Ko-fi vs Patreon
Ko-fi
ko-fi.com
Patreon
patreon.comSide by side
| Figure | Ko-fi | Patreon |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $12/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 4 |
| Spec score · Membership Site Platforms | 8.2 (#38) | 9.4 (#1) |
| Content gating | post | post |
| Founded | 2017 | 2013 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, UK | San Francisco, California, USA |
| Integrations | Ko-fi lists integrations or connections for YouTube, Twitch, Discord, WordPress, Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, Medium, and GitHub. | The app directory lists integrations and partners including Vimeo, Discord, ConvertKit, Discourse, Wix, and Zapier. |
| Payments | The pricing page lists PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, Cash App, credit and debit cards, and popular local payment methods for supporters. | Patreon says its payments infrastructure handles chargebacks, disputes, fraud, and most applicable tax collection and remittance. |
| Subscription billing | recurring | both |
| Transaction fee | 5% service fee on membership payments, plus PayPal or Stripe processing fees | 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
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.