A policy change for Apple‘S AppStore will influence Patreon users, but the CEO of the fan-funding platform vows to “do whatever it takes” to help developers make the transition.
The change affects the commission fees that new patrons must pay when they support a creator on Patreon for the first time. 4 NovemberApple will charge its 30% commission fee (which is significantly higher than Patreon’s commission rates) on all Patreon transactions that occur within the platform’s iOS app.
To offset the price increase, Patreon users can choose between two different solutions. The platform is introducing an optional tool that will increase subscription prices within the iOS app to account for Apple’s fee. Creators who insist on opting out of Apple’s commission can handle Patreon sales through the platform’s web client or Android app. Some Patreon users have already advised new patrons to sign up this way.
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Even if Patreon users avoid iOS sales altogether, they’ll have to contend with some mandatory updates resulting from the policy change. Apple will only support Patreon’s “subscription billing model,” which bills patrons based on the date of their first subscription. The old-fashioned first-of-the-month billing model—which had its fair share of problems back in the day—will be phased out.
Patreon has launched a 16-month plan to free its users from these outdated billing models by November 2025. In a video in which Patreon’s CEO talks about the change, Jack Conte noted that Apple is giving Patreon no choice in the matter. If it doesn’t get its users to adopt the subscription billing model, it could be removed from the App Store entirely.
Conte expressed frustration with Apple’s tough tactics. “This is so bad, this is the worst,” he said. “We actually reversed a decision from a few years ago to make the latest billing model mandatory, and we reversed that decision specifically because we heard from developers that this latest billing model is not working for them yet.”
In this context, Patreon’s recent monetization adjustment may seem like yet another obstacle for a company that has faced many of them before. 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, oversight, and stability while working with developers to negotiate Apple’s new terms.
“We don’t want to introduce changes like this,” Conte said. “These demands from Apple, these deadlines and mandates to comply with their demands, it’s very frustrating and we wouldn’t introduce such changes if these mandates didn’t exist.”
Patreon isn’t the only tech company complaining about Apple’s 30 percent iOS commission. The exorbitant fees are the subject of a class action lawsuit set to go to trial in February 2026.
