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It's a split decision.
Choose Patreon for memberships, online shops, fan analytics and tools for managing relationships. Choose Locals for subscription communities built around video, livestreams, podcasts, articles or documentaries, with access to user data, content and payments. Neither publishes a monthly or annual subscription price. Patreon takes 10% of income earned, plus applicable fees; Locals charges 10% on transactions and tips, or 20% on Content+ transactions, plus third-party processing fees. Locals also lists supporter-based plan limits.
01Side by side
| Patreon | Locals | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | No subscription price; 10% of earnings plus applicable fees | No subscription price; transaction fees apply |
| Free plan | No upfront cost; pay when earning | Community creation and maintenance are free |
| Best for | Creators combining memberships, shops and fan tools | Independent creators building subscription communities |
| Core strength | Memberships, shops, community tools and fan analytics | Video, livestreams, podcasts, articles and documentaries |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations/data | Fan analytics and relationship-management tools | Access to user data, content and payments |
| Team/seat costs | Not published | Not published |
| Support | Not published | Not published |
Patreon Choose Patreon if
- Choose Patreon if you want memberships and one-off shop sales.
- Choose Patreon if fan analytics and relationship tools matter.
- Choose Patreon if you want to share varied exclusive work.
Locals Choose Locals if
- Choose Locals if you want a subscription-based community.
- Choose Locals if video, livestreams and podcasts are central.
- Choose Locals if access to user data and payments matters.
02Pricing compared
Neither platform publishes a monthly or annual subscription price, so compare the fees charged on earnings and transactions instead. Patreon takes 10% of income earned on the platform. Payment processing, currency conversion, payout fees and applicable taxes may also apply; their amounts are not published.
Locals charges a 10% platform fee on subscriptions, one-time transactions and tips, or 20% on Content+ transactions, plus third-party payment processing fees. Those processing fees are not published. Locals also lists supporter-based limits: Basic covers 0–49 supporters, Starter 50–499, and Pro 500 or more. Email, storage and video limits increase by tier. The monthly prices for all three are not published. Without your expected revenue and transaction mix, we can’t say which will cost less.
03Features and depth
Patreon is the broader membership and fan-relationship option. Its listed features include ongoing memberships, exclusive work, online shops for individual content, group chats, comments, DMs, email, fan analytics and relationship-management tools. It supports formats including videos, podcasts, writing, art, music and recipes.
Locals is framed around subscription communities and publishing. Creators can publish videos, livestreams, podcasts and articles, and sell documentaries. The platform also says creators can access user data, content and payments. Its plan details add practical limits: Basic and Starter stream up to 720p, while Pro allows up to 1080p; live streams are limited to 24 hours across the listed tiers. Downloads are unavailable on Basic and included on Starter and Pro.
Choose Patreon for its listed shops, analytics and fan-management tools. Choose Locals when its publishing formats, community model and listed video limits fit your plans.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Neither product’s published materials give enough detail to rank its setup process or learning curve. Patreon’s feature set spans memberships, individual sales, community conversations, analytics and fan relationships, so creators should consider whether they need that range of tools.
Locals presents a subscription-community model with publishing and streaming features. Its supporter-based tiers also make some limits explicit, including email volume, upload storage, video quality and downloads. That may help creators assess fit, but it does not establish that the platform is easier to operate. Before switching, check which features and limits apply to your community and how each platform’s fees fit your revenue model.
Questions people ask
Is Patreon or Locals cheaper?
There is no published monthly or annual price for either platform, so the published pricing details do not establish which costs less overall. Patreon takes 10% of income earned, plus applicable fees. Locals charges 10% on subscriptions, one-time transactions and tips, or 20% on Content+ transactions, plus third-party processing fees.
Which platform is better for video creators?
Locals lists video publishing, livestreams, podcasts, articles and documentary sales. Its plan details specify streaming up to 720p on Basic and Starter, and up to 1080p on Pro; live streams are limited to 24 hours. Patreon also supports sharing videos, but its published details do not specify video quality limits.
Does Locals have supporter limits?
Yes. Locals lists Basic for 0–49 supporters, Starter for 50–499, and Pro for 500 or more. The listed tiers also differ in email volume, upload storage, video quality and downloads. Monthly prices for these tiers are not published on the vendor's site.
Can creators sell individual content on Patreon?
Patreon lists online shops for selling individual videos, podcast episodes and other work, alongside ongoing memberships. Locals lists one-time transactions and documentary sales, but its published details do not describe a general online shop. Compare the specific sales formats you need before choosing.