8 Patreon Alternatives & Competitors for 2023
2023-03-30
Looking for ways to monetize your content? Here is our list of Patreon alternatives for content creators in 2023.
Table of Contents
- Podia
- Buy Me A Coffee
- Ko-fi
- Kickstarter
- Memberful
- Substack
- Gumroad
- Onlyfans
- Patreon: The Bad
- Patreon: The Good
- Portaly Integrations
- About Portaly
The Good News? There are a lot of options available to you—from subscription-based models to one-time donations. There’s something for everybody!
The Bad News? There are A LOT of options available to you.
No worries. We’ve combed through all of the Patreon alternatives in 2023 and have provided a curated list here to help you figure out which is best for you. We’ll highlight their best features and what separates them from Patreon. We’ll also dabble a bit into their pricing tiers.
Here they are in no particular order.
Podia
Podia is easily one of the best alternatives to Patreon. It’s an all-in-one platform that lets you build your own website, sell subscriptions, create members-only communities, and sell digital products without having to pay any transaction fees. Yeah. You read that correctly—NO transaction fees!
One of the main downsides of using Patreon is that you don’t have full control of your revenue source and your branding is limited. You’re essentially building a home on someone else’s platform. Furthermore, with Patreon’s transaction fees, it can take away a portion of your potential earnings.
Podia offers a great alternative. You have full control of your community and membership platform and can set it up exactly how you want, from the different plan tiers to the rewards and benefits you offer. You can create as many free or paid plans as you want, and you get to keep 100% of your revenue when you sign up for a paid plan.
You can use the community feature on Podia to directly interact with your fans through multimedia discussions. They can post text comments, images, videos, and more.
In addition, you can also use Podia to sell other digital products, such as online courses and digital downloads. All in all, Podia is a great platform to use if you want to build up your own community and monetize it without having to pay any transaction fees.
Highlighted Features
- No transaction fees
- Easy integration with Google Analytics
- Consolidate your expenses by hosting your website there
- Create and easily curate paid communities
- Sell digital products and courses
- More options when designing your page
Pricing
For those seeking to monetize their work, paid podia plans beginning at $33 a month are an attractive option. People signing up for the service don’t have to worry about transaction fees either, meaning they will be able to keep more of their earnings. There is an alternative free plan available, but it comes with an 8% transaction fee on all payments. Consequently, those hoping to maximize their profits should seriously consider the paid plan.
TRY PODIA FOR FREE
Buy Me A Coffee
Buy Me A Coffee is the perfect platform for creators who want a straightforward way to receive donations. It is incredibly easy to use and, unlike Patreon, it can be used to accept both monthly and single donations from your audience.
The idea behind Buy Me a Coffee is delightfully uncomplicated.
All you need to do is set up your custom subdomain page and share it. Your audience visits and purchases (i.e., donates) you a cup of coffee as a way to thank you for creating great content.
When they make a donation, they can also leave a message which you can respond to and show your gratitude. In contrast to Patreon, no account is needed to buy you a coffee—your supporters just choose the number of coffees to buy (the amount to donate) and make the payment in one step.
There is also the possibility to offer something in return if you want. Like Patreon, you can set up membership plans and provide exclusive content to your supporters. The ‘Extras’ feature allows you to sell digital products such as ebooks, and access to Discord or Zoom calls with you.
The majority of payment methods are accepted, including credit, debit, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal. As soon as someone makes a donation, you receive the payment—no more waiting periods of 30 days!
Portaly offers one-link integrations with both Buy Me a Coffee & Ko-fi!
Highlighted Features
- Audience does NOT need an account to donate
- Sell digital products
- Supports one-off donations
- Straightforward messaging
- Excellent integrations and APIs for other platforms
- Competitive 5% transaction fees
Pricing
Buy Me a Coffee is free to use, but it takes a 5% platform fee out of your donations; you keep 95% of your earnings. This fee is equal to PayPal’s Lite plan but cheaper than its Pro and Premium plans. All in all, Buy Me a Coffee is a great choice for creators who want a straightforward way to collect donations from their audience.
TRY BUY ME A COFFEE FOR FREE
Ko-fi
Ko-fi is an excellent crowdfunding platform for those who are looking for something similar to Buy Me A Coffee. It is perfect for a wide range of users—from those who simply want to accept donations and tips, to those who are looking to create a membership platform. Ko-fi is a great choice for streamers, as it provides a way to alert followers when donations are made.
Unlike Buy Me A Coffee, Ko-fi is completely free to use. There is no signup fee, and they don’t take a cut of your revenue. Ko-fi takes 0% of your donations. ZERO.
The process of setting up a Ko-fi creator page is incredibly simple. It only takes a couple of minutes to create an account and customize your page to fit your brand.
Once your page is set up, you can set a crowdfunding goal and encourage your audience to help you reach it. To further incentivize your followers, you can provide exclusive content and membership perks.
Ko-fi integrates nicely with Discord, WordPress, and Zapier. The interface is quite similar to Buy Me A Coffee, which makes it easy to navigate.
However, one of the downsides of Ko-fi is that the free plan doesn’t include premium features like memberships or the ability to sell digital downloads and physical products through your online shop.
Overall, Ko-fi is an excellent option for those who are looking for a free and easy-to-use crowdfunding platform. It allows users to quickly set up a page and accept donations and memberships from their fans.
Plus, Ko-fi integrates nicely with popular services like Discord and WordPress. Though the free plan doesn’t include some of the premium features, it is still a great option for those who are looking for an easy and hassle-free way to accept donations and tips.
Highlighted Features
- Zero transaction fees for free users
- Memberships (but not for the free plan)
- Supports selling digital products
- Donation alerts
Pricing
Ko-fi is an ideal tool for anyone looking to monetize their work. It’s free to use as a basic tip jar, but if you want to access additional features, upgrading to the Gold plan is an option. The Gold plan starts from as little as $6 per month or a 5% transaction fee. Gold users often find that they earn 7.2 times more money than those who don’t upgrade. With Ko-fi, you can easily monetize your work and start growing your income.
TRY KO-FI FOR FREE
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is a popular crowdfunding platform that enables users to raise money to fund creative projects. It is particularly well-suited to those wanting to raise funds for one-off endeavors, as opposed to Patreon which is better suited to the collection of recurrent donations.
Kickstarter campaigns are set up in such a way that potential backers (i.e., donors) are able to pledge money towards the campaign, with the creator setting a funding goal and a time frame to achieve it (for example, within 60 days). This is in contrast to Patreon which is more of a subscription-based system.
The key difference between Kickstarter and Patreon is that with Kickstarter, all payments are collected only if the funding target is reached within the specified period. This is known as an ‘all-or-nothing’ approach. If the target is not reached, then the backers are not charged and the creator does not receive the funds.
This differs from Patreon where payments are made regardless of the success of the project. In addition to this, Kickstarter has a more stringent vetting process than Patreon, meaning that not everyone who signs up will be accepted.
However, those who are successful can often raise large sums of money through the platform. Kickstarter charges 5% platform fees, which is in line with the entry-level Patreon plan but is cheaper than higher-tier plans.
Overall, Kickstarter is a great platform for creators looking to raise money for one-off projects. Some content creators use Kickstarter to fund a year or “season” of content. Kickstarter offers an ‘all-or-nothing’ approach which can be attractive for backers, as well as a stringent vetting process that can give creators confidence that only serious campaigns will be accepted. Furthermore, the platform fees are in line with, or cheaper than, the equivalent Patreon subscription plans.
Highlighted Features
- Tremendous reach and user base
- Funding goals
- Allows for one large donation to be reached
- Ideal for funding one-time creative projects
Pricing
Launching a campaign on Kickstarter is absolutely free of charge. However, after the campaign is finished, the total funds raised are subject to a 5% processing fee, as well as PayPal or Stripe payment processing fees.
This can be a significant amount of money, depending on how much was raised. Despite this, many people still find it worth their while to launch a campaign on Kickstarter. It’s an excellent platform for raising funds for business or creative projects. It’s also great for marketing your project, as it can reach a vast (and NEW) audience.
The rewards for a successful campaign can be great.
LAUNCH YOUR KICKSTARTER
Memberful
Memberful is a powerful WordPress plugin that gives creators, publishers, podcasters, and other content producers the ability to monetize their audience in a secure and efficient way.
By using Memberful, you can put a paywall on your video content and live streams you host with external providers like YouTube or Vimeo, making it easier for you to generate income from your viewers.
You can use Memberful to create a custom website with WordPress, or take payments for community access to services like Discord and Discourse. It has a Stripe integration, so you can accept debit and credit card payments.
You can also sell individual and group subscriptions with different tiers and payment frequencies, or accept one-off payments if you’re selling digital products.
Memberful has a range of features that allow you to offer coupons, discounts, and integrations with email and affiliate marketing tools.
It also integrates with other services such as Campaign Monitor, ConvertKit, and Tapfiliate, plus you can use Zapier to create automation. You can also access data about revenue and members, and integrate with Google Analytics for traffic data.
Memberful makes it easy to track and analyze your user base, so you can make decisions to help you better monetize your content. In conclusion, Memberful is an ideal tool for content producers who want to monetize their audience in a secure and efficient way. With its powerful features and integrations, you can take your monetization strategy to the next level and maximize your income potential.
Highlighted Features
- Add paywalls on video content and live streams
- Create custom website via WordPress and Memberful tools
- Add paywalls for community access on Discord and Discourse
- Supports Stripe integration
- Sell subscriptions with different tiers and frequencies
- Sell one-off payments for digital products
- Offer coupons and discounts
- Integration with a wide range of marketing tools
- Integrates with Google Analytics
Pricing
Memberful offers three different pricing plans to suit your needs. The Starter plan offers basic features, including two membership plans, integrations, and the ability to sell podcasts. It is free to use but has a 10% transaction fee. The Pro plan allows for more features, including coupons, staff accounts, and a free membership tier. It costs $25 per month. The Premium plan removes Memberful branding from your site and domain, as well as allows for group subscriptions. It costs $100 per month. All plans are customizable to fit the needs of each user. Memberful offers a wide range of features to make your membership site the best it can be.
TRY MEMBERFUL FOR FREE
Substack
Since its launch in 2017, Substack has been a powerful resource for authors, bloggers, and other email marketers seeking to monetize their audiences. By creating an email newsletter, users are able to offer their readership with content sent directly to their inboxes.
Substack’s main highlights include the ability to easily embed videos and other media from external sources, as well as incorporate community features such as reactions, comments, and share options on their platform.
It’s also possible to charge a nominal fee for a subscription, with the option of offering a free trial or discounts for members. Payments are made through Stripe, with Substack collecting a 5% fee for each transaction.
For those interested in tracking the success of their newsletter, Substack provides metrics such as email open rates and click-through rates (CTRs). This means that users can quickly assess the impact of their content and make changes if needed. This can be especially helpful for those looking to optimize their newsletter to maximize revenue.
In summary, Substack is a great tool for email marketers, providing an accessible and straightforward way to monetize their content. With the ability to embed videos, charge a nominal fee, and track metrics, it’s no wonder why Substack has become such a popular platform in recent years.
Highlighted Features
- Embed videos into your email newsletter
- Access to Substack community features
- Supports monthly and annual subscriptions
- Supports Stripe
- Access to offer audience free trials and discounts
- Useful marketing analytics
Pricing
Substack is among the few platforms that offers an alternative to the traditional 10% platform fee. Instead, they take a cut of your earnings. This presents an interesting option for those seeking to monetize their content. It allows you to keep more of the profits from your work, while still providing the same access to a large audience.
Substack’s cut of your earnings can be beneficial for those looking to maximize their income. With Substack, you can keep more of your profits, as you don’t have to pay the extra 10%. This makes it a great platform for those who want to make the most of their content. Additionally, Substack provides access to a wide range of viewers, giving you more chances to make money.
TRY SUBSTACK FOR FREE
Gumroad
Gumroad is an innovative platform that has been helping creators to easily monetize their content since 2011. Whether you need to sell physical products, digital content, or set up memberships, Gumroad has you covered. Its flexible features are designed to help you maximize your earning potential and promote your products in the most successful way.
When you use Gumroad to monetize your audience, you can do many things. For instance, you can host videos in up to 1080p quality and also make them downloadable.
You can also create a Gumroad page to promote and sell all of your products, as well as add a Gumroad button to your own website. Moreover, you can get reviews about your products from customers and offer discounts and run affiliate marketing via the platform.
Gumroad allows you to accept one-off payments or set up monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual subscriptions. You can also limit access to your content for a certain period of time.
Furthermore, if you need to run email marketing campaigns, you can use integrations with a range of tools like Drip, ConvertKit, and YouTube Annotations. Lastly, with Gumroad, you can access data about your video views, podcast listens, and financial information. This enables you to track your progress and get a better understanding of the effectiveness of your strategies.
Overall, Gumroad is an efficient way to monetize your content and set up memberships. With its wide range of features, it can help you maximize your profits and promotional efforts. From hosting videos to offering discounts and running email marketing campaigns, Gumroad has it all – making it the perfect tool for creators to monetize their audience.
Portaly offers one-link integrations, including Gumroad!
Highlighted Features
- Host video in 1080p
- Sell digital products
- Excellent integrations with other platforms
- Supports buyer reviews for products
- Supports one-off, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual subscriptions
- Offer discounts and coupons
- Access to useful analytics
Pricing
Gumroad offers a unique pricing model compared to other platforms. Instead of having a yearly or monthly fee, Gumroad takes a percentage of your income and a fixed $0.30 transaction fee. This makes the more money you make, the lower the cut from Gumroad. This makes it more beneficial for those who generate higher income, as the fee would be relatively smaller. This is a great insight for those trying to maximize their profits and make the most of their efforts.
TRY GUMROAD FOR FREE
Onlyfans
OnlyFans has revolutionized the way adult content creators make money. By allowing content that may not have been approved under more stringent guidelines, the platform has become a go-to for creators looking to make a living in the adult entertainment industry.
The platform has a simple yet effective business model.
Fans pay a subscription fee to get access to exclusive content from their favorite creators. This subscription fee is split between the platform and the creator, allowing the creator to make a healthy income.
It’s no surprise, then, that the top earners on OnlyFans are making millions of dollars every month. These creators are taking advantage of the platform’s liberal content policies to offer fans unique and exclusive content that they can’t find anywhere else.
What sets OnlyFans apart from other platforms is the fact that it’s entirely subscription-based.
Unlike Patreon, where patrons can make one-time donations, OnlyFans requires fans to pay a monthly fee. This helps creators guarantee a steady income, which is crucial for anyone trying to make a living in the adult entertainment industry.
Another advantage of OnlyFans is its customer support. The platform makes it easy for creators to get help with any issue they may face. They can contact customer support via email or chat, and they can even set up automatic responses to help deal with customer inquiries.
Clearly, OnlyFans is not only an excellent platform for adult content creators but easily the number one choice. Whether they’re just starting out or already at the top of the game, creators can take advantage of the platform’s liberal content policies and customer support to make a sustainable and lucrative income.
Highlighted Features
- Huge user base
- Doubles as a social platform
- Liberal content policies
- Ideal for adult content creators
- More individual control for adult content creators
Pricing
Creating an account on OnlyFans is a straightforward process and it’s completely free. However, you should be aware that the platform will take a 20 percent cut of your subscription revenue. This is the standard policy for all content creators, so it’s important to keep in mind before signing up. Additionally, OnlyFans also charges users a processing fee for each payment they receive. This fee covers the cost of processing payments and is usually a small percentage of the total amount. All in all, it’s important to plan ahead and consider the various fees associated with using the platform before signing up.
TRY ONLYFANS FOR FREE
Patreon: The Bad
If you’re looking for a way to monetize your own audience or build a community from scratch, Patreon may not be the best option. It lacks a number of features that make it a less-than-ideal platform.
For starters, Patreon lacks any built-in marketing tools. This means that it can be difficult to build an audience or community from scratch, as it lacks the features and tools to help promote and grow your content.
Additionally, the projects you post are not very discoverable, making it even harder to find new audiences. A few years ago, Patreon ran into some controversy due to its censorship policies. It banned accounts that it claimed violated its community guidelines, which prohibit hate speech.
Some conservative commentators have accused the platform of political bias and have argued that the bans were an attack on free speech. More recently, Patreon also banned an NGO account that was raising money for the Ukrainian army.
Patreon also has some drawbacks when it comes to the fees it charges. Unlike many other platforms, Patreon does not use a fixed fee; instead, it takes a percentage of your income (5%, 8%, or 12%, depending on the plan you sign up for). This means that high-earners could be paying out hundreds of dollars in fees every month.
Furthermore, Patreon is only set up for recurring monthly subscriptions, and signing up for this can be off-putting to potential supporters. They may be put off by the idea of having to commit to a recurring payment rather than just making a one-off donation.
Using Patreon also means that you don’t have as much control or ownership over your content as you would if you were using your own website. Your audience will be going to Patreon for your content instead of your own branded website, which can be bad for your brand.
Overall, while Patreon can be a great platform for those who already have an existing audience, it lacks features and tools that make it a less-than-ideal platform for those looking to monetize their content or build a community from scratch.
Patreon: The Good
Patreon is a platform that helps creators monetize their audiences through crowdfunding campaigns. It offers creators an easy way to make money without any upfront costs.
Unlike some other platforms, Patreon doesn’t charge a monthly fee, so you can launch your page for free. Instead, Patreon takes their cut out of the monthly income you make.
Patreon works on a subscription model, so patrons commit to regular monthly payments, giving creators a reliable source of monthly income.
Through the platform, creators can set up their own members-only community and interact directly with their patrons. They can also give them access to exclusive content, and set up multiple membership tiers with different perks depending on how much their patrons pledge.
Patreon is suitable for many types of creators, such as YouTubers, streamers, musicians, podcasters, artists, and writers.
Furthermore, Patreon has a WordPress plugin that can be installed on your website so you can make the most out of collecting Patreons. If you’re an established influencer or creator, Patreon offers easy monetization with no upfront costs.
The subscription model allows you to have a reliable source of monthly income and you can also set up your own members-only community and give patrons access to exclusive content. It’s suitable for many types of creators and you can even connect it to your WordPress site. So if you’re looking for an easy way to make money from your work, Patreon could be the right platform for you.
TRY PATREON FOR FREE
Portaly Integrations
Portal now offers a wide range of integrations. With a QR code situated in the top right corner, you can access up to eight different links to over 40 platforms.
This gives you the flexibility to customize your Portal page as you see fit. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to get the most out of your Portal experience!
Give your audience a smoother experience. Prioritize and visualize your links. Integrations are as easy as adding one link!
About Portaly
Portaly is the best Link in Bio for visual creators. With a full set of 30+ building blocks and integration tools, Portaly can easily visualize and customize a bio page within minutes.
Portaly launched in Q4 2022 and already has over 20k users worldwide.