Patreon

Patreon, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Online platform, Content monetization
Founded	May 2013 (2013-05)
Founder	Sam Yam, Jack Conte
Headquarters	San Francisco , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Subscription management, Digital goods distribution, Creator tools
Number of employees	Not specified (layoffs mentioned in 2020, 2021, 2022)
Website	www.patreon.com

Patreon (, ) is a platform for monetization managed by Patreon, Inc., offering creators business solutions to manage subscription models and distribute digital goods. It allows artists and content producers to generate steady revenue by providing subscribers with exclusive rewards and benefits. Patreon deducts a commission ranging from 8 to 12 percent of creators' monthly earnings, in addition to fees for payment processing.

The platform caters to a diverse group including writers, video producers, webcomic creators, game developers, podcasters, musicians, adult content providers, and others who consistently publish online content. It facilitates direct financial support from fans or patrons either on a recurring schedule or per individual creation. The company's main office is located in San Francisco.

History

In May 2013, developer Sam Yam and musician Jack Conte co-established Patreon, Inc., aiming to create a reliable revenue stream for Conte’s YouTube content. This service enables patrons to contribute regular payments to support creators’ work. By August 2013, Patreon had secured $2.1 million in funding from venture capitalists and angel investors. A year later, in June 2014, it completed a $15 million series A round led by Danny Rimer of Index Ventures. By January 2016, the company raised an additional $30 million in a series B round spearheaded by Thrive Capital, accumulating total investments of $47.1 million.

During its initial year and a half, Patreon onboarded over 125,000 patrons and surpassed $1 million in monthly creator payouts by late 2014. In March 2015, the company acquired Subbable, a comparable subscription platform founded by the Green brothers, bringing on board notable creators such as CGP Grey and CrashCourse. This followed Subbable’s planned transition away from Amazon Payments.

In October 2015, Patreon experienced a major security breach that exposed more than 2.3 million email addresses along with sensitive information; some users were targeted with extortion attempts demanding Bitcoin payments.

By January 2017, the platform had distributed upwards of $100 million to its creators. In May of the same year, Patreon reported having over 50,000 active creators and one million monthly patrons while forecasting creator payments exceeding $150 million for the year. June 2017 marked the introduction of enhanced creator tools including a customer relationship management system, the Lens mobile application, and exclusive livestreaming features.

Patreon broadened its services in August 2018 through the acquisition of Memberful, a company specializing in membership solutions.

Facing economic pressures, Patreon reduced its workforce: in April 2020 it cut 30 positions (13% of its employees), followed by another reduction of 36 roles in April 2021 despite ongoing growth. By October 2021, the company was exploring the integration of cryptocurrencies and NFTs to provide exclusive memberships and perks.

As of March 2022, Patreon supported more than 250,000 creators alongside over eight million active patrons globally. However, in September 2022, it announced layoffs affecting roughly 80 employees (17% of staff) and shuttered its Dublin and Berlin offices.

In October 2023, Patreon launched a comprehensive redesign of its user interface and branding alongside new features such as community chat functions. Additionally, it acquired Moment, a platform specializing in ticketed live streaming events.

Business model

Patreon organizes its creators by categories such as video/film production, podcast creation, comedy, comics, gaming, and educational content. Creators establish a profile where supporters commit to a fixed monthly payment or contribute per new release. Often, creators set financial targets and may impose limits on their monthly income. Patrons have the flexibility to cancel their subscriptions at any time. Typically, membership perks include exclusive or behind-the-scenes material tailored to the patron’s level of support.

Supporters gain access to progressively enhanced content through tiered monetary contributions. Many creators simultaneously publish public YouTube videos while reserving premium content exclusively for patrons. Patreon deducts a commission ranging from 8% to 12% on all pledges. As of May 2017, the average pledge amount was approximately $12, with a new patron joining roughly every 5.5 seconds.

By 2022, the leading categories on Patreon were videos, podcasts, music, and gaming, collectively comprising about half of all creator profiles. Videos alone represented 25%, while podcasts, music, and gaming each accounted for near 7%.

As of March 2025, Patreon's Community Guidelines permitted nudity and suggestive imagery provided such content was labeled Adult/18+ and featured consenting adults.

In June 2025, Patreon updated its pricing model to charge creators a flat 10% fee on their earnings.

Changes in content guidelines and terms of service

In December 2017, Patreon introduced a service fee effective December 18 that shifted some transaction costs onto patrons instead of creators. This adjustment provoked negative reactions as small pledges dropped significantly; for instance, a $1 pledge would increase to $1.38—a 38% rise. After the backlash, Patreon reversed the policy and issued an apology to its user base.

Bans and restrictions

Rather than relying on automated algorithms, Patreon employs a trust and safety team that manually reviews content and investigates violations of its Terms of Service.

Specific users

In July 2017, right-wing YouTuber Lauren Southern was banned due to fundraising activities connected with migrant blockade efforts in the Mediterranean. Philosopher Sam Harris criticized this enforcement and subsequently left the platform. Soon after, Patreon removed the far-left publication It's Going Down over allegations of doxing.

In September 2018, Turkish journalist-in-exile Kamil Maman was banned after Turkey threatened to block Patreon unless it complied with demands. The platform cited protecting Turkish creators as justification despite concerns related to freedom of expression.

In December 2018, shortly after account creation, Patreon banned Milo Yiannopoulos and also removed Carl Benjamin due to his use of homophobic and racist language in a previous interview. Benjamin argued his statements were misrepresented. These bans sparked criticism from Harris and libertarian commentators who perceived them as politically biased. In response, Jordan Peterson and Dave Rubin announced intentions to develop an alternative crowdfunding platform free from political influence and departed Patreon by January 2019.

Comedian Owen Benjamin was banned for alleged hate speech; he responded by filing arbitration claims totaling up to $3.5 million and encouraged his supporters to initiate similar actions. Patreon countersued these individuals and sought an injunction to prevent arbitration proceedings; however, this request was denied. To mitigate further legal disputes, Patreon revised its terms on January 1, 2020, limiting arbitration claims exclusively to banned users and requiring claimants to pay associated fees. This legal controversy opened the possibility of additional lawsuits from supporters of other banned creators, including freelance journalist Lauren Southern who prepared legal action.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Throughout the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Patreon maintained its services within Russia despite widespread international appeals urging Western firms to withdraw from the Russian market. Early into the conflict, Patreon terminated a prominent Ukrainian charity page, Comeback Alive, which was dedicated to raising funds for military volunteers and veterans. On February 15, 2024, the platform removed the account of Estonian military vlogger Artur Rehi, citing violations related to "hate speech" due to his characterization of Russians in occupied Ukrainian territories as "Occupiers" and concerns about "military funding," notwithstanding that donations were processed through the Rotary Club.

Adult content

In March 2014, Patreon imposed restrictions preventing creators of sexual material from utilizing PayPal for subscription-based payments. By July 2016, payments via PayPal were reinstated for adult content creators through its subsidiary Braintree. Nevertheless, in October 2017, Patreon introduced more stringent guidelines on NSFW content, leading to significant backlash from adult creators and a petition garnering 1,800 signatures. Founder Jack Conte publicly addressed these community concerns. In June 2018, Patreon suspended certain adult content creators due to complications with its payment processing partners.

CSAM

Patreon has repeatedly been criticized regarding its management of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including animated, photographic, or video content. In March 2018, a petition with close to 37,000 signatures demanded that Patreon prohibit animators and artists distributing depictions of child sexual abuse.

In August 2021, an Australian media outlet revealed that Patreon was hosting sexual content involving minors filmed inside a psychiatric hospital in Prague. In May 2022, influencer Michael McWhorter exposed sexually explicit images and videos featuring prepubescent children on Patreon, labeled NSFW and restricted to users aged 18 and above. After layoffs affected several members of Patreon's security team in September 2022, McWhorter published a video including testimony from a user alleging that Patreon ignored her reports concerning CSAM. Patreon refuted these claims, describing them as "dangerous and conspiratorial disinformation."

By March 2023, Patreon had joined forces with Tech Coalition, an organization dedicated to combating online child sexual exploitation. However, in June 2023 a BBC investigation discovered AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery being sold on the platform; Patreon promptly removed the implicated accounts.

Other

In 2018, Patreon encountered criticism for limiting ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) content. On October 24, 2020, the company announced a prohibition on all accounts disseminating disinformation related to the QAnon conspiracy theory, aligning with broader technology sector initiatives aimed at reducing misinformation.