Patreon Alternatives and Sites Like Patreon Compared on Fees
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In short
The main Patreon alternatives are Ko-fi (5% service fee, or $12 a month on Ko-fi Gold for 0%), Buy Me a Coffee (5%), Substack (10% plus Stripe), Memberful ($49 a month plus 4.9%), Ghost (from $29 a month billed yearly, 0% fee), Fourthwall (5% on memberships) and Kajabi (from $179 a month, 0% fee). Patreon itself takes a flat 10% plus 2.9% and $0.30 a payment for creators who published after August 4, 2025. On $5,000 a month from 500 members, Patreon keeps about $795; Ko-fi Gold keeps about $307 and Ghost about $359.
The honest read
Most Patreon alternatives lists are written by a company selling one of the alternatives, and several are out of date on the two platforms people compare most. Ko-fi raised Gold from $8 to $12 a month for new creators, dropped the annual plan, and now starts new creators on a Standard mode that charges 5% on one-time tips as well, so "Ko-fi takes 0% on tips" is only true if you switch it off. Patreon moved every new creator to a flat 10% in August 2025, so the old 5%, 8% and 12% tiers in older guides apply only to legacy pages. We read each vendor page in October 2026 and priced the same two membership businesses on all of them.
Published prices
Patreon alternatives by price, read on vendor pages in October 2026
US prices in USD. The platform fee is what the service itself takes from each payment. Card processing, usually 2.9% plus $0.30 a payment in the US, comes on top everywhere unless the row says otherwise.
| Platform | Monthly cost | Platform fee on memberships | Who processes payments | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patreon (new pages) | None | 10% | Patreon, 2.9% plus $0.30 a payment | Creators who want members to find and pay in one familiar app |
| Patreon (legacy pages) | None | 5% Founders, 8% Pro, 11% Pro plus Merch | Patreon; payments of $3 or less cost 5% plus $0.10 | Creators who published on or before August 4, 2025 |
| Ko-fi | $0, or $12 for Gold | 5% (Gold 0%) | Your own PayPal or Stripe | Artists and streamers mixing tips, commissions and shop sales |
| Buy Me a Coffee | None | 5% | Stripe | Simple supporter pages and small memberships |
| Substack | None | 10% | Your Stripe, plus its 0.7% billing fee | Writers whose membership is a paid newsletter |
| Memberful | $49 | 4.9% | Your Stripe, plus its 0.7% billing fee | Podcasters and publishers who want members on their own site |
| Ghost | From $29 billed yearly (1,000 members) | 0% | Your Stripe, plus its 0.7% billing fee | Newsletters and publications with a website |
| Fourthwall | $0, Pro $15 | 5% on memberships on both plans | Fourthwall checkout | Creators who also sell merch |
| Kajabi | From $179 ($143 billed yearly) | 0% | Kajabi Payments or your processor | Courses and coaching with a membership attached |
Ko-fi Gold is monthly only for new creators; the annual Gold plan is no longer sold. Ghost Starter at $16 a month cannot take paid subscriptions, so Publisher is the entry plan for a paid membership, and Ghost raises the price as your member count grows (free members count too). Memberful lists one plan at $49 a month plus 4.9% a transaction.
Published prices
What each platform keeps from the same membership business
Two creators: one with 200 members at $5 a month ($1,000), one with 500 members at $10 a month ($5,000). Each total is the platform fee plus any subscription plus US card processing at 2.9% plus $0.30 a payment, plus Stripe's 0.7% billing fee where you bring your own Stripe for recurring billing.
| Platform and plan | At $1,000 a month | At $5,000 a month |
|---|---|---|
| Patreon, 10% (new page) | $189 (18.9%) | $795 (15.9%) |
| Patreon Pro, 8% (legacy page) | $169 (16.9%) | $695 (13.9%) |
| Ko-fi, 5% service fee | $139 (13.9%) | $545 (10.9%) |
| Ko-fi Gold, $12 a month | $101 (10.1%) | $307 (6.1%) |
| Buy Me a Coffee, 5% | $139 (13.9%) | $545 (10.9%) |
| Substack, 10% | $196 (19.6%) | $830 (16.6%) |
| Memberful, $49 plus 4.9% | $194 (19.4%) | $624 (12.5%) |
| Ghost Publisher, $29 billed yearly | $125 (12.5%) | $359 (7.2%) |
| Kajabi Basic, $179 | $268 (26.8%) | $474 (9.5%) |
Processing is the largest single cost on small pledges: at $5 a member, the $0.30 fixed fee alone is 6% of every payment, whichever platform you pick. That is why moving from $5 to $10 tiers cuts the total share on every row. Payout fees (Patreon lists a small per-payout charge, and PayPal or Stripe may charge to move money to your bank) are left out.
Why creators look for a Patreon alternative
The most common reason is the fee change. Anyone who published a Patreon page after August 4, 2025 pays a flat 10% platform fee, plus 2.9% and $0.30 a payment, so a $5 member nets about $4.06. Creators on the old 8% Pro plan keep that rate only while their page stays published; unpublish it, or have Patreon unpublish it, and the page moves to 10% when it comes back. The second reason is control: Patreon owns the checkout, so members are Patreon customers first, and moving them later means asking each one to sign up again. The third is fit. A writer is often better served by a newsletter platform, a streamer by a tip page, and a course creator by a course platform with a membership attached.
Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee, the lowest platform fee
Ko-fi takes 5% on memberships, shop sales and commissions, half of Patreon's new rate, and pays you straight into your own PayPal or Stripe account, so Ko-fi never holds a balance. There is one detail most guides miss. New creators start in Standard mode, which charges 5% on one-time tips too and unlocks supporter-only posts and scheduled posts. Switch Standard off in Settings and one-time tips go back to 0%, but you lose those perks. Ko-fi Gold costs $12 a month and takes 0% on everything, which pays for itself once fee-bearing income passes $240 a month. Full fee math is in our Ko-fi fees and Ko-fi Gold pricing breakdown.
Buy Me a Coffee charges a flat 5% on supporter payments, memberships and shop items, with Stripe processing on top and no monthly plan. It is the simplest page to set up. What both lack is Patreon's discovery and its app, where many fans already have a card saved.
Substack, Ghost and Memberful for writers and podcasters
If your membership is really a paid newsletter, compare it to a newsletter platform, not to Ko-fi. Substack takes 10% plus Stripe processing and Stripe's 0.7% billing fee, which ends up slightly more expensive than Patreon on the same income; you pay that for the Substack network and app. Ghost takes 0% and charges a flat subscription instead, from $29 a month billed yearly for up to 1,000 members, so it gets cheaper in percentage terms the bigger you are. Memberful is $49 a month plus 4.9% a transaction and plugs memberships into your own website and private podcast feeds. Our Patreon vs Substack fees page has the side-by-side for writers.
Kajabi and Fourthwall when the membership is part of something bigger
Kajabi starts at $179 a month ($143 billed yearly) with no revenue share. At $1,000 a month in member income that is the most expensive option on this page, about $268 all in. At $5,000 it costs less than Patreon, about $474 against $795, and you get courses, coaching and a website in the same plan. Fourthwall is the pick for creators who sell merch: memberships carry a 5% fee on both its no-cost plan and Pro ($15 a month), and merch production and shipping are handled for you. If you also sell digital products from a link in bio, our Stan Store alternatives comparison prices those storefronts the same way.
When staying on Patreon is the right call
Patreon still wins on discovery and convenience. Fans who already pledge to other creators can join you in two taps, the mobile app handles posts, chat and video, and Patreon collects sales tax and VAT on memberships where it applies. If you are on a legacy 5% or 8% plan, the case for leaving is weak: on $1,000 a month, the legacy Pro plan costs about $30 more than Ko-fi's 5%, not enough to justify asking every member to re-subscribe. The math changes for new creators on 10% with growing income. On $5,000 a month, Ko-fi Gold keeps about $488 a month more than Patreon, or close to $5,900 a year, and Ghost about $436 a month more.
How to move members without losing half of them
Expect to run both platforms for a while. Members do not move automatically; every one of them has to sign up and enter payment details again, and many will only do it when prompted more than once. Most creators announce a date, offer the new platform at the same or a slightly lower price, keep Patreon open but closed to new members for one or two billing cycles, and post the switch in every channel. Export your member list from Patreon first, so you can email people directly. During the overlap your income is split across two dashboards that pay on different days, which is when a single view of both matters most. If brand partners make up part of your income too, it helps to line up sponsorship deals with newsletters and podcasts before the move, so a dip in member income does not hit all at once.
The part no membership platform answers
Patreon, Ko-fi, Substack and every tool above show what came in on that one platform. None of them shows what you earned this month across all of them, after fees, next to YouTube AdSense, Twitch, brand deals and shop sales. Earnly does that: every payout from Patreon, Ko-fi, Substack, Stripe, PayPal, YouTube and the rest on one board, with gross, fees and take-home per source and a payout calendar that knows Patreon starts automatic payouts on the 5th while Ko-fi pays the moment a supporter does. During a migration it shows both platforms on one line each, so you can see whether the switch is paying off. See how it works for tracking Patreon income alongside everything else.
Side by side
Where the boards differ
| What you get | Earnly | Patreon |
|---|---|---|
| Memberships, tiers and supporter-only posts | No | Yes |
| Checkout and recurring billing for members | No | Yes |
| Income from Patreon, Ko-fi, Substack, YouTube and shops on one board | Yes | No |
| Gross, fees and take-home per payout | Yes | Inside Patreon only |
| Payout calendar across every platform | Yes | No |
| Next-month income forecast, labeled as an estimate | Creator plan and up | No |
| Price | Solo, Creator and Studio plans | 10% of income plus processing |
Comparison reflects published pricing and feature descriptions at the time of our last check; both products change. Pick the tool that fits how you earn. See what the board looks like on the income tracker homepage, or start with the revenue dashboard.
Questions people actually ask
What is better than Patreon?
It depends on what you sell. For tips, commissions and small memberships, Ko-fi at 5% (or $12 a month for 0%) keeps more of each payment. For a paid newsletter, Ghost from $29 a month billed yearly takes 0%. For courses with a membership, Kajabi from $179. Patreon stays the better pick when you rely on its app and discovery.
What are sites like Patreon?
The closest sites like Patreon are Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee, Substack, Memberful, Ghost, Fourthwall and Kajabi. Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee are supporter pages with memberships, Substack and Ghost are newsletter platforms with paid tiers, Memberful adds memberships to your own site, and Kajabi bundles memberships with courses.
Who are Patreon's competitors?
Patreon's main competitors for creator memberships are Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee, Substack, Memberful, Ghost, Fourthwall, Kajabi and Circle. Platforms such as YouTube channel memberships and Twitch subscriptions also compete for the same fan money, though they pay creators a share rather than charging a fee.
Is Ko-fi cheaper than Patreon?
Yes for most creators. Ko-fi charges a 5% service fee against Patreon's 10% for new pages, and Ko-fi Gold at $12 a month removes the fee entirely. On $1,000 a month in memberships, Ko-fi costs about $139 all in and Patreon about $189. Ko-fi does not include Patreon's app or discovery.
How much does Patreon take from creators?
For pages published after August 4, 2025, Patreon takes 10% of each membership or purchase, plus processing of 2.9% and $0.30 a payment in the US. Older pages keep legacy rates of 5%, 8% or 11%. On a $5 membership a new creator keeps about $4.06, and on a $10 membership about $8.41.
Which Patreon alternative has the lowest fees?
Ko-fi Gold and Ghost, because neither takes a percentage: Ko-fi Gold is $12 a month and Ghost from $29 a month billed yearly. Below about $240 a month in income, Ko-fi with its 5% service fee and no subscription is cheaper. Card processing still applies everywhere, about 2.9% plus $0.30 a payment.
Can I move my patrons from Patreon to another platform?
Yes, but not automatically. Export your member list from Patreon, announce the move and a date, and ask each member to join the new platform and enter their payment details again. Most creators run both platforms for one or two billing cycles and close Patreon to new members during the overlap.
How do I track Patreon income with my other platforms?
Download the earnings CSV from Patreon and bring it into one place with your Ko-fi, Substack, YouTube and shop payouts. Earnly does this on one board with gross, fees and take-home per source, plus a payout calendar, so a move between platforms shows up as two lines rather than a gap.