Patreon vs Substack fees
How Patreon and Substack fees compare, using each vendor's public pricing. Best plan = highest net at that size.
50 members at $19.00/month
| Platform (best plan) | Gross | Platform plan + fees | Processing | Net / month | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patreon (Standard (10%)) | $950.00 | $95.00 | $42.55 | $812.45 | ✓ verified |
| Substack (Paid subscriptions) | $950.00 | $95.00 | $49.20 | $805.80 | ✓ verified |
200 members at $29.00/month
| Platform (best plan) | Gross | Platform plan + fees | Processing | Net / month | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patreon (Standard (10%)) | $5,800.00 | $580.00 | $228.20 | $4,991.80 | ✓ verified |
| Substack (Paid subscriptions) | $5,800.00 | $580.00 | $268.80 | $4,951.20 | ✓ verified |
1,000 members at $29.00/month
| Platform (best plan) | Gross | Platform plan + fees | Processing | Net / month | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patreon (Standard (10%)) | $29,000.00 | $2,900.00 | $1,141.00 | $24,959.00 | ✓ verified |
| Substack (Paid subscriptions) | $29,000.00 | $2,900.00 | $1,344.00 | $24,756.00 | ✓ verified |
Try your own numbers in the calculator → · Full details: Patreon pricing, Substack pricing.
Patreon plans
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Platform fee | Payment processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (10%) | $0.00/mo ✓ verified | $0.00/mo ✓ verified | 10% ✓ verified | 2.9% + $0.30 ✓ verified |
Sources and notes
Notes
- Rates are for the standard 10% plan offered to new creators. Legacy plans (such as Founders at 5%) and micropayment rates (up to $3.00) differ.
- Processing assumes a US credit card, Apple Pay or US PayPal payment and a USD payout. Non-US PayPal is 3.9% + $0.30, and currency conversion adds 2.5%.
- Payment processing: Standard-plan rate for USD card payments.
Sources
- https://www.patreon.com/pricing · verified 2026-10-18 · ✓ verified
- https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/11111747095181-Creator-fees-overview · verified 2026-10-18 · ✓ verified
Substack plans
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Platform fee | Payment processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid subscriptions | $0.00/mo ✓ verified | $0.00/mo ✓ verified | 10% ✓ verified | 3.6% + $0.30 ✓ verified |
Sources and notes
Notes
- Processing is Stripe's card fee (2.9% + $0.30) plus Stripe Billing (0.7%), or 3.6% + $0.30 per payment on US cards.
- Subscriptions bought in the iOS app may cost readers more to cover Apple's fees. This is not included.
- Payment processing: Stripe card fee of 2.9% + $0.30 plus 0.7% for Stripe Billing.
Sources
- https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037607131-How-much-does-Substack-cost · verified 2026-10-18 · ✓ verified