Whether you're a newcomer or a seasoned content creator, selecting the appropriate platform for monetizing your work is crucial. It's essential to choose a service that not only makes it easy for your fans to support you financially but also simplifies the process of withdrawing your earnings. Let's explore the membership platforms available that cater specifically to the South East Asian and Chinese markets.

Quick summary on alternatives to Patreon:

Use these platforms if you are in these regions.

• North America/ Europe - Ko-fi
• China - Unifans
• Japan - Pixiv Fanbox
• Indonesia - Trakteer
• Singapore - Ganknow
• Philippines - Ganknow
• If your reach is global, use platforms that use Wise instead of PayPal, for example, Pixiv and Unifans.

Patreon is not user-friendly

Patreon's recent changes in 2023 have had detrimental effects on both creators and subscribers, leading to a surge in the use of piracy websites. Subscribers are frustrated with disorganized content, image posts lacking previews, wasted space, and difficulties in accessing specific content through tags and collections. 

Creators have faced problems like reduced tier visibility, increased piracy of their content, a more cumbersome two-step posting process, and the loss of searchability within tags and collections. These changes have resulted in subscribers seeking alternative platforms to access content more conveniently, even if it means resorting to piracy sites. This situation highlights the need for Patreon to address these issues to prevent further migration to piracy platforms.



Ko-fi vs Patreon

Let's face it: most membership platforms offer similar features. Therefore, sometimes the decision often boils down to which platform is most cost-effective. When starting out, creators commonly waver between Patreon and Ko-fi. From a financial standpoint, Ko-fi often emerges as the superior choice. Ko-fi's one-off donations are completely free. For premium features, a 5% fee per transaction is charged. It offers a flat fee of $6 per month, which becomes more economical once you're consistently earning over $72 annually. However, other factors are equally important to consider, such as the ease of access for your fans, the feasibility of withdrawing your earnings, and the availability of features catering to specific niche fandoms.

Patreon's Problems in China

Let's take China as an example. For creators based in China or international creators with a Chinese audience, it's important to recognize the various barriers that may hinder your fans from financially supporting your content.

China is outlawing foreign platforms

Since 2022, China has been accusing Patreon for funding "crowdfunding for secessionist activities" in Hong Kong. Hong Kong banks are blocked from receiving transfers via Patreon. With the current political climate, I don't encourage you publish your work on Patreon as you may not be able to access if there is a change in regulation.

You can't use VPN with Patreon

Patreon enforces stringent regulations on VPN usage. If a user in China accesses their account via VPN on a computer and subsequently through a mobile phone, this triggers a security alert, leading to account suspension for suspected suspicious activity. While this serves as an effective safety measure, it poses significant inconvenience for Chinese users. In the event of suspension, reaching out to customer service can be an arduous task. For creators, this not only restricts access to their funds but also makes it challenging to issue refunds to their supporters.

Difficult to withdraw on Patreon

This issue isn't exclusive to Patreon, as many platforms have limitations regarding money withdrawal methods. Both Patreon and Ko-fi, designed for the broader market, predominantly support the most widely-used withdrawal options. However, in many developing countries, especially in Asia, the use of credit cards isn't as prevalent. Recognizing this gap, several new membership platforms have emerged in recent years, specifically addressing the unique financial transaction needs of these regions.

Patreon and Ko-fi Alternatives

Afdian

While there's a domestic platform in China called Afdian, it has its drawbacks. Primarily, it's subject to stringent Chinese regulations, where accounts can be abruptly shut down if content is deemed illegal. Additionally, Afdian isn't as accessible for international fans, offering only three payment methods: WeChat, Alipay, and PayPal. WeChat and Alipay pose sign-up challenges for foreigners, and while PayPal is a reliable veteran, it incurs significant fees for business transactions and is known for its aggressive account freezing and balance withholding policies. Most importantly, PayPal China individual accounts are unable to receive international payment.

Unifans

In contrast, Unifans is designed to cater to users who need access to both the Chinese and global markets. It achieves this by supporting a variety of payment methods, including WeChat, Alipay, and international bank cards. While Unifans also integrates PayPal, it uniquely incorporates Wise, known for its cost-effectiveness, especially for transferring earnings to and from China for expatriates. Click here for further reading on why Wise is superior than PayPal on international money transfer. This array of payment options enhances accessibility for a global fan base. Moreover, Unifans stands out as the only international membership sponsorship platform that allows for withdrawals via RMB UnionPay cards, offering unparalleled convenience for Chinese content creators.

Pixiv Fanbox

Pixiv, a Japanese international platform, enabling creators to publish private anime, manga, fan art, and gaming artworks. Similar to Unifans, Pixiv utilizes Wise, which facilitates convenient transactions for international anime enthusiasts and NSFW creators. It's important to note, however, that Pixiv's Fanbox adheres to Japanese censorship laws and prohibits the display of uncensored genital imagery. Creators often navigate this restriction by sharing such content via email. For more detailed information regarding Wise, please refer to the link provided in the previous paragraph.

Ganknow

Ganknow, based in Singapore, has been focusing on the cosplay, streaming, and E-commerce markets in Philippines, offering GCash / PayMaya / BPO / BPI / Metro Bank / Union Bank. They also provide domestic withdraw methods in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. The most notable feature of Ganknow is its 0% platform fees, setting it apart from competitors.

Trakteer

Since Trakteer is a platform built or Indonesia creators, it has the largest user base in the South Asian market, larger than Ganknow. Other than the default credit card options, they offer domestic options, including GOPAY, OVO, FUND, ShopeePay, Linkaja, QRIS, UOB, and EZPAY.

Besides Patreon and Ko-fi, there are other platforms like Podia, TipsSnaps, Tipeee, Kickstarter, and Indiegogo, each offering a unique creator-fan interaction experience with varying features. However, a common thread among these platforms is their focus on Western markets, often overlooking the specific needs and conveniences of creators and fans in developing regions.