Skool vs Patreon: Fees, Features and What You Keep

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Short answer

Patreon costs nothing up front and takes 10% of what you earn (for pages published after 4 August 2025), plus payment processing of 2.9% + USD 0.30 on US-dollar payments above $3. Skool charges $9 a month plus 10% + USD 0.30, or $99 a month plus 2.9% + USD 0.30, with processing included. At $3,000 a month from 100 members paying $30, published fees leave about $2,583 on Patreon, $2,661 on Skool Hobby and $2,784 on Skool Pro.

By Kabir NorthUpdated Prices checked
On this page 6 sections
  1. At a glance
  2. What you keep at $3,000 a month
  3. How the fees work
  4. What each is built for
  5. Who each fits, based on published features and pricing
  6. What this page doesn’t cover

At a glance

Skool vs Patreon at a glance. Prices checked 23 Oct 2026.

Skool Hobby

USD 9/mo

Monthly plan fee
Hobby $9, Pro $99
Platform fee
Hobby 10% + USD 0.30; Pro 2.9% + USD 0.30 (3.9% above $900)
Payment processing
Yes (Included in the fee)
Currency conversion
Pays out in local currency; rate not stated
Sales tax / VAT
Yes (Merchant of record; handles VAT and sales tax)
Community
Yes (Core product: feed, gamification, leaderboards)
Courses
Yes (Classroom with unlimited courses)
Video and live
Yes (Unlimited videos; live calls and calendar)
Podcasts
No
Discovery
Growth Boost: 30% of members Skool brings, on by default
Visit Skool (opens in new tab)

Skool Pro

USD 99/mo

Monthly plan fee
Hobby $9, Pro $99
Platform fee
Hobby 10% + USD 0.30; Pro 2.9% + USD 0.30 (3.9% above $900)
Payment processing
Yes (Included in the fee)
Currency conversion
Pays out in local currency; rate not stated
Sales tax / VAT
Yes (Merchant of record; handles VAT and sales tax)
Community
Yes (Core product: feed, gamification, leaderboards)
Courses
Yes (Classroom with unlimited courses)
Video and live
Yes (Unlimited videos; live calls and calendar)
Podcasts
No
Discovery
Growth Boost: 30% of members Skool brings, on by default
Visit Skool (opens in new tab)

Patreon Standard (pages launched after 4 Aug 2025)

USD 0/mo

Monthly plan fee
None; free to start
Platform fee
10% (standard plan for pages published after 4 Aug 2025)
Payment processing
2.9% + USD 0.30 (USD, over $3); 5% + USD 0.10 on $3 or less; 3.9% + USD 0.30 for non-US PayPal/Venmo
Currency conversion
2.5% when a member pays in a different currency
Sales tax / VAT
Yes (Handles most applicable tax collection and remittance)
Community
Yes (Chats, DMs and comments)
Courses
Partial (Posts, collections and one-time product sales; no course builder listed)
Video and live
Yes (Native video and livestreaming)
Podcasts
Yes (Podcast importing, RSS and Spotify integration)
Discovery
"Creator-first discovery" listed; no separate fee stated
Visit Patreon (opens in new tab)

Last checked 23 Oct 2026 · Prices from skool.com/pricing, Skool’s payments FAQ, patreon.com/pricing and Patreon’s creator fees overview

What you keep at $3,000 a month

Example: 100 members paying $30 a month, US cards, payout in USD.

  • Patreon (standard 10% plan): $300 platform fee + 100 × ($0.87 + $0.30) processing = $417. You keep $2,583.
  • Skool Hobby: $9 + 100 × ($3.00 + $0.30) = $339. You keep $2,661.
  • Skool Pro: $99 + 100 × ($0.87 + $0.30) = $216. You keep $2,784.

Not included: Patreon’s 2.5% currency conversion, its payout fees and its legacy plans; Skool’s Growth Boost cut on members it brings. At small revenue the order changes. At $60 a month from 2 members, Patreon costs about $8.34 and Skool Hobby about $15.60, because of the $9 plan fee.

How the fees work

Patreon (creator fees overview, updated 11 Sep 2026): pages published after 4 August 2025 pay a standard 10% platform fee. Creators who published on or before that date keep their existing plan, unless the page is unpublished. Processing is on top: for USD payouts, 2.9% + USD 0.30 on payments over $3, 5% + USD 0.10 on payments of $3 or less, and 3.9% + USD 0.30 for PayPal or Venmo outside the US. A 2.5% currency conversion fee applies when a member pays in a currency other than your payout currency.

Skool (payments FAQ): Hobby is $9 a month with 10% + USD 0.30 per payment. Pro is $99 a month with 2.9% + USD 0.30 up to $899 and 3.9% + USD 0.30 above $900. Processing is included. Skool processes payments on its own merchant account and pays out every Wednesday in local currency.

What each is built for

Patreon is a membership platform for creators who publish regularly: posts, video, livestreams, newsletters, podcasts, one-time product sales, free trials and discounts, with chats and DMs for community. Skool is one community feed with a classroom for courses, a calendar for live calls and gamification, sold as a paid or free group.

Who each fits, based on published features and pricing

This is a reading of each vendor’s published plans and prices, not a tested recommendation. Neither product has been tested hands-on for this page.

  • Patreon’s published features fit creators who publish content to fans (video, podcasts, writing), want no monthly fee while starting, and want podcast RSS delivery.
  • Skool’s published features fit creators selling a community, course or group coaching with live calls, especially once revenue is high enough that Pro’s 2.9% fee beats a 10% cut.

What this page doesn’t cover

It is based on official pricing and help pages. It doesn’t rate engagement, discovery results or support, which need hands-on use. For Skool’s plans in detail, see Skool pricing.

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See Patreon plans (opens in new tab)

See also: Skool vs Substack

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Frequently asked questions

Is Skool cheaper than Patreon?

At most revenue levels, on published fees, yes. Patreon takes 10% plus 2.9% + USD 0.30 processing on USD payments. Skool Hobby takes 10% + USD 0.30 with processing included, plus $9 a month; Pro takes 2.9% + USD 0.30 plus $99 a month. Below about $310 a month in sales, Patreon costs less than Skool Hobby because it has no plan fee (2.9% of $310 is the $9 Hobby fee).

Does Patreon charge 8% or 10%?

Creators who published their page after 4 August 2025 are on Patreon's standard 10% plan. Creators who published earlier keep their legacy plan. Payment processing and currency conversion are extra on all plans.

Does Patreon have a free plan?

There's no monthly fee; Patreon says it's free to start and you pay only when you earn. Skool has no free plan but offers a 14-day free trial.

Can I run courses on Patreon?

Patreon lists posts, collections, video, livestreams and one-time purchases, but not a course builder with modules and progress tracking. Skool's classroom is built for courses inside the community.

Which handles sales tax?

Both. Skool acts as merchant of record and handles VAT and sales tax. Patreon says it takes care of most applicable tax collection and remittance.

Can I use both?

Yes. Some creators keep a Patreon for fans and run a paid Skool group for a course or coaching. Fees then apply separately on each platform.