Risk Score
0 = very fair · 100 = very risky
Summary
This is Patreon's Terms of Use, governing both creators and patrons (supporters) on the membership/content platform. The document is relatively transparent and written in plain language with summaries above each section. However, it contains several clauses that significantly favor Patreon, including broad account termination rights, a general no-refund policy, the ability to remove access to purchased content, and a license grant over user content. Overall the terms are moderately fair for a platform of this type, but patrons in particular face notable risks around losing access to paid content.
Flagged Clauses
Patrons do not own anything they pay for. They only receive a revocable license to view content, meaning access can be taken away at any time even after payment.
“Patrons receive 'a non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable, limited license to access and view those creations for your own private, personal, non-promotional, non-commercial use.'”
There are many scenarios — many outside the patron's control — in which paid content can become permanently inaccessible. Patreon and creators can remove content or accounts at will, causing paying patrons to lose what they paid for.
“You may lose access to offerings you've purchased and membership subscription benefits if, for example, your payment method fails, we terminate your account, the creator blocks you, the creator stops making offerings, the creator deletes their Patreon account, the creator changes who has access, the creator removes a post, we remove the creator from Patreon, or we remove a post or offering from a creator's Patreon account.”
Patreon generally does not issue refunds, even if a patron loses access to content they already paid for due to creator or Patreon action. Exceptions exist but are entirely at Patreon's discretion.
“Our policy is not to provide refunds, including if you lose access to offerings and/or membership subscription benefits as described above, though we may allow for some exceptions where refunds are granted at our sole discretion.”
Patreon can terminate any account, cancel any subscription, or remove any content without needing a specific reason. There is no requirement to provide a warning or cure period before termination.
“We can terminate or suspend your account at any time at our sole discretion. We can also cancel any membership subscriptions and remove any descriptions, posts, offerings, or benefits at our sole discretion.”
Users cannot challenge Patreon's decision to terminate another user's account, and attempting to do so could result in the challenging user being liable for Patreon's legal fees.
“You may not bring a claim against us for suspending or terminating another person's account, and you agree you will not bring such a claim. If you try to bring such a claim, you are responsible for the damages caused, including attorneys' fees and costs.”
All subscriptions auto-renew automatically. Free trials convert to paid subscriptions unless cancelled beforehand. Users must actively manage cancellations to avoid unwanted charges.
“Each type of paid subscription automatically renews monthly (for monthly and per-creation memberships) or annually (for annual memberships) until you cancel via your membership settings. If your subscription includes a free trial, then, unless you cancel via your membership settings before your free trial ends, you will be charged for the first time after the specified free trial period ends.”
Subscription prices can be raised by creators or Patreon. While notice is provided, the user's only option is to cancel — the increased price is not subject to the user's approval.
“The amount you are charged for a membership subscription may increase with notice to you.”
Tax amounts can increase with no advance notice to users, meaning the total charge could be higher than expected without warning.
“Patreon does not control the applicable tax that you may be charged and this amount may increase without notice to you.”
Users grant Patreon a royalty-free license to use their content as part of operating the service. The full scope of this license is not visible in the provided text, which warrants review of the complete document.
“By making creations available on Patreon or otherwise posting on Patreon, you grant us a royalty-free, per... [text is cut off]”
Creators and patrons retain ownership of their own content. Patreon only requests a license to use it for platform operations, not a transfer of ownership.
“Creators keep full ownership of their creations and patrons keep full ownership of what they post on Patreon, but we need licenses from you for this material in order to operate Patreon's services effectively.”
Patreon controls currency conversion rates at its own discretion, which could mean patrons pay more or less than expected based on Patreon's chosen rate rather than market rates.
“We automatically convert the prices of offerings and subscriptions into a patron's local currency based on a currency conversion rate that may be determined at our sole discretion.”
Patreon can add, remove, or modify platform features at any time without user consent. Features a user relies on could be taken away or altered without recourse.
“We are constantly experimenting with product features to make Patreon better and may add, remove, or test features with a subset of creators [and patrons]. Access to these features is not guaranteed and may not be subject to your control.”
For creators, if refunds or chargebacks push their account balance negative, Patreon can automatically deduct those amounts from future earnings.
“If your balance becomes negative, we reserve the right to recover those funds from future payments.”
Data collection and sharing practices are governed by separate Privacy and Cookie policies, not detailed in this Terms of Use document. Users would need to review those documents separately for full data practice details.
“For information about our data practices, please see our Privacy Policy and our Cookie Policy. We collect, use, and share information in accordance with those policies.”
Platform fees charged to creators can be increased over time, though Patreon states it will provide notice before doing so.
“These fees may increase with notice to you and may vary depending on the level and type of Patreon service you select.”
Missing Protections
- No explicit arbitration or dispute resolution clause is detailed in the provided text — users should check the full document for mandatory arbitration or class action waiver provisions
- No explicit data retention or deletion policy described in this document (referenced to separate Privacy Policy)
- No guaranteed refund or pro-rata credit policy if Patreon or a creator terminates access to paid content mid-subscription period
- No service level agreement (SLA) or uptime guarantee for platform availability
- No explicit grace period or warning requirement before account termination for policy violations
- No clear process or timeline for appeals of account suspensions or terminations
- No explicit cap on how much subscription prices can increase or how much notice must be given before price increases take effect
- No COPPA-specific data handling protections described in Terms (referenced to separate Privacy Policy)
- No explicit portability rights for user data or content download provisions in the Terms
Fair Terms
- The document is written in accessible plain English with summaries above each section, which is significantly more transparent than most platform terms
- Creators explicitly retain full ownership of their creations — no assignment of intellectual property to Patreon
- Patreon states it typically handles fraud, chargebacks, and payment disputes on behalf of creators, reducing creator burden
- The document explicitly acknowledges and explains different fee types in detail, including currency conversion fees and third-party platform fees, with transparency about what Patreon does and does not control
- Patreon states it tries to work with creators and patrons to resolve policy violations before resorting to termination
- Annual membership upgrades include a credit mechanism for amounts already paid in the current term
- Patreon states it makes archive of prior terms available, supporting transparency about changes over time
- The document explicitly states Patreon does not receive or apply foreign transaction fees charged by financial institutions, clarifying this common point of confusion
Document information only — not legal advice.