Substack vs Patreon: fees and what you keep
Patreon leaves more at every volume up to 1,000 membership payments a month, at $8 each. With 100 membership payments of $8 a month you keep $661 on Substack and $667 on Patreon Standard, $72 a year more on Patreon. Of each membership payment, Substack takes 10%; Patreon takes 10%; processing comes on top.
Who leaves more as membership payments grow
- $5: Patreon leaves more at every volume up to 1,000 membership payments a month.
- $8: Patreon leaves more at every volume up to 1,000 membership payments a month.
- $10: Patreon leaves more at every volume up to 1,000 membership payments a month.
- $15: Patreon leaves more at every volume up to 1,000 membership payments a month.
From 1 to 1,000 membership payments a month, each platform on whichever of its plans open to new sign-ups leaves the most at that size; US payments, payout fees left out.
What you keep a month
| Membership payments a month | Substack | Patreon |
|---|---|---|
| 10 of $5 $50 | $40.10 | $40.50 Standard |
| 100 of $5 $500 | $401 | $405 Standard |
| 1,000 of $5 $5,000 | $4,010 | $4,050 Standard |
| 10 of $8 $80 | $66.10 | $66.70 Standard |
| 100 of $8 $800 | $661 | $667 Standard |
| 1,000 of $8 $8,000 | $6,610 | $6,670 Standard |
| 10 of $10 $100 | $83.40 | $84.10 Standard |
| 100 of $10 $1,000 | $834 | $841 Standard |
| 1,000 of $10 $10,000 | $8,340 | $8,410 Standard |
| 10 of $15 $150 | $126.50 | $127.60 Standard |
| 100 of $15 $1,500 | $1,265 | $1,276 Standard |
| 1,000 of $15 $15,000 | $12,650 | $12,760 Standard |
After each one's subscription, cut, payment processing and any fee on recurring payments; bold marks the larger.
Every fee side by side
| Substack | Patreon | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription a month | None | None |
| Cut of membership payments | 10% | 10% |
| Payment processing | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Payments from outside the US | None listed | None listed |
| Recurring payments | +0.7% | None listed |
| Currency conversion | None listed | +2.5% |
| Payouts | Substack's help article names no payout fee. | Patreon takes a fee per payout: $0.25 by US direct deposit, 1% (at least $0.25, at most $20) by PayPal and $1 by Payoneer outside the US; PayPal needs at least $10, Payoneer $25. |
Plans open to new sign-ups. “None listed”: the platform's pages we read state no such fee.
In their own words
Substack: “Publishing on Substack is free, no matter how many subscribers you have. If you turn on paid subscriptions, Substack keeps 10% of subscription revenue, and Stripe charges its own payment processing fees.”
Patreon: “If you published your creator page after August 4, 2025, please note that you are on our standard 10% pricing plan.” “Unlike legacy plans, the standard 10% plan applies the same processing rates to all payments, regardless of amount.”
Substack or Patreon: quick answers
Is Substack or Patreon cheaper?
For membership payments: at 10 membership payments of $5 ($50), Patreon leaves $40.50 against $40.10 on Substack, $4.80 a year more; at 100 membership payments of $8 ($800), Patreon leaves $667 against $661 on Substack, $72 a year more; at 1,000 membership payments of $15 ($15,000), Patreon leaves $12,760 against $12,650 on Substack, $1,320 a year more. That's each platform's cut, payment processing and any subscription or fee on recurring payments, each on its best plan for that month, before payout fees.
How much do Substack and Patreon take from an $8 membership payment?
Substack takes $1.39 (17.4%) and Patreon Standard takes $1.33 (16.6%), at 100 membership payments a month on each one's best plan.
Do Substack and Patreon charge a monthly fee?
Neither does: both take their cut from each payment as it comes in, so a month without payments costs nothing on either.
How do Substack and Patreon pay you out?
Substack's help article names no payout fee. Patreon takes a fee per payout: $0.25 by US direct deposit, 1% (at least $0.25, at most $20) by PayPal and $1 by Payoneer outside the US; PayPal needs at least $10, Payoneer $25.
Each in detail: Substack fees, Patreon fees. Related: Patreon vs Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee vs Patreon, Whop vs Patreon, Patreon vs Gumroad. Every option ranked: Patreon alternatives. All the plans side by side: creator payment platform fees.
Sources: Substack's fees, read on 7 October 2026 and Patreon's fees, read on 7 October 2026, with the other help pages each fee page lists.
Prices checked against each platform's own pricing page on .