Compare
Substack vs Patreon for video.
Same 10%, different homes for your work.
Substack started as a newsletter platform and now publishes video and video podcasts to subscribers' inboxes and its app. Patreon started as a membership platform and hosts native video, posts, chat and podcasts. They charge almost the same share; the difference is the format your audience expects and where new fans come from.
Video hosting for filmmakers · 5 GB free · Paid plans from USD 9/month
By uncompressed.io · Updated October 2026
Short answer
Substack vs Patreon: which is better for creators who make video?
Both take about 10% of paid revenue before card fees, so choose on format. Substack suits creators who write and publish video podcasts, with strong discovery inside its network. Patreon suits creators who want membership tiers, community chat and a mix of posts, video and audio. For a film library sold on its own, a video-first storefront fits better than either.
- Substack: writers keep 90% minus card fees
- Patreon: 10% platform fee plus processing and payout fees
- Substack: video in the inbox and app, video podcasts
- Patreon: native HD video, tiers, chat, one-time payments
- Substack: over 50% of new free subs from its network
- Neither describes TV apps or film rentals on its pages
The money
What each one keeps
almost identical
From each platform's own page, read 12 October 2026. Card fees apply on top of both.
10%
Substack share of paid subscriptions
writers keep 90%, minus card fees
10%
Patreon platform fee
plus processing, currency conversion and payout fees
0%
uncompressed.io commission
flat plan; your own processor's fee applies
Because the headline share is the same, the money question is really about extra fees and conversion. Patreon lists payout and currency conversion fees separately; Substack's page mentions only card fees. If you have many international members, ask each platform how conversion is charged before you choose.
Side by side
Substack and Patreon
for video
Substack figures from substack.com/going-paid and substack.com/video; Patreon figures from patreon.com/pricing and its 3 November 2022 video announcement; all read 12 October 2026.
Fit
Which suits you
by kind of creator
Substack suits
Writers who also film: essayists, journalists, critics, podcasters. Video arrives in the inbox next to the writing, and the network brings new readers.
Patreon suits
Creators with a mixed membership: early cuts, behind-the-scenes posts, audio, polls and a chat where members talk to each other and to you.
A video storefront suits
Filmmakers whose members pay to watch: features, series, concert films, a back catalogue, with rentals and purchases as well as memberships.
Who should use neither
Choosing
A quick test
in three questions
Do you write more than you film?
Substack.
Do members come for community and a mix of posts?
Patreon.
Do members pay mainly to watch long-form video?
A video-first storefront, or one of the above for community and a storefront for the films.
The video-first option, in one table
Read from the live price list. Verified 2026-10.
| Commission on sales | 0 percent, at any volume. Buyers pay into your own payment account; your card processor's fee applies. |
|---|---|
| What you can sell | Purchases (stream forever), downloads, rentals with a viewing window, memberships with monthly or yearly tiers, bundles and series. |
| Member tools | Free trials per tier, coupon codes, gift memberships, refunds and free access from your earnings page. |
| Your storefront | A shop under your name at yourname.uncompressed.io/on-demand, or on your own domain. Buyers need no account. |
| Picture quality | Films stream as you exported them: no re-encode of video or audio, with an optional lighter copy for slow connections. |
| Viewing hours included | Lite 1,000, Pro 5,000, Max 15,000, Studio 25,000 hours a month, then USD 29 per extra 20,000-hour block. Playback never pauses. |
| Plans | Starter free (5 GB, one film at a time); Lite USD 9, Pro USD 39, Max USD 99, Studio USD 219 a month; yearly is one month free. |
| Leak Shield (optional) | Every buyer gets their own invisibly marked copy; the open web and torrent indexes are searched; a confirmed leak names and blocks the buyer and sends the takedown. USD 99 a month or USD 1,188 a year, any paid plan. |
| Inclusion window | The streaming platform is included with every paid plan for members who switch it on before 31 December 2026, and stays included for them afterwards; after that date new activations add USD 39 a month. |
Plans and add-ons: pricing. The whole cluster starts at the creator platform guide.
Questions
Frequently asked
Does Substack or Patreon take more?
About the same. Substack says writers keep 90% of paid subscription revenue minus credit card fees. Patreon's pricing page shows a 10% platform fee plus payment processing, currency conversion and payout fees and applicable taxes. Both read 12 October 2026.
Is Substack good for video?
Substack's video page lets you upload video episodes, publish video podcasts automatically to YouTube, Spotify, Apple and other podcast apps, offer paid exclusives and go live. Subscribers watch on the web or in the Substack app. The page does not state length, file size or resolution limits, or TV apps.
Is Patreon good for video?
Patreon launched native video on 3 November 2022 and describes it as HD-quality, ad-free and with no limit on video length, with free public previews and AirPlay casting on iOS. Its pricing page also lists native video and livestreaming.
Which is better for growing an audience?
Substack says more than 50% of new free subscriptions come from within its network. Patreon lists creator-first discovery among its growth tools. If your work is written-first, Substack's network is a strong reason to pick it.
Can I sell a film or a rental on Substack or Patreon?
Patreon's pricing page lists one-time payments alongside memberships. Substack's pages describe paid subscriptions, not individual rentals. Neither describes a rental with a viewing window on the pages we read. A video storefront such as uncompressed.io sells rentals, purchases and memberships at 0% commission.
Which should a filmmaker choose?
If you write as much as you film, Substack. If you want tiers, community chat and a mix of posts, Patreon. If members pay mainly to watch films or series and you care about picture quality, a video-first platform fits better than either.
When the paid part is the film.
uncompressed.io sells memberships, rentals and purchases of video at 0% commission on every paid plan (Lite USD 9, Pro USD 39, Max USD 99, Studio USD 219 a month). Start free with 5 GB.
Sources
- 1.Substack: going paid (read 12 October 2026)
- 2.Substack for video (read 12 October 2026)
- 3.Patreon pricing (read 12 October 2026)
- 4.Introducing Patreon Video, Patreon news (dated 3 November 2022, read 12 October 2026)