How iOS in-app payment works for one-time purchases

  • Updated

All creators still using legacy billing will be required to switch to subscription billing by 1 November 2026. If you’d like one-to-one assistance during this transition, you must contact Support via your settings by 30 September 2026.

Subscription billing offers a more predictable model for you and your members, and unlocks features like Free trials, Autopilot, Gifting, Discounts and Tier Repricing.

Apple requires Patreon to use its in-app payment system to comply with its App Store policies. This means purchases made from our iOS app using Apple in-app payment will be subject to Apple’s 30% App Store fee.

When fans make one-time payments in the Patreon iOS app, their transactions are processed directly by Apple through its in-app payment system. This means purchases made through the Patreon iOS app are subject to Apple’s 30% App Store fee. Patreon does not charge a payment-processing fee on iOS transactions.

Visit our iOS in-app purchases: country & currency page for a complete list of supported countries. Fans not located in one of the currently supported countries can still view work for sale on the iOS app, but cannot make a purchase on that platform.

Learn more about iOS in-app purchases, pricing options and the App Store fee below.

With in-app purchases on iOS, you’ll be able to:

  • Give fans the added convenience of purchasing content directly in the Patreon iOS app with saved Apple payment methods
  • Accept secure payments from fans around the world in 44 currencies and nearly 200 payment methods (Apple Pay, credit or debit cards, store credit, region-specific payment methods and more) once iOS in-app purchases are fully available in all countries. This includes the 16 currencies and 4 payment methods available through Patreon today

iOS in-app pricing options:

You can choose to either set a higher price in the iOS app to maintain your earnings on a sale (the default option) or absorb the App Store fee yourself. You can change your choice at any time by visiting your Account Settings. See a sample calculation of approximate earnings for each option below.

  • Maintain your earnings (default): Set higher prices for the iOS app. We’ll calculate the higher cost to ensure you earn at least the same on iOS in-app sales as you do on other platforms after all fees. This is the default option, so if you do nothing, your products will automatically be shown with a higher price in the iOS app
    • What it looks like: When fans make a purchase, they see a higher price on the iOS app than on other platforms. You earn at least the same amount after fees as you do elsewhere IAP_Web_App_PDP.png
    • How the iOS in-app price is calculated: To calculate the iOS in-app sale price, your list price is increased by roughly 43%*. Then it’s rounded to the nearest 50 cents for customer simplicity. That way, after subtracting the App Store fee, you will earn at least as much as you would if the purchase were made on the web
      *Note: Fully offsetting the App Store fee to maintain your earnings (30% of the higher iOS in-app sale price) requires an increase of 1 / (1-30%), which is 42.86%
  • Absorb the App Store fee: Alternatively, you can choose to keep prices the same across platforms by absorbing the App Store fee yourself. If you choose this option, fees will be applied to your list price for all purchases made through the App Store, which means you’ll earn less per sale on iOS in-app transactions
    • What it looks like: When fans make a purchase, they see the same sale price no matter where they buy the item

IAP_Same_Price.png

As with all one-time purchases, successfully processed sales on iOS in-app purchases are also subject to Patreon’s 10% standard platform fee and currency conversion fees (if applicable), applied to the sale amount before sales tax. Patreon does not charge a payment-processing fee on iOS in-app purchase transactions. Creators who started selling digital products before 4 August 2025 may be subject to a legacy platform fee instead of the standard fee, depending on your platform plan settings. Learn more about pricing and fees here.

Here is an example if you list a product for $10:

  On web or Android
Nothing changes
On iOS in-app
You set higher price (default)
On iOS in-app
You absorb the fee
Sale price
What fans pay
$10.00 $14.50 $10.00
Apple's App Store fee
30% of sale price
$0 $4.35 $3.00
Patreon platform fee
Assume your platform fee is 10%
$1.00 $1.45 $1.00
Patreon payment-processing fee
Varies by currency. USD 2.9% + $0.30 of sale price
$0.59 $0 $0
Patreon total fees $1.59 $1.45 $1.00
You earn $8.41 $8.70 $6.00

A note on Patreon's fees on iOS in-app transactions: Patreon will not charge payment-processing fees on iOS in-app purchases, which means that we will typically generate less revenue on iOS in-app transactions compared to non-iOS in-app transactions. All fees are taken out of the final sale price (pre-tax), so if you set a higher price on iOS in-app, our platform fee will be calculated using that higher price. In general, we expect Patreon to earn less on iOS in-app transactions overall than if fans purchased through other means, even if you choose to set higher product prices in the iOS app.
 

Payout

Funds from in-app purchases will appear as pending for up to 75 days before they can be withdrawn from your Patreon balance. This additional period is to account for the time Apple requires to process and confirm the funds, and only applies to earnings from in-app sales. As soon as funds are available in your balance, you may pay them out immediately.

Refunds

Fans can request refunds on purchases from the iOS app directly from you (as they do today), or through Apple. Apple will process refunds within 60 days of the purchase taking place:

  • Through Patreon: You can refund purchases as you normally would for other Commerce purchases.
  • Through Apple: Fans can request a refund from Apple via reportaproblem.apple.com. Apple will handle the refund on your behalf and communicate with the fan on the status of the refund. If the refund is granted, funds will be issued back to their Apple account

 

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