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If you're worried that Patreon is a sinking ship, check out our picks for the top competitors to protect yourself and your supporters.
ByMichael Muchmore
Michael Muchmore
Lead Software Analyst
My Experience
PC hardware is nice, but it’s not much use without innovative software. I’ve been reviewing software for PCMag since 2008, and I still get a kick out of seeing what's new in video and photo editing software, and how operating systems change over time.I was privileged to byline the cover story of the last print issue of PC Magazine, the Windows 7 review, and I’ve witnessed every Microsoft win and misstep up to the latest Windows 11.
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September 14, 2022
(Credit: Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Table of Contents
The news around one of the internet’s top financial subscription support sites, Patreon, hasn't been good at all of late, with the company reportedly laying off its entire security staff. So if you’re a Patreon creator, you might be shopping around for alternatives that offer you and your subscribers a more secure experience.
The good news is, you have several options outside of Patreon. Here we've gathered the top seven competitors you should consider:
Recommended by Our Editors
Patreon Lays Off Its Entire Security Team
Patreon Review
Kickstarter Launches Patreon-Like Drip Subscription Service
Buy Me a Coffee
Buy me a coffee allows video creators, artists, writers, musicians, developers, gamers, and podcasters to raise funds either through one-time tips or subscriptions. As with most similar services, subscribers can choose from different support levels to get access to more content. One nice thing about this platform is that supporters can pay you without signing up for an account, unlike most other similar services. Creators pay nothing for all the site’s features, but there’s a 5% transaction fee.
Indiegogo
4.0
Indiegogo is one of your best options if you’re looking to replace Patreon: It offers both one-time donations and subscription options for creators, and it’s fairly well known. Plus, Indiegogo is free for nonprofits and lets you fund products in development (Kickstarter’s MO). Though it is mainly about raising money for a single product or project, Indiegogo has an InDemand feature that lets creators continue to receive funding after a campaign is done. Indiegogo charges 5% on all funds raised, plus transaction processor’s fees.
Indiegogo Review
Kickstarter
4.5
Though it doesn’t use Patreon’s subscription model, if you’re just looking for one-time donations from a large audience, Kickstarter is a good fit. The site has high name-brand recognition, so your donors are likely not to scratch their heads about putting their payment info into some unknown entity. It’s a good fit for getting start-up funding for works of art, comics, illustrations, technology products, films, food, crafts, games, music, and books. Some large tech companies even use it as a launchpad for their new products. Kickstarter has a 5% fee on funds raised, as well as a payment processing fee of 3% plus 20 cents per pledge.
Kickstarter Review
Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi combines features of Patreon, Kickstarter, and Podia. With it, you build your own website and can collect subscriptions, sell products (both digital and physical), offer services for commissions, and receive tips or donations. Ko-Fi sites are super simple to create, and you automatically get Gallery, Posts, and About pages. You can set a goal (as in Kickstarter) or create membership tiers (as on Patreon). Free Ko-Fi accounts pay the service 5% on sales and membership revenue, but a Gold account ($8 monthly or $6 per month with annual commitment) removes those fees.
Memberful
Memberful styles itself as “the best way to sell memberships.” It’s more of a bespoke monetization web platform than a social feed of individual creators to their followers. Memberful is clearly more business-targeted, but it does have a free account level that lets you offer two plans and sell private podcasts. Integrations with WordPress, a custom domain, tax collecting, and lots of analytics are strengths, and you can sell digital goods as well as subscriptions.
Meta Subscriptions
Meta’s subscription offering lets you charge monthly payments for access to exclusive content on eligible Facebook Pages, though you need 10,000 followers or 250-plus return viewers. I have a test Facebook page with nowhere near those numbers, but the platform indicated that I could still create paid online events or earn money from branded partner content. The Creator Studio, where you set up your paid options, lets you manage posts for both Facebook and Instagram, see insights on your traffic and how to get more followers, and message them. Going with the maker of Facebook and Instagram has one big benefit: It’s a service with huge name recognition, a built-in audience, and strong promotional potential. One the downside, some potential subscribers might refuse to join nefarious social networks. Note that Instagram doesn’t offer paid subscriptions (though it offers other monetization options), so you need a Facebook page.
OnlyFans
Though many if not most people associate OnlyFans with adult content, the site bills itself as a social platform for “artists and content creators from all genres.” It has its own Twitter-like social media component where creators and supporters can post updates to one another. Followers and creators can send direct messages, and just as on Twitter, a bell icon alerts you when you have new messages. Creators can set up their page as a free subscription or a paid one for $4.99 to $50 per month. They can also receive one-time tips. OnlyFans creator accounts are free, but the company takes a sizable 20% of your revenue, more than any other service included here.
Podia
Podia is a website builder service with which you build a membership-focused site and invite subscription-paying as well as nonpaying members. So unlike most entries in this roundup, it’s not a central site or app where you post your content, but your own membership-focused website. In addition to subscription memberships, you can offer digital goods for sale on your Podia site, including ebooks, webinars, and online courses. Free accounts get a full website, email marketing, live chat, and let you build drafts for webinars and courses. Though you can set up such a site for free there’s a catch: The transaction fee for nonpaying host accounts are 8%, but paying $39 per month for a Mover account removes that surcharge. Podia may not have the name recognition of Patreon or some other services listed here, but it could be a good fit for the right type of entrepreneur.
Get Started Making Money Online
Crowdfunding sites like those mentioned above offer a great way to generate funds for your passion projects and develop a followership of interested users. Other ways to make money on the webinclude building your own website and selling products or services using an online store platform.
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Editors' Choice
PC hardware is nice, but it’s not much use without innovative software. I’ve been reviewing software for PCMag since 2008, and I still get a kick out of seeing what's new in video and photo editing software, and how operating systems change over time.I was privileged to byline the cover story of the last print issue of PC Magazine, the Windows 7 review, and I’ve witnessed every Microsoft win and misstep up to the latest Windows 11.
Prior to my current role, I covered software and apps for ExtremeTech, and before that I headed up PCMag’s enterprise software team, but I’m happy to be back in the more accessible realm of consumer software. I’ve attended trade shows of Microsoft, Google, and Apple and written about all of them and their products.
I’m an avid bird photographer and traveler—I’ve been to 40 countries, many with great birds! Because I’m also a classical fan and former performer, I’ve reviewed streaming services that emphasize classical music.
Read Michael's full bio
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