Spawned vs Patreon: A Direct Comparison for Modern Creators
Patreon built the subscription model for creators, but Spawned offers a Web3 alternative using token economics. While Patreon takes 5-12% of your income, Spawned charges a 0.1 SOL launch fee and shares 0.30% per trade with creators. This comparison examines ownership, revenue potential, and long-term control for crypto-native audiences.
- •Patreon charges 5-12% fees on all creator income; Spawned takes 0.30% per token trade and shares 0.30% with holders.
- •Patreon offers subscription tools; Spawned provides token creation, an AI website builder, and direct community ownership.
- •Patreon retains control over your audience; Spawned creators own their token and can graduate to full self-custody.
- •Patreon payments are in fiat with delays; Spawned transactions are instant on Solana with 24/7 trading.
- •Patreon's model is established but capped; Spawned offers speculative upside and perpetual 1% fees post-graduation.
Quick Comparison
Our Verdict: Who Should Choose Which?
The right platform depends entirely on your audience, content, and financial goals.
Choose Patreon if: You want predictable, recurring revenue from a non-crypto audience using familiar subscription tools. Your content is primarily digital (videos, writing, podcasts) and you prefer stable payouts in traditional currency.
Choose Spawned if: You're a crypto creator building in Web3, want to tokenize your community, and are comfortable with token economics. You value ownership, want exposure to token appreciation, and need an integrated AI website builder. The model suits those who see their community as an asset that can grow in value beyond monthly subscriptions.
For creators already in the crypto space, or those wanting to explore token-based community funding, Spawned presents a fundamentally different approach that aligns incentives through shared ownership.
Fee Structure: Where Your Money Goes
This is the most critical difference. Patreon's business model is based on taking a percentage of your hard-earned income. Spawned's model is based on facilitating token trades and sharing that activity with creators.
Patreon Fees:
- Platform fee: 5% for the Pro plan ($29/month), 8% for the Premium plan ($99/month).
- Payment processing fees: ~2.9% + $0.30 per payment, plus potential currency conversion fees.
- Payout fees: Potential transfer fees depending on your bank. Total Take: Typically 8-12% of your gross revenue leaves the platform.
Spawned Fees:
- Launch fee: A one-time 0.1 SOL (approx. $20) to create and deploy your token.
- Creator revenue: 0.30% of every token trade is sent directly to your wallet. This is ongoing, automated revenue.
- Holder rewards: 0.30% of every trade is distributed proportionally to all token holders, incentivizing holding.
- Post-graduation: After your token meets certain metrics, you can 'graduate' to self-custody. Spawned takes a perpetual 1% fee on trades via the Token-2022 program.
The Core Difference: Patreon charges you to access your fans. Spawned pays you when your community token is active.
Ownership and Control: Who Really Owns the Relationship?
This is the philosophical heart of the comparison: rented audience vs. owned asset.
Patreon is a centralized platform. You build an audience on Patreon. If Patreon changes its policies, suspends your account, or shuts down, your audience list and income stream are at risk. You are a tenant in their building.
Spawned uses decentralized blockchain technology. You create a Solana token that you own. Your community members become token holders. The relationship and asset (the token) exist on the Solana blockchain, independent of Spawned. After launch, you can interact with your token through any Solana wallet or tool. The AI website builder is a tool to showcase your token, but the core asset is yours.
Example: A creator with 1,000 Patrons 'owns' a list on Patreon's servers. A creator with a $COMMUNITY token on Spawned owns a Solana Program Derived Address (PDA) that controls the token mint. The token holders are visible on any Solana explorer.
Revenue Models: Subscription vs. Token Economics
Patreon's Model (Predictable, Capped):
- Set a monthly price: $5, $10, $50 per month.
- Offer tiered benefits: Exclusive posts, Discord access, early access.
- Get paid monthly: After Patreon takes its cut and processes payments.
Limitations: Revenue is linear. 1,000 patrons at $5 = $5,000/month (minus fees). Growth requires constantly adding new subscribers. Value is tied directly to your content output.
Spawned's Model (Speculative, Aligned):
- Launch a token: Representing membership/access in your community.
- Set an initial price: Often starting very low (e.g., $0.001 per token).
- Revenue from two streams:
- Trade Fees: 0.30% of every buy and sell, forever.
- Token Appreciation: You (and your community) hold a supply of tokens. If the token price rises 10x, your treasury's value rises 10x.
- Use token for access: Gate your Discord, content, or events with token holding requirements.
Potential: Revenue is non-linear. A token with $1M in daily trading volume generates $3,000 daily for the creator (0.30%). Value is tied to the community's growth and perceived future value.
- Patreon: Linear income. You trade time/content for money.
- Spawned: Exponential potential. Your community's token becomes a tradable asset.
- Patreon: You are the product.
- Spawned: The token is the product, and you are its largest beneficiary.
How to Get Started on Each Platform
The onboarding process reveals the underlying technology and philosophy.
Starting on Patreon:
- Sign up for an account.
- Choose a plan (Pro or Premium).
- Set up your creator page with images and descriptions.
- Create 2-5 membership tiers with prices and benefits.
- Connect your bank account for payouts.
- Promote your Patreon link to your audience.
- Wait for monthly payouts (withholds for refund risk).
Starting on Spawned:
- Connect your Solana wallet (like Phantom).
- Pay the 0.1 SOL launch fee.
- Use the AI builder to create a landing page for your token (saves $29-99/month vs. website builders).
- Set initial token parameters (name, symbol, description).
- Your token is deployed live on Solana. You receive a creator wallet for the 0.30% fees.
- Promote your token page and Solana contract address.
- Start earning 0.30% of every trade instantly, in SOL, to your wallet.
Key Difference: Patreon requires ongoing monthly effort for payouts. Spawned setup is a one-time crypto transaction, after which the fee mechanism runs automatically.
Feature Comparison: Tools for Creators
Beyond fees, the tools each platform provides shape what you can build.
| Feature | Patreon | Spawned |
|---|---|---|
| Core Offering | Subscription Management | Token Creation & Launchpad |
| Website/Page | Basic profile page | AI-powered website builder included |
| Community Tools | Integrated posts, messages, Discord role linking | Token-gating for Discord/Telegram, on-chain community |
| Analytics | Subscriber counts, revenue, growth charts | Real-time trade volume, holder count, price chart, fee revenue |
| Payouts | Monthly, to bank/PayPal, with holds | Instant, 24/7, in SOL to your crypto wallet |
| Monetization | Tiered subscriptions, one-time tips | Trading fees, token appreciation, future utility (NFTs, etc.) |
| Audience Portability | Low. List is locked in Patreon. | High. Token is on-chain. Community is wherever the token is. |
| Best For | Reliable, recurring fiat income from a broad audience. | Building an owned, financialized community in the crypto economy. |
Spawned's included AI website builder is a significant value-add, replacing services like 10Web or Carrd for creators.
Decision Guide: Answer These Questions
Still unsure? Walk through this checklist:
Answer YES to most of these? Choose Patreon:
- Is your audience primarily non-crypto native?
- Do you prefer predictable, stable monthly income?
- Are you uncomfortable with the volatility of crypto assets?
- Do you need sophisticated subscription tier tools and integrated posting?
- Is your content consumable (videos, writing, art) rather than participatory?
Answer YES to most of these? Choose Spawned:
- Is your audience interested in or tolerant of crypto?
- Are you building a community, not just an audience?
- Are you comfortable with the potential for higher upside (and volatility)?
- Do you value owning the primary asset (the token) yourself?
- Do you want to align incentives so your biggest supporters benefit financially?
- Could your project benefit from an AI-built website included for free?
For crypto-native creators, Spawned isn't just a Patreon alternative; it's a different financial primitive for community building.
Ready to Tokenize Your Community?
The future of creator monetization is moving on-chain.
If the model of shared ownership, instant crypto payouts, and building an on-chain community resonates with you, Spawned provides the simplest path.
Launching takes minutes and a single 0.1 SOL fee. You'll get:
- Your own Solana token.
- A custom AI-built website to promote it.
- An automatic 0.30% revenue share from all trading.
- A path to full independence via graduation.
Next Steps:
- Get SOL in a wallet like Phantom.
- Visit Spawned.com and connect your wallet.
- Follow the launch process and use the AI builder.
- Start promoting your token contract address.
Begin earning from community activity today, not just from monthly subscriptions. Explore other Web3 alternatives to traditional platforms.
Related Topics
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, some creators use both. You could offer exclusive, traditional content on Patreon for a monthly fee, while also having a $YOURTOKEN for your core, crypto-native community that offers different benefits like governance votes or access to a token-gated Discord. They serve different audiences and purposes. However, be clear about the value proposition for each to avoid confusing your supporters.
They involve different risks. Patreon carries platform risk (they can change rules or ban you) and traditional business risk. Spawned involves cryptocurrency market risk (token price volatility) and smart contract risk (though Spawned uses audited, standard Solana token contracts). Patreon offers more predictable fiat income. Spawned offers ownership and potential for greater, non-linear returns tied to your community's growth as a financial asset.
This is Patreon's primary advantage. Spawned currently requires your audience to use a Solana wallet, buy SOL, and trade tokens. This is a significant barrier for mainstream audiences. If your audience isn't crypto-ready, Patreon or a hybrid approach (starting on Patreon, educating fans about crypto) may be better. Spawned is ideal for audiences already in Web3, like NFT collectors, DeFi users, or crypto traders.
You earn SOL automatically in two main ways: 1) The 0.30% creator fee from every token trade is sent directly to your designated wallet. 2) You retain a portion of the token supply (the 'creator allocation'). If the token price increases, the value of that allocation increases. You can sell portions of it over time. The first revenue stream is passive and continuous based on trading activity.
This is crucial. Patreon income is typically reported as standard self-employment/business income. Spawned earnings are more complex. The 0.30% trade fees received in SOL are likely income at the fair market value when received. Selling your creator token allocation is a disposal of a crypto asset, triggering capital gains/losses. You must track your cost basis. Consult a crypto-savvy tax professional. The tax treatment is different from subscription income.
Yes, but through different methods. Instead of Patreon's built-in post locker, you would use 'token-gating.' Your token acts as a membership pass. You can set up a Discord server where holding your token grants access to exclusive channels. You can use tools that check wallet balances to gate access to a website, video, or document. The utility is driven by the token you create, not by a feature within Spawned itself.
Your token continues to exist on the Solana blockchain. It will still be tradeable on decentralized exchanges (DEXs). The 0.30% fee mechanism to your wallet is encoded in the token's mint and would continue. The AI website might go offline, but you own the token contract. This is a key advantage of decentralization over Patreon, where a shutdown would mean losing your audience list and income stream entirely.
It's not directly comparable because they apply to different things. Patreon's 8-12% is on your total subscription revenue. Spawned's 0.30% is on the trading volume of your token. For example: $10,000 in Patreon subscriptions costs you $800-$1,200 in fees. On Spawned, if your token has $1,000,000 in trading volume, you earn $3,000 (0.30%) and pay nothing. The models are inverted: one charges you for access, the other pays you for activity.
Ready to get started?
Try Spawned free today