Patreon is committed to fostering a safe and supportive space for creators and their audiences. To protect our community and uphold our Community Guidelines, this policy outlines standards for behavior that extend beyond Patreon’s platform.
Engaging in certain harmful activities off-platform can impact our members and the integrity of Patreon itself. By defining these boundaries, we aim to prevent misuse, keep our community safe, and encourage positive interactions between creators and their fans. Attempts to direct, coerce, lure, or otherwise lead people from Patreon to third-party websites or experiences are strictly prohibited unless otherwise stated. If Patreon determines an account is being used to engage in prohibited off-platform activity, we may take action, which could include penalizing, suspending, or removing violating accounts.
Prohibited Off-Platform Activities
These prohibited activities fall into three broad categories: Scams, General Platform Abuse, and Commerce.
1. Scams
The following scams are strictly prohibited, whether they occur on Patreon or through off-platform engagement:
- Financial scams including any attempt to request payment outside of Patreon’s payment ecosystem
- Romance scams including encouraging or luring individuals to engage with dating apps, services, or messaging platforms
- Payment system circumvention including any attempt to bypass Patreon’s payment tools to avoid fees or taxes
2. General Platform Abuse
Misusing Patreon to engage in prohibited activities off-platform, including:
- Directing people off-site to engage in any activity prohibited by Patreon’s Community Guidelines, such as recruiting for dangerous organizations, organizing hateful or illegal activities, or offering prohibited products or services
- Obscuring behavior to avoid detection, including using Patreon as a front account to funnel payments to off-platform websites engaged in prohibited activities
- Exploiting Patreon as a lead generation platform for external services, such as directing fans to an Amazon storefront to avoid Patreon fees or farming followers for TikTok or Instagram accounts
- Sharing links to private, closed, or password-protected messenger apps or chat threads.
- Requesting personal contact information from Patreon users, including email addresses, phone numbers, or direct messaging usernames
3. Commerce
For the safety of our community, any product, service, or benefit sold or offered on Patreon must have a listing that clearly describes the item being sold, including how it will be accessed, downloaded, or delivered. Failure to comply may result in content removal or additional enforcement actions.
Permitted Off-Platform Activities
While some external activity is restricted, the following uses are allowed:
- Existing Discord integrations for fan communication
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Links to public social media pages (not behind paywalls or password protected), including:
- TikTok
- Facebook & Facebook Groups
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Non-native video and audio hosting: 18+ creators cannot use Patreon Native Video, but they can link to external platforms to host their content. Permitted sites include:
- Vimeo
- YouTube
- OnlyFans
- Podcasting sites/aggregators (more integrations to come)
- Games, game mods, and other content must comply with Patreon’s Commerce Guidelines, including providing a clear description of the content and how it will be accessed, downloaded, or delivered
Enforcement & Future Considerations
Patreon will continue refining and expanding this policy based on emerging trends and community needs. Regular updates will be communicated through the Creator Policy Engagement Program to ensure that creators remain informed and have opportunities to provide feedback. For further details, please refer to our Community Guidelines.