01
Patreon
Hosted membership platform
The default membership platform for podcasters, artists and writers, with tiers, posts, livestreams and a shop.
- Fee on member income
- 10% of membership income for creators who joined after 4 Aug 2025, plus processing
- Monthly cost
- $0
- Best for
- Creators who want Patreon's audience and discovery
Why pick itHuge existing audience, polished apps, almost nothing to set up.
Watch out forNew creators pay 10% before processing, currency and payout fees, and the member relationship lives on Patreon.
02
Ko-fi
Hosted tips and memberships
A friendly page for one-off support, memberships, commissions and a small shop.
- Fee on member income
- 5% on memberships and shop sales on the free plan; 0% with Ko-fi Gold ($12 a month)
- Monthly cost
- $0 or $12
- Best for
- Small creators starting with tips and a few members
Why pick itFree to start, and Gold removes the platform fee once income justifies $12 a month.
Watch out forLimited control over design and data; built around one creator, not a multi-creator platform.
03
Buy Me a Coffee
Hosted tips and memberships
A simple "support me" page with memberships and digital products added on.
- Fee on member income
- 5% platform fee
- Monthly cost
- $0
- Best for
- Creators who mostly receive one-off support
Why pick itVery quick to set up and easy for supporters to understand.
Watch out forA flat 5% on everything, and little room to build your own branded experience.
04
Substack
Hosted newsletter platform
Paid newsletters with a reader network, podcasts and comments.
- Fee on member income
- 10% of paid subscriptions, plus processing
- Monthly cost
- $0
- Best for
- Writers whose product is a newsletter
Why pick itStrong discovery for writing and an audience that already pays for newsletters.
Watch out forSame 10% as Patreon, and the format is centred on email posts.
05
Memberful
Membership add-on for your own website
Billing and member management that plugs into a site you already run, with integrations such as Discord and Mailchimp.
- Fee on member income
- 4.9% per transaction on the Standard plan
- Monthly cost
- $49
- Best for
- Creators who already have a WordPress or custom site
Why pick itLower percentage than Patreon and your own domain and branding.
Watch out forA monthly fee plus 4.9%, and you need an existing website to attach it to.
06
Scrile Connect
Hosted white-label creator platform
A ready-made subscription platform on your own domain and brand, hosted and maintained by Scrile.
- Fee on member income
- 0% commission
- Monthly cost
- $79 (Solo plan)
- Best for
- Businesses that want a branded fan platform without running servers
Why pick itNo commission and no server work; a 14-day free trial.
Watch out forThe monthly fee never ends, and the site runs on Scrile's infrastructure.
07
OFEngine
Self-hosted creator platform script
Software you install on your own server to run a Patreon-style platform for many creators, with tiers, members-only posts, livestreams, a shop and AI tools.
- Fee on member income
- 0% commission
- Monthly cost
- $0 license fee (paid once: $300 to $3,000) plus your hosting
- Best for
- Founders building a membership platform for many creators
Why pick itPaid once, no commission, and you own the code, the data and the brand.
Watch out forYou (or a host) run the server; tiers need the Pro plan, and there are no native app-store apps.
See OFEngine as a Patreon clone · live demo
