Apple’s New Target? Patreon Creators and Their Earnings

For creators, this is a big deal. Patreon has offered two main options to help them manage this new fee. Creators can either raise their prices within the app to offset Apple’s cut or absorb the fee themselves, which would significantly impact their earnings. Neither option is particularly appealing.

But there’s a third, unspoken option: creators could encourage their supporters to make transactions directly on Patreon's website instead of through the app. This would allow them to avoid the fee altogether—a strategy that’s already being used by platforms like Substack and Netflix​.

Apple’s requirements to hit creators and fans on Patreon

Apple requires that Patreon switch to their iOS in-app purchase system, or risk being removed from the App Store. Here’s what’s creators need to know.

Apple’s requirements to hit creators and fans on Patreon

Why Now?

Patreon has managed to dodge Apple’s fee for years, but that grace period is over. Apple is now enforcing its 30% cut across all transactions in the app, including new memberships and purchases in the Patreon shop. This move is part of Apple’s broader push to ensure all digital transactions go through its payment system, which critics argue is monopolistic.

Next Steps

To help creators adapt, Patreon is rolling out a new tool that will automatically adjust prices in the iOS app to cover the fee. This means that fans using the app might see higher prices than those purchasing directly from the website. Additionally, Patreon has made it clear that existing memberships won’t be affected by the change—only new ones​

Creators Are NOT Happy

Understandably, creators are freaking out. The internet is buzzing with complaints, from Reddit threads to Discord chats. Some are suggesting Patreon should just ditch its iOS app, while others are fuming at Apple’s practices.

Critics aren’t holding back either. Laurel Kilgour from the American Economic Liberties Project called Apple’s 30% fee “outrageous,” especially since it’s nearly 2.5 times more than Patreon's most premium membership tier. Talk about a rough deal.

Dodging Apple’s Cut: Is There a Way Out?

While creators will probably find ways around this—like pushing transactions off the app—Patreon is in a tricky spot. They’re not openly encouraging creators to bypass the app, likely to avoid poking the Apple bear any more than they have to. But with iOS being the most popular platform for Patreon communities, losing the App Store would be a major setback.

Patreon isn’t the only platform in this boat. Other creator-economy players like Spotify, Kajabi, Mighty Networks, and Passes have been dealing with Apple’s fees for a while. Kajabi’s CEO, Ahad Khan, put it simply: “This is what happens when you build on rented space versus owned space.” If creators want to use the Apple App Store, they’ve got to pay the toll.

The Bottom Line

The clash between Apple and the creator economy is far from over. Some might see Apple’s fee as just the cost of doing business on their platform, but for many creators, it feels like a major roadblock to their livelihood. As this space continues to grow and evolve, creators and platforms will have to get creative to navigate this new reality.