grow your business with automated growth tools, member analytics and insights, free trials, discounts and sales.
- Manage your podcast with features like podcast importing and syncing, support for multiple podcasts, spotify integration, synced feeds and distribute your episodes via RSS feeds.
It is important to note that apart from the 10% fee, you will have to pay payment processing fees per transaction. For example, if a subscriber pays through Stripe, you will be charged an extra 2.9% + $0.30 for that sale bringing the total fee to $12.9% + $0.30 per sale. Depending on which country you’re selling from, there are also currency conversion fees, payout fees and applicable taxes.
Older Patreon Pricing Plans
Patreon Lite Plan
Patreon Lite was the simplest and most affordable way to get started. You wouldn’t pay a monthly fee, but Patreon took 5% of your monthly earnings.
What was included:
- Customizable Patreon page
- Communication tools (updates, messages)
- Ability to accept membership payments
- Patron-only content posts
Who it was for:
- Creators offering a single support tier (e.g., $5/month for behind-the-scenes content)
- Beginners who wanted a minimal setup
- Artists, streamers, or writers testing out membership income
The Lite Plan was great if you wanted to keep things casual and weren’t looking to build complex membership tiers or deliver lots of content.
Patreon Pro Plan
The Pro Plan was by far the most popular among active creators. It gave users access to membership tiers, analytics, integrations, and community tools, for 8% of their monthly income.
What was Included:
Everything in Lite, plus:
- Multiple membership tiers
- Membership analytics
- Creator-to-patron messaging
- Welcome notes
- Polls
- Integration with Discord, Zapier, etc.
- Special Offers & promotional tools
Who it was for:
- Creators offering different levels of content or rewards
- Podcasters, educators, video creators, and musicians with active communities
- Creators who want to grow and manage their memberships more effectively
The Pro Plan gave users the flexibility to build a business around your content, with no upfront costs.
Patreon Premium Plan
The Premium Plan was designed for larger creators and teams managing high-earning communities. It came with everything in Pro, plus dedicated support and advanced tools, but cost 12% of revenue, and users needed to pay a monthly fee starting at $300/month.
What was included:
Everything in Pro, plus:
- Dedicated Partner Manager
- Merch for Membership (handled by Patreon)
- Team accounts
- Advanced dashboard and analytics
Who it was for:
- Creators making $10,000+/month
- Small teams or businesses managing a Patreon account
- Creators who want to outsource merch or need custom support
Patreon Transaction Fees
Aside from Patreon’s 10% cut, you’ll also pay payment processing fees on every subscription.
Here’s what that typically looks like:
- Pledges under $3: ~5% + $0.10
- Pledges $3 and up: ~2.9% + $0.30
- Payout fees: $0.25 for US bank transfers, higher for PayPal or international transfers
This means if a patron pays $5/month, you might lose:
- ~50¢ to Patreon
- ~45¢ to payment processing
- Leaving you with roughly $4.05
The more patrons you have and the more tiers you offer, the more these fees add up.
Patreon Free Plan
All of Patreon’s plans are free to join with no monthly fees. But Patreon will take a percentage of what you earn instead.
So while there’s no upfront cost, you're still paying a performance-based fee every month , and you only keep 80% to 85% of your revenue after all cuts.
Cheaper Alternatives to Patreon in 2025
Patreon is easy to set up and widely recognized, but it’s not the cheapest option, especially once you grow. If you want more control, fewer fees, or different features, here are a few platforms to consider:
1. Ko-fi – Free to Start
- 0% transaction fees on donations
- 5% fee on shop sales and memberships
- No monthly fee unless you upgrade to Ko-fi Gold ($6/month)
Why it’s a great alternative: You keep more of what you earn, and fans can support you one-time or monthly, no platform cut on donations.
2. Buy Me a Coffee – Free with 5% Fee
- Similar to Ko-fi, with 5% platform fee
- Supports one-time tips, memberships, and digital sales
- Simple and creator-friendly
Best for: Creators who want a Patreon-like setup but with a smaller fee and no learning curve.
3. Payhip – Free with 5% Transaction Fee
- Sell memberships, coaching, and digital downloads
- Full website builder
- Paid plan removes transaction fees ($29/month)
Why it’s better: You can build a full creator business without relying on a third-party platform for memberships alone.
4. Ghost + Stripe – Fully Custom
- Ghost is an open-source platform for publishing and memberships
- You host it yourself or use Ghost(Pro) starting at $9/month
- Keep ~90%+ of your earnings (minus Stripe fees)
Best for: Writers or publishers who want full control of content, design, and revenue.
5. Substack – Free for Newsletters
- 10% platform fee
- Designed for writers who earn through paid email newsletters
- Simple interface, zero monthly cost
Best for: Writers and journalists growing a loyal email audience.
6. SchoolMaker - Starts at $29/month
- Sell courses and coaching
- No transaction fees
- Provides tools to help you sell more courses
Best for: Creators who want to monetize with courses and coaching.
Conclusion: Is Patreon’s Pricing Worth It in 2025?
Patreon is a great starting point if you want to turn your audience into monthly income without managing your own site. It is easy to set up, recognizable to fans, and requires no upfront investment.
But as you grow, the platform fees and limited customization might start to feel restrictive. If you want more control, lower fees, or better branding, alternatives like Ko-fi, Payhip may be better options and if you want to sell courses or coaching, SchoolMaker is one of the best options out there.
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