Patreon
Build a membership business directly with your fans
Best for: Podcasters and creators building a multi-format fan community who want name recognition and a large existing user base
Free tier Visit PatreonPatreon is the dominant membership platform for independent creators, letting podcasters (and other creators) offer tiered paid access to exclusive content, community, and perks. It handles subscriptions, one-time purchases, newsletters, livestreams, and community tools under one roof. The platform charges 10% of earnings plus payment processing fees rather than a monthly subscription.
Key features
- Tiered membership subscriptions with monthly and annual billing
- Podcast RSS feed import and private premium feed distribution
- Native video, audio, and newsletter publishing
- Community tools: chats, DMs, comments
- Digital product sales and one-time purchases
- Exportable email list and member analytics
Our take
Patreon's scale is its biggest asset - listeners already have accounts, which reduces signup friction noticeably. The 10% cut stings at higher revenue levels, and it has pushed a number of large shows toward alternatives like Supercast or Memberful. That said, the breadth of tools (video, newsletters, shops, DMs, community) makes it the better fit for creators who want to do more than just premium podcast feeds. If your goal is a tight podcast paywall, there are cheaper structures; if you want a full fan hub, Patreon is hard to beat.
Pros
- Huge existing user base reduces subscriber friction
- Covers podcasts, video, newsletters, and community in one platform
- No monthly fee - you only pay when you earn
- Strong fraud protection and multi-currency support built in
Cons
- 10% platform fee plus payment processing gets expensive at scale
- Podcast-specific tools are secondary to the general creator focus
- Discovery features primarily benefit newer or growing creators, not established shows
Patreon pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $0.00 | - | Free to start; Patreon takes 10% of earnings plus payment processing and payout fees |
