Alternatives to Patreon
The best Patreon alternatives in 2026
Every membership platform takes a slice of what your fans pay you. The difference between 0% and 12% is the difference between keeping a month's rent and giving it away. Here is an honest look at seven Patreon alternatives, what each one costs and who it actually suits.
| Platform | Platform fee | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| FAN ME | 0% platform fee | Creators who want every euro of their membership revenue |
| Patreon | 8–12% of income, plus payment fees | Creators who want the biggest existing audience and brand recognition |
| Ko-fi | 0% on the free plan for donations; Gold subscription for extra features | One-off tips and simple support pages |
| Buy Me a Coffee | 5% of transactions | Casual supporters and small recurring memberships |
| Substack | 10% of subscription revenue | Writers and newsletter-first creators |
| Gumroad | 10% flat on sales | Selling digital products and files |
| OnlyFans | 20% of all earnings | Creators already established on the platform |
Fees are taken from each platform's public pricing page and change over time — check the source before you decide. Payment processing fees (Stripe, PayPal and similar) apply on every platform, including FAN ME.
FAN ME — 0% platform fee
Fans pay straight into the creator's own Stripe account, so FAN ME never touches membership money — only the payment processor's fee applies. Five medallion tiers (Iron, Wood, Bronze, Silver, Gold), a private members-only feed, pay-per-unlock posts, tips, drops, club goals and fan XP. Interface in eight languages, installable as a mobile app.
Patreon — 8–12% of income, plus payment fees
The platform that defined memberships. Mature tooling and a huge fan base already holding Patreon accounts, but the platform cut is the highest on this list and payouts run through Patreon rather than your own merchant account.
Ko-fi — 0% on the free plan for donations; Gold subscription for extra features
Very light and quick to set up. Memberships and shop features are available, but it is built around tipping rather than a tiered private community with gated content.
Buy Me a Coffee — 5% of transactions
Extremely simple onboarding and a friendly fan experience. Limited tier structure and no deep content gating, so it fits creators who mainly want tips plus a light membership.
Substack — 10% of subscription revenue
Best-in-class email publishing with paid subscriptions. If your product is writing, it is excellent; if it is video, photos, audio drops or a community, it is the wrong shape.
Gumroad — 10% flat on sales
Sell courses, presets, ebooks and memberships from one storefront. Strong for one-off products, weaker as an ongoing private fan community.
OnlyFans — 20% of all earnings
Large paying audience and strong direct-messaging monetisation, but the highest cut on this list and a brand association that not every creator wants.
How to choose
Write down what you sell. If it is writing, Substack wins. If it is files and courses, Gumroad. If it is casual tipping, Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee. If it is an ongoing private community with tiers, gated posts, drops and goals — and you want to keep the money — that is what FAN ME was built for. Then multiply your expected monthly revenue by each platform fee; at $2,000 a month, 10% is $2,400 a year handed over.
Why FAN ME charges 0%
FAN ME does not sit between you and your fans' money. You connect your own Stripe account and payments land there directly, so the only deduction is Stripe's processing fee. Fans can pay by card, PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay or Link. You keep your member list, your content and 100% of your membership revenue.
Keep 100% of your memberships
Five medallion tiers, a private fan feed and payouts into your own Stripe account.
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