How to Build a Subscription-Based App like Patreon?

Internet days eventually resulted in the rise of subscription-based apps, revolutionizing how creators meet their audiences. In other words, many creators with such an offer on Patreon can now have the opportunity to pay their subscribers in return for specific, one-of-a-kind content. Undertake the app’s creation if you want an app like Patreon but with a subscription-based architecture. This article will serve as a guiding manual, highlighting the key ways to develop a subscription-based app like Patreon.

How Does an App like Patreon Work?

Patreon is a subscription-based platform that lets content creators provide unique content to other subscribers in return for a specific payment. The creatures have tiers with various advantages; subscribers opt for a tier, and Patreon apps manage the payment processing. Subscribers get access to unique content and connect with creators with the help of various features like direct messaging and comments.

Patreon works on a revenue-sharing model with the platform in exchange for a certain percentage of subscription fees. Moreover, it has a community where creators can monetize their work and interact with their audience.

How to Build a Patreon-like App?

Developing a subscription-based app like Patreon requires a few steps. The steps are the following;

Step 1: Mobile App Development

It is the basic stage of Patreon-like app development. In this step a mobile app development company goes through the process of tech implementation. You can get different features, like push notifications or chatbots. The main thing is that development costs will be higher due to implementing more complicated features. Besides, you must consider the app’s iOS or Android platform. To cover all the client requirements, it will be better to create cross-platform apps compatible with major OSs. This step usually costs around $27,000 USD.

Step 2: UX/UI Design

By studying your target audience, unique UX/UI creates responsive user interfaces and positive experiences. Moreover, an adaptive Patreon like app design runs smoothly on any device, especially if it is a cross-platform app. This step of app development costs around $6,000 USD.

Step 3: The Processes of Testing and Ensuring Quality

Testing the product before making it available to the public is crucial. Automated and manual testing ensures the performance is unimpaired, and all bugs will be removed. Besides, it will provide insights into the application’s usage. Thus, it will improve the interfaces and features. If you hire dedicated mobile app developers, this particular step costs around $6,000 USD.

Step 4: Project Management

The project manager ensures that the milestones are met. The project’s scope remains the way you want it to be. They perform risk analyses to identify security weaknesses and communicate with you about the subscription application development procedure. If you take a mobile app business plan, the project management usually costs approximately. $5,500 USD.

What Are the Main Features of a Subscription App?

When developing a subscription-based app like Pateron, you must review the expected features. This will help you avoid fluctuations in cost at the end of the project. These apps usually include three types of users: patrons, artists, and admins. The features differ slightly from one user to another.

Add Profile Details

It allows the artists to describe their expertise and promote themselves to new subscribers. They can use profile descriptions to specify their reward expectations, niche, and potential audience size. It allows them to add links to their portfolio websites and social media. Thus, it allows users to check out their previous works before following or subscribing to them for more personal and lifestyle content.

Make Payments

Content creators who use Patreon’s Pro and Premium plans can design their personal subscription tiers, with pricing starting at $1. It allows the subscribers more flexibility in payments and lets them support their favourite artists. Hence, you can consider implementing this feature in your app. If an app will be released globally, you must provide multi-currency support and diverse payment options.

Track Billing History

Many Patreon users support more than one artist. When there are many subscriptions, it will be easy to lose track of them. Therefore, you must consider making it easier for the users while you are creating a subscription-based app. It allows users to evaluate their subscription list and manage it if required.

Communicate

A strong community benefits any app, especially subscription-based apps. Subscribers can follow their favorite creators, while creators should be able to communicate with them, answer their questions, and react to their replies. All these can be done in the app. You can develop other tools while building a subscription-based app.

Enabling creators to reach out to their audience allows them to notify their subscribers about new content, reply in comments, and build a stronger subscriber base. On the other hand, the artist’s audience feels more appreciated and engaged in dialogue with the creator and finds more motivation to use the app.

Content Tracking

Usually, subscribers use Patreon for entertainment purposes. Hence, creators consider it a business. Just like other businesses, subscription-based apps need metrics to track performance. So, you can add a tracking option to your project, as it will allow creators to measure the effectiveness of their work. Also, with this feature, they can check content views and number of followers, analyze monthly reports, subscription statistics, etc.

Live Streaming

This feature is helpful for creators who work with multiple visual or audio content forms. Running video streams is an excellent way to interact with the audience and build their loyalty. Moreover, integrating the pay-per-view feature into your app will be a financially rewarding experience for the artists.

Goals and Progress Bar

On this app, artists can add goals and progress bars to their pages. It helps to build anticipation among the audience. Also, it encourages the creators to continue supporting their subscribers. This feature is very helpful for creators who create long-term content.

What is the Range of Expenses for Developing an App Non-subscription like Patreon?

The total cost of creating a product such as Patreon will depend on numerous variables, including the application attributes, its complexity, the feature set and technology stack, the development team’s fees, and the time-frames defined in the project schedule. On the other hand, the design cost of a basic mobile application lies within the range of $35,000 to $150,000 USD on the average inner-city estimate.

Conclusion

The road to making a pay-to-view app with mechanisms like Patreon. Creating a genuinely standout platform is possible by applying UI/UX best-quality approaches. Determining the breakdown of costs to develop a subscription-based app like Patreon may be challenging. The profit can be very high if you invest cash in a modern application. The app is designed to boost content generation, the feeling of being part of a community, and financial persistence for both the creator and the users.