What is Patreon-like platform?
Patreon is a membership platform that makes it easy for creators to earn money from paid content. This kind of platforms would allow creators to monetise over their content and fans can directly support them. Platforms like Patreon refer to other platforms that allow creators to earn money directly from fans.
Why use Patreon-like platforms?
Using a Patreon-like platform to monetize paid content is a great way to support creators to continue their profession in content curation. Viewers and supporters would need to pay a small fee before they can see the creator's work. Once a creator has a steady income, they can focus more on their own creative work and produce better quality of work. If you are a creator who has already accumulated a certain number of supporters and fans, and is planning to use a Patreon-like paid content platform to monetize, the following 6 tools/platforms might be useful to you. will introduce 6 platforms or tools. In this article, we will compare each of the platforms, including their fee charged, features, pros and cons!
1. YouTube - The renowned world largest video platform
Features：
Upload and publish videos (Long or short), post feed
Monetization by number of views (conditional upon the number of subscribers)
Membership system, can set up automatic debit from credit card
Publish members-exclusive videos (conditional upon the number of subscribers)
Fee：
Around 30% commission
Benefits：
Huge number of users, accurate recommendation algorithm
Comprehensive video supporting functions, including subtitles, playback speed, live streaming and more
If you would like to attract more fans, YouTube would be a good starting point to accumulate fame
Cons：
High commission rate comparing to other platforms: 30%. For every $10 you make, YouTube will charge $3
Majority of the monetization features are subject to subscriber conditions
The algorithm will keep changing, the ranking of your video will change from time to time
Content limitation: If your content involves 18+ adult content, it would be barred from YouTube
2. Patreon - Popular paid content platform
Features：
Upload and publish: Text/Image/Video
Membership system, creator can set their own membership name
Member-exclusive content available
Fees：
Around 5 - 12% commission + credit card charges
Benefits：
Patreon is well-known as a platform of paid content. New users would not need to be re-educated
Users can reach different Patreon creators from one App
Patreon is suitable for writer/musician/artists
There is no limitation to content, subscribers only need to disclaim if they are over 18 yers old
Cons：
Monthly subscription fee model would allow creators to create content regularly but at the same time create pressure. Subscribers will be disappointed if they cannot receive content in an expected time
Single payment method
Weak new users acquisition. Many of the creators in Hong Kong and Taiwan would put a hyper link on their Youtube / Facebook / IG , and ask their fans to subscribe to their Patreon，using Patreon as a payment tool
3. OnlyFans- 18+ restrictive paid content platform
Features：
Upload and publish: Text/Image/Video
Membership system, creator can set their own membership name
Member-exclusive content available
Pya-per-view function, can customise product and prices for specific users
Fees：
Around 20% commission
Benefits：
OnlyFans is worldwide popular, new users will understand about the operation and content categories when they see the brand
Suitable for creators with a bold creativity direction
Cons：
OnlyFans will take 20% of the creator's membership income as a platform commission, which might be too high for some creators
OnlyFans has positioned itself as 18+ adult content platform, not entirely suitable for creators who are not creating this kind of content
Single payment method: pay by credit card only
Weak new users acquisition. Many of the creators in Hong Kong and Taiwan would put a hyper link on their Youtube / Facebook / IG , and ask their fans to subscribe to their their OnlyFans，using OnlyFans as a payment tool
4. Buy Me A Coffee - Donate to support creators
Features ：
Audience can set the sponsorship amount
Audience can donate to creators anonymously
Online e-commerce function
Fees：
5% commission
Benefits：
Audience can donate to creators anonymously
Sponsor creators in a small amount
The concept of "Buy someone a coffee" is very interesting to audience
Functions are streamlined
Cons：
No content publishing function
the website is mainly in English interface, might not be universal to Hong Kong and Taiwan creators
Still not too popular in South East Asia
The donation has no direct connection to the creator's work, might cause low retention rate and limited loyalty
5. Creato - Engage with fans via a challenge based model
Features：
Upload a "DareMe" and let audience challenge creators via crowdfunding
Purchase "Donuts" to participate
Creator-audience co-creation
Purchase "Donuts" in discounted price, pay with credit card
Exclusive content for superfans
Flexible one-off support, instead of monthly payment
Fees：
During the promotion period, every newly registered user will receive 1000 free Donuts
10% commission with creators
Benefits：
Perfect for creators who are challenge-based
Suitable for creators who would like to engage and interact with their audience and increase exposure and fans base
The content created would be a co-creation of creators and audience, leaving a higher retention rate on the platform
Save up in paying extra fee on third-party platform
One-click to land on the platform
Flexible one-off DareMe crowdfunding feature - creators can monetize and allow fans to participate in content curation process
Accept offline payment methods other than credit card (FPS/Payme in Hong Kong)
Cons：
Traditional users might still like to stick with traditional paid content platforms (e.g. Youtube / Patreon)
Challenge culture in Hong Kong is not yet viral
6. FanHouse- Paid exclusive DMs to creators
Features：
Watch posts and get exclusive DMs with monthly subscription
users can request custom content with fee incurred
Communicate with other fans in the fans community
Fees：
10%-30% commission
Benefits：
Fans can pay to request custom content, such as short videos
Fans can interact with other fans
Monetize over private messages with creators
The platform focuses on authenticity, allowing creators to show their real side
Cons：
FanHouse IOS APP is charging 30%, not too ideal for creators
the website is mainly in English interface, might not be universal to Hong Kong and Taiwan creators
Still in its infancy in South East Asia
How should I choose？
There are multiple paid content platforms to choose online, but which one is the right fit platform for you? You can start by asking yourself the following questions, and choose the tool that is suitable for you.
Do your fans care about the popularity of the platform? or are they adventurous to try new products?
Would you like to use this tools on a commission or monthly payment basis？
Do you want to directly monetize your content or co-create with your audience and monetise on it？
If you are operating as a video content creator, YouTube would definitely be the most suitable platform for gaining more popularity. However, in terms of fees, YouTube Membership function is charging a rather high commission rate。In other ways, you can in fact paste your Patreon / FanHouse / Buy me a coffee / Creato URL link for audience to pay you on your YouTube video description.
If you are not running tutorial/knowledge sharing channels, but would like to introduce paid content, you can try Creato's co-creation function. In the platform, you can engage and interact your audience by allowing them to participate in your content curation process, and then to monetise over it.
Sign up on Creato and get exclusive rewards now!
Start a DareMe on Creato
✴️ Know more about their creation journey on Instagram
✴️ Follow us for updated information to build personal brand, fans community and gain exposure effectively.
A very good platform for the German-speaking area is meine.fans
I would also suggest to add to this list fanclb.com