Building an Open Source Alternative to Patreon in 100 days

I just launched a new GitHub repo at patroninc/patron to build an open-source Patreon alternative in 100 days. I will be documenting my progress with regular blog posts, videos, and hopefully livestreams.

Why Do This?

Patreon is the main platform for monetizing serialized content (e.g. thing 1, 2, 3) through early access rolling paywalls, but it doesn't have the features needed to support this well. As a result, both creators and patrons have a frustrating experience.

Problem for Creators

The current Patreon model lacks a way for creators to monetize individual pieces of content. This creates an inherent problem: creators feel pressured to maintain a relentless release schedule to justify ongoing subscriptions (as detailed here on reddit).

I believe this could be easily fixed by introducing a subscription option where patrons purchase a set number of "credits" each month. These credits could then be redeemed for specific content items, moving away from the current "blank check" model.

Problem for Patrons

As a patron, I need a simple way to pick up where I left off with a specific creator's content. When I return to a creator's page, I want to be able to easily find the next post I haven't viewed yet, allowing me to resume my experience smoothly.

Currently, Patreon lacks a feature to support this. For example, if a creator has published 100 posts and the last one I read was post #80, there's no built-in mechanism to direct me to post #81. This means I have to manually figure out where I stopped.

My current hack is to 'like' the last post I viewed. However, it doesn't really work because finding that specific 'liked' post to determine my stopping point often involves scrolling through numerous pages of content.

I will be fixing this in Patron via some simple UX improvements.

100 Day Plan

I am officially starting today May 12! Please do checkout the Github repo and keep me honest as I go about trying to stay on track with the schedule below:

• Day 1-3: Secure patron.com or a similar domain.
• Day 4-10: Launch a neo-brutalist, 8/16-bit styled website with a waitlist offering lifetime low fees (<5%).
• Day 11-14: Write a compelling blog post explaining the vision behind building a Patreon competitor.
• Day 15-17: Share the blog on targeted platforms like HackerNews, r/progressionfantasy, and r/hfy where I have recognition.
• Day 18-30: Grow the waitlist by promoting the project and engaging with potential users specifically in the writing category that uses Patreon.
• Day 31-60: Post weekly public updates on the build process to maintain transparency and build community trust.
• Day 61-75: Onboard existing Patreon creators earning to the platform as beta-testers and gather actionable feedback.
• Day 76-85: Polish any rough edges and fix all found bugs while maintaining continuous deployment.
• Day 86-95: Build a smooth onboarding system with engagement emails prompting for feedback and contact info to reach out to for help.
• Day 96-100: Plan and book high-impact booths and events at key creator conferences for the next year to drive user acquisition.