Patreon vs YouTube
Side-by-side comparison on fees, payouts, monetization, and audience ownership.
Platform fee
10% · of revenue
30–45% · 45% on ads · 30% on memberships
Payout speed
monthly
monthly
Minimum payout
$10
$100
Countries
Wide (excludes RU, CN, IR, KP, SY, CU)
AdSense-supported
Email list export
Limited (CSV export of patron list)
None
Custom domain
No
No
Community features
Up to 10 Chat spaces, DMs, Discord integration
Community posts, members-only posts, Super Chat
Best for
Video creators, podcasters, visual artists, community builders with established audiences
Video creators, large audiences, established creators chasing scale
Patreon vs YouTube: which one wins?
Patreon charges 10% (of revenue) versus YouTube at 30–45% (45% on ads · 30% on memberships).
On payout speed, Patreon pays monthly while YouTube pays monthly. No difference here.
For audience ownership, Patreon offers limited (csv export of patron list) email export and YouTube offers none. Email portability matters most for creators planning to migrate later or build a list independent of any single platform.
Best for: Patreon suits video creators, podcasters, visual artists, community builders with established audiences. YouTube fits video creators, large audiences, established creators chasing scale.