Platforms change pricing and features — verify on the provider’s official pages.
Choose Patreon if you want recurring membership revenue from fans who pay monthly for ongoing content, community, and perks. Choose FanBell if you want one-off, on-demand payments for a specific interaction, such as a private answer, personalized shoutout, small service, tip, or project contribution, without a subscription.
Every fee, payout, and policy figure below against Patreon's, Stripe's, and FanBell's own published pages. Platform pricing changes — confirm current numbers on each platform's official pages before you decide.
Which should I pick?
Pick Patreon if you want recurring monthly membership revenue; pick FanBell if you want one-off payments for individual fan requests. Patreon charges a 10% standard platform fee on pages published after August 4, 2025, while FanBell charges a 12% platform fee and only when a fan actually pays (Patreon creator fees overview and FanBell pricing).
- Pick Patreon for a recurring membership: fans pay each billing cycle for continuing access to exclusive content, community, and perks. Patreon’s standard platform fee is 10% for pages published after August 4, 2025.
- Pick FanBell for one-off paid fan interactions: a fan pays once for a specific request, with no subscription to maintain. FanBell is free to start and charges a 12% platform fee only when a fan pays.
The platforms are not mutually exclusive. A creator can use Patreon for an ongoing membership and FanBell for one-time requests that do not fit a subscription, such as a paid question, personalized shoutout, small service, or tip. Musicians weighing merch, tips, and one-off fan requests may want a broader guide to Patreon alternatives for musicians.
How do FanBell and Patreon compare?
The two platforms differ on what a fan buys and how often they pay. FanBell sells a single defined interaction paid for once, upfront, by a guest checking out through Stripe (how it works). Patreon sells continuing membership access billed on a recurring schedule to supporters who hold a Patreon account.
| Dimension | FanBell | Patreon |
|---|---|---|
| Core model | One-off, on-demand paid interactions with no subscription | Recurring membership subscriptions, generally billed monthly |
| What a fan buys | One specific interaction, such as a private question, shoutout, service, tip, project contribution, or brand inquiry | Continuing access to a membership tier, which can include exclusive posts, community, and perks |
| Does a fan need an account? | No. A fan pays by card through Stripe Checkout as a guest — no FanBell account to create and no app to install | To pledge to a creator, a supporter generally signs up for a Patreon account to manage the recurring membership |
| When the fan pays | Upfront, in full, at the moment they order — so the creator is not left doing work before payment is secured | On a recurring schedule for as long as the membership stays active |
| Monthly cost to creator | $0 to start, with no monthly platform fee | $0 to start, with no monthly platform fee (Patreon pricing) |
| Platform fee | 12%, charged only when a fan pays | 10% of Patreon income for the standard plan available to pages published after August 4, 2025; eligible legacy plans may charge 5%, 8%, or 11% (creator fees overview) |
| Payment processing | Processed through Stripe separately from FanBell’s platform fee; Stripe lists 2.9% plus 30 cents per successful domestic card transaction in the United States, plus 1.5% for international cards (Stripe pricing) | Charged in addition to the platform fee and varies by currency; Patreon lists 2.9% plus $0.30 for credit card and Apple Pay in USD, 3.4% plus €0.35 in EUR and 3.4% plus £0.35 in GBP, with micropayment rates applied to tiers priced $3 or less (creator fees overview) |
| Payout rails | The creator connects a Stripe Express account for payouts to a bank account; Stripe states that an initial payout typically completes within 7-14 days after the first live payment (Stripe payouts documentation) | Patreon places an automatic 5-day payout hold on the balance whenever a payout method is added or edited, and a payout then takes 1-5 business days to process (How payouts work and Where is my payout) |
| Payout minimums and currency fees | Set by Stripe's standard payout rules rather than a FanBell-specific minimum | Patreon requires a $10 minimum balance to pay out and charges 1% of a US bank transfer, with a $0.25 minimum and a $20 cap; a 2.5% currency conversion fee applies to any member payment made in a currency other than the creator's payout currency |
| Offer types | Six fixed offers: paid private questions, personalized shoutouts, creator services, tips, wishlist or project support, and brand collaboration inquiries | Membership tiers, posts, and community features; Patreon Shop also supports one-time sales of posts, digital products, and collections |
| Ongoing obligation | The transaction covers one defined interaction rather than continuing membership access | Fans continue to be billed until they cancel, so the model is designed around continuing membership value |
| Best fit | Creators monetizing individual fan requests without running a subscription content series | Creators publishing ongoing content who want recurring membership revenue and community tools |
What are the exact fees on each platform?
FanBell charges a 12% platform fee and $0 per month, applied only when a fan pays. Patreon charges a 10% standard platform fee on pages published after August 4, 2025, then adds payment processing, currency conversion, and payout fees on top (creator fees overview).
- FanBell's pricing page lists one live plan during the beta: $0 per month with a 12% platform fee charged per paid transaction, with payment-processing fees deducted separately from creator earnings.
- FanBell's pricing page also lists a Pro plan that is not yet available, priced at $29 per month with a lower 8% platform fee.
- Patreon's standard platform fee is 10% of the income a creator earns on Patreon for pages published after August 4, 2025, while eligible legacy plans keep platform fees of 5%, 8%, or 11%.
- Patreon charges the same standard 10% platform fee on one-time digital purchases as it does on memberships (Patreon: selling one-time purchases).
- Patreon's listed payment-processing rate is 2.9% plus $0.30 for credit card and Apple Pay payments in USD, rising to 3.4% plus €0.35 in EUR and 3.4% plus £0.35 in GBP.
- Patreon applies micropayment processing rates to tiers priced at $3 or less and standard processing rates to tiers priced over $3.
- Patreon charges a 2.5% currency conversion fee on any member payment made in a currency different from the creator's payout currency.
- Stripe, which processes FanBell payments, publishes 2.9% plus 30 cents per successful card transaction in the United States, plus an additional 1.5% for international cards.
How fast does each platform pay out?
Patreon requires a $10 minimum balance to withdraw, places an automatic 5-day hold whenever a payout method is added or edited, and then takes 1-5 business days to process the payout (How payouts work). FanBell pays out through Stripe, whose first payout typically completes within 7-14 days.
- Patreon places an automatic 5-day payout hold on a creator's balance whenever a payout method is added or edited (Patreon: how payouts work).
- Patreon states that a payout can take 1-5 business days to be fully processed to the creator's chosen payout method (Patreon: where is my payout).
- Patreon's minimum payout is $10, and a US bank transfer costs 1% of the amount transferred, with a $0.25 minimum and a $20 cap.
- Patreon creators outside the US paying out from USD to local currency are charged $0.25 plus a 1.55% currency conversion fee per payout, while paying out from USD to a USD bank account costs $0.50 per payout.
- Funds from Patreon purchases made through iOS in-app payment remain pending for up to 75 days before they can be withdrawn, because of Apple's processing time (Patreon: what to expect with iOS in-app purchases).
- Patreon lists commerce payments taken on web and Android as pending for up to 7 days while the payment is confirmed (Patreon: how payouts work).
- Stripe states that after a business receives its first live payment, Stripe typically schedules the initial payout to complete within 7-14 days.
- FanBell creators connect a Stripe Express account to receive earnings, and payment-processing fees are deducted from creator earnings separately from the 12% platform fee.
How do Apple's App Store fees change what a Patreon creator keeps?
Purchases made inside the Patreon iOS app carry Apple's 30% App Store fee on top of Patreon's own platform fee, and funds from those purchases stay pending for up to 75 days. FanBell has no mobile app: fans check out on the web through Stripe Checkout, so no App Store commission applies.
- Patreon states that Apple's 30% App Store fee is applied to all new purchases made in the iOS Patreon app, and that creators can choose how that fee is applied to their prices (Patreon: how iOS in-app purchases work).
- For memberships started and renewed through the Patreon iOS app, Apple's fee is 30% for the first year of the membership and 15% for every year after that.
- Patreon notes that US fans on iOS can choose web checkout, which avoids Apple's 30% fee, because the fee only applies to purchases made inside the iOS app.
- Patreon members who signed up in the iOS app after November 4, 2024 may be charged a higher price than on the web because of Apple's 30% processing fee.
- A FanBell fan pays by card through Stripe Checkout as a guest, with no FanBell account to create and no app to install, so the payment never passes through an app store.
How much would a creator keep from a $5, $20, or $100 payment?
On a $100 fan payment a creator nets roughly $84.80 on FanBell and roughly $86.80 on Patreon's standard plan; on $20 the figures are about $16.72 and $17.12, and on $5 about $3.96 and $4.06. The gap is FanBell's 12% platform fee against Patreon's 10% standard fee, with identical assumed processing.
The examples use FanBell’s 12% platform fee and Patreon’s 10% standard platform fee for pages published after August 4, 2025.
For an apples-to-apples illustration, both columns assume payment processing of 2.9% plus $0.30. Stripe publishes 2.9% plus 30 cents as its price for a successful card transaction in the United States, and Patreon lists 2.9% plus $0.30 as its credit card and Apple Pay processing rate in USD.
| Fan payment | FanBell estimated net | Patreon estimated net | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5 | $3.96 | $4.06 | Patreon: $0.10 more |
| $20 | $16.72 | $17.12 | Patreon: $0.40 more |
| $100 | $84.80 | $86.80 | Patreon: $2.00 more |
These are illustrative pre-payout estimates, not guaranteed settlement amounts. They exclude payout fees, taxes, refunds, disputes, and currency conversion. Patreon separately charges a 2.5% currency conversion fee on member payments made in a currency other than the creator's payout currency, and 1% of a US bank transfer at payout, with a $0.25 minimum and a $20 cap. Actual Stripe charges can also depend on country, card type, currency, and connected-account pricing.
The formulas are:
- FanBell: payment minus 12% platform fee, minus assumed processing of 2.9% plus $0.30.
- Patreon standard plan: payment minus 10% platform fee, minus assumed processing of 2.9% plus $0.30.
- Patreon legacy plans: the result may differ because eligible legacy creators can have platform fees of 5%, 8%, or 11%.
Who is FanBell best for?
FanBell fits creators whose monetizable moment is one specific interaction rather than an ongoing content calendar: a paid question, a personalized shoutout, a small service, a tip, or a project contribution. There is no follower minimum, and a creator can start for $0 per month with a 12% platform fee charged only when a fan pays.
FanBell is a strong fit when:
- Fans already send one-off requests, such as questions, shoutout requests, or small custom jobs. FanBell supports paid private questions and personalized shoutouts as defined offer types.
- You want to accept one-time tips without requiring the fan to begin a recurring subscription.
- You do not publish frequently enough to build a monthly membership around a regular content feed.
- You want the fan to pay upfront and in full at the moment they order, so no work is done before the payment is secured.
- You want to test paid fan interaction at $0 per month, with FanBell's 12% platform fee charged only on transactions that actually complete.
- You want a checkout that never touches an app store, so Apple's 30% App Store fee on in-app purchases does not apply the way it does to Patreon iOS purchases (Patreon: how iOS in-app purchases work and FanBell how it works).
FanBell is not designed to provide recurring membership subscriptions. If your main goal is monthly billing for continuing content and community access, Patreon is the closer fit.
Who is Patreon best for?
Patreon fits creators who publish continuing work—a podcast, webcomic, newsletter, or video series—and want fans to pay for ongoing membership access. Patreon's product centers on recurring memberships, community tools, and digital benefits, and it is free to start with the 10% standard platform fee charged only on income earned.
Patreon states on its About page that fans have sent $10 billion to creators on the platform since 2013 (Patreon About). Patreon also states that more than 300,000 creators earn on the platform and that over 10 million fans pay for memberships each month (Patreon careers page).
Patreon is a strong fit when:
- You maintain a regular content cadence and want recurring revenue tied to continuing access.
- You want membership features such as posts, comments, chats, and other community tools (Patreon pricing).
- You want to let prospective members sample the membership first: Patreon's free trials give a fan a 7-day trial period before they are charged.
- You can absorb Patreon's stacked costs on a membership: a 10% platform fee, 2.9% plus $0.30 USD processing, and a 2.5% currency conversion fee when a member pays in another currency.
- You can continue providing enough membership value for fans to remain subscribed.
- You also want the option to sell one-time digital purchases through Patreon at the same standard 10% platform fee that applies to memberships (selling one-time purchases guide).
Patreon can support one-time digital purchases through its Shop, but a single personalized fan interaction is not the core use case described by its membership model.
What is the honest tradeoff?
Patreon's 10% standard platform fee is two points lower than FanBell's 12%, but Patreon's revenue depends on members not cancelling and adds currency-conversion and payout fees. FanBell charges more per transaction but requires no subscription for the fan to maintain.
FanBell removes the subscription requirement: each payment is for a defined interaction, and its 12% platform fee applies only when a fan pays. The corresponding limitation is that FanBell does not create an automatic recurring revenue stream.
The practical decision is therefore:
- Choose recurring membership if you want predictable billing from a defined group of members and can provide continuing value, accepting Patreon's 10% platform fee plus 2.9% and $0.30 USD processing.
- Choose payment per interaction if paid opportunities arise as individual questions, requests, services, tips, or project contributions, at $0 per month and a 12% platform fee charged only on completed payments.
- Use both if your ongoing content belongs in a Patreon membership but personalized or one-time requests need a separate payment path.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between FanBell and Patreon?
Patreon is primarily a recurring membership platform: fans pay for continuing content, community, and perks. FanBell is a one-off paid-interaction platform: a fan pays once for a specific request, with no subscription attached.
Do my fans have to create an account to pay me on FanBell?
No. On FanBell a fan pays by card through Stripe Checkout as a guest — there is no FanBell account to create and no app to install. Patreon works differently: to pledge to a creator, a supporter generally signs up for a Patreon account so the recurring membership can be managed and billed. If the friction of asking fans to create an account has been costing you one-off support, FanBell removes that step. Payment is also taken upfront in full at the moment a fan orders, so you are not left doing the work before the payment is secured.
Is FanBell or Patreon cheaper?
Patreon’s standard 10% platform fee is lower than FanBell’s 12% platform fee. FanBell charges that 12% only when a fan pays. Patreon’s 10% standard fee applies to pages published after August 4, 2025, while eligible legacy plans may charge 5%, 8%, or 11% (creator fees overview).
Processing, payout, currency conversion, and transaction size can change the final amount: Patreon adds a 2.5% currency conversion fee on member payments made in a currency other than the creator's payout currency and 1% of a US bank transfer at payout, with a $0.25 minimum and a $20 cap. Neither platform charges a monthly platform fee to start (pricing and Patreon pricing).
Does Patreon cost more when a fan pays inside the iPhone app?
Yes. Patreon states that Apple's 30% App Store fee is applied to all new purchases made in the iOS Patreon app, and that for memberships started and renewed there the fee is 30% for the first year and 15% for each year after (Patreon: how iOS in-app purchases work and iOS in-app purchases for Commerce FAQ). Patreon adds that US fans on iOS can choose web checkout to avoid the 30% fee (iOS in-app purchases FAQ). A FanBell fan checks out on the web through Stripe as a guest, so no app store commission is involved.
How long does each platform take to pay a creator?
Patreon requires a $10 minimum balance, applies an automatic 5-day hold whenever a payout method is added or edited, and takes 1-5 business days to process a payout; funds from iOS in-app purchases stay pending for up to 75 days (Patreon: how payouts work and what to expect with iOS in-app purchases). FanBell pays out through Stripe, which states that a first payout typically completes within 7-14 days of the first live payment.
Can I use FanBell and Patreon together?
Yes. A creator can use Patreon for recurring membership content and community, then use FanBell for one-time interactions such as private questions, personalized shoutouts, services, or tips. Using both prevents one-off requests from having to become membership benefits.
Which should I pick if I do not publish regularly?
FanBell is generally the better fit when you do not maintain a regular publishing schedule because each fan payment covers one specific interaction rather than an ongoing content subscription. Patreon is better suited to creators who can offer continuing membership value.
Ready to try FanBell?
If your fans are already asking you things, requesting shoutouts, or sending tips without a membership attached, start with FanBell — it's free to start, with a 12% fee only when a fan actually pays you.