Happy Valley

ClickFunnels vs Patreon

ClickFunnels and Patreon are both creator monetization tools. ClickFunnels is aimed at creators and small businesses, while Patreon is aimed at creators. Only Patreon has a free plan.

ClickFunnels

Sales funnel builder with checkout, email, courses and CRM

Patreon

Memberships for creators

PricingPaid · $97Free
Starting price$97/moNot published
Free planNoYes
Free trial14 days—
Built forCreators, Small businesses, Freelancers, Agencies, E-commerceCreators
Platformswebweb, ios, android
CountryUS · 2014US · 2013
Rating——

Choose ClickFunnels if

Coaches, course creators and small online businesses that want to build, sell and deliver offers in one funnel-focused system.

  • Replaces separate page builder, checkout, email and course tools
  • Upsells and order bumps raise average order value with little setup
  • Large community, templates and training around the product

Look elsewhere if: Teams that only need landing pages or a brand-led website (Leadpages, Unbounce, Webflow).

Choose Patreon if

Creators with an existing audience who want a trusted membership platform without building infrastructure.

  • Largest audience familiar with paying creators
  • Handles payments and sales tax
  • Discord and video features

Look elsewhere if: Creators who want to own the site and relationship (Ghost, Memberful) or minimal fees (Ko-fi).

ClickFunnels vs Patreon pricing

ClickFunnels

  • Launch$97/mo$81/mo billed annually; 1 workspace, 10K contacts, 3 courses
  • Scale$197/mo$164/mo billed annually; 5 workspaces, 75K contacts, 6 courses
  • Optimize$297/mo$248/mo billed annually; 10 workspaces, 150K contacts
  • Dominate$5,997/yrAnnual only; 20 workspaces, 400K contacts, 1.2M emails/mo

Patreon

  • Free to start$0Create a page and offer free membership
  • Platform fee10%/of earningsPlus payment processing, conversion, payout fees

ClickFunnels · Key features

  • Drag-and-drop funnel builder with opt-in, sales and thank-you pages
  • Order forms with one-click upsells, downsells and order bumps
  • Courses, membership areas and community groups for digital products
  • Email broadcasts, sequences and visual workflow automations
  • Sales CRM with pipelines, appointments and calendars
  • Online store for physical and digital products

Cons

  • Entry plan at $97 a month is costly next to page builders
  • Contact and email caps push growing lists to higher plans
  • Templates lean toward a hard-sell direct-response style

Patreon · Key features

  • Membership tiers with monthly or per-post billing
  • Posts, audio, video, polls and community chats
  • Discord integration for tier-based roles
  • Digital product sales (Commerce)
  • Analytics, payouts and tax handling
  • Mobile apps and creator discovery

Cons

  • Percentage fees are higher than alternatives
  • Limited design and branding
  • Platform controls the relationship

ClickFunnels vs Patreon: FAQ

Do ClickFunnels and Patreon have a free plan?

ClickFunnels has no free plan, a 14-day free trial. Patreon has a free plan.

Which is better for small businesses, ClickFunnels or Patreon?

ClickFunnels lists small businesses as a core audience, while Patreon is aimed more at creators.

Not sure yet?