Patreon vs Steady
Patreon
patreon.comSteady
steady.pageSide by side
| Figure | Patreon | Steady |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 1 |
| Spec score · Membership Site Platforms | 9.4 (#1) | 8.3 (#29) |
| Spec score · Publishing and Subscriptions Software | 9.0 (#3) | 7.8 (#11) |
| Content gating | post | full_site |
| Custom domain | Yes | No |
| Founded | 2013 | 2016 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, USA | Berlin, Germany |
| Security reporting | Patreon offers a bug bounty programme and accepts security reports at [email protected]. | Steady accepts good-faith vulnerability reports, offers no bounty and says it will not pursue legal action for testing that follows its policy. |
| Subscription billing | both | recurring |
| Transaction fee | 10% platform fee for new creators, plus payment processing, currency conversion, payout fees, and applicable taxes | 10% Steady commission, plus variable payment-provider fees and VAT |
| What it does | Patreon lets creators build communities, share exclusive work, and earn through paid memberships or digital shops. | Steady helps independent media makers build newsletters and memberships to earn directly from their audiences. |
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.
Steady
Steady is a web and API platform for independent media makers, including magazines, newsletters, podcasts and video channels. It helps creators publish newsletters and memberships and earn directly from audiences. Newsletter sending is free without audience limits or escalating costs. Memberships use recurring billing, with monthly or annual charges, and Steady takes a 10% commission on membership revenue once earning begins; payment-provider fees and VAT also apply. The service supports full-site content gating, flexible paywalls, embedded buttons and supporter prompts. Newsletter tools can welcome readers automatically, resurface selected work and re-engage quiet subscribers. Externally hosted podcasts can be gated by membership tier and distributed through Spotify or private RSS. Steady Code adds website layers and embeds regardless of a site’s CMS. Creator income is transferred in lump sums, and failed payments are retried automatically. The Free plan is free. Custom domains are not supported.