VS.

STEADY VS PATREON

STEADY VS PATREON

Which is better for content creators in 2024?

Which is better for content creators in 2024?

Thinking about switching to Steady? Not sure which platform is best for building an audience or driving revenue? We’ll dive into the details for you, comparing these two membership platforms and exploring the pros and cons of each.

Just like apples and oranges, Patreon and Steady are similar enough to be comparable – but they’re ultimately geared towards different audiences and use cases. By the end of this article, we’ll help you decide whether to choose Steady or Patreon for your media business.

Thinking about switching to Steady? Not sure which platform is best for building an audience or driving revenue? We’ll dive into the details for you, comparing these two membership platforms and exploring the pros and cons of each.

Just like apples and oranges, Patreon and Steady are similar enough to be comparable – but they’re ultimately geared towards different audiences and use cases. By the end of this article, we’ll help you decide whether to choose Steady or Patreon for your media business.

What is Patreon

Patreon is a US-based platform launched in 2013 that allows media makers to earn a sustainable income directly from their fans, or "patrons." It’s popular among a wide range of media makers including podcasters, YouTubers, musicians, and artists. Patreon offers a subscription-based model where fans can support media makes on a recurring basis in exchange for exclusive content, community access, and more.

The bottom line:

Patreon is great for media makers who want a straightforward way to monetize their fanbase through memberships and build a community of dedicated supporters.

What is Steady

Founded in 2016, Steady is a Berlin-based membership platform that’s popular with European media makers who want to build communities across multiple channels. Like Patreon, it’s easy to start a membership program and offer exclusive content. However, Steady is particularly strong for media makers who publish different kinds of media, need to integrate memberships tools on their own website, or have an audience across more than one channel (e.g., a podcast on Spotify and a newsletter on Mailchimp).

The bottom line:

Steady is ideal for EU-based media makers who publish across multiple channels and want a direct relationship with their membership community.

Key features

Key features

Free newsletter tool

Publish articles as newsletters

Personalised audio RSS feed for
members-only content

Spotify integration for subscription content

Collect payments directly on your website

Paywall integration on your website to attract
paying members

Adblock detection

overlay feature to promote your project when a site visitor is using an ad blocker

Drip Campaigns

automated Email Marketing for abandoned carts, unsubscribes and more

Option to create unlimited paid tiers for members

VAT calculated and managed automatically

Annual plans 

Membership analytics

Comment and reaction features on posts

Support with growing your membership 

Pros and cons

Everyone has different priorities and needs from a membership platform, so we’ve rounded up some of the most requested features and topics that might swing you one way or the other. Just remember, some might be more important to you than others depending on the stage of your business and your location.

1. Ease & Simplicity

2. Managing Payments

3. Community Building

4. Network Effect

5. Brand Personalisation

6. Customer Support

7. Localisation Features

Pros and cons

Everyone has different priorities and needs from a membership platform, so we’ve rounded up some of the most requested features and topics that might swing you one way or the other. Just remember, some might be more important to you than others depending on the stage of your business and your location.

1. Ease & Simplicity

2. Managing Payments

3. Community Building

4. Network Effect

5. Brand Personalisation

6. Customer Support

7. Localisation Features

Pros and cons

Everyone has different priorities and needs from a membership platform, so we’ve rounded up some of the most requested features and topics that might swing you one way or the other. Just remember, some might be more important to you than others depending on the stage of your business and your location.

1. Ease & Simplicity

2. Managing Payments

3. Community Building

4. Network Effect

5. Brand Personalisation

6. Customer Support

7. Localisation Features

Pros and cons

Everyone has different priorities and needs from a membership platform, so we’ve rounded up some of the most requested features and topics that might swing you one way or the other. Just remember, some might be more important to you than others depending on the stage of your business and your location.

1. Ease & Simplicity

2. Managing Payments

3. Community Building

4. Network Effect

5. Brand Personalisation

6. Customer Support

7. Localisation Features

Comparing revenue fees

Which platform gives you the highest payout? While both Steady and Patreon keep a fixed fee on your earnings, the ultimate cost of using them may vary depending on your chosen level of service and the location of your audience. Let’s see how. 

Steady charges a 10% commission on your membership earnings, no matter which features you use. Patreon charges 8% for users of Patreon Pro and 12% for users of Patreon Premium. Additional payment fees vary. To illustrate how this stacks up in the real world, here’s a quick example of how much money a media maker will keep after commission and transaction fees, depending on which membership platform they choose.

Let’s imagine Sandra is a writer who lives in Italy and starts a membership programme for her newsletter. A quarter of her members are in the UK, and the rest are in Italy. Say she earns 2,492.27 EUR (gross) from 686 membership payments in one month. How much will Steady and Patreon take in transaction fees and commission?

We’ve crunched the numbers below. Sandra would take home about €14 more by using Steady instead of Patreon Pro (8% commission). The difference goes up to €113.26 under Patreon Premium’s pricing (12%).

Fees

Commission 10%

249€

Transaction

25€

Withdrawal

0

Conversion

0

Earnings €

2217

Commission 10%

249€

Transaction

25€

Withdrawal

0

Conversion

0

Earnings €

2217

Commission 10%

249€

Transaction

25€

Withdrawal

0

Conversion

0

Earnings €

2217

Commission 8/12%

199/299€

Transaction

75€

Withdrawal

1€

Conversion

12€

Earnings €

2204/2104

Commission 8/12%

199/299€

Transaction

75€

Withdrawal

1€

Conversion

12€

Earnings €

2204/2104

Commission 8/12%

199/299€

Transaction

75€

Withdrawal

1€

Conversion

12€

Earnings €

2204/2104

What else...

Integrations and add-ons

Patreon is a closed system designed as a stand-alone membership platform. It does offer some external integrations (eg. Spotify and Discord). However, Patreon’s appeal is a seamless user experience where media makers can focus on creating. If you’re building an independent media business or looking for a solution that integrates with other tools you use, there are better options out there. 


Steady is almost the opposite in that it’s designed to connect with your existing ecosystem. In fact, Steady integrates with several lead-gen and productivity tools – from WordPress to MailChimp, Spotify and more. Think of Steady as one CRM for everything.


The winner:

Steady. Although, how important integrations are to you will obviously depend on the other tools you use to run your business.

Migrating to
Steady or Patreon

Patreon’s official website doesn’t provide any information regarding the migration of free members. However, it is easy to migrate your non-paying members on Steady from popular platforms like Mailchimp, Behiiv, Ghost, Wordpress, Medium and others. The migration process is fully GDPR compliant, and you will maintain full ownership of your contacts.


The winner:

Steady. Based on available information, it seems that migration services may not be available on Patreon.

THE VERDICT

Both Patreon and Steady are excellent membership platforms with strong advocates and vibrant communities. If you’re a media maker in the US looking for a quick setup, Patreon is likely the way to go If you’re based in Europe, publish on multiple platforms, and want full control over your brand, then Steady is the better choice.