Patreon Income Calculator

Formula

• gross = patrons × average pledge
• fees = gross × (platform % + processing %) + patrons × fixed fee
• net = gross − fees
• patron lifetime = 1 ÷ monthly churn; LTV = net per patron × lifetime

Methodology

Membership platforms take two bites: a percentage plan fee and payment processing, which includes a fixed charge per transaction. That fixed charge is why $1 tiers barely clear anything and why higher-priced tiers are dramatically more efficient.

Churn decides whether membership income compounds or stalls. At 5% monthly churn the average patron stays 20 months; at 10% they stay 10. Multiplying net income per patron by that lifetime gives the value of every new signup.

Every figure here is an estimate. Real earnings move with your niche, audience country, season, advertiser demand and how a platform is paying that month, so treat the result as a planning range rather than a promise.

Example calculation

1. 300 patrons at $7 each: $2,100 gross.
2. Platform fee at 8%: $168. Processing at 3% plus $0.30 each: $63 + $90 = $153.
3. Net: $2,100 − $321 = $1,779 a month, about $5.93 per patron.
4. At 5% churn the average patron stays 20 months, so each signup is worth about $118.

Frequently asked questions