Compare Patreon
Hotly vs Patreon
Which is better, Patreon or Hotly?
If your fans come for your content - posts, videos, a community - Patreon: monthly tiers, a shop and member chats, for 10% plus payment processing. If they come to talk to you, Hotly: they pay $5–$20 weekly to write to you, or the price you set, and you reply from one inbox. On $1,000 a month in $10 payments you keep about $841 on Patreon before payout fees, and $890 on Hotly Hosted Plus with Stripe's fees included - $940 once 5 creators you invite join and pay.
Updated
What a paid message looks like
$250 / week“Two offers. One pays more, one I'd actually learn at. Which would you take?”
To a career coach · from Dani
$10 / week“What you said in Portland about starting over - I wrote it on my hand.”
To a songwriter · from Priya
Side by side
| Feature | Hotly | Patreon |
|---|---|---|
| What people pay for | A conversation with you | Monthly membership tiers, posts and a shop |
| Paid messages | Yes - the core product. People pay $5–$20 weekly, or the price you set. | Not sold one by one. Members who've paid can message you. |
| Locked media | Yes. Send a locked photo, set the price. | Posts locked to membership tiers; digital products in a shop. |
| Platform fee | Hosted: $5.99/mo + 20% commission, or $9.99/mo + 10% commission - servers, updates and backups included. Stripe's fees are on us. Invite five creators and the cut halves, down to 5%. Self-hosting the free code has 0% commission - you run it on your own server. | 10% for pages launched after August 4, 2025, plus payment processing, currency conversion and payout fees. In the iPhone app, Apple takes 30% (15% after a year); by default Patreon raises app prices to cover it. |
| You keep from $1,000 a month (100 payments of $10) | $890 on Hosted Plus, $794 on Hosted. $940 on Hosted Plus once 5 creators you invite join and pay. Stripe's fees are on us. | $841, after 10% and 2.9% + 30¢ processing per payment, before payout fees. |
| Payouts | Stripe, to your bank. No payout fee, from $1. | To your bank or PayPal, with a payout fee. |
| Open source | Yes. Apache 2.0 License - take the code with you anytime. | No |
| Signup | Pick a hosted plan, add a card - 30 days free - and set up your page in minutes. Or run the code on your own Linux server. | Open signup |
Patreon details checked October 2026: Patreon pricing, Patreon creator fees, Patreon's 10% fee for new pages, Patreon iOS in-app purchases. Prices change - check before you switch.
Which one fits you
Pick Patreon if…
- You make content for members - posts, videos, downloads - on monthly tiers.
- You want a shop and member chats in one place.
Pick Hotly if…
- People write to you more than they watch you, and they want a reply.
- You'd rather not post for members every month to get paid.
- You want servers, updates and backups handled - and the code if you ever leave.
- You want Stripe's card fees covered, and a commission that drops to 5% as creators you invite join and pay.
Questions
- Is Hotly a Patreon alternative?
- For conversation, yes. Patreon sells membership to your content; Hotly sells a conversation with you. Fans pay $5–$20 weekly to write to you, or the price you set.
- Which takes a smaller cut?
- Hotly Hosted Plus. From $1,000 a month in $10 payments, Patreon's 10% plus 2.9% + 30¢ processing leaves $841, before payout fees. Hotly Hosted Plus leaves $890 with Stripe's fees included, and $940 once 5 creators you invite join and pay. Hosted, at 20%, leaves $794.
- Can I use Patreon and Hotly together?
- Yes. Keep Patreon for your content and add a Hotly link for members who want to talk to you.
Keep Patreon for posts. Add the conversation.
30 days free with a card at checkout. Hosted is $5.99 a month plus 20%, which covers Stripe's card fees, hosting and upkeep. On $1,000 a month, Hosted Plus keeps $890, against about $841 on Patreon.
Card at checkout, $0 until day 31, cancel in one click. Open source: Get the code on GitHub anytime.