Brandwave

Patreon vs Substack:Which is more popular by branded search?

In August 2026, Patreon had more branded searches than Substack among membership platforms worldwide. Patreon was estimated to have 4.1M branded searches compared to Substack’s 2.5M, and held a 61.8% Share of Search versus Substack’s 37.9%. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search among membership platforms worldwide in August 2026Which is more popular in search, Patreon or Substack?
Patreon61.8%4.1M searches
vs
Substack37.9%2.5M searches
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Which is more popular in search, Patreon or Substack?

Compare the platforms used to run paid memberships. 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.

Patreon and Substack among membership platforms worldwide, by month

Share of Search by month for Patreon, Substack. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthPatreonSubstackWild ApricotMemberPressMemberful
Oct 202570.2%29.3%0.25%0.21%0.05%
Nov 202570.1%29.4%0.25%0.21%0.04%
Dec 202566%33.6%0.2%0.16%0.05%
Jan 202665.9%33.7%0.24%0.16%0.04%
Feb 202665.5%34.1%0.24%0.16%0.05%
Mar 202666.1%33.5%0.2%0.13%0.04%
Apr 202661.8%37.9%0.18%0.12%0.04%
May 202666.6%33.2%0.16%0.09%0.03%
Jun 202666.2%33.6%0.16%0.09%0.03%
Jul 202661.5%38.2%0.18%0.08%0.03%
Aug 202661.8%37.9%0.15%0.07%0.02%
Sep 2026—————

How has the Patreon and Substack comparison changed over the last 12 months?

  • Patreon was ahead of Substack in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Patreon’s estimated Share of Search among membership platforms worldwide moved from 70.2% to 61.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3.4M to 4.1M.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Substack’s estimated Share of Search among membership platforms worldwide moved from 29.3% to 37.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.4M to 2.5M.

How did search popularity change for membership platforms worldwide in August 2026?

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Substack worldwide rose 79.4% over 11 measured months, from 1.4M to 2.5M in August 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Patreon worldwide rose 22.1% over 11 measured months, from 3.4M to 4.1M in August 2026.

How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Patreon’s and Substack’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.

Patreon

1 branded search term

  • patreon

Substack

18 branded search terms

  • Substack
  • substack app
  • substack articles
  • substack com
  • substack live
  • substack newsletter
  • substack newsletter platform
  • substack newsletters
  • substack notes
  • substack podcast
  • substack subscribe
  • substack subscription
  • substack web
  • substack website
  • substack websites
  • substack.com
  • what is a substack
  • what is substack

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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