Patreon powers membership businesses for creators

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Membership allows

like you to have a direct relationship with your biggest fans, get recurring revenue for your work, and create on your own terms.

A meaningful revenue stream

Fans pay you a subscription amount of their choice in exchange for exclusive experiences & behind-the-scenes content.

Regain creative freedom

Predictable income from your patrons means you can create on your terms. No strings attached.

Over $350 million sent to creators

An average patron pays more on a monthly basis than consumers pay for Netflix, Spotify, or Amazon Prime.

Meet some Patreon creators

Kinda Funny is creating an independent production company and podcast network

5,750 patrons

“We couldn’t do this without Patreon. […] Patreon takes away the level of guesswork that will actually allow you to strategically plan and grow your business.”

Podcasts

Issa Rae Presents is creating Series, Films, Events

1,678 patrons

“I first launched my Patreon page as a way to fund the content that we were putting out on a weekly basis. Now, we use Patreon as a membership program to not only fund content, but to hold local events and give supporters exclusive perks.”

Video & Film

Zach Weinersmith is creating SMBC Comics and Books

3,368 patrons

$6,774.30 per month

“It’s the most reliable and relaxing way to make a living for creators. Every other way to make money (ads, crowdfunding, merchandise, conventions…) is subject to seasonality and random fluctuations.”

Comics

Peter Hollens is creating Music Videos

4,332 patrons

“Patreon not only changed my life, but changed the lives of the people I employ, the 19 contractors and the full-time employees. Because of them, I’m able now to grow a digital media company and help foster this type of creation.”

Music

Cyrille Aimee is creating Songs and Music videos

134 patrons

“To me, Patreon is the future of the music business. To cut out the middle man and make art accessible directly from the artist to the fan, is one of the beauties of internet.”

Video & Film

Wait But Why is creating high-quality blog posts

3,674 patrons

“Creating stuff online is still pretty new and the world hasn’t really figured out a good business model to make it sustainable. Patreon is the best solution to this problem that we’ve come across — a simple way for the people who really want to help support Wait But Why to do so.”

Writing

Low, transparent fees

You keep 90%We keep 5%

Transaction fees average 5%

Your business, your way

Retain full control

Still want to run ads, do brand deals, or work with sponsors? Cool with us!

You own your content

There are no contracts to sign and you retain 100% ownership of your work. You made it, not us.

Rally your biggest fans

Meet, energize, and gain insights from your devoted following.

Full time cheerleaders

Entire teams of experts dedicated to your success. Pompoms included.

We do the heavy lifting

You focus on creating. We’ll take on patron questions, payments, and more.

Only 5 fees really

Yes.

Monthly payments made effortless

We chase down declined payments
We shield you from chargebacks
We track patron history & value

Here when you need us

We handle patrons’ questions
We protect creators’ rights
We catch fraud before it hits your balance

Find out what you can earn

Audience Size

Lowest Tier Price

Conversion Rate

Per month*

*Estimate includes the 5% average transaction fee and the 5% Patreon fee.

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Get some questions answered

Is Patreon right for what I create?

Patreon powers membership businesses for a huge variety of creators: podcasters, video creators, musicians, illustrators, webcomics, bloggers, game streamers, and so many more that don't fit into any of those categories. If you create something and you have an established audience that loves it, Patreon is most likely for you. Check our Community Guidelines if you're wondering whether your content is allowed.

How much work is Patreon? How much time should I expect to commit?

You can design your membership business in a way that works for you and your fans. The time commitment can vary depending on the kinds of benefits you want to offer, and what your fans will find value in. Patreon gives you tools to provide benefits your patrons will love while still being easy for you to manage.

What will my fans think? I don't want to "ask for money."

When you offer a membership for your most passionate fans, you're not asking for donations. In fact, you're not "asking for money" at all. You're inviting them to be part of something exciting that gives them unique benefits they want, like additional access, exclusivity, and engaging experiences. Your true fans love what you do! They want more involvement and will be happy to pay for it.

Wait, does Patreon own my content?

Nope! Your content is 100% yours, unless a record label or studio owns part of it, in which case it's partly theirs too, but it's definitely not Patreon's — not even a little.

Am I allowed to earn money from other income sources while using Patreon?

Absolutely. Still want to run ads, do brand deals, or work with sponsors? Cool with us.

What does Patreon do for creators outside of processing payments?

Patreon is a robust membership platform that helps you turn your most passionate fans into paying patrons, own and nurture the relationship with them, and deliver unique, ongoing value that delights them. Not only do we process recurring payments from your patrons, but we also retry when a card is declined, manage chargebacks and fight fraud, and provide customer support to patrons on your behalf. We offer tools to make it easy to manage your patron information and analytics to help you understand and grow your business. We do all this alongside world class, creator-friendly human support to guide creators along the way.

How is Patreon different from other platforms offering membership subscriptions?

Let us count the ways. Patreon was founded by a musician to help other creators. Our staff is made up of many creators, and we're committed to our mission of funding the creative class.

We don't sell ads. We optimize for your earnings, not for eyeballs or traffic. That means no algorithms. You always come first.

On Patreon, you own your audience. You get your patrons' email addresses and can take them with you should you choose to leave Patreon. They're your fans, not ours. In fact, you don't have to keep your fans on Patreon. With our API, we play nice with the rest of the web and with other services. Want to send your patrons an email with MailChimp? Awesome. Want to have exclusive content for your patrons on Wordpress or your own website? Again, totally cool with us. Other platforms want to keep your fans on their websites so that they can turn those eyeballs into ad dollars. That's not our business model, so we allow you to bring, reward, and hang with your patrons anywhere you want.

Our product is reliable, secure, has rock-solid payments and transparent pricing. We deliver unusually compassionate human support, with creator-first policies and great guidance so that creators can count on us to consistently deliver on our promise of being creator-first.

Did I mention that we have a creator success team? This is true -- we have a team, literally called "Creator Success." They exist to help you grow your membership.

Lastly, our business depends solely on creators succeeding. We're literally incentivized, from a revenue perspective, to make sure our creators are making money and successful. That allows us to be truly creator first, from products, to revenue, to tough strategic choices -- we always choose creators.

Once I launch my membership, am I allowed to make changes later?

Yes! Most creators on Patreon revise their membership tiers and benefits regularly. We encourage you to try things, see how they work for you, and then try more new things. If you talk to your fans and patrons and bring them along for the ride, they will be excited about the changes.

Learn everything you need to launch

Is Patreon the right fit for you and your creative business?

Learn how to evaluate your ROI and start planning your launch.

6 Membership Based Business Models You Can Use On Patreon Today

See the most common business models successful creators are using on Patreon and pick the one that is right for you.

The 20 Most Useful Patreon Features & Integrations

Get an overview of our most powerful features & integrations and see how you can use them to run your business.

Want more? We’ve got guides, case-studies, and advice from our most successful creators:

Explore on the Patreon blog

Create on your own terms