--- title: "Ko-fi vs Patreon: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Ko-fi or Patreon more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Creator payment platforms set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/creator-payment-platforms/compare/ko-fi-vs-patreon" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Ko-fi vs Patreon: Which is searched more? Is Ko-fi or Patreon more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Creator payment platforms set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Ko-fi and Patreon - **Competitive set**: Creator payment platforms - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Ko-fi Share of Search**: 14% - **Patreon Share of Search**: 85.1% ## Is Ko-fi or Patreon more popular in search? - In September 2026, Patreon had more branded searches than Ko-fi among creator payment platforms worldwide. Patreon had about 3.4 million branded searches, while Ko-fi had 550,000. Patreon made up 85.1% of all creator payment platform searches we track, and Ko-fi accounted for 14%. - Patreon was ahead of Ko-fi in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ko-fi’s share of searches among creator payment platforms worldwide moved from 11.8% to 14%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 450K to 550K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Patreon’s share of searches among creator payment platforms worldwide moved from 87.7% to 85.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 3.4M. ## Top creator payment platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Patreon was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Ko-fi was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Ko-fi and Patreon were each listed first in one of the two answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Patreon | 1st | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Ko-fi | 1st | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | JoinBrands | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Passionfroot | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Hypefy | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Popular Pays | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Glewee | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about creator payment platforms - Asked ChatGPT "Which creator payment platform should I use?": 1. Ko-fi, 2. Patreon - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best creator payment platforms?": 1. Patreon, 2. Ko-fi - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best creator payment platform for paying creators?": named none of the brands we track - Searched Google, AI Overview "creator payment platform": 1. Patreon - Searched Google, AI Overview "pay creators platform": named none of the brands we track Not named in any answer: JoinBrands, Passionfroot, Hypefy, Popular Pays and Glewee. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for creator payment platforms worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Ko-fi gained share of searches among creator payment platforms worldwide, from 11.8% to 14%. - In September 2026, Patreon lost share of searches among creator payment platforms worldwide, from 87.5% to 85.1%. ## Month by month | Month | Ko-fi estimated searches | Ko-fi Share of Search | Ko-fi rank | Patreon estimated searches | Patreon Share of Search | Patreon rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 450K | 11.8% | 2 | 3.4M | 87.7% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | 450K | 11.8% | 2 | 3.4M | 87.7% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 450K | 11.8% | 2 | 3.4M | 87.7% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 550K | 11.8% | 2 | 4.1M | 87.6% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 450K | 11.8% | 2 | 3.4M | 87.6% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 550K | 11.8% | 2 | 4.1M | 87.6% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 550K | 14% | 2 | 3.4M | 85.3% | 1 | | May 2026 | 550K | 11.8% | 2 | 4.1M | 87.6% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | 550K | 11.8% | 2 | 4.1M | 87.6% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 550K | 14% | 2 | 3.4M | 85.1% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 550K | 11.8% | 2 | 4.1M | 87.5% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 550K | 14% | 2 | 3.4M | 85.1% | 1 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Ko-fi’s and Patreon’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Ko-fi**: Measured on the search term “kofi”. - **Patreon**: Measured on the search term “patreon”. - [Ko-fi profile](/demand/global-en/brands/ko-fi) - [Patreon profile](/demand/global-en/brands/patreon) - [All creator payment platforms worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/creator-payment-platforms): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Ko-fi or Patreon more popular in search? In September 2026, Patreon had more branded searches than Ko-fi among creator payment platforms worldwide. Patreon had about 3.4 million branded searches, while Ko-fi had 550,000. Patreon made up 85.1% of all creator payment platform searches we track, and Ko-fi accounted for 14%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Ko-fi vs Patreon: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/creator-payment-platforms/compare/ko-fi-vs-patreon This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/creator-payment-platforms/compare/ko-fi-vs-patreon. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.