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Patreon is a crowdfunding platform for recurring support of artists (“creators”). Unlike Kickstarter (one-time project funding), Patreon operates through monthly subscription payments from fans.
What is Patreon? The key facts
Patreon was founded in May 2013 by musician Jack Conte and developer Sam Yam. Despite millions of YouTube views, Conte had virtually no advertising revenue—Patreon was his solution for predictable creator funding.
- Patreon is a crowdfunding platform. Crowdfunding essentially means mass funding. The idea is to pool the contributions of numerous users of a product to make the product possible.
- Over 299,000 creators currently use the platform (as of October 2025) and collectively receive more than $2 billion annually from over 16 million paying supporters (“patrons”).
- Patreon is particularly popular among YouTubers, podcasters, artists, musicians, writers, and educational creators who are looking for an alternative to fluctuating advertising revenue .
- Creators can set up a page for free with different membership tiers. Fans choose a tier (e.g., 3 EUR, 7 EUR, 15 EUR/month) and receive exclusive content, early access, or other benefits in return.
- Example: A webcomic artist who has had a medium-sized fan base for years but doesn’t earn enough from advertising can finance her work through Patreon thanks to regular small donations from her fans.
Patreon Costs and Fees
As a creator, you can create a page on Patreon for free and set up various membership tiers (so-called “tiers”). Experts recommend 3-5 tiers to give patrons choices without overwhelming them.
- As of August 2025, Patreon has changed its fee structure. New creators now pay a platform fee of 10 percent (previously 5 percent). Added to this are costs for payment processing and sales tax.&
nbsp;In the Help Center, Patreon mentions total costs of about 12.9 percent + $0.30 per transaction.
- Patreon offers two payment models: monthly billing (most common) or payment per release (suitable for creators who produce content irregularly). Creators can also choose whether to bill in advance (at the beginning of the month) or in arrears (at the end of the month).
- As a patron, you pay only the selected membership amount plus any applicable VAT—no hidden fees.
- Patreon is also a kind of all-in-one solution for creators: video hosting with 100 hours of storage per month, podcast integration with RSS feed, and more. For example, if you want to set up a small online course, you don’t have to spend a lot on storage space for your videos or a website.
- Good to know: On the artist pages, as a patron, you can see how many people donate regularly and how much is raised.
