The 5 best Patreon alternatives
Short answer
The best Patreon alternatives are Kajabi, Circle, Mighty Networks. Kajabi is our top pick — it scores 8.5/10 and is best for Course creators doing $5k+ MRR who want simplicity. The right choice depends on your budget, team size, and which features matter most.
Why look for a Patreon alternative?
Patreon scores 7.8/10 in our review and works well for many teams — but it is not the right fit for everyone. The most common reasons readers look elsewhere:
- ✗Platform fee (5–12% depending on plan) adds up at scale
- ✗Limited customization and branding control
- ✗No course or community features built in
- ✗Revenue tied to Patreon's platform — hard to migrate members
Patreon alternatives, ranked
Kajabi
Top pickEverything you need to run your creator business
Kajabi is the all-in-one platform for creators who sell knowledge: courses, coaching, podcasts, communities, and memberships. It replaces multiple tools with one subscription — website, email marketing, payments, checkout, and analytics all included. Expensive but eliminates integration complexity.
Strengths
- ✓Truly all-in-one — replaces 5+ tools
- ✓Excellent course and coaching product builder
- ✓Strong email marketing and automation included
Best for
- →Course creators doing $5k+ MRR who want simplicity
- →Coaches running programs and group cohorts
- →Anyone paying for 3+ separate tools already
Circle
The community platform for creators and brands
Circle is the leading standalone community platform. It combines discussion spaces, live streams, courses, events, and member management. Used by the biggest creator communities online. Integrates with ConvertKit, Kajabi, and most email tools.
Strengths
- ✓Best standalone community platform available
- ✓Courses, events, and community all in one
- ✓Strong integrations with creator tools
Best for
- →Creators with established audiences building community
- →Membership programs
Mighty Networks
Premium branded communities with courses, events, and memberships
Mighty Networks is a premium community platform for creators who want a branded, app-first experience. Members access the community through the Mighty Networks iOS and Android app (or a white-labeled app on Mighty Pro). It combines community spaces, courses, live events, and subscription memberships in one platform. Positioned above Circle for creators who want a polished, native mobile experience and are comfortable with higher pricing.
Strengths
- ✓Native iOS and Android app — members don't need a browser
- ✓Combine courses, events, and community in one space
- ✓Mighty Pro offers a fully white-labeled app
Best for
- →Creators building premium, high-ticket membership communities
- →Anyone wanting a native mobile app experience for their community
Memberful
Add paid memberships to your existing website
Memberful is a membership platform that bolts onto your existing website rather than replacing it. If you have a WordPress site, Ghost blog, or custom site, Memberful adds a subscription paywall, member login, and payment processing via Stripe — without migrating your content. It charges a monthly platform fee plus a percentage of revenue on lower tiers; the Starter plan has no monthly fee (higher revenue cut). Owned by Patreon since 2018 but operates independently.
Strengths
- ✓Add memberships to any existing site without migrating content
- ✓Deep WordPress and Ghost integration
- ✓Stripe-powered — you own the customer relationship
Best for
- →Bloggers and content creators adding a paid tier to an existing site
- →WordPress site owners wanting native membership without a plugin mess
Ko-fi
Accept donations, memberships, and shop sales — 0% fee
Ko-fi is a lightweight creator monetization platform with a key selling point: Ko-fi takes 0% of donations and shop sales (only Stripe and PayPal payment processing fees apply). Creators set up a public page where fans can make one-time donations (buy a 'coffee'), subscribe for monthly memberships, purchase digital or physical products, or commission custom work. Ko-fi Gold (paid) adds a custom domain and additional features. Popular with artists, illustrators, writers, and gaming content creators.
Strengths
- ✓0% platform fee — you keep everything minus payment processor fees
- ✓Accepts one-time tips, monthly memberships, digital products, and commissions
- ✓Instant setup — live in minutes
Best for
- →Artists, illustrators, and creators wanting a tip jar with 0% fees
- →Creators supplementing another platform with a low-friction support link
Patreon vs. the alternatives
Patreon alternatives — FAQ
What is the best Patreon alternative?
Kajabi is our top-rated Patreon alternative, scoring 8.5/10. It is best for Course creators doing $5k+ MRR who want simplicity.
Is there a free Patreon alternative?
Yes — Memberful, Ko-fi offer a free plan you can use to evaluate the tool before paying.