Patreon

My Experience with Patreon

I picked up this app after it kept popping up in the App Store’s “Top Charts” section — and honestly, I was just curious. I’m not a creator, I’m a fan. I’ve been following this indie musician named Jenna for like two years on YouTube, and she kept mentioning she had exclusive songs on Patreon. So I figured, why not check it out? I downloaded it last Tuesday night while waiting for my pizza to bake, and within ten minutes I was scrolling through Jenna’s page. The app felt fine at first. I could see her posts, I could click “join,” and I even got a notification later that night when she posted a silly BTS clip. That part was cool. But here’s the thing — I’m not a power user. I just wanted to tap a button, get some bonus content, and move on. The app does that, barely. I had to figure out which tier actually gave me the early access she promised, and the layout on my iPhone 15 Pro felt a little cramped. The text is tiny and the images load slow sometimes, even on Wi-Fi. Still, it worked enough that I didn’t uninstall it. Wednesday morning I checked again and saw a new sketch from another creator I follow, and that was nice. But I don’t live in this app. I open it maybe twice a day, scroll for a minute, and leave. It’s fine, but not amazing.

Features Worth Noting

The thing that stands out most to me is how fast you can see what a creator has posted. The feed is just a straight timeline, and you can tap on any post to read or watch the content. No fuss. For fans like me, that’s all I really need. I also like that the app lets you sort creators into categories like “Music” or “Podcasts” when you’re browsing — I found a new gaming channel just by scrolling the discover tab, which was neat. The notification system works well too. I got a ping when Jenna dropped a new audio file at like 2 AM, and it actually woke me up. That’s kinda annoying, but hey, it works. For creators, I can see how the private messaging feature would be useful. I had a tiny question about a reward tier and messaged Jenna through the app; she replied within a few hours. That surprised me. There’s also a little badge next to your notifications that shows unread stuff, which is basic but keeps me checking. And I noticed you can filter posts by media type — videos, audio, text — which is nice if you don’t want to scroll through walls of text. But honestly, most of the features feel like they were built for people who manage a lot of patrons, not for casuals like me. I don’t need analytics or earnings tracking. I just want to tap and consume. So while the features are all there, they’re not all for me.

What Needs Work

Honestly, the biggest headache is the design. It looks like a website scrunched into a phone. The icons are small, the text is light gray on white, and I have to squint even on my iPhone 15 Pro’s big screen. Scrolling through a creator’s old posts feels clunky — it’s just a wall of stuff without clear separation. I often tap the wrong thing because the buttons are tiny. Also, the app crashed twice on me. Once when I tried to watch a video, and once when I was just scrolling the feed. That’s annoying. Another thing: there’s no dark mode. It’s 2024, almost 2025, and the app is blinding at night. I browse in bed and my eyes hurt after ten minutes. Oh, and the search function is terrible. I tried to find a specific creator by name, and the results showed a bunch of random accounts first. I had to type the exact name three times before it popped up. That’s ridiculous. Also, when you manage multiple memberships, you have to tap into each creator’s page separately to see updates. There’s no “all feeds in one view” thing. That would be super helpful. For a free app, it’s okay, but if I’m paying monthly subscriptions inside it, I expect better performance and design.

Pricing

The app itself is free to download, and you can browse content without paying a cent. But the whole point is that you pay creators monthly to unlock their stuff. So the real cost depends on who you follow. For Jenna, I’m paying $5 a month for her early access tier. That’s fine. But then I signed up for a podcast host named Mark who charges $3 a month, so now I’m at $8 total. It adds up quick. The app itself doesn’t charge extra fees like some other platforms do, which is nice. You pay what the creator asks, and that’s it. But I wish the app showed me a total “monthly spend” number somewhere so I know how much I’m actually paying. Right now, I have to do the math myself. Also, switching between tiers is easy — I upgraded Jenna from $3 to $5 in two taps — so that part works well. But keep an eye on your credit card. If you sign up for a free trial from a creator, the app doesn’t always remind you when it ends. I almost got charged $10 for a tier I forgot about. So set your own reminders.

Developer Notes

I haven’t needed to contact support, so I can only go by the app store reviews. And honestly, the reviews are mixed. A lot of creators complain about bugs in the analytics, and some fans say the app won’t let them log in after updating. I haven’t hit that. My login worked every time with Face ID, which is fast and easy. But I see the developer responds to complaints pretty slowly — some reviews from months ago are still unanswered. That bugs me. For a platform handling real money, you’d think they’d be quicker. The app gets updated regularly, like once a month or so. I’ve seen two updates since I installed it. But the updates feel small — like “bug fixes and performance improvements” — nothing major. I wish they’d put more effort into the interface instead of just patching stuff. Also, the app asks for permission to access your camera and microphone, but I never use those features. Why does a membership app need my camera? That’s sketchy. Overall, the dev team seems okay but not great. They’re clearly focused on creators more than fans like me.

Security & Privacy

This is where I get a little nervous. The app asks for a lot of permissions. It wants access to your camera, microphone, photos, and notifications. I get why creators need the camera and mic — they’re filming stuff. But for fans? Why does the app need my camera roll? I said no, and it still worked fine. But the request itself made me pause. Also, the app uses Face ID for login, which I like. That’s secure. But I noticed that when you sign in, the app doesn’t log you out automatically, so if I hand my phone to someone, they can see all my memberships and messages. That’s a privacy risk. I recommend enabling Face ID every time you open the app, but that’s buried in settings. Also, Patreon collects your email, payment info, and what you browse. That’s standard for these platforms, but I don’t love it. I didn’t see any major security breaches in the news, but the permission requests feel invasive for a simple app. I’d feel better if the app explained why it needs camera access for fans, not just creators. Right now, I just deny it and hope for the best.