Patreon vs pixivFANBOX

Patreon and pixivFANBOX both sell monthly support to fans, and both allow sexual drawn work. They grew up in different places, though, and it shows in every rule. Patreon works in dollars, euros and pounds and writes its adult policy around themes. FANBOX works in yen, follows Japanese obscenity law and writes its policy around censoring. An artist's audience and subject matter usually make the choice. Other matchups are listed on our comparisons page.

Fees on small and large pledges

Patreon charges 10% on pages published after August 4, 2025, plus processing: 2.9% + $0.30 for cards and US PayPal, 3.9% + $0.30 for PayPal outside the US, 3.4% + €0.35 in euros and 3.4% + £0.35 in pounds. A 2.5% conversion fee applies when a fan pays in another currency, and Apple takes 30% of memberships bought in the iOS app.

FANBOX charges a service fee of 12.9% of pledges on pages set to post R-18 content and 10% on all-ages pages. Its fee article lists no separate processing charge; transfer fees apply when you withdraw. EU supporters pay VAT on top of the plan price since July 2026, and it does not come out of the creator's share.

The fixed 30 cents is what separates them on small pledges:

At pixiv's stated average FANBOX pledge of about 500 JPY, the fee is about 64 JPY. Patreon's 10% plus 2.9% already equals FANBOX's 12.9% before the 30 cents is added, so on a US card FANBOX takes less at every price. The gap is widest on small pledges and narrows to under two points at $25. Our fee comparison for creators runs these sums for every platform.

Censoring and banned themes

FANBOX requires censoring: genitals and penetration must be censored appropriately, with mosaics of at least four pixels square or 1/100 of the long side, and links to uncensored versions elsewhere count as a violation. Patreon has no mosaic rule. Whether an artist censors is the artist's choice.

On themes, Patreon is the stricter in wording. Its guidelines ban incest in any format, step relations included, sexual violence in drawn work (with non-consent covering hypnosis, drugs and blackmail), real-world bestiality, and drawn subjects who are not unmistakably interpreted to be adults, judged on body, tags and settings. Cousins, in-laws and anthropomorphic characters are allowed on Adult/18+ pages.

FANBOX treats drawn work with sexual exploitation of people under 18, incest, bestiality, rape or non-consensual mutilation as "Items Requiring Revision": the post is hidden until the creator changes it, and the titles, tags and captions count as much as the image. In September 2026 creators reported suspensions of posts up to four years old, with notices citing the payment processor and tags like hypnosis, brainwashing and kidnapping. Our FANBOX suspension report has the details. Both platforms end up excluding much the same themes; FANBOX also polices the words around the picture.

Both ban AI-generated adult work, and both ban sexual images of real people (FANBOX bans live-action and photo-realistic sexual work outright).

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ID checks and public previews

Patreon requires every Adult/18+ creator to verify age and identity with a government ID and a selfie, citing Mastercard and Visa. It also requires the public parts of a page to be clean: profile image, banner, tier descriptions and free posts must be free of nudity (real or animated) sexual activity, or any sexually explicit works. Image previews on adult pages are blurred, and Patreon Video is not available to them.

FANBOX sign-up uses the pixiv account and its help center describes no ID check for creators. Single posts can be made public, so a censored sample can sit in the open. FANBOX checks profile images, plans and cover images too, and can switch a page to R-18 on its own; switching back now needs a support request.

Payouts

Patreon pays out any time once funds clear or automatically on the 5th. US direct deposit costs $0.25 a payout; Payoneer bank transfer $0.25 plus 1.55% conversion; PayPal 1% (minimum $0.25, capped at $20, $10 minimum payout); Payoneer wallet $1 ($25 minimum). Non-US creators file a W-8BEN first. Purchases made in the iOS app stay pending up to 75 days.

FANBOX pays to a Japanese bank account (200 JPY under 30,000 JPY, 300 JPY above) or PayPal (no transfer fee). Auto-Payout arrives within five business days of the 20th and skips months under 5,000 JPY; Early Payout can be requested any time. Payoneer, Wise and other transfer services are refused. A non-Japanese artist on FANBOX uses PayPal and is paid in yen. The routes are compared on creator payout methods.

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What each lets you sell

Patreon sells monthly, annual and per-creation memberships, plus one-time purchases of posts, collections and digital products (5% to 12% depending on the plan). Adult/18+ creators can run free trials, discounts and gifting on subscription billing. FANBOX sells monthly plans from 100 to 10,000 JPY, with no free plan tier, no tips found and goods through a BOOTH Secret Shop at 550 JPY a month.

For supporters

Patreon has iOS (17+) and Android apps; fans see adult creators only after switching on "See 18+ creators" and confirming they are 18. FANBOX has no official app, and R-18 viewing is a browsing setting on the pixiv account. FANBOX bills the full month on joining, then between the 1st and 5th, with access to month end after cancelling and no refunds. Patreon renews monthly or annually, keeps access to the end of the period and doesn't typically offer refunds.

The card statement is clearer on FANBOX: "PIXIV FANBOX", never the creator's name. Patreon is the billing entity on the charge, but it publishes no statement wording. FANBOX takes Visa, Mastercard, JCB and American Express; PayPal works for R-18 creators only for fans who had paid by PayPal on FANBOX before March 21, 2024.

Which one should you pick?

Pick Patreon if your supporters are in the US or Europe, you price tiers at $5 or more, and your comic fits its theme rules without censoring. Expect to keep your public page tame and to pass an ID check before launch.

Pick FANBOX if your readers find you on pixiv, your work is already censored to Japanese standards, and your fans give small amounts: the flat 12.9% comes in under Patreon's fee at every price, and well under it below $10. Be careful with tags and titles.

Some artists use both, each with its own audience. For the wider field, see the best platforms for adult comic creators, or our side-by-sides of Patreon and SubscribeStar and FANBOX and Fantia.