The 11 Best Patreon Alternatives for 2024

Over the years, platforms like Patreon have revolutionized the way creators connect with their audiences. Patreon, a crowdfunding platform launched in 2013, is helping artists, writers, musicians, and creators of all kinds, providing them with a direct avenue to monetize their work and build a dedicated community of supporters.

The appeal of Patreon lies in its simplicity and versatility. Creators can offer exclusive content, perks, and behind-the-scenes access to their patrons in exchange for recurring financial support.

This relationship fosters a sense of belonging and reciprocity between creators and their fans. However, as the digital landscape continues to evolve, creators are exploring alternative platforms that may better align with their unique needs and preferences.

In this article, we will explore the best Patreon alternatives, highlighting platforms that offer distinct features, enhanced flexibility, user-friendliness, and a more tailored fit for creators seeking to monetize their content in innovative ways.

But before we show the list, allow us to present to you LearnWorlds – the best all-in-one Ai-powered platform for content creators, edupreneurs, coaches, and businesses looking to offer memberships and build an engaged online community of learners.

Try LearnWorlds today with a 30-day free trial and find out what it can do for you!

👉 The table below shows our top 4 platform picks among the ones included in this article, comparing them side-by-side with Patreon on pricing and features.

Feature / Platform	Patreon	LearnWorlds	Indiegogo	Mighty Networks
Monetization Model	Subscription-based	Subscriptiosn & One-Off	Crowdfunding	Subscription and Community
Payment Processing	Patreon Payments	Stripe, PayPal	Stripe, PayPal	Stripe, PayPal
Fees	5-12% (plus payment fees)	Subscription	Platform and payment fees	Monthly subscription
Customization	Limited customization	Highly customizable	Project-specific	Custom branding and design
Project Types	Ongoing creative projects	Subscriptions, Courses & Community	Creative projects	Online communities
Audience Building	Through tiers	Built-in community	Exposure through campaigns	Built-in community features
Community	Limited	Complete community management	Limited	Great community features
Integration	Limited integrations	Third-party integrations	Integrations available	Third-party integrations
Accessibility	Popular among creators	Perfect for communities, courses, and downloadables.	Broad crowdfunding appeal	Focused on community growth

Patreon	LearnWorlds	Indiegogo	Mighty Networks
Monetization Model
Subscription-based	Subscriptiosn & One-Off	Crowdfunding	Subscription and Community
Payment Processing
Patreon Payments	Stripe, PayPal	Stripe, PayPal	Stripe, PayPal
Fees
5-12% (plus payment fees)	Subscription	Platform and payment fees	Monthly subscription
Customization
Limited customization	Highly customizable	Project-specific	Custom branding and design
Project Types
Ongoing creative projects	Subscriptions, Courses & Community	Creative projects	Online communities
Audience Building
Through tiers	Built-in community	Exposure through campaigns	Built-in community features
Community
Limited	Complete community management	Limited	Great community features
Integration
Limited integrations	Third-party integrations	Integrations available	Third-party integrations
Accessibility
Popular among creators	Perfect for communities, courses, and downloadables.	Broad crowdfunding appeal	Focused on community growth

Patreon Pricing & Plans

Getting started on Patreon is free for both creators and fans. The platform has 2 paid plans that take a percentage of the income you earn:

• Pro – 8% commission
• Premium – 12% commission

Patreon also takes a 5% commission on your earnings when using its e-commerce services.

💁 Patreon launched their new creator plans in 2019, removing their Lite plan from their pricing packages, to be able to better serve creators offering greater options, and tools including Merch for Membership. This is a solution that is included in the premium plan and gives you access to high-quality items you can customize and sell to paid members as part of your membership tiers.

* Pricing Information retrieved from Patreon in July 2024.

Patreon Advantages and Disadvantages

Now, let’s review Patreon’s biggest advantages and disadvantages.

Patreon Advantages 👍

Patreon works as a membership platform and offers a fantastic space where you can connect directly with your biggest supporters and receive continuous financial support from them to sponsor your work. It also allows you to interact with your community, share exclusive and members-only content, and transform your hobby into a successful creative venture.

With Patreon monetization is made easy, as it offers the opportunity to build a digital shop or offer paid memberships effortlessly. One of its biggest strengths is that it has no upfront costs – it lets you create a page for free and comes with multiple membership options.

Patreon Disadvantages 👎

Patreon Reviews

Patreon is rated 4.5 out of 5 based on Capterra’s user reviews.

Review from G2:

Review from Capterra:

Best Patreon Alternatives for Your Online Business

Patreon is a very good choice of crowdfunding and membership platform, however, it’s always a great idea to explore all of your options before making a decision.

Now, let’s go over the 10 best Patreon alternatives to figure out how they all compare against each other in greater detail.

#1 LearnWorlds

LearnWorlds, unlike Patreon’s simple subscription model integrates course creation, website building, and marketing tools, allowing creators to generate recurring revenue. This makes it ideal for those wanting to offer more than just content, with features like quizzes, assessments, and certifications adding significant value.

Creators can build fully branded online academies, multi-tier subscriptions, and digital downloads. You can even create a full online community for your fans to connect and discuss!

LearnWorlds does not take a percentage cut either, you own all your profit, audience’s data, emails.

Pros & Cons

How much does LearnWorlds cost?

LearnWorlds offers a 30-day free trial and the following pricing plans:

• Starter – $29/mo
• Pro – $99/mo
• Learning Center – $299/mo

*Pricing information retrieved from LearnWorlds in July 2024.

LearnWorlds Reviews

Gumroad is rated 4.7 out of 5 based on G2’s user reviews.

Reviews from G2:

#2 Podia

Podia is a digital platform for creators looking to sell online courses, memberships, and digital downloads such as ebooks, audio lessons, webinars and more. It offers a solution that simplifies the process of creating, marketing, and selling digital products.

With Podia, creators can build their brand with customizable storefronts, build their own website, host online courses with embedded multimedia, and manage memberships seamlessly.

The platform also includes features for email marketing and analytics, providing creators with a centralized hub to monetize their expertise and creative endeavors. Podia aims to be a user-friendly solution for individuals and businesses looking to establish and grow their online presence.

Podia wins over Patreon with its community features, and built-in email marketing capabilities. While both platforms are popular, Patreon has been around longer and comes with a larger user base.

Pros & Cons

How much does Podia cost?

Podia has a 14-day trial, a free plan, and two paid plans:

• Free plan (8% transaction fees)
• Mover – $39/month
• Shaker – $89/month

Podia offers an optional email marketing add-on that is free for the first 100 subscribers. Then it charges $9/month for up to 500 subscribers and the price increases as the number of subscribers goes higher.

*Pricing information retrieved from Podia in July 2024.

💁 Podia vs LearnWorlds: A Side-by-Side Comparison
💁 The Best Podia Alternatives Reviewed

Podia Reviews

Podia is rated 4.5 out of 5 based on Capterra’s user reviews.

Review from G2:

Review from Capterra:

#3 WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a powerful and widely-used e-commerce WordPress plugin. Developed by Automattic, the same company behind WordPress, WooCommerce seamlessly integrates with WordPress websites, transforming them into fully functional online stores offering you the opportunity to sell digital products.

It provides a robust set of features for managing products, inventory, orders, and payments, making it an ideal solution for individuals, small businesses, and even larger enterprises. Installing WooCommerce is free as it is open source, but you will need a hosting service and domain name for your website.

Compared to Patreon, WooCommerce is highly customizable and offers multiple payment gateways. However, it might come with additional fees for extensions and other plugins whereas Patreon’s costs are fixed.

Pros & Cons

How much does WooCommerce cost?

WooCommerce offers a free trial and starts charging its users at $1. This stays the same for the first 3 months, but then after that, the following pricing applies:

• Essential: $39/month
• Performance: $70/month
• Enterprise e-commerce: Custom pricing

*Pricing information retrieved from WooCommerce in July 2024.

💁 Compare WooCommerce to LearnWorlds

WooCommerce Reviews

WooCommerce is rated 4.5 out of 5 based on Capterra’s user reviews.

Review from G2:

Review from Capterra:

#4 Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is a platform that enables individuals to create their own branded communities, courses, and memberships. It provides a space where creators can connect with their audience in a more meaningful and engaging way.

Whether you’re a content creator, educator, or business owner, Mighty Networks allows you to build a unique online community that goes beyond traditional social media platforms.

As a community platform, Mighty Networks has stronger social engagement features compared to other platforms.

For example, you can organize your group members into categories (e.g., based on their profession) and also into subgroups, with each group having access to the content most relevant to them.

Mighty Networks offers custom branding and design capabilities as well as robust community and that is where Patreon falls short. It also offers more opportunities for monetization than donations and subscriptions.

Pros & Cons

How much does Mighty Networks cost?

Mighty Networks has a free trial and three pricing plans:

• The Courses Plan – $119/mo
• The Business Plan – $219/mo
• The Path-to-Pro Plan – $360/mo

*Pricing information retrieved from Mighty Networks in July 2024.

💁 Compare Mighty Networks with LearnWorlds

💁 The Best Mighty Networks Alternatives Reviewed

Mighty Networks Reviews

Mighty Networks is rated 4.7 out of 5 based on Capterra’s user reviews.

Review from G2:

Review from Capterra:

#5 Sellfy

Sellfy is an e-commerce platform that simplifies selling digital products. It caters to a range of content creators, including writers, musicians, artists, and software developers. The platform enables users to set up their online store quickly, allowing them to showcase and sell e-books, music, videos, software, and other downloadables.

Key features include customizable storefronts, secure file hosting, payment processing through various methods, discount code creation, and the ability to embed the store on external websites. Sellfy also provides tools for marketing, allowing creators to create product pages, set prices, and implement promotional strategies.

While Sellfy is highly customizable compared to Patreon, it offers limited audience-building capabilities. Having said that, it’s a great alternative if you want to sell physical goods on top of digital products.

Pros & Cons

How much does Sellfy cost?

Sellfy comes with a free trial and the following paid plans:

• Starter: $29/month
• Business: $79/month
• Premium: $159/month

*Pricing information retrieved from Sellfy in July 2024.

Sellfy Reviews

Sellfy is rated 4.5 out of 5 based on Capterra’s user reviews.

Review from G2:

Review from Capterra:

#6 SubscribeStar

SubscriberStar is a subscription-based platform designed to help creators generate income by offering exclusive content and perks to their subscribers. It is mostly tailored for musicians, visual artists, and educators who can set up a profile on SubscriberStar, and showcase their work, but it also serves any individual who has an established or emerging audience or produces engaging content regularly.

Unlike other platforms, the platform focuses on providing a space for creators to engage with their fan base through various content formats, including written posts, polls, images, documents, audio, and videos.

It offers subscription tiers, allowing creators to offer different levels of access and rewards based on the subscription level. These rewards can range from exclusive content and early access to personalized messages.

Compared to Patreon it’s cheaper, and it comes with a calculator that shows your potential monthly income based on the number of subscribers you have and the price you charge those subscriptions. At the same time Patreon offers better features and has more frequent payouts.

Pros & Cons

How much does SubscribeStar cost?

SubscribeStar is free for everyone. However, it has processing fees of 2.9% + $0.3 on average for each subscription/transaction made toward your account. It also comes with payout fees ($3<) and a flat service fee of 5% on every pledge.

*Pricing information retrieved from SubscribeStar in July 2024.

SubscribeStar Reviews

SubscribeStar is rated 2.6 out of 5 based on TrustPilot’s user reviews.

Reviews from TrustPilot:

#7 Indiegogo

Indiegogo is a crowdfunding platform that enables individuals, entrepreneurs, inventors, startups, and organizations to raise funds for their creative projects, innovative ideas, or business ventures. It has become a popular platform, especially for those seeking financial support from a global community of backers. The platform caters to a wide range of projects including tech innovations, art endeavors, charitable causes, and more.

It offers flexible funding models and allows creators to keep the funds raised even if the campaign doesn’t meet its initial funding goal. Indiegogo also encourages creators to engage with their backers fostering a sense of community and transparency throughout the fundraising process. Backers receive rewards or perks based on their level of contribution that include early access to the product being funded or merchandise.

Unlike Patreon, Indiegogo does not follow a subscription model, instead, it focuses on one-time project funding and offers two types of funding – fixed and flexible. It also lacks the community feel of Patreon.

Pros & Cons

How much does Indiegogo cost?

Indiegogo charges a 5% platform fee on all crowdfunding campaigns, up to 15% for funds driven by its own platform channels. It also has transaction and payment processor fees that vary depending on the location of your bank account and the currency in which you raise funds.

*Pricing information retrieved from Indiegogo in July 2024.

Indiegogo Reviews

Indiegogo is rated 5 out of 5 based on Capterra’s user reviews.

Review from G2:

Review from Capterra:

#8 Kickstarter

Kickstarter is another popular crowdfunding platform that allows creators to bring their creative projects to life by securing financial support from a community of backers. The platform is facilitating funding for a wide range of projects, including art, comics, music, films, games, technology, design, and more.

Creators use Kickstarter to showcase their projects and set a funding goal, along with a deadline for reaching that goal. It operates on an “all-or-nothing” funding model, meaning that if the project doesn’t reach its funding goal by the deadline, backers are not charged, and the project does not receive any funding.

For this reason, it is more suitable for one-off projects that offer tangible rewards to its supporters.

Kickstarter and Patreon cater to different models of creative funding. The first focuses on one-time projects whereas the second on ongoing ones and offers greater community support.

While Kickstarter provides customizable project pages, it is limiting in terms of funding opportunities – when creators don’t reach their goals, and campaign duration (up to 60 days).

Pros & Cons

How much does Kickstarter cost?

Kickstarter is free, but collects a 5% transaction fee from your funds. Stripe – its payment processor also collects a payment fee of 3-5%.

*Pricing information retrieved from Kickstarter in July 2024.

Kickstarter Reviews

Kickstarter is rated 3.7 out of 5 based on G2’s user reviews.

Reviews from G2:

#9 Ko-fi

Ko-fi is a platform designed to help creators receive support and appreciation from their fans, friends, and followers offering a space for them to showcase their work outside of a paywall. It is a simple and user-friendly platform that enables them to receive one-time payments or one-time donations known as virtual “coffees”.

Instead of using a subscription model, it operates on a one-time support system, and coffees are used by creators to fund their projects, cover expenses, or simply as a token of appreciation.

Creators can set up a Ko-fi page, share their creative endeavors, and offer exclusive content, digital downloads, memberships, or other perks as a way to thank their supporters.

Ko-fi serves as an excellent Patreon alternative if you prioritize flexibility without structured membership tiers and want to keep 100% of received donations.

Pros & Cons

How much does Ko-fi cost?

Ko-fi doesn’t take any cuts from your donations. However, for memberships, and access to Ko-fi Shop and Commissions, you need to get its premium plan – Ko-fi Gold or pay a 5% transaction fee.

*Pricing information retrieved from Ko-fi in July 2024.

Ko-fi Reviews

Ko-fi is rated 4.6 out of 5 based on TrustPilot’s user reviews.

Reviews from TrustPilot:

# 10 Buy Me A Coffee

Buy Me A Coffee is a platform designed to help creators – artists, video creators, programmers, musicians, writers, and podcasters, receive support and appreciation from their audience in the form of “virtual coffees” as monetary gifts or small payments.

With it, creators have the flexibility to establish various membership levels with distinct pricing structures offering subscribers additional perks, or even sell products e.g. exclusive videos, Zoom event tickets, and art commissions called Extras. But while it offers memberships, the platform gives more attention to one-off donations. So it follows a more casual tip jar approach allowing fans to express their support in a unique way.

Buy Me A Coffee is more suitable for creators who are looking for a side income as opposed to a full time. The platform may not be as well-known as Patreon, but it is a great alternative if you don’t want to manage a large subscription-based community.

Pros & Cons

How much does Buy Me A Coffee cost?

Buy Me A Coffee is free to use, though it charges a 5% fee on all transactions plus payment processor fees.

*Pricing information retrieved from Buy Me A Coffee in July 2024.

Buy Me A Coffee Reviews

Buy Me A Coffee is rated 4 out of 5 based on TrustPilot’s user reviews.

Reviews from TrustPilot:

#11 Gumroad

Gumroad is a powerful e-commerce platform that empowers creators to sell their digital products directly to their audience. Whether it’s memberships, courses, e-books, digital art, software, audio, or any other digital content like cookbooks (or emojis even), can simplify the selling process.

The platform has a user-friendly interface and provides a straightforward solution for monetizing any digital creation. With it, you can set your own prices, create customizable product pages to promote your products, and track their performance. It allows you to create discount offer coders, set up subscriptions, and protect your work while handling VAT for you.

Compared to Patreon, Gumroad offers greater customization features and third-party integrations. On the other hand, Patreon offers more audience-building capabilities through tiers.

Pros & Cons

Choosing the Best Membership Platform for Your Needs

From emerging platforms to established alternatives, the landscape is rich with options for creators looking to take their ventures to new heights. Each one presents its own set of advantages and unique offerings, providing flexibility, scalability, enhanced features, tailored experiences, and improved revenue streams.

Whether you are a podcaster, artist, musician, or any other type of content creator, the right platform can significantly impact your efforts. To make sure you stay true to your goals and aspirations, choose a platform that supports your needs and wants.

Would you select an all-in-one platform that has everything you need, go for a traditional crowdfunding platform, or opt for a more specialized membership site platform to get specific features, capabilities, and functionality? The choice is yours.

If you are interested in monetizing your content and want to sell online courses, you can get a head start with LearnWorlds! Sign up for your 30-day free trial today and explore all the amazing options it comes with.