Buttondown vs. Patreon

Patreon is one of the biggest creator-focused companies, with an emphasis on the creator economy. Since they came on the scene in 2013, creators have been drawn to their mission of complete ownership and control of their income and future. Over 250,00 creators use their service and currently, Patreon has more than 8,000 active members. A model of free and paid memberships means that creators can curate their fan base and strengthen their community through free and exclusive content. You can control your fanbase and have a direct line of communication, not to mention direct access to your earnings. Patreon allows you to strengthen your subscriber list and grow your business on your terms. What more could you want?

Over the years, Patreon has grown––developing a wide range of features to help entrepreneurs and creators create strong connections with their subscriber base, driving growth.

Patreon’s membership payment is broken down into two tiers: Pro and Premium. Straight forward. Uniquely, the price you pay is determined by your monetary intake. The Pro tier will run you 8% of your monthly income while the Premium will run you 12%. Their commerce tool is a separate payment. If you want to sell your work using their service, they keep 5% of every transaction plus payment processing, currency conversion, payout fees, and applicable taxes. It may look like a lot…. because it is.

The offerings at Patreon are as broad as their client base, which ranges from game developers to podcasters. Some of their notable offerings include:

• Multimedia publishing
• Analytics and insights
• Native video and preview
• Engagement tools
• Monthly and annual memberships
• Membership Tiers
• Unlimited products, no listing fees
• Secure payment providers

While Buttondown doesn’t have many of these offerings (yet!), we do provide competitive features at a significantly lower rate:

• Our paid tiers start at a low cost of $9/mo for up to 1,000 subscribers. Subscriber bases that reach up to 20,00 will cost a user $139/mo. Straightforward pricing.
• Unlike Patreon, you keep 100% of the money earned with paid memberships. There’s no small print. You did all the work, of course, you should keep all the earnings!
• We offer secure transactions through Stripe, a PCI-certified and encrypted payment tool. Everything is safe and sound.
• Get all the deets with our premium analytics. Our tool gives in-depth insights so that you can keep growing and stacking profits.

Unfortunately, Patreon factoring everyone in means you might pay for features that don’t necessarily serve you. If you are a creator who values, commerce and membership tiers, Patreon may be worth it. If you are more interested in keeping your hard-earned money, premium analytics, or safe and secure transactions, Buttondown is by far the better option.

At the end of the day, you have all the control. How will you use it?