If you’re interested in starting a Patreon campaign for your art, videos, or other creative work, you should join this week before the crowdfunding company raises its rates. Patreon announced a new payment plan structure in March, and on May 7th, it will start charging a higher commission for access to popular features. But the new rates won’t apply to anybody who’s already using the platform.
Patreon is raising fees for new creators next week — but not for existing users
Patreon
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
Patreon currently takes 5 percent of its users’ earnings, and it has one service tier, which lets creators accept recurring payments from fans, offer different backing tiers with special perks, and link their Patreon accounts to platforms like Discord and Itch.io. Starting on May 7th, new users will choose between three options. For 5 percent, they’ll get the bare-bones Patreon Lite service without features like backing tiers. For 8 percent, they’ll get Patreon Pro, which is effectively the current service with a few new features. And for 12 percent, with a minimum monthly cost of $300, they can get more one-on-one support with Patreon Premium.
Patreon doesn’t want this change to impact its user base
Creators who already use Patreon will be enrolled in Patreon Pro at the old 5 percent rate, and they can join Patreon Premium for a 9 percent commission. Patreon is also changing its payment processing fees, and existing creators can opt to keep the old fee structure, although Patreon has said many people might pay lower rates under the new model.
Patreon says it’s gotten extensive feedback from current users, but it’s still trying to make the change impact them as little as possible. That contrasts with a 2017 payment processing fee change, which was scrapped after users protested. Some existing creators still have concerns about the new tiers. They’re worried that it signals a new, more fee-heavy direction for Patreon, even if they’re not personally affected. Patreon, meanwhile, argues that this will help it become profitable while offering different features to campaigns of vastly different sizes.
Either way, creators will get a better deal on Patreon if they sign up over the next several days.
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