Patreon Fee Calculator

Guide

About the Patreon Fee calculator

Our Patreon fee calculator is a free tool that shows exactly what Patreon and its payment processor take from every patron pledge, and what you keep. Whether you are a new creator on Patreon's flat 10% plan or an existing creator holding a legacy Lite, Pro, or Premium plan, this calculator gives you an accurate per-patron and total-monthly fee breakdown.

How Patreon's fee structure works.

Patreon charges creators two distinct fees on every pledge received: a platform fee and a payment processing fee. These are separate charges that together determine your actual payout.

The platform fee is Patreon's revenue. It is charged as a percentage of the patron's pledge. The processing fee covers the cost of the underlying card or payment transaction.

The new flat 10% plan (after August 4, 2025).

On August 4, 2025, Patreon introduced a consolidated flat platform fee for new creators: a single 10% rate that applies to all pledges, regardless of tier price or membership level. This replaces the previous tiered plan system (Lite/Pro/Premium) for anyone who creates a new Patreon page after that date.

The move simplified Patreon's pricing at the cost of making the entry-level plan more expensive for new creators. Previously, a new creator could choose the Lite plan at 5% — now that option is no longer available for new signups.

Legacy plans: Lite (5%), Pro (8%), Premium (12%).

Creators who had an active Patreon page before August 4, 2025 are grandfathered into their existing legacy plan rates, as long as they keep their page published:

- **Lite plan (5%)**: The lowest-cost legacy option. Creators on Lite pay 5% of every pledge in platform fees. This plan offered fewer features than Pro (no monthly patron relationship tools, no merchandising integration), but carried the cheapest fee structure. New creators can no longer sign up for Lite. - **Pro plan (8%)**: The mid-tier legacy plan, which included the full suite of Patreon creator tools — post scheduling, patron relationship manager, and integrations. The 8% rate is the most common legacy rate for established creators. - **Premium plan (12%)**: The top-tier legacy plan, which included a dedicated partner manager, co-marketing opportunities, and merchandise support. The 12% rate is the highest platform fee of any Patreon plan. Most Premium creators switched to Pro or accepted the Premium rate in exchange for the platform support.

Legacy plan rates are preserved as long as the creator's page remains published. Patreon has confirmed that existing creators will not be forced onto the new 10% plan.

Payment processing fees: standard vs micropayment.

On top of the platform fee, Patreon charges a payment processing fee for every pledge transaction. There are two tiers:

**Standard processing (pledges above $3):** 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. This is the card-processing rate that Patreon passes through. It is applied to the full pledge amount.

**Micropayment processing (pledges of $3 or less):** 5% + $0.10 per transaction. For very small pledges, the $0.30 fixed fee under the standard rate would consume a disproportionately large share of the pledge. The micropayment rate replaces the high fixed fee with a much smaller $0.10 one, at the cost of a higher percentage. For a $1 pledge, micropayment processing costs $0.15 versus $0.33 for the standard rate — a significant difference.

Use the micropayment toggle in the calculator above if your tier is priced at $3 or less.

Worked example: new plan creator, $5 pledge.

A creator on the new 10% plan receives a $5 pledge from a patron. Patreon charges a 10% platform fee ($0.50) and a standard processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 ($0.145 + $0.30 = $0.45, rounded to $0.45). Total fees are $0.95, and the creator receives $4.05. The effective take rate — total fees as a share of the pledge — is 19%.

How the micropayment rate compares for $1 and $2 pledges.

For a $1 pledge under the new plan: standard processing would cost $0.10 (platform) + $0.33 (2.9% + $0.30) = $0.43 in total fees, leaving the creator $0.57. With the micropayment rate, processing is $0.10 (platform) + $0.15 (5% + $0.10) = $0.25 in total fees, leaving the creator $0.75. The micropayment rate saves $0.18 on a $1 pledge.

For a $2 pledge under the new plan: standard processing costs $0.20 (platform) + $0.36 (2.9% + $0.30) = $0.56, leaving $1.44. Micropayment rate costs $0.20 (platform) + $0.20 (5% + $0.10) = $0.40, leaving $1.60. Micropayment saves $0.16 on a $2 pledge.

The micropayment rate is always better for pledges at or below the $3 threshold.

Scaling to your full patron base.

Use the patron count field to project your total monthly income. For example, a creator on the new 10% plan with 50 patrons each pledging $5 earns $5.00 × 50 = $250 gross, pays $0.95 × 50 = $47.50 in fees, and takes home $202.50. A legacy Pro creator (8%) at the same numbers pays less in platform fees: $0.40 (platform) + $0.45 (processing) = $0.85 in fees per patron, and takes home $207.50 for the same 50 patrons at $5 — a $5 monthly advantage over the new plan.

Patreon fees vs Substack and Ko-fi.

Patreon's new 10% plan is identical to Substack's 10% platform fee, but Patreon's processing fee structure differs. Substack uses Stripe Billing, which adds a 0.7% recurring billing fee on top of the 2.9% + $0.30 base. Patreon does not add this billing surcharge, making Patreon marginally cheaper in processing costs on standard pledges.

Ko-fi charges 0% platform fee on its free plan (5% on Gold tier), but Ko-fi's processing fees are the same underlying card rates. For creators primarily seeking to minimise platform fees on larger pledges, Ko-fi's free plan or Patreon's legacy Lite (5%) are strong alternatives to Substack or the new Patreon 10% plan.

Accuracy and scope of this calculator.

All rates are taken from Patreon's official support documentation and verified on 2026-06-15. The calculator models USD pledges. A 2.5% currency conversion fee applies when patrons pay in a currency different from the creator's payout currency — this is not modelled here. PayPal payout fees are also not modelled. The platform fee and processing fee breakdowns above cover the standard payout path for US-based creators receiving Stripe/bank payouts.