Why creators are leaving Patreon in 2026

Patreon keeps changing the rules, and creators keep paying for it. In two years: a higher fee for new creators, Apple’s cut on iPhone sales, a forced billing change and a new page design for everyone.

Here are the reasons creators give for leaving, what each one costs you, and whether Patreon is still worth it. Every fact comes from Patreon’s own posts, help pages and terms, checked on October 6, 2026.

The short answer

1. The cut went up. New pages pay 10%, plus card fees.
2. Apple takes 30% on iPhone. And your prices go up in the app by default.
3. Billing rules keep changing. Three changes from Apple in 18 months, with a deadline on November 1, 2026.
4. Your page is getting redesigned. Every page moves to Patreon’s new layout on November 16, 2026, with no way back.
5. It’s still Patreon’s page. Even on your own domain.
6. One decision can stop your income. A suspension stops billing and payouts.
7. Your patron list isn’t yours to take. Patreon’s rules limit what you can do with it.

1. The cut went up

In June 2025, Patreon posted: “We’re increasing our prices for new creators.” Pages published after August 4, 2025 pay a standard 10%. The old 8% Pro plan is closed to new creators.

That 10% is only the start. Card processing comes on top, at 2.9% plus 30 cents for most payments. So do currency and payout fees.

If you’re on an older plan, you keep it only while your page stays up. Patreon says that if you unpublish your page “for any amount of time,” or if Patreon unpublishes it “for any reason,” you move to its current pricing. Patreon fees in 2026, explained breaks down every fee.

2. Apple takes 30% on iPhone

Memberships bought in Patreon’s iPhone app go through Apple, which takes 30%, falling to 15% after a member’s first year.

• Your fans pay more. By default, Patreon raises your prices in the app by about 43%, so you earn the same as on the web.
• Or you pay it. You can keep prices the same and take Apple’s cut yourself.
• You wait for it. iPhone earnings can show as pending for up to 75 days, because that’s how long Apple can take to pay.
• Only fans in the US can skip it, by choosing web checkout inside the app. Patreon says Apple doesn’t allow web checkout anywhere else.

3. Billing rules keep changing

Apple wants every membership on Patreon billed from the day a fan joins. Creators who bill on the 1st of the month, or per post, have to switch by November 1, 2026.

The rule has flipped back and forth. Patreon called January’s change “the third such change from Apple in the past 18 months,” and wrote: “We strongly disagree with this decision.” If you bill per post and don’t act, your billing pauses in November until you review your new prices. Patreon’s billing change on November 1, explained covers what to do.

4. Your page is getting redesigned

On November 16, 2026, Patreon moves every creator page to its updated design. “Every creator will be switched over automatically,” it says, and once you’re on it, “there isn’t a way to switch back.”

What changes:

• Your tiers leave the main page. Patreon says “tiers aren’t shown on the main page.” Fans find them under membership options instead.
• Your header may look wrong. Patreon warns your header image “may appear cropped” and suggests uploading a new one at 4:1.
• Some tabs are fixed. Default tabs can’t be deleted, and the Dashboard tab can’t be moved.

You can set up the new page before then. But you can’t keep the old one.

5. It’s still Patreon’s page

Patreon now lets you connect a custom domain. It changes the address, not who runs the page. Patreon’s own words: your domain works “while Patreon still powers everything behind the scenes.”

• One domain only. Only one custom domain can be connected at a time.
• Patreon’s layout, Patreon’s checkout. Fans pay through Patreon, on Patreon’s design.
• No app link. Patreon says custom domains won’t open its mobile app. They always open in the browser.

6. One decision can stop your income

Patreon’s terms say: “We can terminate or suspend your account at any time at our sole discretion.”

When a creator page is suspended, members aren’t billed, no one new can join, and payouts stop if it’s for a guideline issue. Patreon doesn’t tell your fans. Refunds can hurt too: if Patreon decides a fan’s refund claim in the fan’s favor, the money comes out of your balance, and Patreon says those calls are made “at Patreon’s sole discretion.”

7. Your patron list isn’t yours to take

You can download your members’ emails. But Patreon’s Creator Privacy Promise says that if you leave, you must “securely destroy” that data and “will have no further rights” to use it.

Patreon’s rules on activity off Patreon go further. They ban “requesting personal contact information from Patreon users, including email addresses.” They even ban using Patreon “as a lead generation platform for external services,” and their example is “directing fans to an Amazon storefront to avoid Patreon fees.” Your fans, your work, and Patreon still writes the rules about where they can find you.

Is Patreon still worth it?

Do the math on what you make. Patreon takes 10% of what new creators earn, plus card fees. A flat plan costs the same every month, however big you get.

At $120 a month, Patreon’s cut matches a $12 flat plan. Above that, a percentage costs you more every month you grow. Card fees apply either way, so they don’t change the comparison.

What leaving looks like

You don’t need a new page on someone else’s template. You need a home of your own.

Drate gives you a website made around you, on your own domain and in your look, and your own iOS and Android app on Pro. Memberships, posts, video, courses and merch live together on one site. Fans pay through your own Stripe account. Pro is $12 a month with no platform fee, and your site is ready in minutes.

And you don’t have to leave everyone behind. Drate connects to Patreon, so your patrons keep their access while they move. How to move off Patreon without losing patrons shows how, step by step.

Questions

Why are creators leaving Patreon?

The main reasons are money and control: a 10% fee for new pages, Apple's 30% cut on iPhone, billing rules that changed three times in 18 months, a page redesign every creator has to take, and suspensions that can stop billing and payouts.

Is Patreon worth it for creators in 2026?

It depends on how much you make. Patreon takes 10% of what new creators earn, plus card fees. At $120 a month, that's $12, the price of a flat plan. Above that, a percentage costs you more every month you grow.

Did Patreon raise its fees?

Yes, for new creators. Patreon announced in June 2025 that pages published after August 4, 2025 pay a standard 10%, replacing its 8% Pro and 12% Premium plans. Older pages keep their plan unless the page is ever unpublished.

Can I take my patrons with me if I leave Patreon?

Not easily. You can download member emails, but Patreon's Creator Privacy Promise says that if you leave, you must securely destroy that data. Patreon's rules also ban asking Patreon users for their email addresses.

When does Patreon's new creator page roll out?

Patreon is moving every creator page to its updated design on November 16, 2026. It happens automatically, and Patreon says there isn't a way to switch back to the old design.

Sources

Checked on October 6, 2026. Prices and terms change, so check the latest before you decide.

1. Patreon: We're increasing our prices for new creatorspatreon.com
2. Patreon: A standard platform fee for new creatorssupport.patreon.com
3. Patreon: Stop accepting new members by unpublishing your pagesupport.patreon.com
4. Patreon: How iOS in-app purchases work on Patreonsupport.patreon.com
5. Patreon: iOS in-app purchases and switching to subscription billing FAQsupport.patreon.com
6. Patreon: Apple has reimposed its subscription billing mandate for creators on Patreonpatreon.com
7. Patreon: Your updated creator pagesupport.patreon.com
8. Patreon: Connect a custom domain to your Patreonsupport.patreon.com
9. Patreon: My creator account has been suspended. What should I do?support.patreon.com
10. Patreon: Patreon's refund policysupport.patreon.com
11. Patreon: Terms of Usepatreon.com
12. Patreon: Data Processing Agreement, Creator Privacy Promisesupport.patreon.com
13. Patreon: Guidance around our off-Patreon activity policysupport.patreon.com