The best creator platforms, ranked by what you keep
The right creator platform depends on how fans pay you. We checked the fees, payout rules and fine print of 26 platforms and scored each one, so you can see where $1,000 of fan money turns into the most income.
Every fee on this site traces to one of 385 official pricing pages, help articles and terms we checked on October 20, 2026.
| Kick | $950 |
|---|---|
| Ko-fi | $941 |
| Kit | $935 |
| Stan Store | $909 |
| Spotify for Creators | $900 |
| Ghost | $899 |
| Payhip | $891 |
| Fourthwall | $891 |
| Buy Me a Coffee | $886 |
| Lowest: Twitch | ≤$500 |
Fees as published on October 20, 2026. Fixed-price products like Kick's $5 subs use that price. Math on each review. How platform fees work
The best platform for what you make
Our first pick for each kind of creator. Each list explains the runners-up.
- WritersSubstackSubstack costs nothing to publish and keeps 10% of paid subscriptions, and its Notes feed, recommendations and reading app put your posts in front of people who have never heard of you. A $10 monthly subscriber is worth about $8.34 after all fees.
- Membership creatorsPatreonPatreon puts paid tiers, free members, a shop and up to 100 hours of video uploads a month behind one 10% fee, with nothing to build. New creators keep about $841 of every $1,000 in $10 payments.
- Digital product sellersPayhipPayhip's Free plan costs $0 a month and takes 5% per sale, leaving about $891 of every $1,000 in $10 sales, and Payhip files EU and UK VAT on digital sales for you. Every plan gets every feature.
- EducatorsTeachableTeachable's $89 Builder plan takes 0% of course sales and pays out daily, about 2 business days after each sale. That is the same 0% fee as Kajabi's entry plan at half the monthly price.
- StreamersKickKick pays streamers 95% of every flat $5 sub and KICKs tip, so $1,000 in subs leaves $950. Subs switch on after just 5 hours of streaming in total.
- PodcastersSpotify for CreatorsSpotify for Creators hosts your show free and pays Partner Program shows 50% of ad revenue plus Premium video money. Shows qualify with 3 episodes, 2,000 consumption hours and 1,000 audience members in 30 days.
- ArtistsKo-fiKo-fi has a built-in commissions tool with slots, add-ons and buyer terms, and it takes 0% of one-off tips in Free mode. Every payment lands in your own PayPal or Stripe account the moment a fan pays.
- MusiciansFourthwallFourthwall prints and ships merch with your designs for no fee beyond each product's base cost, and runs memberships with members-only audio at 5%. On $1,000 of $10 memberships you keep $891.
- Community buildersSkoolSkool puts discussion, courses, a calendar and live calls in one group for $9 a month plus 10% + $0.30 per payment, which leaves about $861 of $1,000. Its Discovery directory can send you paying members you did not find yourself.
- BeginnersKo-fiKo-fi is free to join and takes 0% of one-off tips once you switch off Standard mode, so 100 tips of $10 leave about $941. Every payment lands in your own PayPal or Stripe account the moment a fan pays.
All 26 creator platforms, ranked
This ranks the deal each platform gives you, not the size of its audience. YouTube, TikTok and Instagram score lower because they keep a large share and own the relationship with your fans, even though most creators find their fans there.
| # | Platform | Type | Score | Platform fee | Keep of $1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kit | Newsletters | 7.4 | 3.5% + $0.30 per USD sale, all-in | $935 |
| 2 | Ko-fi | Memberships and tips | 7.2 | 0% tips, 5% other sales, 0% on Gold | $941 |
| 3 | Ghost | Newsletters | 7.0 | 0% on paid memberships | $899 |
| 4 | Substack | Newsletters | 7.0 | 10% of subscription revenue | $834 |
| 5 | beehiiv | Newsletters | 6.9 | 0% on paid subscriptions | $875 |
| 6 | Payhip | Digital products | 6.6 | 5% Free, 2% Plus, 0% Pro | $891 |
| 7 | Fourthwall | Merch | 6.2 | 5% on memberships, 0% on merch | $891 |
| 8 | Buy Me a Coffee | Memberships and tips | 6.1 | 5% | $886 |
| 9 | Memberful | Memberships and tips | 6.1 | 4.9% plus $49 a month | $843 |
| 10 | Patreon | Memberships and tips | 6.0 | 10% new creators, 5% to 11% legacy | $841 |
| 11 | Podia | Courses | 6.0 | 5% on Mover, 0% on Shaker and up | $842 |
| 12 | Stan Store | Digital products | 6.0 | 0% | $909 |
| 13 | Skool | Communities | 5.9 | 10% + $0.30 Hobby, 2.9% + $0.30 Pro | $861 |
| 14 | Spotify for Creators | Podcasts | 5.9 | 10% on Memberships, 50% of ad revenue | $900 |
| 15 | Gumroad | Digital products | 5.8 | 10% + $0.50 direct, 30% via Discover | $791 |
| 16 | Kick | Live streaming | 5.7 | 5% on subs and KICKs tips | $950 |
| 17 | Teachable | Courses | 5.3 | 7.5% on Starter, 0% on Builder and up | $827 |
| 18 | Kajabi | Courses | 5.1 | 0%, or 0.5% to 2% on third-party Stripe | $762 |
| 19 | YouTube | Video | 4.6 | 45% of ads, 30% of fan funding | $700 |
| 20 | Social media | 4.4 | 0% to Meta, up to 30% to app stores | $700 | |
| 21 | TikTok | Social media | 4.1 | 30% of subscriptions after app fees | n/a |
| 22 | Social media | 4.0 | Up to 30% of subscriptions | n/a | |
| 23 | Discord | Communities | 3.8 | 10% after a 6% processing fee | $846 |
| 24 | Twitch | Live streaming | 3.7 | 50% of net subs, 30% to 40% with Plus | at most $500 |
| 25 | Snapchat | Social media | 3.3 | Not published | n/a |
| 26 | X | Social media | 2.9 | Not published | n/a |
Head-to-head comparisons
- beehiiv vs Kit 2026: fees, growth tools and which to pick
- Gumroad vs Stan Store 2026: fees, payouts and which to pick
- Kajabi vs Teachable 2026: fees, payouts and which to pick
- Ko-fi vs Buy Me a Coffee 2026: fees, payouts and the winner
- Patreon vs Ko-fi 2026: fees, payouts and which keeps more
- Patreon vs Memberful 2026: fees, ownership and the break-even
- Patreon vs Substack 2026: fees, ownership and which to pick
- Substack vs beehiiv 2026: fees, discovery and which to pick
- Substack vs Ghost 2026: fees, ownership and which to pick
- Twitch vs Kick 2026: sub splits, requirements and payouts
- YouTube vs TikTok 2026: requirements, revenue shares and pay
How the money works
- How creators make money: 10 income streams and what platforms take
- How much do YouTubers make? RPM, CPM and the 55% split explained
- Creator platform fees explained: what you keep in 2026
- How brand deals work: pitches, contracts, FTC rules and getting paid
- YouTube Partner Program requirements 2026: both tiers and 2027 changes
- How to choose a creator platform: a decision guide for 2026
Frequently asked questions
What is the best creator platform?
It depends on what you need the platform to do. To find an audience, YouTube and TikTok put your work in front of the most people who don't follow you yet. To keep the most of what fans pay, Kick leaves $950 of every $1,000 in our test. On our overall score, which weighs both along with ownership, payouts and ease of use, Kit ranks first at 7.4 out of 10. By type of creator, we pick Substack for writers, Patreon for memberships, Kick for streamers and Payhip for digital products.
Which creator platform lets you keep the most money?
In our standard test of $1,000 in US fan payments, Kick leaves you $950 of $1,000 and Twitch leaves at most $500. The gap comes from platform cuts, card processing, and monthly plan prices.
How do creators make money?
Creators earn from ad revenue sharing, brand deals, affiliate commissions, fan memberships and subscriptions, tips and live gifts, and selling digital products, courses or merch. Most full-time creators combine three or more of these. Our guide to how creators make money covers each one with the platform cuts.
How does CreatorPaper rank creator platforms?
We score every platform from 1 to 10 on earnings (30%), audience discovery (20%), ownership of your audience (20%), payouts (15%) and ease of use (15%), using the platform's published fees and terms. No platform pays for placement, and we recheck numbers when terms change.