shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Patreon?

Build a community, share exclusive work, and turn your passion into a thriving business with Patreon. Get started today! - patreon.com

Depends. Buy if you're a creator with an existing audience who wants recurring membership income on a proven platform. Skip if you're fee-sensitive, want full ownership of your member list, or sell one-offs.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~20 public sources; most snippets were truncated, limiting detail.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNot disclosed
  • Feature depthNot disclosed
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Creator plans

Commission on earnings; fee structure recently changed

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed

Best for

  • Podcasters and YouTubers
  • Creators with an existing fanbase
  • Membership and exclusive-content businesses
  • Fan communities wanting a home

Not for

  • Creators with no audience — Patreon offers no discovery
  • Fee-averse creators (Ghost, Ko-fi charge 0%)
  • One-off art or product sellers
  • Creators wanting full ownership of their member list

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Fees are commission-based and the structure changed recently — verify current rates before launching.

medium

Users report billing issues and hidden fees; formal complaints filed with the BBB.

medium

Migration lock-in is real; competitors pitch 0% fees to lure creators off-platform.

low

New pages can sit in review for several days before launch.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Turns fan support into recurring subscription income
  • Established, well-known platform with a large creator base
  • Mobile app available for patrons
  • Rated 4.2/5 by 75 G2 reviewers

Cons

  • Commission fees and recent pricing changes frustrate creators
  • Documented billing and hidden-fee complaints
  • Little discovery; you must bring your own audience
  • Recent Trustpilot reviewer rated it 1/5
  • Formal complaints filed with the BBB

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/20/2026 - 14 sources - Mixed record: 2015 breach and 2022 security-team layoffs reported; official security and vulnerability-reporting program exists.

official x3review x4security x3news x4
  • 2015 data breach, October 2015 hack; gigabytes of user data dumped online.
  • Security team layoffs (2022), Reports in September 2022 that Patreon fired its entire security team.
  • CVE-2024-37430 — Patreon WordPress plugin, CSRF flaw could disconnect sites; affects the WordPress plugin (fixed in 1.7.0), not core platform.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 2/5

    Rating

  • Commission on earnings; fee structure recently changed

    Starting price

  • 14

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 2/5. Fee, hidden-fee, and billing complaints recur
  • Support quality: 2/5. Recent 1-star Trustpilot service reviews
  • Security posture: 2/5. 2015 breach; 2022 security layoffs reported
  • 4.2/5 G2 rating 75 reviews
  • $412M Total funding raised to date (Tracxn)
  • $4B Valuation 2021 round (TechCrunch)

Pricing

Creator plans

Commission on earnings; fee structure recently changed

  • Commission-based, tiered plans
  • Check pricing page for current rates

Security

Mixed record: 2015 breach and 2022 security-team layoffs reported; official security and vulnerability-reporting program exists.

  • 2015 data breachOctober 2015 hack; gigabytes of user data dumped online.10
  • Security team layoffs (2022)Reports in September 2022 that Patreon fired its entire security team.11
  • CVE-2024-37430 — Patreon WordPress pluginCSRF flaw could disconnect sites; affects the WordPress plugin (fixed in 1.7.0), not core platform.12

What users say

Feedback splits: a 4.2/5 G2 rating, but Trustpilot, BBB, and Reddit show recurring complaints about fees, billing, and support.

Full analysis

Based on ~20 public sources; most snippets were truncated, limiting detail.

Solid default for creators with an audience; fees, billing gripes, and weak discovery mean check alternatives first.

Methodology

Based on ~20 public sources; most snippets were truncated, limiting detail.

Sources

  1. Patreon Products | Read 75 Reviews on G2g2.com
    review
  2. Read Customer Service Reviews of www.patreon.com — Trustpilottrustpilot.com
    review
  3. r/Patreon — creator discussionsreddit.com
    review
  4. Patreon Pricing Planspatreon.com
    official
  5. Creator fees overview — Patreon Supportsupport.patreon.com
    official
  6. Patreon Pricing (2026): Fees by Tiercasrai.org
    news
  7. Patreon Pricing: What It Actually Costs & Documented Billing Issuessaasflags.com
    review
  8. Patreon — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    news
  9. Patreon triples valuation to $4 billiontechcrunch.com
    news
  10. Patreon Data Breach — Have I Been Pwnedhaveibeenpwned.com
    security
  11. Patreon fires entire security teamsecuritysystemsnews.com
    security
  12. Patreon WordPress < 1.7.0 – CSRF — WPScanwpscan.com
    security
  13. Case Study: Bringing Discovery to Patreonrlaffoon.medium.com
    news
  14. Ghost vs Patreonghost.org
    official

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