An open source Patreon alternative with lower fees designed for creators who publish ongoing sequential content like books, podcasts, and comics.
Patron is purpose-built for creators publishing sequential content like webcomics, serialized novels, podcasts, and ongoing series. While other platforms are general-purpose, we focus specifically on the unique needs of serial creators with features like rolling paywalls, advanced content organization, and release scheduling. Plus, we're open source with lifetime 1% fees, so you keep more of what you earn while getting tools designed specifically for your sequential content workflow.
This repository contains the following main applications and components:
/website- Marketing website built with Astro/server- Backend API built with Rust Actix-web/clients/react-server- Web application for creators and patrons built with React and Vite/clients/ts-sdk- TypeScript SDK (patronts) for interacting with the Patron API
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Open Source: Built with transparency and creator freedom in mind. Access the full source code, contribute to development, customize your experience, and even self-host for complete control.
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Empowering Creators: Purpose-built for creators publishing ongoing series like webcomics, podcasts, book chapters, and serialized stories with advanced content organization and release scheduling.
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Low Fees: We don't need to be a massive corporation to serve creators well. By staying lean and focused, we can keep fees low while you keep more of what you earn.
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Create Your Creator Page: Set up your branded creator page for your ongoing series. Whether you're running one serial or multiple, organize your sequential content with professional presentation and easy navigation.
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Configure Rolling Paywalls: Set up flexible release rules for your content. Choose when new pieces become available to different supporter tiers and when they eventually drip out to free readers, creating a sustainable discovery funnel.
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Publish & Organize: Release new episodes that start gated to supporters and automatically become free over time based on your schedule. Single series creators get streamlined publishing, while multi-series creators can manage different release windows and tier access.
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Earn Sustainably: Build recurring revenue as supporters get early access to your newest content. The rolling release system creates value for supporters while building a free archive that helps new readers discover your work.
