Looking for a Patreon alternative?
Patreon costs nothing to start, which is exactly why it costs so much later: 10% of everything you earn, for as long as you earn it, plus processing, currency conversion and payout fees. From 31 October 2026, memberships started or renewed through the iOS app also carry Apple's cut — 30% in the first year, 15% after. A creator earning $10,000 a month hands over $1,000 before Apple is in the room. Ziion's Growth plan is $99 flat with no network due, so at that volume you keep roughly $900 more every month. The money is the obvious part. The part that matters longer is that Patreon owns the page, the checkout and the member list, and you are renting access to your own audience.
Patreon pricing read from their own pricing page on 2026-10-02. If they have changed it since and we have not caught up, tell us and we will fix it.
What each one charges
Every plan on both sides — no picking their most expensive tier against our cheapest. Platform fee is the cut taken off each sale, separate from card processing.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual / mo | Platform fee on sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ziion | |||
| Ziion Starter | $59 | $49 | 10% network due |
| Ziion Growth | $99 | $82 | 0% — keep 100% |
| Patreon | |||
| Patreon Standard | $0 | — | 10% of creator earningsPlus payment processing, currency conversion and payout fees |
Ziion's member-to-member services marketplace takes a flat 10% on both plans, and Ziion absorbs the card processing on those sales — the seller keeps a clean 90%.
What it actually costs you
Platform fee and card processing together, because some of these bundle processing and some don't. Comparing headline rates alone would hide the ~2.9% you pay Stripe either way. Ziion figures use the Growth plan.
| Your sales / month | Ziion Growth | Patreon Standard |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $128 | $129 |
| $2,000 | $157 | $258 |
| $8,000 | $331 | $1,032 |
Ziion Starter is $59/mo with a 10% network due, which is cheaper below roughly $400/mo in sales. Above that, Growth costs less — and keeps costing less, because there is no fee at any volume.
What Patreon does well
- Zero upfront cost and near-zero setup
- Recognised consumer brand that members already trust
Membership monetisation for an audience you already have elsewhere.
Where it stops
- 10% of everything you earn, forever, on top of processing, FX and payout fees.
- You do not own the relationship — Patreon owns the page, the checkout and the member list.
- No learning paths, no credentials, no events ticketing, no services marketplace.
- Members are patrons of you, not citizens of a community that functions without you.
- At $10,000/mo in earnings the 10% alone is $1,000/mo.
What Ziion adds
Four things that none of the platforms in this comparison offer — not cheaper versions of them, none at all.
Members who sell to each other
A services marketplace inside your community: citizens list what they do, other citizens hire them, and the nation takes a cut of a transaction that would not otherwise exist. Not one platform in this comparison has an equivalent — every one of them is built for a single creator selling to an audience.
Real multi-tenancy
Nations with their own staff roles, permissions and passports. No cap on administrators, no metered spaces. Structure is a billable resource almost everywhere else.
A credential layer
Learning paths that issue verifiable certificates and a passport ladder members carry with them. None of these platforms can certify anyone — a membership ends when the subscription does.
A native mobile app, included
A branded app is $199/mo at Kajabi, a $199/mo add-on at Thinkific, and custom-priced at Circle. Ziion ships one as part of the product.
Build the institution instead of renting the audience
Nations are by application — we are selective about who gets one. Fourteen-day trial once you're in.