Patreon, the financial backbone for thousands of independent RPG designers, cartographers, artists, and podcasters, has announced a significant overhaul to its fee structure. While the company is positioning the change as a “simplification,” the reality is stark: for anyone launching a new creative project after this summer, the path to sustainability has just become more expensive.
The announcement, which sets a deadline of August 4th, 2025, creates a two-tiered system between established creators and newcomers. After this date, Patreon’s Pro (8%) and Premium (12%) plans will be merged into a single 10% plan for all new accounts.
For a small creator who would have chosen the popular 8% Pro plan, this is a 25% hike in the fees they will pay. That’s a meaningful slice of the pie, and it highlights a tale of two very different Patreons.
The Real-World Cost: A Tale of Two Patreons
To understand the real-world cost of this change, we need to look at the numbers. It’s important to note that when you see a creator’s “member” count on Patreon, that number often includes thousands of free followers. The crucial number is the paying patron count, which is what we’ll use for our analysis.
For the Studio-Sized Creator:
Let’s look at a goliath like One Page Rules. Their page boasts over 38,000 “members,” but their paying patron count is around 11,300. Using a conservative $5 tier for our calculation, their estimated minimum monthly revenue is $56,500.
- An existing creator of this size on the 12% “Premium” plan pays Patreon around $6,780/month.
- A new creator on the 10% plan would pay $5,650/month.
This change means a new, large-scale operation gets a $1,130 monthly saving compared to the old top tier – a clear incentive for established studios to use the platform.
For the Indie Creator:
Now, let’s consider an indie creator like 3orcs, who has 317 total members. Factoring in that a portion of these are free members, we’ll use an estimate that 25% are paying patrons. This gives us a base of about 79 paying patrons. At their $9 tier, that translates to a monthly revenue of roughly $711.
- As an existing creator on the 8% “Pro” plan, their monthly fee to Patreon would be about $57.
- A new creator, starting after the August 4th deadline, with the same level of success, will pay the new 10% rate. Their fee would be $71.
While it may not sound like much, that’s a difference of about $170 per year. For a new creator trying to get established, every dollar counts. That $170 could be the cost of a domain name, a crucial piece of software, or art for their next project. It’s a tangible cost increase for starting out.
Why is Patreon doing this?
Patreon’s official line is that the change reflects its evolution and investment in new tools, including native video hosting, live streaming, and enhanced community features. They argue that rising costs and a desire to simplify the platform for new users necessitate the change.
In fairness to Patreon, they can’t win. If they tried to apply the new fees retrospectively, then the outcry and outcome would be worse.
However, for the grassroots creators who built Patreon into a household name, it’s hard to ignore the outcome. The new structure makes the platform more financially attractive to large, established companies while increasing the financial burden on the next generation of indie talent.
What this means for you
Patreon’s message, intentional or not, is clear. For anyone who has been dreaming of launching a Patreon for their RPG, podcast, or webcomic, there is now a financial incentive to act quickly.
Our advice is simple: If you are on the fence, the clock is ticking. By publishing your page before the August 4th deadline, you can lock in the lower 8% rate for the life of your project. If you wait, you’ll be paying a 25% higher commission forever.
- Image credit: Josh Appel.
