The best Patreon alternatives let you earn money from fans without giving up a big slice of every payment. Patreon is still a popular membership platform, but rising fees, Apple’s in-app rules, and limited brand control are making many creators look around.
There’s no single best alternative to Patreon. It depends on what you create and how your audience supports you, whether that’s one-time tips, memberships, downloads, or physical products. Below, we compare the 10 best Patreon alternatives, from websites like Patreon that cost nothing to start to paid tools that give you full control over your brand. Some are true free Patreon alternatives with 0% fees on tips, while others charge monthly for lower fees.
Why creators look beyond Patreon
What Patreon still does well
Let’s be fair – Patreon offers a lot. It’s built around membership tiers, so you can give fans different benefits at different price points, and its tools make it easy to manage members and see who’s supporting you. Fans can also find new creators through Patreon’s built-in discovery features, which most third-party platform options don’t have.
Patreon also hosts video natively and includes community chats, so you can deliver exclusive content and run your online community in one place. For many creators, that all-in-one setup is still worth the price.
What’s pushing creators to look elsewhere
For a growing number of creators, it comes down to cost and control:
- A 10% platform fee for new creators. Anyone who publishes a page after August 4, 2025, pays a 10% platform fee, plus payment processing, currency conversion, and payout fees.
- Apple’s fees in the iOS app. New memberships bought in the Patreon iOS app are subject to Apple’s 30% App Store fee, which drops to 15% after a member’s first year. Creators either raise iOS prices or absorb the hit.
- A required switch to subscription billing. Apple requires all creators to move to subscription billing by November 1, 2026. Accounts still on per-creation or first-of-the-month billing will be automatically switched, removing the option to charge per post for specific projects.
- Limited control over branding and member data. Your page lives on Patreon’s domain, surrounded by Patreon’s site design and recommendations, so building your own brand takes extra work.
That’s why so many creators now look for an alternative to Patreon – or run one alongside it.
Patreon alternatives at a glance
Here’s a quick look at how the best alternatives to Patreon compare on key features, pricing, and ideal creator type. The list includes free Patreon alternatives and paid tools with more flexibility. Platform fees are what each service keeps – payment processing fees apply on top for all of them.
| Platform | Best for | Free plan | Platform fee | Creator type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ko-fi | Tips, commissions, and small shops | Yes | 0% on one-time tips, 5% on the rest (0% with Gold) | Artists, illustrators, streamers |
| Buy Me a Coffee | Simple tips and memberships | Yes | 5% | Writers, podcasters, developers |
| Gumroad | Selling digital products | Yes | 10% + $0.50 per sale | Digital artists, educators |
| Payhip | Downloads and memberships | Yes | 5% (2% or 0% on paid tiers) | Designers, authors, course creators |
| YouTube channel memberships | Video audiences | Yes (eligibility required) | 30% revenue share | YouTubers |
| Discord Server Subscriptions | Paid community access | Yes (US only) | 10% | Gamers, community leaders |
| Substack | Paid newsletters | Yes | 10% | Writers, journalists |
| Ghost | Memberships on your own website | Self-hosted only | 0% | Writers, publishers |
| Circle | Communities and courses | No (14-day trial) | 2% on Professional | Coaches, educators |
| Kajabi | Courses and coaching | No (free trial) | 0% | Course creators, coaches |
10 Best alternatives to Patreon
1. Ko-fi
Ko-fi started as a digital tip jar and has grown into one of the most user-friendly Patreon alternatives around – and one of the best alternatives for visual artists. You can accept one-time tips, run paid memberships, take commissions, and open a shop from a single page – and supporters don’t need an account to pay.
Best for: Artists, illustrators, and streamers who want a low-cost mix of tips, commissions, and shop sales.
Pricing: Free to start, with 0% fees on one-time tips. Memberships, monthly support, commissions, and shop sales carry a 5% fee, or you can pay $12/month for Ko-fi Gold – essentially Ko-fi’s pro version – to remove platform fees completely.
Standout feature: Commissions – fans can request custom work through your page, with slots and prices you set.
The trade-off: Community features are basic. There’s no built-in chat or forum, so many creators pair Ko-fi with a third-party platform like Discord.
2. Buy Me a Coffee
Buy Me a Coffee is the quickest way to start earning money from fans. Set up a page in minutes, add a button to your site or bio, and start collecting tips, paid memberships, and digital extras. It’s one of the great alternatives for creators who want fan support without having to manage a full membership platform.
Best for: Writers, podcasters, and developers who want a simple tip jar with optional memberships.
Pricing: No monthly price. Buy Me a Coffee takes a flat 5% fee on everything, plus payment processing fees.
Standout feature: Simplicity. Fans can send support in a few taps, and you can add members-only posts and recurring donation options whenever you’re ready.
The trade-off: Minimal customization. Your page looks a lot like everyone else’s, so there’s little room for your brand to stand out on the platform.
3. Gumroad
Gumroad is a storefront built for selling digital products, from digital art and brushes to templates, eBooks, and memberships. It handles checkout and file delivery, allowing creators to launch a product in minutes, and supports recurring payments for subscriptions, too.
Best for: Digital artists and educators selling downloads or subscriptions.
Pricing: No monthly fee. Gumroad charges 10% + $0.50 per direct sale and 30% on sales made through its Discover marketplace.
Standout feature: Discover – Gumroad’s marketplace can put your products in front of buyers who’ve never heard of you.
The trade-off: The fee never shrinks as you grow, so 10% + $0.50 per sale adds up quickly at higher volume.
4. Payhip
Payhip is a Patreon alternative that works as a membership site and storefront in one, enabling creators to sell memberships, digital downloads, online courses, coaching, and even physical products. Every tier includes the same features – only the transaction fee changes.
Best for: Designers, authors, and course creators who want a membership site and shop in one place, under their own brand.
Pricing: The free plan has a 5% transaction fee. Plus costs $29/month with a 2% fee, and Pro costs $99/month with a 0% fee.
Standout feature: Flexible memberships. You can offer multiple membership tiers, free trials, and monthly, annual, or lifetime billing.
The trade-off: It’s less built for social media audiences. There are no feed or discovery features, so you’ll drive all your own traffic.
5. YouTube channel memberships
If your audience already watches you on YouTube, channel memberships are the simplest Patreon alternative – fans pay monthly without leaving the platform. Members can get badges, custom emoji, members-only videos and early access to new uploads.
Best for: Video creators with an engaged subscriber base.
Pricing: Free to set up, but YouTube keeps a cut – creators get 70% of membership revenue after taxes and fees.
Standout feature: Zero friction. Fans join with one click, right next to the videos they already watch, giving you a steadier monthly income than ad revenue alone.
The trade-off: You manage everything inside YouTube Studio, but you need to be in the YouTube Partner Program. Channels set as made for kids aren’t eligible and YouTube takes 30% of revenue.
6. Discord Server Subscriptions
Discord Server Subscriptions let you charge a monthly fee for paid roles, private channels, and perks inside your server. Unlike Patreon, there’s no separate website – content access happens right inside the app your community already uses.
Best for: Gamers, streamers, and community leaders whose fans already hang out on Discord.
Pricing: Free to turn on. Server owners keep 90% of each subscription, but it’s currently limited to US-based owners with US banking details.
Standout feature: Direct access. Paying members get closer to you and the community, right where conversations already happen.
The trade-off: It only works if your community already lives on Discord – and it’s US-only.
7. Substack
Substack is a newsletter platform and a strong alternative to Patreon for writers. Readers can follow you for free or pay for exclusive content, such as premium posts, podcasts, and videos.
Best for: Writers, journalists, and podcasters.
Pricing: Free to start. Substack keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue, plus Stripe fees.
Standout feature: Built-in audience discovery. Platform features like recommendations, Notes, and the Substack app help new readers find you.
The trade-off: It’s the same 10% that Patreon charges new creators, and you can only sell subscriptions, not one-off products.
8. Ghost
Ghost is an open-source publishing platform that turns your own website into a membership site with paid newsletters. It’s the alternative to Patreon that gives you the most ownership.
Best for: Writers and publishers who want complete control over their domain, design, and member list.
Pricing: 0% platform fees. You can self-host for free or use Ghost(Pro), where paid memberships start on the Publisher tier at $29/month, billed yearly.
Standout feature: Full control. Your brand, your design, and your subscriber data stay with you.
The trade-off: Monthly pricing goes up with your member count – including free subscribers.
For communities and courses
9. Circle
Circle is a community platform that brings together spaces, events, live streams, courses, and paid memberships in a single branded hub. It’s one of the great alternatives for a content creator who wants to grow a paid community.
Best for: Coaches, educators, and brands running a paid online community.
Pricing: No free option, but there’s a 14-day trial. The Professional plan costs $89/month billed annually, plus a 2% transaction fee.
Standout feature: All your community features under one roof, so members get a seamless experience across content, chat, and events.
The trade-off: Monthly price and no built-in audience discovery – you’ll need to bring your own members.
10. Kajabi
Kajabi is an all-in-one platform for online courses, memberships, coaching, communities, email marketing, and a full website.
Best for: Established course creators, coaches, and any content creator ready to invest in their brand.
Pricing: Basic starts at $143/month billed annually ($179 month-to-month), with zero transaction fees when you use Kajabi Payments.
Standout feature: It replaces a stack of separate tools with a single dashboard and includes unique features such as built-in sales funnels.
The trade-off: High fees. Its subscription fees are the steepest on this list, so it only makes sense once you have steady revenue.
How to choose the right Patreon alternative
Start with how your audience supports you
Think about how fans already pay you. If they mostly send one-off tips, Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee will do the job. If they prefer recurring payments for specific content, look at membership-first tools like Substack, Ghost, or Circle. And if they’d rather buy something, a storefront like Gumroad or Payhip makes more sense.
Compare free plans with paid plans
Most free Patreon alternatives cost nothing upfront, but their percentage fees grow with your income. Paid tiers flip that – a flat monthly price with lower or no transaction fees.
For example, Ko-fi charges 5% on memberships for free accounts, while Ko-fi Gold costs $12/month with 0% fees. At $240/month in memberships, both come to exactly $12. Earn more and Gold saves you money.
Decide where your audience already is
Meet your fans where they are. YouTube viewers can join with a click, Discord communities can subscribe without leaving the server, and email readers are already halfway to a paid newsletter. If your traffic comes to your own site, Ghost or Payhip gives you more control over your brand.
Consider using more than one platform
You don’t have to pick just one Patreon alternative. Many creators keep Patreon for memberships and add Ko-fi for one-time support, or open a merch store alongside their tiers. Mixing monetization options spreads your income across several streams – and for even more ideas, check out these secret websites to make money.
Add merch to your creator income with Printify
Merch won’t replace your memberships – it adds to them and grows your brand. Fans who already support you love showing it off, and every hoodie or mug puts your brand in front of new audiences.
With Print on Demand, Print Providers make each product only when an order is placed. There’s no inventory, no upfront investment, and no packing boxes – Printify handles printing and shipping.
The easiest way to start is a Printify Pop-Up Store. It’s a free storefront with your own logo, colors, and domain, allowing creators to share a single link with their audience across any platform.
FAQ
Which Patreon alternative is right for you?
The best Patreon alternatives match how you create and how fans support your work. Artists and streamers should start with Ko-fi, writers with Substack or Ghost, video creators with YouTube channel memberships, and course creators with Circle or Kajabi. Whichever of these best alternatives to Patreon you choose, merch is an easy way to grow your income and brand on top of it.
Create your merch and open a free Pop-Up Store your fans will love.
