To keep the Patreon iOS app available to all creators on the Apple App Store, Apple is requiring that Patreon use iOS in-app purchases for all new purchases made in the iOS app. Beginning in November 2024 new memberships purchased in the iOS app will be subject to Apple’s 30% App Store fee.
Apple’s in-app purchase system only supports our subscription billing model. This means that creators on first-of-the-month or per-creation billing will not be able to sell new memberships in the Patreon iOS app once this change rolls out. Additionally, Apple has also made clear that if creators on Patreon continue to use unsupported billing models or disable transactions in the iOS app, we will be at risk of having the entire app removed from their App Store.
As a result, Patreon has started a migration journey to bring all creators onto subscription billing by November 2025.
All creators on 1st-of-the-month billing will automatically be migrated to our subscription billing unless they choose to delay it in their settings by November 1, 2024. Visit our iOS in-app purchases and the move to subscription billing page to learn more about this migration.
How iOS in-app prices are calculated
If you choose to maintain your earnings, we automatically calculate the higher price to ensure you earn at least the same from in-app iOS sales as you do on other platforms, like web.
To calculate the higher iOS price, your list price is increased by roughly 43%*. That way, after subtracting Apple’s App Store fee, you will earn at least as much as you would if the purchase was made on the web.
*Fully offsetting the App Store fee to maintain your earnings (30% of the higher iOS sale price) requires an increase of 1 / (1-30%), which is 42.86%.
Creators control how Apple’s fee is applied to their prices
While Apple’s 30% App Store fee will be applied to all new purchases made in the iOS Patreon app beginning in November 2024, creators will be able to choose how this fee is applied to their prices.
Creators can choose to:
- Increase the prices of the memberships and digital goods sold in the iOS app. This will help creators earn the same across platforms in spite of the Apple fee and is the default option
- Keep prices the same across all platforms. This means that the creator absorbs the Apple app Store fee themselves and therefore earns less from sales in the iOS app
You can switch from the default setting of increasing the prices of membership and digital goods sold in the iOS app by visiting your Billing and payouts settings.
Prices may vary across different platforms
If a creator opts to increase the price of memberships and digital goods sold in the iOS Patreon app, fans will automatically see the adjusted price when they visit a creator’s Patreon. This means that fans visiting your Patreon on mobile web, desktop, and Android will see a different price from fans visiting your Patreon in the iOS app.
Visit our iOS in-app purchases FAQ page for answers to common questions creators may have about how this change will impact them and their fans.