YouTube Memberships vs Patreon Payout Calculator

Compare take-home payouts between YouTube Memberships and Patreon. Input members, price, and tier options to see fee breakdowns and net payout.

Mathematical Audit

YouTube Memberships vs Patreon Fee Formulas

YouTube Memberships takes a flat 30% cut including payment processing. Patreon takes a plan-based fee (5%, 8%, or 12%) plus standard transaction processing fees (typically 2.9% + $0.30 or 5% + $0.10 for micro-payments).

Gross Income = Active Members * Average Monthly Price
YouTube Fee = Gross Income * 0.30
YouTube Net Payout = Gross Income - YouTube Fee
Patreon Platform Fee = Gross Income * (Plan % / 100)
Patreon Processing Fee = Active Members * (Processing % * Average Price + Flat Fee)
Patreon Net Payout = Gross Income - Patreon Platform Fee - Patreon Processing Fee - Flat Payout Fee

Patreon Plan fees: Lite (5%), Pro (8%), Premium (12%). Payout fees are applied per monthly cashout ($0.25 for PayPal, $1.00 for Bank Transfer).

Operational Guide

How to Compare Subscription Platform Payouts

1

Enter Member Details

Input your total number of paying subscribers and the average price per monthly tier.

2

Select Patreon Plan Tier

Choose your Patreon tier (Lite/5%, Pro/8%, or Premium/12%) to determine the platform's cut.

3

Set Processing Fees

Toggle micropayments if your average pledge is $3.00 or lower to compute transaction fees correctly.

4

Select Payout Cashout Method

Choose your payout transfer method (PayPal or Bank ACH) to include the final payout processing fee.

Real-World Scenario Example

"A creator has 500 members paying an average of $5.00/mo. Gross monthly income is $2,500. Using Patreon Pro (8%) and Standard payment processing."

Inputs

activeMembers:500
averagePrice:5
patreonTier:pro
useMicroPayments:false
payoutMethod:paypal

Result

YouTube Memberships: Payout is $1,750 (30% fee = $750). Patreon: Payout is $2,074.75 (8% Platform fee = $200, processing = 500 * (0.029 * 5 + 0.30) = $222.50, payout transfer = $0.25). Patreon pays $324.75 more per month.

Important Disclaimer

Fees are estimates. Patreon transaction fees vary by subscriber payment card brand, country of origin, and currency conversions.

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