Best Patreon Alternatives in 2026
The top Patreon alternatives are Ghost, Appy Pie Membership Website Builder and Substack: 15 membership site platforms our editors would look at instead of Patreon, in our ranking order.
Patreon: An affordable way to sell memberships, content, and community access, with a 10% platform fee. Where it falls short: the standard platform fee is 10% for creator pages published after august 4, 2025.
Switching from Patreon? For most membership site platforms buyers the best Patreon alternative is Ghost, built for publishers building paid member publications. On a budget, Systeme.io starts at $17/mo. Appy Pie Membership Website Builder has a free plan. Brilliant Directories offers the most member limit (5000 members).
Why People Look for a Patreon Alternative
- 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
Quick Picks by What You Need
- Best overallGhost9.2
Publishers building paid member publications
Visit Ghost - Lowest priceSysteme.io8.8
Paid plans from $17/mo
Visit Systeme.io - Best free optionAppy Pie Membership Website Builder9.0
Has a free plan
Visit Appy Pie Membership Website Builder - Most member limitBrilliant Directories8.0
5000 members
Visit Brilliant Directories
All 15 Patreon Alternatives, Ranked
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
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Best forPublishers building paid member publications
A focused membership platform for paid publications, newsletters, and protected posts.
- Custom domain
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Ghost -
Best forBeginners wanting inexpensive AI-built membership sites
A beginner-friendly way to launch a web membership site with AI and paid access.
- Drip content
- Custom domain
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit Appy Pie -
Best forNewsletter-first paid communities
A newsletter-first platform combining publishing, paid subscriptions, and community tools.
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit Substack -
Best forLow-cost funnels with basic membership hosting
A low-cost way to combine funnels, marketing automation and basic course hosting.
- Custom domain
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Systeme.io -
Best forEnterprise publishers needing advanced paywalls
A flexible enterprise paywall platform for publishers with complex subscription journeys.
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Zephr -
Best forWordPress users wanting flexible membership control
A flexible self-hosted WordPress option for memberships, payments, and gated content.
- Drip content
- Custom domain
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forAssociations needing memberships, events, and courses
A broad membership platform for associations that also need events, courses, and community tools.
- Custom domain
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Raklet -
Best forMembership businesses needing broad payment options
A broad membership platform with flexible payments, content gating, and community integrations.
- Custom domain
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Memberful -
Best forPremium course and membership businesses
A broad membership business platform for premium course creators with a high starting price.
- Custom domain
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Kajabi -
Best forCreators combining memberships, courses, and community
A broad platform for creators who want memberships, courses, community, and marketing together.
- Drip content
- Custom domain
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Simplero -
Best forVideo-first membership businesses
A focused choice for paid video libraries, livestreams, and branded apps.
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Uscreen -
Best forMembership directories with strong publishing tools
A broad hosted toolkit for branded membership directories and gated content.
- Custom domain
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forSmall associations needing broad membership operations
A broad membership platform for small associations that need one operational hub.
- Custom domain
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit WildApricot -
Best forLarge associations needing mature operations
A broad association platform for organizations that need membership, events, billing, and portals.
- Custom domain
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit GrowthZone -
Best forClubs needing membership and mobile engagement
A club platform combining member management, events, payments, communications, and mobile access.
- Custom domain
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit ClubExpress
Patreon Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Patreon?
Ghost: #2 in our Membership Site Platforms ranking, with an editor score of 9.2 out of 10. A focused membership platform for paid publications, newsletters, and protected posts.
Is there a free alternative to Patreon?
Yes. Appy Pie Membership Website Builder, Substack, Systeme.io, Paid Memberships Pro and Raklet have a free plan or a free tier.
What is the cheapest paid alternative to Patreon?
Of the alternatives here that publish a price, Systeme.io starts lowest, at $17/mo.
Why do people look for Patreon alternatives?
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.
Which Patreon alternative has the most member limit?
Brilliant Directories, with 5000 members.
How do I switch from Patreon?
Export your data from Patreon (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Patreon.
How to Switch from Patreon
- Export your data from Patreon (most tools have an export in their settings).
- Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
- Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
- Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Patreon.
Patreon vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Custom domain | Content gating | Subscription billing | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patreon | Yes | Yes | Post | Both | 9.4 | |
| 1 | Ghost | No | $18/mo | Yes | Post | Both | 9.2 |
| 2 | Appy Pie Membership Website Builder | Yes | $18/mo | Yes | Full_site | Both | 9.0 |
| 3 | Substack | Yes | 8.9 | ||||
| 4 | Systeme.io | Yes | $17/mo | Yes | 8.8 | ||
| 5 | Zephr | Page | Recurring | 8.7 | |||
| 6 | Paid Memberships Pro | Yes | $499/yr | Yes | Post | Both | 8.6 |
| 7 | Raklet | Yes | $49/mo | Yes | Page | Both | 8.5 |
| 8 | Memberful | No | $49/mo | Yes | Full_site | Both | 8.4 |
| 9 | Kajabi | No | $143/mo | Yes | 8.3 | ||
| 10 | Simplero | No | Yes | Course | Both | 8.2 | |
| 11 | Uscreen | No | $49/mo | 8.1 | |||
| 12 | Brilliant Directories | No | $40/mo | Yes | Page | Both | 8.0 |
| 13 | WildApricot | No | $56.10/mo | Yes | Page | Both | 7.9 |
| 14 | GrowthZone | Yes | Full_site | Recurring | 7.8 | ||
| 15 | ClubExpress | No | Yes | Page | Both | 7.7 |
Head-to-Head
- Patreon vs Ghost
- Patreon vs Appy Pie Membership Website Builder
- Patreon vs Substack
- Patreon vs Systeme.io
- Patreon vs Zephr
- Patreon vs Paid Memberships Pro
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update