Apple’s 30% is three times Patreon’s own fee. It only applies when a fan pays inside an iOS app, so where your fans tap “join” can matter as much as which platform you picked. Here is what our platform data says about each case, and where it says nothing.
How much do app stores take from creator memberships?
Apple takes 30% of new memberships bought inside Patreon’s iOS app, dropping to 15% after a member’s first year of continuous billing. On Substack, Apple takes 15 to 30% of subscriptions bought in its iOS app.
| Platform | Apple’s cut on in-app purchases | Platform fee still charged | Card processing on those sales | When the money arrives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patreon | 30%, then 15% after a member’s first year | Yes, 10% | Skipped, Apple’s fee replaces it | Pending for up to 75 days |
| Substack | 15 to 30% | Yes, 10% of your web price | Apple replaces Stripe | Apple pays monthly, up to 45 days after the month ends |
| YouTube channel memberships | Not confirmed in our data | YouTube keeps 30% | YouTube covers card fees | Monthly through AdSense |
| Fourthwall | None on the member web app installed from a browser | 5% on memberships | 2.9% + 30¢ on US cards | Monthly, $25 minimum |
The platform fee doesn’t go away when Apple takes its cut. That is the part that stings, since you pay both.
What does an iOS purchase cost a Patreon creator?
On a $10 membership bought in Patreon’s iOS app, Apple’s 30% alone is $3. On the web, the same $10 costs you about $1.59 in Patreon’s fee and card processing, by our fee math.
Patreon still charges its platform fee on iOS sales, though it skips its own processing fee on them. You can raise iOS prices about 43% to compensate, which turns a $10 tier into roughly $14.30 in the app. That keeps your take level, but your iPhone fans pay the difference.
The cut does ease over time. After a member’s first year of continuous billing, Apple drops to 15%, so a long-running iOS member costs you half as much in Apple fees as a new one.
The money also waits longer. iOS in-app earnings stay pending for up to 75 days before you can withdraw them. Regular Patreon payouts usually arrive in 1 to 5 days, so iOS money runs weeks behind.
How do Substack’s iOS subscriptions work?
They are on by default, and you can’t turn them off while payments are connected. Apple takes 15 to 30%, so Substack raises the iOS price by default to keep your take close to the web price.
You can keep prices equal and accept a smaller payout instead. Substack’s 10% is always based on your web price. On a $10 monthly web subscription you keep about $8.34 after Substack and Stripe.
Apple pays Substack once a month, up to 45 days after the month ends, and Substack then moves the money to your Stripe account or bank. Bank-direct app earnings are held until they reach $100.
The bigger catch shows up if you ever leave. Apple-billed subscribers can’t follow you to a new platform, and you keep only their emails, because Apple holds those billing relationships.
How do you steer fans to web checkout?
Give fans a web link and a reason to use it. Where the platform allows a cheaper web price, that price is the reason.
- On Patreon, US fans on iPhone can pay through mobile web checkout and skip Apple’s 30% fee. Put your Patreon link in places fans open in a browser, such as your newsletter or link in bio, and tell them joining on the web leaves more money with you.
- On Substack, leave the default iOS price increase on. Fans who compare will see the web price is lower, and your payout stays close to the web amount if they don’t.
- On Fourthwall, point members to the member web app. It installs from the browser, so memberships sold through it carry no app store fee.
- On Ko-fi, Memberful and Ghost, our data lists no in-app purchase route at all. Payments run through your own Stripe or PayPal account.
Our data only confirms the mobile web route for US Patreon fans. Elsewhere, raising iOS prices is the lever Patreon documents. Our Patreon vs Substack comparison covers how the two differ beyond app fees.
Do Google Play and YouTube take a cut too?
Our data doesn’t document a Google Play fee on any platform in this guide. Every app store charge we found is Apple’s.
YouTube channel memberships are the open question. YouTube keeps 30% and says you get 70% after applicable taxes and fees, while it covers card fees itself. We could not confirm how Apple and Google in-app purchase fees affect that 70% for memberships bought in mobile apps.
Even without an app store fee, YouTube’s 30% is three times Patreon’s standard rate. At $5,000 a month in memberships, our fee math puts YouTube’s cost at $1,500 against Patreon’s $705 on the web, and our Patreon vs YouTube channel memberships comparison goes further.
Which creator platforms avoid app store fees?
Any platform where fans pay on the web avoids them. Fourthwall’s member app installs from the browser and skips the fee, though we could not confirm whether its native iOS and Android apps pass app store fees on to membership sales.
Ko-fi tops our membership platform ranking at 7.9 out of 10, and its payments land straight in your own PayPal or Stripe account. Run your numbers in the fee calculator, but add Apple’s cut yourself for any fans who join in an iOS app, because the calculator leaves app store fees out.