Who are the Top Patreon Creators?

Patreon was founded back in 2014 by a musician who wanted to make it easier for creatives to make a living thanks to their fans. Since then, tens of thousands of YouTubers, podcasters, and other creatives have flocked to the service. The concept is simple – you offer something to your audience, and in exchange, they provide you with a small monthly donation. The offer doesn’t even need to be exclusive or only for Patrons, just a commitment to creating more content. Last year, over $150 million dollars was raised for creators on the platform. But, recent data has shown that MOST creators make less than $100 a month from Patreon.

So the question becomes – who are the top Patreon Creators?

**WE’VE UPDATED THIS LIST FOR 2020!**

Who are the Top Patreon Creators?

Using data from Graphtreon, we can figure out exactly who the top creators are and roughly what they are making each month.

Chapo Trap House – 21,400 Patrons, earning $95,000 per month.

Chapo Trap House is a political comedy podcast. The podcast, which started back in March 2016 is hosted by Will Menaker, Matt Christman, Felix Biederman, Ambe A’Lee Frost and Virgil Texas. The show approaches most topics with an extreme left-wing POV, something they call the “Dirtbag Left”. The show itself will entertain, even if you don’t align politically. But, there are many inside jokes that make it hard to appreciate some of the humor. Each week they release an episode to the public, and Patron’s get an exclusive episode. They only have one support tier for $5.

Dr. Jordan B Peterson – 8100 Patrons, earning an estimated $70,000 per month.

Dr. Peterson is a YouTuber creating psychology lectures. He’s been a psychology professor at McGill, Harvard and currently U of T, for over 30 years. He has recently gained widespread notoriety for his assumed right-wing commentary. This stemmed from his critique of political correctness. Despite fervent opposition from the left, his  ‘calm under pressure’ pedigree has only grown his following and his appeal. He currently has 7 reward tiers ranging from $5 to $200 per month. Perks range from access to a live Q&A, to digital books, and digital courses.

Amanda Palmer – 11,200 Patrons, earning $55,000 per month.

Amanda Palmer is an artist and musician. She’s the current lead singer for The Dresden Dolls. She’s become a cultural icon. Not only does she create music, but she blogs and creates videos as well. She is currently restructuring her support tiers to range from $1 to $1000. Lower tiers get access to downloads, webchats, pre-sales and more. Higher tiers get IRL mail, postcards, guest lists at shows, and signed swag.

Philip DeFranco – 14,400 Patrons, earning an estimated $50,000 per month.

PhillyD is a popular news YouTuber building out his own news network. He has been on YouTube for over a decade and has become one of the platforms most trusted sources of news. While he presents the news with a bit of his opinion, he also manages to avoid partisan politics. Instead, Philip DeFranco presents the news the way we wish the media would present it. Patron’s receive perks that include exclusive content, discounts, swag and even producer credits. He currently has 6 support tiers ranging from $5 to $1000.

AvE – 12,800 Patrons, earning an estimated $44,000 per month.

AvE is a niche YouTuber creating technical teardown videos. Whether it’s how an old pump works or how to machine out a square hole in metal without special tools, his channel has the answers. His content is often technical, but he manages to make it easy for anyone to understand. His content has really developed into something fascinating in the last year. He has two support tiers for $2 and $5. Both tiers get access to the content a week early.

Seriallos – 10,800 Patrons, earning an estimated $37,000 per month.

Seriallos is a developer creating apps for World of Warcraft players. Amazingly, World of Warcraft, which was released in 2004, continues to be popular. His Raidbots site helps players determine how great their gear might be, as well as help them better equip themselves. He currently offers three support tiers ranging from $3 to $10 per month. Each tier offers quicker access to his services (iteration caps, skip the line and length of time).

Kurzgesagt – 10,500 Patrons, earning $36,000 per month.

Kurzgesagt develops YouTube animations about science. They’ve experienced an explosion in views on the platform this year, with many hitting the trending tab. Their colorful style is enjoyable to look at, and the information is easily digested. One of the best science channels on YouTube. They currently offer seven support tiers ranging from $2 to $150 per month. At the lowest level, it includes Adblock Forgiveness, all the way up to having your own Easter egg ‘bird’ animated into the video.

Sword and Scale – 10,000 Patrons, earning an estimated $34,000 per month.

Sword and Scale is a true crime podcast. In a world that became obsessed with Serial, this serves that market well. They present a true crime story mixing in interviews, 9/11 calls, witness testimony and their own narration, sound effects and music. The final product is impressive and fun to listen to, even if the topic is rather macabre. They currently have five support tiers that range from $5 to $50 per month. Perks include early access to shows, discounts, live chats, and swag.

Sam Harris – 8800 Patrons, earning an estimated $30,000 per month.

Sam Harris is a podcaster and public speaker. His content centers around religion, of which he is deeply critical. Ironically, he also considers atheism to be problematic as a term. He’s also an author who has written books about neuroscience, philosophy, ethics, and religion. He currently only has one reward tier asking for $1 or more per podcast. Perks include early access to his live event tickets and an exclusive ask me anything podcast.

Second Captains – 9400 Patrons, earning an estimated $29,000 per month.

Second Captains is a podcast and podcast network based in Ireland. Founded in 2013, they’ve been growing their podcast network. They now do a combination of podcasts, online radio, and even television. The content is mainly about football (soccer), though other topics have been touched on. They have one support tier pegged at 5 Euros per month. Perks of supporting them include access to their podcasts, notifications, events, and discounts.