Circle vs Patreon (2026): Which Pays Better?
Both are popular membership & community platforms. Here is how Circle and Patreon stack up on requirements, what you keep, payout terms, strengths and weaknesses, and which one we would pick.
Circle
Community platform with paid memberships, courses, events and live streams, from $89 a month.
8.4 /10
Pricing: Paid from $89/mo
Pros
- Spaces, chat, courses, events and paid tiers in a polished branded app
- Widely used by creators moving off Facebook groups and Discord
Cons
- Expensive at entry
- Transaction fees on lower plans
Patreon
The best-known membership platform for creators: tiers, posts, community and merch, at 8-12% plus fees.
8.3 /10
Pricing: Free
Pros
- Members already know how it works; strong discovery and app
- Handles tax, chargebacks, tiers, posts, DMs and merch fulfilment
Cons
- 10%+ effective fee with payment processing
- Limited control over member data and design; Apple in-app fee on iOS sign-ups
Circle vs Patreon at a glance
| Circle | Patreon | |
|---|---|---|
| Editor score | 8.4 / 10 | 8.3 / 10 |
| Pricing model | Paid | Free |
| Starting price | $89/mo | Free |
| Web rank | #19k | #735 |
| Minimum traffic | None | None |
| Revenue share / fee | From $89/mo; transaction fees of 0.5-4% by plan plus Stripe | 8% (Pro) or 12% (Premium) of earnings plus payment fees |
| Commission | – | – |
| Payout | Via Stripe | Monthly, or on demand |
| Methods served | memberships subscriptions, online courses, paid webinars events | memberships subscriptions, donations tips, digital products |
| Niches accepted | General, Tech & SaaS, Finance & Insurance, Health & Supplements, Gaming & Esports, E-commerce & Retail | General, Tech & SaaS, Finance & Insurance, Health & Supplements, Gaming & Esports, E-commerce & Retail |
| Reader upvotes | 0 | 0 |
| Best for | community, courses, events | membership, patrons, tiers |
Our pick
Circle edges it with a score of 8.4 versus 8.3. Circle is the better fit if you value: spaces, chat, courses, events and paid tiers in a polished branded app, widely used by creators moving off facebook groups and discord. Choose Patreon instead if you need: members already know how it works; strong discovery and app, handles tax, chargebacks, tiers, posts, dms and merch fulfilment.
Other membership & community platforms to consider
Full ranking →Memberful 🧰 PlatformFreemium
Membership billing that plugs into your own site, newsletter and Discord; Patreon's more customisable sibling.
Skool 🧰 PlatformPaid
Simple paid community platform with courses and gamification, $99 a month flat and 2.9% on payments.
Mighty Networks 🧰 PlatformPaid
Community and course platform with native apps and paid memberships, from $41 a month.
🔥 14-day free trial, no credit card required, plus 2 months free when billing the Launch plan annuallyOutseta 🧰 PlatformPaid
Billing, CRM, email and member login in one tool for membership sites and small SaaS, from $37 a month.