Patreon and Constants now charge nearly identical fees on memberships, so the real decision for creators comes down to what each platform actually lets you build around that membership.

How Patreon's Fees Work

Patreon's standard plan, introduced in August 2025, charges a flat 10% platform commission on every pledge, plus card processing at 2.9% plus $0.30. Pledges of $3 or less get a micropayment rate instead (5% plus $0.10). Some creators who joined before the change are still on legacy plans at 5%, 8%, or 11%, but 10% is the rate anyone starting fresh today will pay.

What You Actually Keep From a $5, $10, or $25 Pledge

The percentages are easier to feel as dollars. On Patreon's standard plan, a $5 pledge loses about $0.95 to the 10% platform fee and card processing, so the creator keeps about $4.06, roughly 81%. A $10 pledge keeps about $8.41 (84%), and a $25 pledge keeps about $21.48 (86%). The fixed $0.30 per charge is why cheap tiers hurt most: it is 6% of a $5 pledge but barely 1% of a $25 one. A $3 pledge on the micropayment rate keeps about $2.45. Sales tax or VAT, where it applies, comes on top and varies by country.

The Patreon Fees That Are Easy to Miss

The 10% platform fee is not only for memberships. Patreon applies the same rate to one-off purchases in its shop, so a $20 digital download keeps about $17.12 after fees. On Constants, one-time sales like digital products, bookings and events carry a 6% platform fee instead, and the same $20 download keeps about $17.92. Members who join through Patreon's iOS app pay through Apple, which takes its own cut of up to 30% on top of Patreon's 10%. Currency conversion and payout-method fees can also shave a little more off what reaches your bank account.

What Constants Charges (and It Is Basically the Same)

Constants charges the same structure on memberships: a flat 10% platform fee plus the same 2.9% plus $0.30 card processing. Run a $10 monthly membership through both platforms and a creator keeps about $8.41 either way. Anyone expecting Constants to undercut Patreon on membership fees the way it does on one-time digital product sales, which run 6% flat instead, will be disappointed. On memberships specifically, the fee is not the differentiator. For the full setup walkthrough, see the memberships guide.

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The Real Difference: What Lives on the Same Page

Patreon is a single-purpose membership app. Fans join through a separate Patreon page, and creators still need a link in bio or website somewhere else to point people toward it, plus another tool entirely if they want to sell a one-off digital product or take a booking. Constants runs memberships from the same profile as everything else, so a membership tier, a digital download, and a booking calendar can all live on one page with one link to share. For a creator building past a single membership tier, that consolidation is worth more than a percentage point either way.

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Pick Patreon If, Pick Constants If

Patreon still makes sense if membership is the entire business and you are fine running a separate bio link or website alongside it. Constants makes more sense if the membership is one piece of a bigger page that also sells digital products, takes bookings, or just needs a real profile people can follow. See the decision guide for how to think about combining more than one revenue stream, and check the full plan breakdown on the pricing page before deciding. For a feature-by-feature look beyond fees, read the full Constants vs Patreon comparison.