← PatreonAlternatives
Patreon alternatives
Quick answerThe best free Patreon alternative is PayPal, for standard e-commerce checkout. Pick Kajabi for online courses and memberships, or Lemon Squeezy for software SaaS billing.
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | Pricing | Votes | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kajabi | Online courses and memberships | Paid | — | vs Patreon → |
| Lemon Squeezy | Software SaaS billing | Paid | — | vs Patreon → |
| Stripe | Developer payment APIs | Paid | — | vs Patreon → |
| PayPal | Standard e-commerce checkout | Free | — | vs Patreon → |
How to choose
- For online courses and memberships: Kajabi (paid)
- For software SaaS billing: Lemon Squeezy (paid)
- For developer payment APIs: Stripe (paid)
- For standard e-commerce checkout: PayPal (free)
- For memberships and paid content for creators: Patreon itself
Closest alternatives
Focuses on selling courses and memberships, not a broad creator platform Patreon vs Kajabi →
Provides payments, tax and subscriptions for software products Patreon vs Lemon Squeezy →
Payment infrastructure for developers, no community tools Patreon vs Stripe →
General online payments and checkout, no creator-specific features Patreon vs PayPal →
More Payments tools
FAQ
What is the best alternative to Patreon?+
The closest Patreon alternatives are Kajabi (online courses and memberships), Lemon Squeezy (software SaaS billing) and Stripe (developer payment APIs). PayPal is also close. Each one links to a side-by-side comparison with Patreon.
What is the best free alternative to Patreon?+
PayPal (standard e-commerce checkout) is the closest free alternative to Patreon.
Is there an open source alternative to Patreon?+
Among similar Payments tools on DevHunt, WooCommerce is open source.
What is Patreon used for?+
Patreon lets creators build a community, share exclusive content, and earn money through memberships and paid offerings. Common uses: A visual artist sells monthly membership tiers for exclusive artwork and tutorials, A podcaster offers premium episodes and ad-free feeds to subscribers and A writer releases members-only newsletters and serialized stories.
Is Patreon free?+
Patreon has a free tier and paid plans.




.png?width=64)








.png?width=64)





