Is FastSpring or Patreon better?

Neither clearly leads. FastSpring starts at On request and Patreon at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, FastSpring or Patreon?

Patreon has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for FastSpring and Free for Patreon.

Does FastSpring or Patreon run on more platforms?

FastSpring runs on web, api. Patreon runs on Web, Ios, Android.

Can I use Patreon for free?

Yes. Patreon has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. FastSpring starts at On request.

What is FastSpring best used for?

FastSpring is most often used for selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity, b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals, recurring subscription billing for digital products, reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchases. Of those, selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity and b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals are not what Patreon is typically brought in for.

What can FastSpring do that Patreon cannot?

FastSpring covers Global online payments, Subscription billing, Branded checkout, Tax compliance. Patreon covers Membership tiers, Exclusive content, Private podcast feeds, Community features.

Software · head to head

FastSpring vs Patreon

FastSpring

Software

Merchant-of-record commerce platform for global payments, subscriptions, and tax compliance

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

Patreon

Software

Membership platform for creators

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Patreon has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: FastSpring pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.; Patreon takes 10% of the income a creator earns on the platform
They diverge on capability: FastSpring covers Global online payments, Patreon covers Membership tiers.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FastSpring and Patreon actually diverge.

Attributes where FastSpring and Patreon differ
Attribute	FastSpring	Patreon
Starting price	On request	Free
Pricing model	transaction	freemium
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	web, api	Web, Ios, Android
Founded	2006	2013

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in FastSpring

Global online payments
Subscription billing
Branded checkout
Tax compliance
Fraud prevention
Digital invoicing and quotes

Only in Patreon

Membership tiers
Exclusive content
Private podcast feeds
Community features
Analytics
Payment processing
Discord
Podcast apps

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

FastSpring

Selling software or SaaS internationally without a local tax entitynot Patreon
B2B invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise SaaS dealsnot Patreon
Recurring subscription billing for digital productsnot Patreon
Reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchasesnot Patreon

Patreon

Running a paid membership for fans of a creator or podcastnot FastSpring
Selling recurring access to exclusive content and communitynot FastSpring

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

FastSpring

Pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.
As a merchant-of-record, FastSpring takes on more control of the checkout and payment relationship than a pure payment gateway like Stripe.
Revenue share pricing can become more expensive than flat per-transaction gateway fees at very high volumes.
Primarily targeted at software/digital goods sellers, so it is less suited to physical product e-commerce.

Patreon

Takes 10% of the income a creator earns on the platform
Payment processing, currency conversion and payout fees are charged on top of that 10% and are not quantified on the pricing page
The total deduction is therefore not calculable from the pricing page alone, and requires reading a separate support article

Pricing, plan by plan

FastSpring

On request

Custom$undefined/mo
- All-in-one transaction-based pricing based on sales volume
- No subscription fees or per-feature charges
- Discounted rates for ACH and wire transfers

Patreon

Free

FreeFree
- Free membership page
- Basic features
- Community tools
ProFree
- All free features
- Analytics dashboard
- Priority support
PremiumFree
- All Pro features
- Dedicated partner manager
- Custom onboarding

Which should you pick?

Choose FastSpring if

You need global online payments.
You work on web, api.
You also want subscription billing.

FastSpring review

Choose Patreon if

You need membership tiers.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Ios, Android.
You also want exclusive content.

Patreon review

Questions people ask

Is FastSpring or Patreon better?: Neither clearly leads. FastSpring starts at On request and Patreon at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FastSpring or Patreon?: Patreon has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for FastSpring and Free for Patreon.
Does FastSpring or Patreon run on more platforms?: FastSpring runs on web, api. Patreon runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Patreon for free?: Yes. Patreon has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. FastSpring starts at On request.
What is FastSpring best used for?: FastSpring is most often used for selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity, b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals, recurring subscription billing for digital products, reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchases. Of those, selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity and b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals are not what Patreon is typically brought in for.
What can FastSpring do that Patreon cannot?: FastSpring covers Global online payments, Subscription billing, Branded checkout, Tax compliance. Patreon covers Membership tiers, Exclusive content, Private podcast feeds, Community features.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

FastSpring: What does FastSpring cost?

FastSpring uses flat-rate, all-in-one pricing based on transaction volume, with fees withheld from payouts. There is no minimum volume or subscription fee, and pricing is typically quoted based on expected sales volume after contacting their sales team.

Source

FastSpring: Is there a free plan?

FastSpring does not offer a free plan; instead pricing is transaction-based with no upfront subscription cost, and merchants only pay a commission on completed sales.

Source

FastSpring: What does FastSpring integrate with or include compared to a payment gateway like Stripe?

FastSpring bundles international payments, subscription management, tax compliance, fraud prevention, reporting, and B2B invoicing into one price, whereas gateways like Stripe charge separately for many of these features.

Source

FastSpring vs Patreon

FastSpring

Patreon

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in FastSpring

Only in Patreon

What people use each for

FastSpring

Patreon

Where each one falls short

FastSpring

Patreon

Pricing, plan by plan

FastSpring

Patreon

Which should you pick?

Choose FastSpring if

Choose Patreon if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on FastSpring

More on Patreon

Keep looking

Other head to heads