Updated 19th November, 2025

A growing number of creators are leaving Patreon or actively seeking alternatives, driven by fee increases, unpredictable policy enforcement, and the nagging feeling that building on someone else's platform means your income could vanish overnight. This article explores the core reasons behind the Patreon exodus and introduces how branded mobile apps provide the ownership, engagement, and predictable revenue creators actually need.

Why creators are leaving Patreon: Understanding the exodus

Patreon changed from creator-friendly platform to a service plagued by fee controversy and policy uncertainty, sparking what many call the "Patreon exodus." Patreon claims over 295,000 creators with at least one paying member, but when we dig into creator sentiment, we find widespread dissatisfaction driving migration.

The impact of Patreon's fee changes

Patreon changed its fee structure multiple times, each time cutting deeper into creator earnings.

In December 2017, Patreon announced a new payment processing system that would shift transaction fees from creators to patrons. A $1 pledge would have cost patrons $1.38, representing a 38% increase, while a $5 pledge would become $5.50.

The backlash was immediate. Patrons canceled pledges en masse, and Patreon CEO Jack Conte publicly apologized, admitting the company "overstepped our bounds and injected ourselves into that relationship."

Starting August 4, 2025, Patreon introduced a simplified pricing plan for all new creators featuring a flat 10% platform fee on all earnings. This replaces previous tiered plans that charged 5%, 8%, or 12%. While existing creators remain on their previous commission structures, any unpublishing and republishing subjects them to the new 10% fee.

When combined with standard payment processing fees (typically 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction), creators report total deductions reaching 13-14% or even 20-30% in some instances.

The most damaging change hit in November 2024, when Apple forced all new Patreon memberships purchased via iOS to use in-app purchases. Apple takes 30% of every iOS transaction, meaning creators receive only 70 cents for every dollar pledged. Patreon offers a pricing adjustment tool, but it forces a lose-lose choice: either your income drops or your patrons pay more.

Content policies and creator autonomy

In October 2017, Patreon updated its acceptable use policy. Creators immediately recognized the changes as tightening restrictions on adult content, threatening sex workers and artists creating erotic material. Many adult content creators felt profoundly betrayed, having built their businesses under more lenient guidelines.

In December 2018, Patreon banned YouTuber Carl Benjamin (Sargon of Akkad) for remarks in an off-platform video. This changed everything. Creators realized Patreon would police behavior anywhere online, not just on its platform. As one creator wrote: "Patreon has shown that they are not a trustworthy platform and will change the rules as they see fit."

This triggered high-profile departures. Psychologist Jordan Peterson, who was earning significant monthly revenue, announced his exit. Talk show host Dave Rubin followed, stating Patreon accounted for 65-70% of his show's revenue. Public intellectual Sam Harris deleted his account, bringing with him nearly 9,000 patrons.

Creators tell us they receive vague or generic explanations for account suspensions. One Reddit creator whose account was deactivated in August 2024 after two years advised others: "A company having the right to destroy your livelihood on a whim... is a basket you don't wanna put all your eggs in."

The "rented land" problem: Algorithm risk and control

Over half of creators (53%) say it's harder to connect with their followers than five years ago, according to Patreon's own February 2025 report. This diminishing reach exposes the fundamental problem. You're building your business on someone else's infrastructure, on rented land.

Creator Julie Ann from Twin Stitches Designs detailed her departure in December 2023, citing transaction fees and currency conversion charges costing her "anywhere between 4 to 6 $700 a month just in fees alone."

She found Patreon "extremely limiting" for hosting events and live streaming, noting the necessity of linking with YouTube and the lack of photo-sharing capabilities in community features.

When platforms own the relationship with your audience, they control your access. They set the fees. They change the policies. They can remove your account. This is the "rented land" problem, and it's why creators are seeking to build their own digital homes.

What do creators need beyond Patreon?

Understanding why creators leave is only half the story. The other half is what they're seeking in alternatives.

Owning your audience and data

True audience ownership means you control three things: the customer relationship, the data, and the access to your members. On Patreon, you depend on their platform to reach your patrons. If Patreon changes its policies, your business changes. If they ban your account, you lose everything.

We built Passion to give you a branded mobile and web app where you own the relationship. You can export your audience data. You control push notifications directly to members' devices. Your business lives in your app, not borrowed from a platform that can revoke access.

Predictable recurring revenue

Patreon's model traps you in a cycle of launch spikes followed by churn. Patreon's internal data from April 2024 showed a 21% patron cancellation rate and a 12% average decline rate, even as new sign-ups offset losses. This constant churn makes it difficult to build predictable monthly recurring revenue (MRR).

Branded app platforms with integrated subscription management provide more stability. Members download your app, subscribe through familiar payment systems, and engage with content designed to increase completion and retention.

We see creators achieve +15-30% completion rates in 90 days when they combine push notifications with challenges and in-app community features.

Mobile-first engagement and community

Patreon's community features are often inadequate, forcing creators to use external platforms like Discord.

"There is no community platform for bidirectional communication" - Patreon review on G2

Mobile-first platforms prioritize engagement where your audience actually spends time: on their phones. Push notifications nudge members to complete lessons, join challenges, and participate in community discussions. Offline content lets them learn anywhere. These features drive the habit loops that turn subscribers into long-term members and predictable MRR growth.

Consolidating tools and reducing operational drag

Tool sprawl is exhausting. You're managing Instagram DMs, a Facebook group, Zoom links, Stripe checkouts, and Patreon posts. Each platform requires separate logins, creates support tickets, and adds complexity.

A branded app consolidates courses, community, payments, and push notifications into one environment. This reduces the operational drag that burns you out and prevents scaling.

Top Patreon alternatives: A comparison for every creator

Here's how the leading alternatives solve Patreon's problems, and which one fits your goals.

Passion: Your branded mobile app home

We built Passion as a no-code platform where you build, launch, and monetize your own branded mobile app (iOS, Android) and web app for courses, coaching, and communities. Unlike Patreon's cookie-cutter pages, you create a true branded presence. Members download your app from app stores under your name, not Patreon's.

Key benefits:

• True mobile app presence: Your brand on iOS, Android, and web with push notifications, offline content, and in-app community as first-class experiences.
• No-code builder: Drag-and-drop interface for course creation, drip schedules, quizzes, and challenges. Launch in 4-8 weeks without developers.
• Integrated training: Beyond the platform, we provide playbooks for launch, push notification calendars, and challenges specifically designed to drive completion and retention.
• Flexible monetization: Subscriptions (weekly, monthly, annual), one-time purchases, freemium access, or bundles. Our payment system charges 3.9% on web checkouts (plus Stripe fees), while Apple/Google IAP fees (15-30%) apply for native app purchases.

"What I love about Passion is that it's not just a platform to create your own app – it also provides invaluable training on how to build and sell your course. It's more than just the tech; it's the know-how." - Mathilde N. on G2

Pricing: Launch plan starts at $99/month billed annually, Scale at $239/month annually, Expand at $599/month annually. Plus plan offers done-for-you build and launch starting around $10,000-$20,000 depending on scope.

Watch this step-by-step tutorial of the no-code app builder.

Other notable alternatives and their strengths

Ko-fi excels in simplicity for artists. It offers 0% platform fees on donations, with 5% on other transactions (or 0% with Ko-fi Gold at $6-$12/month). Ko-fi claims 1 million creators, with testimonials showing "10x the number of tips over Patreon."

Substack is purpose-built for writers, focusing on paid newsletter subscriptions. Writers gain direct audience connection and ownership of email lists, reducing reliance on algorithms. Substack charges a 10% fee on paid subscriptions, and 50% of subscribers come from within Substack itself, providing strong internal discoverability.

Mighty Networks prioritizes community building, online courses, and events. It offers branded spaces, robust engagement tools, live streaming, and branded mobile apps. For creators seeking comprehensive community features beyond what Patreon offers, Mighty Networks provides an all-in-one solution.

How to choose your best alternative

With so many options, how do you decide? Follow these steps to match platform to goals.

Assess your monetization goals and fee tolerance

Your first decision point is economics. Start with the math. If you're earning $5,000/month on Patreon, calculate your total take after fees. With Patreon's new 10% platform fee plus 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing, you're losing roughly 13% or $650/month. Add Apple's 30% iOS cut starting November 2024, and iOS pledges drop your net to $3,500 on that same $5,000.

Compare this to alternatives. Web-based checkout systems typically charge 3.9% plus Stripe fees (2.9% + $0.30), totaling roughly 7% for web transactions. Route high-value bundles through web checkout to preserve margin, and use IAP for mobile convenience when the experience matters more than fees.

A $29/month plan sold via web (with 7% fees) nets $26.97. A $29/month plan sold via IAP at 15% (Apple Small Business Program rate) nets $24.65. The difference is $2.32 per member per month. At 100 members, that's $232/month or $2,784/year in margin.

Ko-fi's 0% on donations looks attractive for tip-jar models, but lacks robust membership management. Substack's 10% matches Patreon's base fee but delivers your content directly to inboxes, bypassing algorithmic interference.

Prioritize audience ownership and engagement features

Ask yourself one question: if this platform disappeared tomorrow, do I still have my audience? With Patreon, the answer is no.

Platforms like Passion and Substack give you full data export and direct communication channels (push notifications or email). Patreon, Ko-fi, and Buy Me a Coffee offer email lists, but you're still dependent on their infrastructure for content delivery.

Next, evaluate engagement tools. If your business model depends on course completion and recurring subscriptions, you need push notifications, challenges, and in-app community. These features drive the daily active usage (DAU) and monthly active usage (MAU) metrics that predict retention and, ultimately, your MRR growth.

Watch how Kim Vopni built a $215K/month business using mobile-first engagement and clear monetization strategy on Passion.

Evaluate ease of use and launch speed

Patreon is fast to set up, taking minutes to create a page. But that speed comes with limitations. You're locked into their design, their community features, and their policies.

Branded apps need more upfront investment, but that investment pays off in ownership and stability. No-code builders let you launch a web app in 2-3 weeks, with app store submissions underway by week 4-6 depending on your plan.

If you need to launch this week, Ko-fi provides the fastest path. If you're building for the next 3-5 years and want true ownership, invest the 4-8 weeks to launch a branded app.

Consider training and support for growth

This is where we stand apart. Technology alone doesn't guarantee success. Many creators fail not because their platform is inadequate, but because they don't know how to structure offers, price tiers, launch effectively, or drive engagement.

Multiple G2 reviews highlight the training and support as invaluable. We provide playbooks for launch, push notification calendars, and challenges specifically designed to drive completion and retention.

Compare Passion vs Kajabi or watch this Passion vs Skool comparison to understand how platforms differ in their approach to creator education and support.

Launching your branded app: A path to stability with Passion

Ready to move from Patreon to your own branded app? Here's your execution plan.

Build your content and community fast

Start by auditing your existing content. Identify your 10-15 core lessons, workshops, or modules that drive the most value. Upload these first using Passion's drag-and-drop builder. Set up drip schedules to release content over time, increasing perceived value and retention.

Migrate your community gradually. Export your Patreon patron list, announce the transition with clear benefits (push notifications, offline content, lower fees), and offer early access to your new app. Run both platforms in parallel for 30-60 days to minimize income disruption.

Set up your in-app community channels around key topics. Create a welcome channel for onboarding, a wins channel for celebrating progress, and topic-specific channels for discussion. This structure drives engagement from day one.

Set up flexible monetization paths

Design your pricing tiers with margin in mind. Offer a monthly plan ($29-$49), an annual plan at a discount (10-12 months for the price of 12), and a premium tier with added coaching or access.

For web transactions, use a payment processor that charges around 6-7% total including Stripe fees. For iOS/Android native purchases, enable in-app purchases (IAP) but understand that Apple and Google will take 15-30%. Many creators route their core subscriptions through web checkout and reserve IAP for impulse purchases or upgrades inside the app.

Drive engagement with mobile-first features

Push notifications are your most powerful engagement tool. Schedule a weekly push cadence: lesson reminders on Mondays, community highlights on Wednesdays, challenge check-ins on Fridays. This brings members back into your app, driving the daily opens that predict long-term retention.

Launch a 30-day challenge in your second month. Structure it with daily or weekly checkpoints, celebrate wins in your community, and use push to nudge stragglers. We see +15-30% completion lifts when creators combine challenges with push notifications.

Enable offline content so members can download lessons and consume on the go. This flexibility increases consumption, which drives completion, which predicts retention and renewals.

Real creator success stories

Kim Vopni's success story demonstrates the power of combining expert content with daily push nudges and a tight community. Watch multiple creators across fitness, arts, and coaching demonstrate how Passion adapts to different content types and business models.

For an in-depth look at the platform's capabilities, watch this honest Passion review that walks through pricing, features, and real-world usage.

Secure your creative future

The Patreon exodus isn't about leaving membership models behind. It's about taking ownership. True ownership, predictable revenue, and sustainable growth require building on your own foundation, not rented land.

Patreon's fee increases, policy shifts, and the 30% Apple tax that hit in November 2024 created an inflection point. Creators who once accepted these trade-offs are voting with their feet.

Your next step is simple: choose the platform that matches your 3-5 year vision. If you want a quick tip-jar solution, Ko-fi provides immediate relief from high fees. If you're a writer, Substack's direct-to-inbox model offers strong discoverability and audience ownership. If you're building a sustainable coaching or education business for the next 3-5 years, a branded mobile app provides the ownership, engagement tools, and recurring revenue infrastructure you need.

Launch your branded app today: Try Passion with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get your content live, test push notifications, build your community, and measure completion lifts in your first 90 days. Book a demo to see exactly how you'll launch in 4-8 weeks, or explore all features to understand how courses, community, and payments integrate into one branded experience.

The question isn't whether to leave Patreon. The question is where you'll build your digital home.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best Patreon alternatives for artists and writers?
Artists often choose Ko-fi (0% donation fees, 5% on sales) or Gumroad (10%, strong e-commerce). Writers prefer Substack (10%, direct-to-inbox delivery with strong internal discoverability).

Is there a free Patreon alternative?
Ko-fi offers a free tier with 0% platform fees on donations, though it charges 5% on memberships and shop sales. Substack is free until you monetize, then charges 10% on paid subscriptions.

What is the Patreon controversy?
The "Patreon exodus" stems from fee increases (10% for new creators, plus 30% iOS starting November 2024) and inconsistent content policy enforcement. High-profile creators departed after December 2018 bans for off-platform behavior, with some earning significant revenue on the platform.

How long does it take to migrate from Patreon to a branded app?
Plan 4-8 weeks. Week 1-2: content migration and pricing setup. Week 3-4: web app launch. Week 5-8: app store submissions and parallel operation. Run both platforms for 30-60 days to minimize income disruption.

What makes Passion different from Patreon?
Passion gives you a real branded mobile app (iOS/Android/Web) with push notifications, offline content, and integrated community. You own the relationship, data, and access, with 3.9% web fees vs Patreon's 10% plus 30% iOS cut.

Key terminology

Patreon alternative: A platform that enables creators to monetize content through memberships, subscriptions, donations, or product sales outside of Patreon's ecosystem.

Membership platform: Software that allows creators to offer tiered access to content, community, and benefits in exchange for recurring payments or one-time fees.

Creator economy: The ecosystem of independent content creators monetizing their work directly through platforms, sponsorships, products, and services rather than traditional employment.

Audience ownership: Control over customer data, contact information, and direct communication channels, reducing dependence on third-party platforms that can change policies or revoke access.

Recurring revenue: Predictable monthly or annual income from subscriptions or memberships, as opposed to one-time sales or unpredictable tips and donations.

Branded app: A mobile application (iOS/Android) and web experience published under a creator's own brand name, available in app stores, providing a dedicated environment for content and community.

No-code app builder: A drag-and-drop platform that allows creators to build and launch mobile apps without programming knowledge or hiring developers.

Transaction fees: Percentage-based charges taken by platforms, payment processors, or app stores on each sale or pledge, typically ranging from 0% to 30%.

Community building: The practice of creating engaged groups of supporters through forums, chat channels, events, and interactive features that foster connection and increase retention.

Monetization: The process of generating income from creative work through subscriptions, product sales, donations, advertising, or other revenue streams.