Passes VS Patreon: A User's Review

Passes VS Patreon: A User’s Review

Table of Contents

Passes VS Patreon: A Beginner's Introduction
Passes VS Patreon: History and Mission Statement
Passes VS Patreon: User Features
Passes VS Patreon: Popularity
Passes VS Patreon: User Benefits
Passes VS Patreon: A User's Review

Passes VS Patreon: A Beginner's Introduction

The life of a creator is interesting: you get to share your content in different forms to fans across the globe and feel great about the amazing work that you do. However, it comes with some challenges, the major one summed up in one word, “money.”

There must be a solution, some way to achieve your financial goals while doing the work you love and earning the rewards that you deserve. Today, I am going to introduce you to two amazing platforms that help you earn and share amazing content, and compare them analytically so you can make an informed decision on which platform is more suited to your work.

Passes is a creator based platform that helps content creators build a personal brand, grow their community, maximize profits and become entrepreneurs at the most affordable cost.

Patreon is a content monetisation platform that enables creators to provide exclusive access to their content, build community and turn their passions into sustainable businesses.

Passes VS Patreon: History and Mission Statement

Passes is a new kid on the block: the Miami, Florida, and Los Angeles-based platform was set up by Lucy Guo on the 1st of June 2022. Passes has successfully raised a $40 million series A led by Bond Capital. In funding, the platform has raised over $57 million, according to Crunchbase.

In July 2023, Passes acquired Fanhouse, and months later, in February 2024, the latest funding was raised from a Series A round. Passes has grown to have sixteen investors who believe in the platform, with the latest being Abstract Ventures and Emma Grede.

Passes was set up with a mission to turn creators' creativity into entrepreneurship by being the platform to offer more to creators in comparison to other key platforms. Passes’s first product helped creators scale engagement with fans; the next product is set to add additional revenue streams for creators.

Patreon has been around for a while now. The platform was founded in May 2013 by developer Sam Yam and his friend, a musician by the name of Jack Conte, to provide a source of revenue for creators. Jack Conte had a problem: his YouTube ad revenue was not bringing in the needed funds. He joined forces with his friend and came up with the solution: Patreon.

In August 2013, Patreon raised funding totaling $2.1 million from a group of venture capitalists and investors. Months later, in June 2014, Patreon raised another $15 million in a series A round. Later, in 2014, Patreon announced the payment of $1 million to content creators. In 2015, Patreon acquired Subbable, and much later, in 2016, the company closed on a fresh round of $30 million in a series B round led by Thrive Capital, which put the total raised for Patreon at $47.1 million.

Since then, Patreon has onboarded thousands of users and incorporated non-fungible tokens(NFTs) and cryptocurrency into their platform. Patreon’s core mission is centered around empowering creators by providing them with the tools and resources to build sustainable, thriving careers. Over the years, Patreon has achieved that goal and has helped foster the growth of a strong community that values creative work.

Passes VS Patreon: User Features

Let's compare the user features of these platforms side by side.

Platform fees: Passes charges a fixed fee of 10% + $0.30 per transaction. On the Patreon platform, creators pay 8-12% as well as payout and transaction fees.
Posts: You can post videos, photos, audio, and PDF files on Passes and Patreon. However, Passes gives you the opportunity to post three-hour-long videos, while Patreon gives you twelve-hour-long videos as a maximum post.
Membership tiers: Both Passes and Patreon offer different unique membership tiers at different costs, and with different perks and rewards for users.
Lifetime memberships: You can get a lifetime membership when you use Passes. Patreon does not have this lifetime membership feature yet.
Limited edition memberships: There are limited edition memberships curated for premium fans on both Passes and Patreon. These memberships also help creators earn more revenue.
Membership trials and promo codes: Both Passes and Patreon offer membership trials and promo codes to their users. These are perks that come with using both platforms.
Paid DMs: You can use the paid DM feature on Passes. On Patreon, users cannot message free members, and they can only privately message creators if they pay a subscription fee or make a payment with the creator on Patreon.
Marketplace/E-commerce shops and products: Passes provide a marketplace for creators to sell merchandise and products to fans. To buy and sell on Patreon, you need to access the __MTG market__place, which has a midnight trading feature.
Live streaming: You can connect with fans and stream live content on Passes on a free, one-time fee or pay-per-minute plan. If you want to live stream on Patreon, you can use Crowdcast.
One-on-one calls: Passes provide you the opportunity to connect to individual fans on one-on-one calls on a free, one-time fee or pay-per-minute subscription. This feature is not available yet on Patreon.
Group chats: You can jump on Group chats with your fans on both Passes and Patreon to build community, sell products, and launch new releases.
SMS notifications: Passes and Patreon provide notifications for each SMS that is sent and received on their creator platforms. That way, you never miss an important message.
Screenshot blocking technology: You can block screenshots and screen recordings on Passes when you want to send those messages to your fans. This feature is not yet available on Patreon.
Autotagged content: Autotagged content is available only on the Passes platform. Patreon does not have this feature available for you.
Analytics per post and message: You have access to analytics metrics on Passes for each post or message you send out to your fans. Patreon lacks this feature, but you can set up Google Analytics on your Patreon page.
Variables on DMs: Passes has a variable on direct messages feature to enable users custom variables for unique DMs. Patreon does not have this feature available for you.
Sequence automation: You can drip DMs on Actions with Passes. This feature is not available on Patreon but there is a new app “Sequence Decoder” with settings.
Scheduler: Passes has a scheduler feature in which you can queue posts and mass DMs in advance. With Patreon, you can schedule a post to publish at a date and time of your choice.
Smart vault: The smart vault feature is designed to help you organize and repurpose your content on Passes. Patreon lacks this feature.
Auto blocking vault: Passes has an auto blocking vault which prevents content from being sent out and purchased twice. This feature is not available on Patreon.
Create your merch: You can create your custom merch on Passes to sell to fans. Patreon merch is available but at a higher cost for members.
Instant payments: Passes allows creators to receive instant payouts via their local banks and PayPal. Patreon offers payouts for creators to local bank accounts, Payoneer and PayPal within a time frame of one to five days.

Passes VS Patreon: Popularity

Let's discuss the popularity of both platforms in terms of adoption and user base.

Passes has always functioned as a social content platform, but over the years, it has started to double up as a consumer relations platform. Since its 2022 launch, Passes has built a community of over a thousand content creators and half a million users. Some of these content creators have millions of followers that invest in their content. Creators on Passes have follower counts ranging from 100,000 as minimum to over a million. However, Creators within the 100,000 to 500,000 follower count seem to make more money on Passes.

Passes caters to a user base that is mostly male and mainly between the ages of 18 to 44. The largest user group consists of users between the ages of 25 and 34. This means that Passes is more commonly used among young people: older Gen Z and millennials. Passes are unique in that content is generally family-friendly and PG 13. Nudity is strictly prohibited, and there are several regulations for content creators in the 15 to 17 age group to prevent exploitation of minors, as well as other illegal activities on the platform. Popular creators on Passes include Olivia Dunne, Shaq, Therapy Jeff, and Emma Norton.

Patreon, on the other hand, has continued to grow as a content creation platform. The platform boasts of more than 8 million monthly active users from over 200 different countries. Patreon has been able to support over 250,000 creators, and at least 242,878 creators have at least one fan subscribed to watch their content. Out of all the creators, video and podcast content creators make the most money on the platform. In July 2024, there were over 60,000 video creators with estimated monthly payouts amounting to over $5.49 million. There were also over 17,000 podcasters, with at least one fan pulling in monthly payouts of at least $3.5 million.

Patreon has a user base, with the majority being males between the ages of 18 to 44. The age range with the most active users consists of those between the ages of 18 to 24. Patreon is a platform commonly used by very young people: the young Gen Z. Patreon allows only users above the age of 13, and there are strict guidelines for users between the ages of 13-17 in line with child protection guidelines. However, on Patreon, nudity is accepted from 18+ creators on 18+ accounts, but pornography is outrightly banned.

There are twenty-six main popular creators on Patreon, and they all receive sponsorship from more than 20,000 fans each. Popular creators on Patreon include Matt and Shane's Comedy Podcast, Chapo Trap House, Dungeons and Daddies, and ShxtsNGigs Podcast.

Passes VS Patreon: User Benefits

Passes and Patreon both offer you user benefits on their respective platforms. Let's get an overview of their benefits, starting with Passes.

Passes offers you these benefits when you register as a user.

Unlock exclusive content and experiences: When you register on Passes, you get a first-class ticket to unique photos, videos, podcasts, and BTS moments on one platform. You can connect with your favorite creators, watch livestreams, and enjoy personalized messages as a fan.
Shop unique merchandise: Passes offers unique limited edition merch and custom items at affordable prices. You get to rep your favorite creators and share the creative experience.
Turn your creativity into entrepreneurship: You can scale your business and engage your fans while earning five times the amount you would earn on other platforms on Passes.
Security: Passes provide security for your interactions through features like anti-screenshot technology and unique watermarks
Explore a diverse range of content: As a user, regardless of your interest, you will find different creators on Passes curating content for you. There is always something new in sports, music, gaming, fitness, or magic for your eyes only.

Patreon also offers its users the following benefits:

Early access: As far back as 2018, Patreon has been able to use the early access feature to provide exclusive content to a select group of people. As a fan on Patreon, you can see content from your favorite creators just before it is shared anywhere else.
Polls: You can share your opinion as a fan on a poll created by a creator on Patreon. You can share your ideas, vote, and give feedback on content and content plans. This enables creators to create the best content just for you.
Shoutouts and fan participation: Patreon enables users to get shoutouts from their favorite creators on podcasts or on notes. That recognition means a lot to a fan looking to connect with a creator and may be reserved for the highest-level supporters by a creator.
Q&A and creator access: Fans on Patreon or Patrons can benefit from interactive question-and-answer sessions with creators. Patrons enjoy access to the creator's creative process, behind-the-scenes action, and work drafts and learn insights about the creator aside from their work.
Community: One thing Patreon does is to enable fans to enjoy being part of a community that loves a particular creator. Communities on Patreon are built right from the comment section and up to Discord groups. These communities create a safe space for connection between creators and their fans.

Passes VS Patreon: A User's Review

Content creation has evolved from being a source of revenue that enriched major platforms and left content creators struggling financially. Passes and Patreon are both viable solutions to the financial problems of creatives: they have paid out millions of dollars to creators and provided them with tools to scale up their businesses.

As a content creator, the choice of platform depends on your finances and the features that are preferred by your fans. However, in my personal opinion, I would stick with Passes because of the lower cost, platform security, unique marketplace, and many other amazing features. Get started on Passes as a creator and earn five times profit today.