Patreon platform changes (Patreon)

I was going to wait until Friday to announce this, but I didn't want to overshadow the Status update, so I'm posting this today.

Patreon has given creators some bad news that affects everyone using their platform - creators and patrons.

You can read Patreon's announcement on it here.

TLDR

I'll put the TLDR here.

• Don't use Patreon's app on any Apple device to sign up for creators; you may be billed 30% extra because of Apple, or the creator will have to pay Apple that 30% out of their pocket.

• Creators using pay-per-creation or first-of-the-month billing are forced to change to a subscription model because of Patreon's deal with Apple, and now all of those creators - me including - must rethink our entire business models.

30% price increase on subscriptions made through Patreon's app from the Apple app store

Patreon sprung this news on us creators yesterday. We must adapt to the changes Apple is forcing on them because Patreon has an app on the Apple app store.

Apple wants 30% of every purchase made through the app, and Patreon isn't willing to remove the app from the app store and hasn't come up with an alternative solution, so the 30% must be paid somehow.

Creators are given two options: either pay for the 30% ourselves to Apple (a company that does nothing for creators and yet wants a third of the income), or raise prices by 30% for users buying through the Patreon app from Apple store, so that patrons pay for it.

Creators set their tiers to allow their businesses to run smoothly. We plan our months and expenses to keep our businesses afloat. Our tiers are adjusted accordingly, so most creators cannot pay those 30% to Apple and keep things as they were.

With that option, Patreon asks us creators to take a 30% pay decrease. Ask yourself if you would do that with your employer, and you'll get how we feel about it.

I won't pay for purchases made through the Apple app, so my tier prices will be 30% more expensive in the Patreon app from the Apple store. This will reflect badly on me, but that's my decision.

So, please do not buy subscriptions from me through the iOS Patreon app in the future. You will pay 30% extra and give it to a company not involved in my business.

The 30% price increase will affect new subscriptions made from the Patreon app on the Apple store. If you subscribe to me in any other way (Windows/Android/Web browser, etc.), pricing will remain unchanged.

According to Patreon, old subscriptions made through the Patreon app from the Apple store are grandfathered and should keep their same price.

The side-effects of this news

While the 30% cut to Apple is bad, the side effects for many creators are even worse.

Patreon is now removing its two original billing models, which many creators still rely on. We can no longer use pay-per-creation or first-of-the-month billing, which has always been available on Patreon. We are asked to change our business model because Apple does not allow payments to be processed in those two ways.

If you're subscribing to a pay-per-creation creator or any creator offering physical goods or merch, talk to them about how this will affect them and you. They got the short end of the stick with this news.

I've been operating my business on the first-of-the-month billing model for over six years, and now I'm being asked to change it. When subscription billing was enabled, I refused it and was even reassured by Patreon in e-mail conversations that this billing model wouldn't disappear —and now it's disappearing.

The side effects of this news are bigger than what Patreon wants to make it out to be.

Patreon gave me until November to switch billing models or until November 2025, but then I won't get any new subscribers through the Patreon app. I will keep my current system for longer than November this year, as three months is too short of notice for me to make the required changes, and I have a game to develop.

If you want to help creators and patrons affected by this, you can submit your feedback to Patreon here and spread the word. More voices being heard is always a good thing. Patreon has backtracked on big decisions in the past, and this one desperately needs to be reconsidered.

Thanks for reading,

Dr PinkCake