A creator who opened a Patreon page after August 4, 2025 now hands over a 10% platform fee on every pledge, plus payment processing costs, before a cent reaches their bank account. Creators who joined earlier still pay 5%, 8%, or 12%, depending on which legacy plan they are on. None of that money comes back if the platform changes its terms again next year.
Moving your paying members to your own site removes that fee for good, but it is also the single easiest way to lose them if you do it carelessly. By the end of this post, you will have a step-by-step order to do it in that keeps most of your supporters with you.
The short answer
Move paying members gradually, not all at once: build your own site and payment setup first, import your existing supporters as free members while their old subscription still runs, then invite them to switch over with a clear reason and a deadline. Communicate the move more than once, in more than one place, before you turn off the old option.
What does staying on a platform actually cost?
Patreon's standard platform fee is now 10% of what a creator earns, for anyone who opened a page after August 4, 2025, according to Patreon's own fee page. Creators who joined earlier kept their legacy rate: 5% for the oldest Founders plan, 8% for Pro, or 12% for Premium, on top of payment processing, currency conversion, and payout fees that apply to every plan.
That fee comes out of every single pledge, every month, for as long as you stay. A creator earning $2,000 a month in pledges on the new standard plan pays $200 of it to Patreon before processing fees, every month, indefinitely. Over a year, that is $2,400 handed to the platform rather than kept or reinvested in the work. Your own site, by contrast, charges only payment processing fees on what actually moves through it, so the same $2,000 a month keeps far more of itself.
How do I move patrons without losing them?
Most of the risk in a move like this comes from doing it suddenly or unclearly. A gradual, well-communicated move keeps more of your supporters:
- Build your new site and payment setup first, with your membership tiers already matching what patrons currently get, before you tell anyone about the move.
- Import your existing patrons as members on the new site, even while their old subscription is still running there, so nobody has to re-subscribe from scratch on day one.
- Stop new signups on the old platform, so your audience there stops growing while you make the switch, but let existing pledges continue for now.
- Announce the move more than once, through a post on the old platform and a direct message or email, explaining why you are moving and what changes for them.
- Give a real deadline and a reason to act before it, such as a bonus, a locked-in price, or an exclusive piece of content for whoever switches early.
- Set a final cutoff date for the old platform, communicated well in advance, after which that page stops accepting payments.
What should I say to patrons about why I'm moving?
Be specific and honest about what changes for them, not just for you. Tell them the price stays the same (or say clearly if it does not), what new benefits they get on your own site, and that their support keeps mattering exactly the same way. Being vague about the reason, or moving without warning, is what actually causes people to cancel rather than follow you.
Imagine a creator who simply posts "moving to my own site next month" with no explanation. A patron who sees that has no idea whether the price is changing, whether they will lose access to past posts, or whether the move is even safe to follow. The same announcement, with the price, the benefits, and a specific date spelled out, gives that same patron everything they need to say yes.
When is the wrong time to move?
Avoid moving during a period when you are already asking your audience for something else, such as a big launch, a fundraiser, or a sensitive announcement. Patrons who are getting two different asks from you at once are more likely to disengage from both. Pick an ordinary stretch of your regular content schedule for the move, then announce it loudly and repeatedly within that window, rather than letting it compete with other news.
Something to do this week
- Calculate what the platform fee actually costs you at your current pledge total, using your plan's exact percentage.
- Export your current patron list so you have it ready, even if you are not moving yet.
- Check what your membership platform options require for payment processing before you build anything.
- Draft the first announcement message you would send, and read it back as if you were the patron receiving it.
If working through moves like this one is useful, Own Your Platform covers one creator-income or platform-risk topic a week, with one move to make.
Read next
Community Building in a Post AI World covers why owning your audience matters beyond the fee, as platforms change the rules creators build on.
Why Creators Should Own Their Own Domain is the step before this one: the case for having a home online that isn't rented from a platform at all.
Plan the move before you start it
Our free Exit Plan walks through moving fans off a platform without losing them, in the same order covered here, as a PDF you can work through at your own pace.
Want a weekly nudge instead of waiting for the next post? Own Your Platform sends one short email a week on exactly this kind of decision.
Questions people ask
How much does Patreon actually take from creators now?
New creators who opened a page after August 4, 2025 pay a 10% standard platform fee, per Patreon's own fee page. Creators who joined earlier kept their legacy rate of 5%, 8%, or 12% depending on their plan, plus payment processing fees on every plan.
Will I lose patrons if I move to my own site?
Some, but a gradual move with clear communication loses far fewer than an abrupt one. Building your new site first, importing existing patrons as members, and giving a real deadline before cutting off the old platform all reduce that risk.
Should I run both platforms at once during the move?
Running both for a transition period, with new signups stopped on the old platform but existing pledges still honored there, gives patrons time to switch without losing access, at the cost of still paying some platform fees during the overlap.
What should I tell patrons about why I'm moving?
Tell them specifically what stays the same, such as the price, and what changes for the better, such as new features or content, rather than a vague announcement. Vague or sudden moves are what cause people to cancel instead of follow.
Do I need to move all my patrons at once?
No. A phased move, with a clear final cutoff date announced well in advance, lets patrons switch on their own timeline instead of forcing an immediate decision.
Sources
The Exit Plan
How to move fans off platforms without losing them (PDF).