Patreon alternatives in 2026: 6 options after the 10% fee and Apple billing change
Patreon now takes 10% from new creators, and Apple billing hits its iPhone app on November 1. 6 alternatives with live fees, and who each one suits.
Patreon takes 10% of every payment from creators who published their page after August 4, 2025, plus card processing. And by November 1, 2026, Apple requires memberships bought inside Patreon's iPhone app to go through Apple's billing, where Apple takes up to 30%. If you want a lower fee, Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee take 5%. If you want to sell courses, coaching, and a community chat next to your membership, pick Eden. If you write, Substack fits. If you want to keep a Discord server, pick Whop.
Full disclosure: we make Eden, one of the options below. Fees were checked on each company's site on October 8, 2026.
What changed at Patreon
The 10% fee for new creators. Pages published after August 4, 2025 are on one standard plan with a 10% platform fee, plus payment processing and taxes. It replaced the old Pro (8%) and Pro + Merch (11%) plans. Creators who published on or before August 4, 2025 keep their old rate, but they lose it if they unpublish their page, even briefly.
Apple billing in the iPhone app. Apple set November 1, 2026 as the deadline for Patreon creators still on older billing to move iPhone memberships to Apple's in-app purchase. Apple takes up to 30% of in-app subscriptions, falling to 15% after a member's first year. Members who join on the web avoid it.
Card processing on top. Patreon lists 2.9% + 30¢ for US cards, more for other countries. On a $5 membership, the 30¢ alone is 6%.
The alternatives at a glance
| Platform | Monthly plan | Platform fee | Best for | Community chat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patreon (new creators) | $0 | 10% | Fan memberships with a built-in brand | Patreon chats |
| Eden | $29 | 5%, or 2% on Max ($199) | Memberships plus courses, coaching, and a community | Chat, Library, events |
| Ko-fi | $0 | 5% on memberships (free plan) | Tips and small memberships | No |
| Buy Me a Coffee | $0 | 5% | Tips and simple memberships | No |
| Memberful | $49 | 4.9% | Memberships on your own website | No |
| Substack | $0 | 10% | Paid writing | Substack chat |
| Whop | $0 | None listed; 2.7% + 30¢ processing | Selling access to Discord or Telegram | Through Discord |
Card processing (about 2.9% + 30¢ in the US) comes on top everywhere except Whop, where it is the fee.
What each one takes as you grow
The platform's cut each month, before card processing.
| Monthly revenue | Patreon (10%) | Substack (10%) | Ko-fi / Buy Me a Coffee (5%) | Memberful ($49 + 4.9%) | Eden Starter ($29 + 5%) | Eden Max ($199 + 2%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $100 | $100 | $50 | $98 | $79 | $219 |
| $5,000 | $500 | $500 | $250 | $294 | $279 | $299 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $1,000 | $1,029 | $1,029 | $599 |
At $5,000 a month, moving from Patreon's 10% to a 5% platform saves $250 a month, or $3,000 a year. At $20,000, Eden Max saves about $16,800 a year over Patreon.
1. Eden: best for a membership plus everything else
On Eden, a membership and a community are products in your store, next to courses, coaching, downloads, and a paid newsletter. Members pay monthly or yearly through Stripe.
- A real community. Telegram-style chat with channels, threads, voice notes, and photos. A Library (Eden's forum) with categories and pinned posts, for guides, breakdowns, and wins. Events that sync to members' calendars.
- Tiers that make sense. Channels and Library categories can be "Only for" members who bought a certain product or carry a tag like VIP.
- No Apple cut. Members join on the web. The Eden app on iPhone and Android never sells anything inside it, so Apple takes nothing.
- Email and courses included. Email your list, start a sequence when someone joins (Pro), and include a course free for members.
Price: Starter $29 a month (1 community), Pro $79 (3), Max $199 (unlimited, 2% fee). 5% per sale on Starter and Pro, plus Stripe.
Where it falls short: no Patreon-style creator directory, no merch, and members use the Eden app with Eden's name on it. Eden can't move your Patreon members over. If you have their emails you can import them and give access, but paying members need to start their membership again on Eden.
Choose Eden if you sell more than a membership and want the community in the same place. See Communities and Eden vs Patreon.
2. Ko-fi: best for tips and small memberships
Ko-fi takes no fee on tips. On the free plan, memberships, shop sales, and commissions carry a 5% fee. Ko-fi Gold, a paid plan, removes it.
Choose Ko-fi if most of your income is tips and a few small tiers.
3. Buy Me a Coffee: simplest setup
Buy Me a Coffee takes 5% on everything: tips, memberships, and extras. Card processing comes on top.
Choose Buy Me a Coffee if you want a page live in ten minutes and don't need a community.
4. Memberful: best for memberships on your own website
Memberful adds paid memberships to your site, WordPress or not. You keep your brand and your own Stripe account.
Price: Standard is $49 a month plus 4.9%.
Choose Memberful if you already have a website and want members to log in there.
5. Substack: best for paid writing
Substack takes the same 10% as Patreon, but its Notes, recommendations, and app bring readers you wouldn't find alone. See Substack fees.
Choose Substack if you write, and discovery matters more than the fee.
6. Whop: best if your community lives on Discord
Whop sells access to Discord servers, Telegram groups, courses, and downloads. It lists no platform fee: you pay 2.7% + 30¢ per payment, plus extra for international cards and payouts.
Choose Whop if your members are already on Discord. See Eden vs Whop and Discord alternatives for paid communities.
Should you leave Patreon?
- If you're on a legacy rate (5% or 8%), think twice. Unpublishing even briefly moves you to 10%.
- If you're new and earning over a few hundred dollars a month, a 5% platform saves real money.
- If most members join on iPhone, push them to join on the web before November 1.
- Moving costs members. Some won't follow. Announce early, give a reason, and offer something new on the other side, like a live call or a course.
Frequently asked questions
What fee does Patreon take now?
10% for creators who published their page after August 4, 2025, plus payment processing. Older pages keep their rate unless they unpublish.
What is the Patreon Apple change?
Apple requires memberships bought in Patreon's iPhone app to use Apple's in-app purchase by November 1, 2026. Apple takes up to 30%, or 15% after a member's first year. Joining on the web avoids it.
What's cheaper than Patreon?
Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee take 5%. Eden Starter is $29 a month plus 5%, and Eden Max is $199 plus 2%. Whop lists no platform fee beyond processing.
What's the best Patreon alternative for a community?
Eden, if you want chat, a Library (Eden's forum), and events next to your store and courses. Whop, if your community already lives on Discord.
Sources
- Patreon: a standard platform fee for new creators and Patreon creator fees overview
- Apple tells Patreon to move creators to in-app purchase by November
- Memberful pricing, Whop fees
- SchoolMaker on Ko-fi pricing and Buy Me a Coffee pricing, for the 5% fees
Checked October 8, 2026.
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