Ghost vs Patreon
Side-by-side comparison on fees, payouts, monetization, and audience ownership.
Platform fee
from $9/mo · monthly subscription
10% · of revenue
Payout speed
instant
monthly
Minimum payout
$0
$10
Countries
Stripe-supported
Wide (excludes RU, CN, IR, KP, SY, CU)
Email list export
Full access
Limited (CSV export of patron list)
Custom domain
Yes
No
Community features
Comments, paid tiers, member signups
Up to 10 Chat spaces, DMs, Discord integration
Best for
Independent publishers and creators who want ownership and zero revenue share
Video creators, podcasters, visual artists, community builders with established audiences
Ghost vs Patreon: which one wins?
Ghost charges from $9/mo (monthly subscription) versus Patreon at 10% (of revenue).
On payout speed, Ghost pays instant while Patreon pays monthly. For creators where cashflow matters, the faster cadence usually wins.
For audience ownership, Ghost offers full access email export and Patreon offers limited (csv export of patron list). Email portability matters most for creators planning to migrate later or build a list independent of any single platform.
Best for: Ghost suits independent publishers and creators who want ownership and zero revenue share. Patreon fits video creators, podcasters, visual artists, community builders with established audiences.