Patreon vs Memberful
Verdict. Memberful is the better choice for most creators who already have an audience, because members pay into your own Stripe account on your own site. Cost is a wash at $1,000 a month in $10 payments, about $157 on Memberful against $159 on Patreon. Above that Memberful pulls ahead, $499 against $705 at $5,000 a month. Below it, the $49 plan fee hurts. At $300 a month you pay about $90 on Memberful and $57 on Patreon. Memberful also can't serve businesses in Brazil, India, Malaysia, Mexico or Thailand.
Pick Patreon if
you're starting small, earn under $1,000 a month, or live somewhere Memberful can't support, such as India or Brazil.
Pick Memberful if
you already run a website and want members billed through your own Stripe account, with private podcast feeds that work in regular podcast apps.
Side by side
| Compared | Patreon | Memberful |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 6.1 / 10 | 6.6 / 10 |
| Best for | Video creators, podcasters and artists with loyal fans | Publishers and podcasters who want a fully branded membership |
| What it costs | New creators pay a 10% platform fee plus 2.9% + $0.30 card processing per payment, a 2.5% currency conversion fee when fans pay in another currency, and a small payout fee. | Memberful costs $49 a month plus 4.9% of every charge, and Stripe adds its own processing fee, typically 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. |
| Keep from $1,000 | $841 (Standard) | $843 (Standard) |
| Plans from | Free | $49/month |
| Payouts | You withdraw manually up to once every 24 hours, or turn on automatic payouts on the 5th of each month. US bank transfers cost $0.25 per payout, PayPal costs 1% capped at $20 with a $10 minimum, and Payoneer costs $1 with a $25 minimum. Money arrives in 1 to 5 days, and iOS in-app earnings stay pending for up to 75 days. | Stripe deposits member payments straight into your bank account on Stripe's normal payout schedule. Memberful does not hold a balance for you, and disputes and tax documents run through your Stripe dashboard. |
| Who can join | Open to anyone 18+, or younger with a parent's or guardian's permission. US creators get paid by bank transfer, and creators elsewhere use Payoneer, PayPal or local bank transfer in supported currencies. | Any business with a Stripe account in a supported country. Stripe covers 45+ countries, but Memberful cannot support businesses in Brazil, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand or Stripe's extended network. |
| Founded | 2013 | 2013 |
Scorecards
| Criterion | Possible | Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Fees$159 on $1,000 a month | 3.0 | 1.23 |
| FeaturesDepth for its category | 2.0 | 1.60 |
| EaseSignup to first sale | 1.5 | 1.20 |
| OwnershipExport, domain, own payments | 2.0 | 1.00 |
| PayoutsSpeed, methods, countries | 1.5 | 1.05 |
| Total | 10.0 | 6.1 |
| Criterion | Possible | Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Fees$157 on $1,000 a month | 3.0 | 1.26 |
| FeaturesDepth for its category | 2.0 | 1.60 |
| EaseSignup to first sale | 1.5 | 0.90 |
| OwnershipExport, domain, own payments | 2.0 | 1.80 |
| PayoutsSpeed, methods, countries | 1.5 | 1.05 |
| Total | 10.0 | 6.6 |
Where Patreon falls short
- New pages pay 10%, up from the old 8% Pro rate, before any processing.
- Unpublishing your page even briefly moves a legacy plan to the 10% standard plan.
- iOS in-app purchases outside the US lose 30% to Apple, or 15% after a member's first year.
- iOS in-app earnings sit pending for up to 75 days before you can withdraw.
- A $3 tier loses about 23% to the platform fee and processing combined.
Where Memberful falls short
- $49 a month before your first sale makes it expensive for small memberships.
- At $1,000 a month in sales you pay $98 in Memberful fees before Stripe.
- Stripe is the only processor, and creators in Brazil, India, Malaysia, Mexico and Thailand are excluded.
- No built-in audience or discovery. You bring every member yourself.
- If your $49 bill fails, the transaction fee jumps to 12.5%.
Still deciding? See every option in membership platforms.