Croissant vs Patreon
Patreon is built for monthly memberships and takes 10% for new creators. Croissant does one-off tips for 1%. Here's how to pick, or use both.
Updated
Pick Croissant if
- ●You want one-off tips, not subscriptions
- ●You don't want to make members-only content
- ●You want a 1% fee
Pick Patreon if
- ●You want steady monthly income
- ●You'll publish posts, videos or extras for members
- ●You want a community feed for your fans
What you keep from one tip
After the platform fee and Stripe's usual US card fee (2.9% + 30¢). Same card fee on both sides.
| Tip | Croissant (1%) | Patreon (10%) |
|---|---|---|
| $5.00 | $4.50 | $4.05 |
| $20.00 | $18.92 | $17.12 |
| $100.00 | $95.80 | $86.80 |
Features
| Feature | Croissant | Patreon |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | 1% | 10% (new creators) |
| Monthly memberships | ✕ | ✓ |
| Posts and members-only content | ✕ | ✓ |
| Supporters need an account | ✕ | ✓ |
| Setup time | A few minutes | Longer, tiers and posts |
Fees as listed on each site in October 2026. Check their pricing pages for current numbers.
The short version
Patreon and Croissant solve different problems.
Patreon is for memberships. Fans pay you every month and get posts, extras and access in return. It takes 10% for creators who started after August 4, 2025. Older accounts may be on 5%, 8% or 12% plans.
Croissant is for one-off thank-yous. A fan likes what you made and buys you a croissant. It takes 1%.
Patreon also charges its own payment processing, which differs from the Stripe rate we used in the table above. The gap in what you keep is about the platform fee either way.
Where Patreon is better
Predictable income. Monthly members are the steadiest way to fund ongoing work.
A home for your fans. Posts, a feed and members-only content give people a reason to stay.
Tiers. You can offer different levels with different rewards.
Where Croissant is better
Lower fee. 1% against 10% for new creators.
No obligation. Members expect regular content. A tip expects nothing.
No account for supporters. They pay with a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay and they're done.
How to decide
If you can commit to regular content for paying members, Patreon is built for that.
If you want a simple way for people to say thanks, without promising anything back, Croissant is a better fit. Many creators use both: Patreon for members and a Croissant link for everyone who just wants to tip once. Tips vs memberships goes into more detail, or start your page.
Questions
›What does Patreon charge?
At the time of writing, 10% for creators who launched after August 4, 2025, plus payment processing. Some older accounts are on legacy 5%, 8% or 12% plans.
›Can I use Croissant and Patreon together?
Yes. Put your Croissant link next to your Patreon link. Members keep their subscription, and others can tip once.
›Does Croissant do memberships?
No. Croissant only does one-off tips.
Start your Croissant page
Fans buy you croissants, you keep 99% (before Stripe's processing fee). Takes about five minutes.
Start my page