10er vs. Patreon

It’s no secret that we were inspired by Patreon and what they’ve built. Patreon is close to a house hold name by now and especially among creators. When we need to describe 10er, and we need to do it quick, we even sometimes say it’s a “Patreon-esque” service. We don’t want to beat down on Patreon – so long as creators get paid, we’re happy.

Still, while we both focus mainly on recurring support, there are some key differences between 10er and Patreon.

Fewer requirements to get started

Patreon expects you to set up different tiers of support then make even more content to those who join. This can feel like a bit of a mouthful. You’re already doing so much just getting your regular episodes out.

On 10er you’re not expected to make more content. You’re not expected to do anything other than sign up and tell your audience. In our experience, your audience can tell that you care about the stuff you’re already putting out. That’s the stuff they want. They understand the trade-off between releasing things on the internet for free – some of them would love to have a way to pay you back just for you to keep going.

If you want to make more for those who pay, you can – and through 10er as well. It’s just not required to get started.

Simpler pricing

Both Patreon and 10er get paid when you do. It’s free to get started. Patreon has two plans (plus a “founder” plan plus another when you sell stuff through them.) On top of that you also pay for payouts (didn’t you pay already?), for currency conversion, taxes and processing fees.

On 10er, it’s just 8% plus processing fees (Stripe) for everything.

And even more, Patreon charges your supporters 30% on top of what they signed up for if they sign up through their iOS app.

Fixed monthly subscriptions vs pay-per-release

On Patreon your supporters sign up to pay you a fixed amount per month like a traditional subscription. Creators that are using the “creation billing” option will be moved to subscription billing by November 2025.

On 10er, we love the pay per creation model. Podcast episodes, YouTube videos, whatever you create. Say you take a few months off from your podcast, your supporters won’t be charged. We think that’s a very fair and understandable model.

But, of course, if you want to, 10er can also do the calendar thing and charge per week or month.

Small and profitable vs Big and venture backed

Patreon is funded by venture capital and has raised almost half a billion USD to date ($413M.) Most recently in April ‘21 where they raised a $155M Series F round at a valuation of $4 billion. Since then, that has shrunk by 70%. That means that even with an estimated $60M-$144M yearly revenue they’re still behind. The company employs almost 400 people.

10er on the other hand is not valued at $4 billion. It is however 100% privately owned, completely bootstrapped, as they say, profitable since day one. Our growth isn’t explosive nor is it imploding. It’s steady and calm, reliable.