1. What Patreon Actually Takes From Your STL Sales
Patreon has three pricing tiers: Patreon Lite (5%), Patreon Pro (8%), and Patreon Premium (12%). Most serious miniature creators are on Pro or Premium. On top of those platform fees, payment processing adds another 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for credit cards.
For a single $15 miniature pack sold through Patreon Pro:
| Fee type | Patreon Pro (8%) | Proofly (0%) |
|---|---|---|
| Platform commission | −$1.20 | $0 |
| Payment processing | −$0.74 | paid by buyer |
| You receive | $13.06 | $15.00 |
That's $1.94 lost per sale — almost 13% of the sale price. On Proofly, buyers pay a flat ~$1 service fee directly, and the full $15 goes to you.
2. The Monthly Math: 100 Miniature Pack Sales
Let's see what the fee difference means at a realistic monthly volume for a growing miniature creator: 100 sales of a $15 pack.
| Platform | Gross revenue | Fees paid | You earn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proofly | $1,500 | $0 (paid by buyer) | $1,500 |
| Patreon Pro (8%) | $1,500 | −$120 + processing | ~$1,306 |
| Patreon Premium (12%) | $1,500 | −$180 + processing | ~$1,246 |
Patreon Pro creators lose approximately $194/month on 100 sales of $15. That's over $2,300/year in foregone income at the same sales volume.
3. Patreon Has No Piracy Protection for Your STL Files
The miniature STL community has a well-documented piracy problem. Paid model packs spread through Discord servers and Telegram groups within hours of release. On Patreon, there is no technical mechanism to identify which subscriber leaked your file.
Patreon delivers files as standard downloads. Once a patron downloads your STL, they have an untraced copy. There is no buyer fingerprint, no forensic metadata — the file is indistinguishable from any other copy.
Proofly's HiddenMark system embeds a unique steganographic code per buyer into the mesh geometry of every paid download. The code survives reslicing in PrusaSlicer or Chitubox because it lives in the vertex data, not in file metadata that slicers strip. If your pack appears on a piracy channel, upload one file to proofly.store/hiddenmark to identify the exact buyer in seconds.
🔐 HiddenMark™
Per-buyer fingerprinting on every paid download. Automatic — no setup required from the creator. Survives reslicing, re-export to OBJ/3MF/FBX.
How HiddenMark works →4. Patreon Gives Buyers a Static Download — Proofly Shows the Mesh
On Patreon Shop, buyers see photos and renders — then purchase without ever inspecting the actual geometry. For miniature packs priced at $10–25, buyers are making a blind purchase. Common complaints: unexpected mesh issues, support placement, scale mismatches.
Proofly includes a full in-browser WebGL 3D viewer on every listing. Buyers rotate, zoom, and inspect the actual mesh before purchasing — reducing hesitation and post-purchase complaints. Higher buyer confidence means fewer refund requests and higher willingness to pay at your top price point.
5. You Don't Have to Choose — Use Both
Patreon is a community platform. Monthly patron tiers, Discord access, WIP posts, and behind-the-scenes content — Patreon does this well. If you have an established Patreon presence, that community is worth keeping.
The recommended strategy for miniature creators is dual distribution:
- Patreon — monthly subscription tiers, WIP content, community access, patron exclusives
- Proofly — one-time STL purchases at 0% commission, HiddenMark per-buyer protection, in-browser 3D preview
Proofly requires no exclusivity. Your Patreon page stays up; your Proofly store runs in parallel. New buyers who find you through Google or the Proofly marketplace pay 0% commission. Existing patrons who want individual packs without a subscription also have a destination.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Patreon take from STL sales?
Patreon Pro charges 8% of earnings; Patreon Premium charges 12%. Add 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for payment processing. On a $15 miniature pack via Patreon Pro, you net approximately $13.06. Proofly charges 0% to creators — the buyer pays a flat ~$1 service fee.
Can I sell STL files on Patreon without a subscription tier?
Yes, Patreon Shop allows one-time digital product sales. But Patreon Shop is still subject to Pro/Premium fees (8–12%). Proofly is purpose-built for one-time STL sales with 0% seller commission and no subscription requirement for buyers either.
Is Patreon or Proofly better for selling miniature STL files?
For revenue, Proofly is better: 0% vs 8–12%. For community and monthly subscription content, Patreon is better. Most miniature creators benefit from using both: Patreon for monthly patron tiers, Proofly for one-time pack sales with 0% fees.
Does Patreon protect my STL files from being shared?
No. Patreon delivers standard downloads with no piracy tracing. Once a patron downloads your STL, they can share it freely. Proofly's HiddenMark embeds a unique per-buyer watermark into every downloaded mesh — if your file leaks, upload it to proofly.store/hiddenmark to identify the source buyer.
Do I need to leave Patreon to use Proofly?
No. Proofly requires no exclusivity. Keep your Patreon for monthly patron content. Add Proofly for one-time STL sales with 0% commission and HiddenMark protection. The two audiences are complementary.
Keep 100% of every miniature sale
No Patreon fee. No monthly subscription for buyers. HiddenMark piracy protection on every download. Upload your first pack in 2 minutes — free.