Software · head to head
Fireside vs Patreon
The short version
- Only Patreon has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Fireside starter plan at $9 per month allows one podcast and 5 episodes per month; Patreon takes 10% of the income a creator earns on the platform
- They diverge on capability: Fireside covers Unlimited hosting, Patreon covers Membership tiers.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fireside and Patreon actually diverge.
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 Fireside
- Unlimited hosting
- Distribution
- Listener engagement
- Monetization
- All podcast platforms
- Email services
Only in Patreon
- Membership tiers
- Exclusive content
- Private podcast feeds
- Payment processing
- Discord
- Podcast apps
- Zapier
- Email platforms
Both cover
- Community features
- Analytics
- Social media
- Content protection
- Privacy controls
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Fireside
- Hosting a podcast together with a customisable podcast websitenot Patreon
- Running several shows as a podcast network from one accountnot Patreon
- Tracking episode download metrics and link clicksnot Patreon
Patreon
- Running a paid membership for fans of a creator or podcastnot Fireside
- Selling recurring access to exclusive content and communitynot Fireside
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Fireside
- Starter plan at $9 per month allows one podcast and 5 episodes per month
- Custom domain with SSL requires the $19 per month Standard plan; Starter sites sit on a Fireside subdomain
- Additional podcasts beyond the one included on Standard cost $8 per month each
- Bandwidth is capped at 1TB per month on Standard and 5TB per month on Professional
- Advanced download metrics and click tracking require the $49 per month Professional plan
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
Fireside
$20/month- Creator$20/month
- Unlimited hosting
- Community features
- Distribution
- Network$50/month
- Multiple shows
- Team management
- Advanced analytics
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 Patreon if
- You need membership tiers.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want exclusive content.
Questions people ask
- Is Fireside or Patreon better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fireside starts at $20/month and Patreon at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Fireside or Patreon?
- Patreon has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $20/month for Fireside and Free for Patreon.
- Does Fireside or Patreon run on more platforms?
- Fireside runs on Web. 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. Fireside starts at $20/month.
- What is Fireside best used for?
- Fireside is most often used for hosting a podcast together with a customisable podcast website, running several shows as a podcast network from one account, tracking episode download metrics and link clicks. Of those, hosting a podcast together with a customisable podcast website and running several shows as a podcast network from one account are not what Patreon is typically brought in for.
- What can Fireside do that Patreon cannot?
- Fireside covers Unlimited hosting, Distribution, Listener engagement, Monetization. Patreon covers Membership tiers, Exclusive content, Private podcast feeds, Payment processing. Both handle Community features, Analytics, Social media, Content protection.