Patreon vs Substack

Patreon9.4Visit Substack8.9Visit

Higher score Patreon #1 in Membership Site Platforms 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 2 features Visit Patreon

vs

Substack #4 in Membership Site Platforms 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Substack

• Patreon fits best

  Creators starting a paid community affordably

• Substack fits best

  Newsletter-first paid communities

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Side by side

Feature	Patreon 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Substack 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.9
Ranking	#1 in Membership Site Platforms	#4 in Membership Site Platforms
Best for	Creators starting a paid community affordably	Newsletter-first paid communities
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	—	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Tickets, Community, Docs	Docs
Integrations	8 integrations	10 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Patreon 1/2 · Substack 0/2
Custom domain	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Drip content	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Content gating	Post	Not checked yet
Subscription billing	Both	Not checked yet
Member limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Transaction fee	10% platform fee for new creators, plus payment processing, currency conversion, payout fees, and applicable taxes	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Free plan includes memberships, content gating, video, messaging, and analytics Supports monthly and annual subscriptions plus one-time digital purchases Connects communities with Discord, Spotify, RSS, and podcast feeds	Paid subscriptions, segmentation, lifecycle email, and analytics are available together. Podcast hosting includes RSS distribution and audience discovery features. Web, iOS, and Android apps support publishing and subscriber access.
Cons	The standard platform fee is 10% for creator pages published after August 4, 2025 Additional payment processing, conversion, payout, and applicable tax fees apply Community and publishing features are centered on the Patreon ecosystem	Membership-site controls are narrower than those in many alternatives. Fixed creator plan tiers are not part of the pricing structure. Its broader publishing focus may not suit teams needing conventional email software.
Our verdict	Patreon is a web and mobile membership platform for creators who want to build communities, publish exclusive content, and earn through recurring memberships or one-time purchases. It suits creators starting a paid community affordably,… Read the review →	Substack is a publishing and subscription platform for writers, podcasters, video creators, and media organizations. It combines newsletter delivery, web publishing, subscriber management, paid subscriptions, analytics, audience discovery,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Patreon — where it wins

  • Free plan includes memberships, content gating, video, messaging, and analytics
  • Supports monthly and annual subscriptions plus one-time digital purchases
  • Connects communities with Discord, Spotify, RSS, and podcast feeds

  Where it doesn't

  • The standard platform fee is 10% for creator pages published after August 4, 2025
  • Additional payment processing, conversion, payout, and applicable tax fees apply
  • Community and publishing features are centered on the Patreon ecosystem

• Substack — where it wins

  • Paid subscriptions, segmentation, lifecycle email, and analytics are available together.
  • Podcast hosting includes RSS distribution and audience discovery features.
  • Web, iOS, and Android apps support publishing and subscriber access.

  Where it doesn't

  • Membership-site controls are narrower than those in many alternatives.
  • Fixed creator plan tiers are not part of the pricing structure.
  • Its broader publishing focus may not suit teams needing conventional email software.

• Patreon9.4/10 · Free plan

  An affordable way to sell memberships, content, and community access, with a 10% platform fee.

  Visit PatreonFull verdict →
• Substack8.9/10 · Free plan

  A newsletter-first platform combining publishing, paid subscriptions, and community tools.

  Visit SubstackFull verdict →