Popular crowdfunding platform Patreon has announced that it will be forced to adopt Apple’s in-app purchasing system, which will have a major overall financial impact on developers. Starting in November 2024, all new Patreon memberships purchased through the iOS app will be subject to a 30% fee imposed by Apple.
This means that for For every dollar an iOS user donates, their favorite developers receive only 70 cents. The remaining 30 cents goes directly to Apple. To offset this loss, Patreon offers developers the option to automatically increase their membership prices exclusively for iOS users. However, this could result in higher costs for backers and, unfortunately, a reduction in backer numbers overall is to be expected.
The changes affects creators who currently use first-of-the-month or per-work billing plans. To comply with Apple’s requirements, Patreon will transition all creators to subscription billing.
While existing Patreon members will not be affected by the fee, the changes are expected to hurt creators’ earnings and potentially drive away new backers. Many creators are predictably expressing frustration and concern about the situation and asking their fans to consider supporting them through alternative platforms.
As things progress, it remains to be seen how Patreon and its developers will adapt to Apple’s new challenges.
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