A policy shift for Apple‘s App Store will affect Patreon users, but the CEO of the platform is vowing to “bend over backwards” to help creators navigate the transition.
The change concerns the commission fees new patrons must pay when they first support a creator on Patreon. Starting on November 4, Apple will apply its 30% commission fee (which is drastically higher than Patreon’s commission rates) on all Patreon transactions that take place within the platform’s iOS app.
To offset the price hike, Patreon users can choose between two different solutions. The platform is rolling out an optional tool that will increase subscription prices within the iOS app to offset Apple’s fee. Creators can also keep their current pricing if they are willing to earn less per membership.
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Creators who insist on denying Apple’s commission can route Patreon sales through the platform’s web client or Android app. Some Patreon users have already advised new patrons to subscribe that way.
Even if Patreon users eschew iOS sales entirely, they will have to deal with some mandatory updates stemming from the policy shift. Apple will only support Patreon’s “subscription billing” model, which charges patrons based on the date of their initial subscription. The old-school first-of-the-month billing model — which endured its fair share of issues back in the day — will be phased out.
Patreon has launched a 16-month plan to get its users off of those outdated billing models by November 2025. In a video discussing the shift, Patreon CEO Jack Conte noted that Apple is giving Patreon no choice in the matter. If it does not get its users onto the subscription billing model, it could be removed from the App Store entirely.
Conte expressed frustration regarding Apple’s strongarm tactics. “This is so bad, this is the worst,” he said. “We actually reversed a decision a couple of years ago to make the newest billing model mandatory, and we reversed that decision specifically because we heard from creators that this newest billing model did not yet work for them.”
In that context, the latest adjustment to Patreon’s monetization may seem like another speed bump for a company that has encountered plenty of them. But the new Patreon is a company committed to clear communication with its users, and its response to the iOS policy change reflects that commitment. Patreon has promised to provide transparency, control, and stability as it works with creators to negotiate Apple’s new terms.
“This is not how we want to roll out changes,” Conte said. “These requirements from Apple, these deadlines and mandates to comply with their demands, this is very frustrating, and we would not be rolling out changes like this if it were not for these mandates.”
Patreon is not the only tech company to take issue with Apple’s 30% iOS commissions. The exorbitant fees are the subject of a class action lawsuit that is slated for a jury trial in February 2026.
