The Patreon income estimator calculates your net monthly income after Patreon's platform fee and payment processing charges. Add up to 5 tiers with patron counts to see your gross income, total fees, net income, and effective fee rate.
Your Tiers
How to Calculate Your Patreon Income
The Patreon income estimator gives you a realistic view of what you'll actually receive from your Patreon page after fees. Many creators are surprised by how fees stack up across platform and payment processing.
How Patreon Fee Stacking Works
Patreon applies two fees: the platform fee (5-12% depending on your plan) and payment processing (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction). These stack multiplicatively. On the Pro plan at $10/patron: platform fee = $0.80 (8%), payment processing = $0.29 + $0.30 = $0.59, total fees = $1.39, net = $8.61. That's an 86.1% payout — reasonable but important to budget around.
Choosing the Right Patreon Plan
Lite (5%) is cheapest but lacks tier-based benefits and most creator tools. Pro (8%) is the standard choice — it gives you full tier control, analytics, special offers, and integrations. Premium (12%) adds dedicated success support, primarily useful for high-earning creators who need hands-on guidance. For most creators, Pro (8%) is the right choice from day one.
Tier Pricing Strategy
The $0.30 flat processing fee per patron means low-priced tiers ($1-2) have disproportionately high effective fee rates. A $1 patron tier costs $0.38 in fees (38%!), leaving $0.62. A $10 patron tier costs $1.19 in fees (12%), leaving $8.81. This is why many creators recommend a minimum $5 tier — anything lower eats too much into your earnings. The $0.30 flat fee becomes negligible at $25+/month.
Per-Patron Net Revenue Analysis
Use this calculator to see exactly what each patron tier earns you net. A $15 Pro patron nets you ~$12.70. A $50 Pro patron nets ~$44.00. Understanding per-patron net revenue helps you design tiers where the value you provide is worth the effort — if a $5 tier requires 2 hours of work per patron, you're earning $2.50/hour after fees. Price tiers based on the time and value they demand from you.
FAQ
Is this Patreon income estimator free?
Yes, completely free with no signup required. Enter your patron tiers, patron counts, and Patreon plan type to instantly see your gross income, fees, and net monthly earnings. All calculations run locally in your browser.
What fees does Patreon charge?
Patreon charges a platform fee plus payment processing. Platform fees: Lite plan 5%, Pro plan 8%, Premium plan 12%. Payment processing: 2.9% + $0.30 per successful transaction (US), or 3.4% + $0.30 for non-US patrons. These stack together to create your effective fee rate.
What is the difference between Patreon Lite, Pro, and Premium?
Patreon Lite (5%) gives basic features — patron management, posts, and messaging. Patreon Pro (8%) adds tiers with benefits, special offer tools, and analytics. Patreon Premium (12%) includes dedicated creator success support and more. Most creators use Pro (8%) as the best balance of features and fees.
How much does Patreon actually keep from my earnings?
On the Pro plan, Patreon keeps 8% + 2.9% + $0.30/transaction. For a $10 patron on Pro: 8% platform fee = $0.80, payment fee = 2.9% × $10 + $0.30 = $0.59. Total fees = $1.39, leaving you $8.61 (86.1% net). The effective rate decreases slightly for higher-priced tiers since the $0.30 flat fee becomes proportionally smaller.
What is a realistic Patreon income for a creator?
Patreon income varies enormously. Median creator with 1-10 patrons earns $30-100/month. Creators with 100-500 patrons earn $500-3,000/month. Top 1% of Patreon creators (10,000+ patrons) earn $20,000-50,000+/month. The key factors are audience size, content niche, tier pricing, and how compelling your exclusive benefits are.
Is my Patreon earnings data safe using this tool?
Yes, all calculations run entirely in your browser. No patron counts, tier data, or revenue figures are sent to any server or stored anywhere. The tool is completely private.
How should I structure my Patreon tiers?
Most successful Patreon creators use 3-4 tiers: a low entry tier ($2-5 for basic support), a mid tier ($10-15 for content access), a high tier ($25-50 for behind-the-scenes or early access), and an optional premium tier ($100+ for 1-on-1 interaction). Keep tier benefits specific and fulfillable — overpromising leads to creator burnout.