Alternatives to Patreon for fitness creators
Fitness creators looking for Patreon alternatives should consider launching their own branded app or using dedicated membership platforms that offer more control and better features for video content.
Patreon is popular among creators, but it wasn’t built with fitness in mind. If you’re a trainer or wellness coach, you might have found Patreon limiting for delivering workouts or interacting with your subscribers. The good news is that there are alternatives, from all-in-one video membership sites to having your own app, that can serve your needs better. The goal is to choose a platform where you keep more ownership of your brand and revenue, and give your fans a great experience.
Why Look Beyond Patreon?
Before I list alternatives, let’s quickly note why many fitness creators move off Patreon:
Content Experience: Patreon is essentially a feed of posts. It’s not easy to organise a library of workout videos or programs. Your subscribers might struggle to find Day 1 of your program in a messy feed. Alternatives offer structured content libraries or course layouts.
Branding and Professionalism: On Patreon, your content sits under the Patreon brand umbrella and requires fans to use Patreon’s interface. If you want a white label experience (your own name, your own app), Patreon can’t do that. Alternatives can let you have a custom-branded platform, which looks much more professional to your audience.
Fees and Revenue Share: Patreon takes a percentage of your earnings (plus transaction fees). Also, if patrons pledge through Patreon’s iOS app, Apple takes an additional cut which can be around 30%. There’s been recent news (as of 2025) of Patreon forcing in-app subscriptions to comply with Apple, meaning creators could lose a big chunk to fees. Some alternatives have different pricing models, like flat fees or better revenue splits, meaning more money in your pocket.
Features: Patreon lacks fitness-specific features like video streaming, workout trackers, or community discussion boards tailored to a challenge or program. Alternatives often pack these in.
Top Alternatives and Options
Your Own Branded App (via a White Label Platform): This is the route many fitness creators are taking now. Using a service like Sudor, you can launch a personal app that basically serves as your own “Patreon” but better. Subscribers download your app from app stores, pay through it, and consume content there. You get to structure content in a logical way (e.g., Workout Programs, Meal Plans, Livestreams). The community aspect can be built-in too. The best part is that it’s your brand, i.e. the loyalty goes to your name, not Patreon. Yes, there’s typically a platform fee or revenue share for the app provider, but you often get more value for it. For example, Sudor not only handles payments and video hosting, but also offers support in migrating content and advising on pricing. This option is ideal if you’re serious about building a long-term brand and want maximum control.
Uscreen or Similar Video Membership Platforms: Uscreen is an example of a platform specifically for video subscriptions. It’s web-based but also offers the ability to have your own app (on higher pricing tiers). Creators can set up a Netflix-like site for their content. It’s more geared toward video on demand and live streaming. The upside: it’s designed for video creators, so better than Patreon for workouts. It also allows custom branding to an extent. The downside: it can be pricier upfront and may not have the community features or coaching tools that a fitness-specific platform has. However, it’s a solid Patreon alternative if your content is mainly video classes and you want a ready-to-go solution.
MemberSpace / MemberStack with Your Own Site: If you already have a website (say on WordPress or Squarespace) and you want to add a membership section to it, tools like MemberSpace or MemberStack can be alternatives. They let you lock content on your site for paying members only. Essentially, you’d mimic Patreon by posting your videos or blogs on your own site, and only subscribers can see them. The benefit here is you’re fully in control of your website and branding. The challenge is you’ll need to piece together a few tools (video hosting on Vimeo or YouTube unlisted, a forum plugin for community perhaps, etc.). It’s a more DIY solution and not as seamless as a dedicated app platform, but it does free you entirely from third-party platforms taking a cut (except those tools’ fees which are usually flat).
Other Niche Platforms: There are some fitness-specific membership platforms out there. For instance, some trainers use Trainerize or My PT Hub, which are software for training clients that also have e-commerce elements. These aren’t exactly Patreon-like content platforms; they’re more for delivering workout programs and tracking client progress. If your model is more personal coaching than content subscription, those might be alternatives to consider. They allow you to charge clients for access to workouts and track their progress. However, they may not handle video content streaming as smoothly or allow broad community building like an app would.
YouTube Memberships / Facebook Subscriptions: Some creators consider using social media’s native subscription features. YouTube has channel memberships; Facebook has subscriber groups. These can be simpler to use initially (since you’re already on those platforms), but they come with similar downsides to Patreon: you don’t get contact info of subscribers easily, you’re at the whim of platform policies, and branding is all YouTube/Facebook. Also, these platforms take a significant revenue share and you’re limited in the type of content (e.g., YouTube is video only, no pdf or program structure; Facebook groups are again just feeds). They’re alternatives, but usually not as lucrative or flexible for fitness creators.
Real World Moves
I know a yoga instructor, Elena, who was on Patreon offering exclusive weekly classes. She had about 200 patrons but felt the engagement was flat. She switched to launching her own app, where she could upload classes by category (so users could easily find “yoga for back pain” or “morning flows”, etc.). She also started a 21-day challenge in the app’s community section. Not only did 150 of her Patreon members follow her to the app, but they were more active and she actually grew to 250 subscribers because the app attracted new people who found her in app stores. She kept roughly 90% of revenue (after payment processing) compared to about 75% on Patreon after Patreon’s cut + transaction fees + some Apple fees. Another creator, a fitness couple, moved off Patreon to their own membership site using a combination of WordPress and MemberSpace; they enjoyed having full control, though they admitted it took more work to set up than they expected. Still, their site now feels like their own platform, and they can integrate it with their main website and mailing list smoothly. These stories show that while Patreon is a decent starting point, as you grow or refine your offering, alternatives can offer a more tailored and profitable solution.
Take Control of Your Membership
If Patreon isn’t fitting your needs, don’t hesitate to explore these alternatives. Your content and community might thrive much more on a platform built for fitness memberships. We’re obviously a fan of creators owning their own platform. This is why we do what we do at Sudor. Sudor was built by entrepreneurs with a love of fitness, in order to help other entrepreneurs grow their fitness business. If you want to see what having your own app could look like, we’d love to show you. Feel free to book a free consultation and we can discuss the best solution for you, whether it’s an app or another route. The bottom line: you have options, and you don’t have to settle for a platform that wasn’t designed for your style of content.