# Base vs Patreon

Patreon is built for memberships: fans pay monthly or annually for a creator's posts, video and community, and Patreon hosts all of it. Base sells access to one body of knowledge, a set of documents read into cited facts that buyers question in the browser or from their own AI. Choose Patreon to build a membership around ongoing work. Choose Base to sell access to research, data or a reference people look things up in.

Updated October 7, 2026. Canonical page: https://createbases.com/compare/patreon

## At a glance

|  | Base | Patreon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Built for | Selling access to a knowledge base | Memberships around a creator's ongoing work |
| Pricing | One-time or monthly, from $1 | Monthly and annual memberships, plus one-time digital products |
| Fee | 10% of the price plus card processing (2.9% + 30¢); $8.41 of a $10 sale reaches you | 10% for creators who launched after August 4, 2025, plus payment processing (2.9% + 30¢ on cards) |
| What buyers get | Overview, cited facts, timeline and documents, answered with quotes | Posts, hosted video, chats, polls and comments |
| Questions | Buyers ask the Base, in the browser or their own AI, and get answers that quote your documents | Members comment and chat with you and each other |

## When Patreon is the better choice

- You make things on a schedule, such as episodes, videos or essays, and fans pay to follow along.
- Community is part of what you sell: chats, polls, comments.
- You need video hosted for you.

## When Base is the better choice

- Buyers come to look things up, not to follow a feed.
- The value is in the documents themselves and being able to check an answer against them.
- Buyers use AI and want your material there, with sources.

## Questions

### Can I offer a Base to my Patreon members?

Yes, by inviting them. In a paid Base, people you invite by email get in free, beside the people who buy.

### What does Base keep from a sale?

10% of the price plus card processing (2.9% + 30¢). $8.41 of a $10 sale reaches you, paid out to you through Stripe.

## Sources checked on October 7, 2026

- [Patreon Help: a standard platform fee for new creators](https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/36426991446797-A-standard-platform-fee-for-new-creators-effective-after-August-4-2025)