FEE COMPARISON & UTILITY
Platform Fee & Revenue Calculator
Centralized platforms charge high commission percentages and listing fees. Use our interactive calculator to see how much you could save by switching to self-hosted, open-protocol alternatives.
Configure Revenue Inputs
Target Monthly Revenue
$5,000
Average Order / Pledge Size
$25
Estimated monthly transactions:
200
Your Estimated Annual Savings
$3,180.00
Keep more of your hard-earned revenue by shifting to open standards.
Centralized Platforms (Patreon) $540.00 / mo
Charges 8.0% platform fee plus standard 2.9% + $0.30 payment gateway processing.
Self-Hosted / Open Web (Ghost) $275.00 / mo
0% platform commission. Pay only standard 2.9% + $0.30 gateway processing plus flat hosting fees.
Calculator Logic Details & Sources:
- Patreon: Modeled after the "Pro" tier (8.0% commission) and standard credit card processing rate of 2.9% + $0.30. For micropayments, Patreon pricing may apply separate rates, which are averaged out in this standard model.
- Substack: Modeled using standard 10% platform commission plus Stripe gateway fee of 2.9% + $0.30.
- Gumroad: Models flat 10.0% platform take-rate plus standard processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 per successful digital download sale.
- Etsy: Models standard transaction fees of 6.5%, shipping & payment processing fees of 3% + $0.25 (US average), plus a flat listing fee of $0.20 per item.
- Self-Hosted & Merchant of Record Solutions: 0% platform fee for self-hosted gateways (Stripe + WooCommerce/Ghost). Models standard Stripe credit card processing of 2.9% + $0.30 plus flat hosting fees.
📚 Platform Migration & Deep Dive Guides
📖 Recommended Reading: Moving off creator subscription platforms? Read our guides on Patreon vs. Owning Your Audience and How to Export Your Mailing List from Substack.