Patreon Alternatives: Fees and Plans of Community Platforms
We summarize what each platform publishes about its plans. We do not score or rate these tools, and we have not used them hands-on.
What Patreon charges
Patreon's pricing page says it takes 10% of the money you make on Patreon, plus payment processing, currency conversion fees, fees for sending money to you, and any taxes. It is free to start, and you pay only once you start earning. Patreon lists payment processing of 2.9% + $0.30 for US cards and PayPal, or 3.9% + $0.30 for non-US PayPal, plus 2.5% for currency conversion (checked 2026-11-04).
Alternatives by how they charge
| Platform | Entry price | Platform fee on sales |
|---|---|---|
| Skool Hobby | $9/mo ($7.50/mo billed yearly) | 10% |
| Skool Pro | $99/mo ($82/mo billed yearly) | 2.9% |
| Circle Professional | $89/mo, annual billing | 2% |
| Mighty Networks Launch | $95/mo ($79/mo billed annually) | 2% |
| Podia Mover | $49/mo ($42/mo billed yearly) | 5% |
| MemberPress Launch | $199.50 first year, renews at $399 | 4.9% |
Patreon has no monthly fee but keeps a share of every pledge. The platforms above charge a subscription, and their higher plans cut the platform fee: Skool Pro to 2.9%, Circle Business to 1%, Mighty Networks Growth to 0.5%, and Podia Shaker and up to none.
Plan details
Skool
| Skool plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly (per month) | Transaction fee | Members, courses, videos, live calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobby | $9/mo | $7.50/mo | 10% | unlimited |
| Pro | $99/mo | $82/mo | 2.9% | unlimited |
Both plans list a custom URL and affiliates. Skool shows yearly billing as a per-month rate and lists no yearly lump sum.
Circle
| Circle plan | Price (based on annual billing) | Transaction fee |
|---|---|---|
| Professional | $89/mo | 2% |
| Business | $199/mo | 1% |
| Scale | $419/mo | 1% |
| Circle Plus | negotiable | 0.5% |
Circle says its prices are in USD, based on annual billing. Add-ons on every plan: extra admins $10/mo each, extra moderators $20/mo per 10, extra spaces $20/mo per 10, extra AI credits $10 per 1,000. Business is the first plan with workflows and APIs. Month-to-month prices are not confirmed yet.
Mighty Networks
| Mighty Networks plan | Billed monthly | Billed annually (per month) | Transaction fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch | $95/mo | $79/mo | 2% |
| Scale | $215/mo | $179/mo | 1% |
| Growth | $425/mo | $354/mo | 0.5% |
| Mighty Pro | custom | custom | 0.5% |
Launch includes community, courses, an AI co-host and basic automations. Scale adds APIs, MCP access and third-party integrations.
Podia
| Podia plan | Billed monthly | Per month, billed yearly | Yearly total | Email subscribers | Transaction fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mover | $49/mo | $42/mo | $504 | up to 100 | 5% |
| Shaker | $99/mo | $84/mo | $1,008 | up to 500 | none listed |
| Earthquaker | $179/mo | $150/mo | $1,800 | up to 1,000 | none listed |
Podia lists Stripe and PayPal processing fees (2.9% + 30¢) on top of any Podia fee.
More: community platforms compared, Skool pricing, Circle review and Facebook group alternatives.
Last checked 2026-11-04: prices taken from each vendor's public pricing page, in USD before tax (prices as of Nov 2026). Plans change, so confirm on the vendor's site before you pay.
Sources
- Patreon pricing page (last checked 2026-11-04)
- Skool pricing page (last checked 2026-11-04)
- Circle pricing page (last checked 2026-11-04)
- Mighty Networks pricing page (last checked 2026-11-04)
- Podia pricing page (last checked 2026-11-04)
- MemberPress pricing page (last checked 2026-11-04)