Buy Me a Coffee vs Patreon
Buy Me a Coffee
buymeacoffee.com
Patreon
patreon.comSide by side
| Figure | Buy Me a Coffee | Patreon |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Spec score · Membership Site Platforms | 7.8 (#54) | 9.4 (#1) |
| Audience | The FAQ describes the platform as for anyone with an audience, including YouTubers, musicians, podcasters, writers, programmers, nonprofits, and cosplayers. | Patreon’s stated creator categories include podcasters, video creators, musicians, artists, and game developers. |
| Content gating | post | post |
| Founded | 2017 | 2013 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, United States | San Francisco, California, USA |
| Integrations | Buy Me a Coffee can connect with hundreds of other apps through Zapier. | The app directory lists integrations and partners including Vimeo, Discord, ConvertKit, Discourse, Wix, and Zapier. |
| Payments | The platform supports major credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Cash App in supported regions. | Patreon says its payments infrastructure handles chargebacks, disputes, fraud, and most applicable tax collection and remittance. |
| Subscription billing | both | both |
| Transaction fee | 5% platform fee per transaction; Stripe processing fees may also apply | 10% platform fee for new creators, plus payment processing, currency conversion, payout fees, and applicable taxes |
Plans
Patreon
- StandardPrice not published
- Standard Patreon pricingFree
- Free to startFree
- Patreon platform fee$10 a month
In their own words
Buy Me a Coffee
Buy Me a Coffee has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Patreon
Patreon lets creators build communities, share work, and earn through memberships or digital shops. Creators can offer monthly or annual subscriptions, tiers, one-time payments, and free work before adding paid options. Content tools cover audio, images, rich text, video, livestreams, and email newsletters. Community features include chats, direct messages, comments, and exportable email lists; growth tools include analytics, free trials, discounts, and sales. Podcast tools support importing, syncing, multiple podcasts, Spotify, Synced Feeds, and RSS. Patreon offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, and its app directory lists integrations including Vimeo, Discord, ConvertKit, Discourse, Wix, and Zapier. It is free to start. Patreon charges 10% of income earned on the platform, with payment processing, currency conversion, payout fees, and applicable taxes potentially added. Patreon says it handles chargebacks, disputes, fraud, and most applicable tax collection and remittance. Its public API v1 is scheduled to stop working on October 7, 2026, with integrations directed to API v2.