Patreon for brioche knitting creators — 2026 edition

Brk stitch-below needle path and held yarn-over mechanics, brp brioche purl, yosl setup action and position criticality, why brioche grows at half the rate of stockinette, two-color brioche alternating-round structure in the round versus flat (the WS row reversal problem), yarn dominance color depth effect, Italian tubular cast-on alternating leg setup, relaxed versus blocked gauge calibration, yardage estimate 1.4–1.8× stockinette, Nancy Marchant canonical notation, and the Apple Tax.

Brioche Patreons retain when they deliver the mechanics, structure, and calibration decisions that stitch-count charts and “knit below” shorthand descriptions compress away: exactly what happens at the needle level during a brk stitch (where the needle enters, how the held yarn-over interacts, why the stitch is anchored to a row two levels below), why yosl position before the slip rather than after is the single most critical setup variable for beginner success, why brioche grows at exactly half the rate of stockinette and what that means for row-gauge and yardage, the structural difference between working two-color brioche in the round and flat (not just procedurally different — architecturally different in a way that produces a different error pattern), how to demonstrate yarn dominance as a measurable color-depth effect rather than a vague preference, and how relaxed-versus-blocked gauge calibration changes everything about swatch measurement in a fabric that opens dramatically under blocking.

1. The brk stitch: exact needle path, held yarn-over, and why the texture is deep

The brk (brioche knit) stitch is not simply “knit into the stitch below.” That description is accurate in the sense that the needle enters a stitch one row below the current row, but it omits the held yarn-over that is the structural heart of brioche and the reason the fabric looks and behaves as it does. Understanding the brk stitch at the needle level requires tracing the preceding row first.

On the preceding row (or round), every stitch that will become a brk on the following row was worked as a yosl: yarn-over, slip one purlwise. This action deposits two loops on the right needle for each stitch in the series: first a yarn-over loop, then the slipped stitch body. Neither loop was worked; the stitch body is still the original stitch from the row before that, unmodified, now one row older. The yarn-over is new yarn that was wrapped around the right needle before the slip and now sits between the slipped stitch and the previously worked stitch. These two loops — yarn-over and slipped stitch — travel together as a pair to the left needle when the work is turned.

On the working row (the brk row), the pair is visible on the left needle: the yarn-over loop is on the right side of the pair (closer to the right needle when the needle tips point right), and the slipped stitch body is on the left side of the pair. The stitch that was slipped on the previous row is recognizable because it is the older-looking stitch in the pair; the yarn-over loop has a characteristic open, draping appearance. Below the left needle, in the body of the fabric, the slipped stitch’s original stitch from the row before sits in the knitted fabric, visible as a V shape.

The brk action: insert the right needle tip into that older V shape in the fabric — specifically into the stitch one row below the left needle level, through both legs of the V as you would for a normal knit stitch. Hold this position (the needle tip is now below the left needle level, through the fabric stitch below). Then tilt the right needle tip upward to also capture the yarn-over-and-slipped-stitch pair from the left needle. Draw a new loop of working yarn through all of these simultaneously: through the stitch-below V, through the yarn-over loop, and through the slipped stitch body. Pull through and drop all three from the left needle (the stitch-below in the fabric, the yarn-over, and the slipped stitch).

Why the texture is deep: the new brk stitch is anchored not to the row below it (as in standard ribbing) but to the row two below it — the stitch-below was deposited by a row in which it was not worked, meaning the actual stitch body being consumed dates from two full rows ago. This double-skip connection is what draws the fabric together in the row direction and creates the characteristic deep channel between knit columns. In standard k1p1 rib, adjacent knit stitches are separated by one row of depth; in brioche, adjacent brk columns are separated by two rows of depth because each brk stitch reaches two rows back. The result is a fabric with twice the apparent depth per row of structure, producing the honeycomb-like interior visible in cross-section when a thick brioche swatch is cut (which, incidentally, is one of the most pedagogically effective Patreon demonstrations: a cut-swatch cross-section showing the nested V shapes stacked two-deep).

The loft and squishiness of brioche comes from a related mechanical consequence: because each brk stitch is anchored two rows below rather than one, the slipped stitches between working rows are completely free to expand laterally into the space between anchor points. The yarn-over loop that accumulated on each slipped stitch adds extra length and volume; when the fabric is relaxed, these loops spring outward, producing the three-dimensional volume that distinguishes brioche from standard ribbing at the same stitch count and yarn weight. A brioche fabric is measurably thicker than a 2×2 rib in the same yarn: typically 30–50% thicker in fabric depth, depending on yarn weight and needle size.

2. The yosl setup: position of the yarn-over relative to the slip, and why it is the critical variable

The yosl (yarn over, slip one purlwise) is the setup action that creates the held yarn-over for the next row’s brk or brp stitch. Its correct execution is the single step where most brioche beginners make an irreversible error, because there are two physically plausible ways to perform the action and only one is correct.

The correct sequence: (1) Bring the working yarn to the front between the needle tips. This creates a yarn-over loop draping over the right needle. (2) With the yarn still in front, slip the next stitch purlwise from left needle to right needle. The stitch transfers with the right needle entering from right to left; the yarn in front passes over the right needle tip as the stitch goes over, meaning the yarn-over loop lands to the LEFT of the slipped stitch on the right needle (reading left to right on the needle from the back: yarn-over, slipped stitch, right needle tip). This is the correct position. Verify it: on the right needle, from the tip backward, you should see the slipped stitch closest to the tip and the yarn-over one position further from the tip.

The incorrect sequence (the common error): (1) Slip the stitch first, then (2) bring the yarn to the front to create the yarn-over. When the stitch is slipped before the yarn-over, the stitch transfers with no yarn in front; the yarn-over then drapes over the right needle to the RIGHT of the slipped stitch (from tip: yarn-over closest to tip, slipped stitch further from tip). On the following row, when this pair has traveled to the left needle, the positions are reversed: yarn-over is to the LEFT of the slipped stitch (further from the left needle tip), which is incorrect for a brk insertion. Working a brk into this reversed pair requires inserting through the stitch-below and through a reversed pair, producing a twisted stitch on the right needle and a visible misalignment in the stitch column. The finished fabric shows columns where every brk stitch is slightly twisted, producing a dense, compressed appearance rather than the open honeycomb character of correctly-worked brioche.

The self-check method for beginners: after each row of yosl, look at the right needle before turning. Every yosl pair should show a relaxed, wide draping loop (the yarn-over) to the right of a relaxed slipped stitch (the stitch body). The yarn-over should look loose and spacious; it is extra yarn that was added, not a tightened transferred stitch. If the pairs look compressed and tight, the yarn-over was created in the wrong position and the row should be reworked. This visual check is worth demonstrating on camera in a Patreon video because no written description substitutes for seeing the correct and incorrect versions of the pair side by side on the needle.

3. Why brioche grows at half the rate of stockinette: the held-stitch arithmetic

In standard stockinette, every stitch is worked on every row. A fabric with 100 stitches worked for 100 rows has consumed 10,000 knitting actions and produced 100 visible rows. The row count equals the row action count.

In brioche, every stitch alternates between being worked (as a brk or brp) and being slipped (as a yosl). A fabric with 100 stitches contains 50 brk-designated positions and 50 yosl-designated positions per row. On each brioche row: 50 stitches are worked as brk (or brp), and 50 stitches are slipped as yosl. No stitch is both worked and slipped on the same row. On the following row: the 50 stitches that were slipped (now held as stitch-plus-yarn-over pairs) are worked as brk or brp, and the 50 stitches that were worked on the previous row are now slipped as yosl for the following row. The roles alternate perfectly: every stitch is worked on every other row, and slipped on the intervening rows.

The consequence for visible row count: one brioche row produces no visible advancement on its own. It works half the stitches and accumulates the held yarn-overs for the other half. The visible row of brioche texture only appears after two rows have been completed — one row working the A-position stitches, one row working the B-position stitches. Two brioche rows = one visible row of brioche structure. Therefore brioche grows at exactly half the linear rate of stockinette, row for row.

The practical implications: a brioche hat that calls for 80 “rows” of brioche rib actually requires 160 passes of the needles (80 rows × 2 brioche rows per visible row). A brioche cowl that should measure 10 inches of body at a gauge of 2 rows per inch requires 40 visible rows × 2 = 80 actual passes. Pattern notation varies: some patterns count each pass as one row (so “work 80 rows” means 80 passes, 40 visible rows); others count in visible rows (so “work 40 rows” means 40 visible rows, 80 passes). Nancy Marchant’s patterns consistently count in passes (each yosl-and-brk cycle = 2 rows), and her instruction blocks typically mark each of the two alternating row types as Row A and Row B. Creators who use a different counting convention must state it explicitly in their patterns or patrons will end up with projects half the intended length.

4. Two-color brioche in the round versus flat: the structural difference

Two-color brioche in the round and two-color brioche flat are both called “two-color brioche” but they solve the alternating-color problem in structurally different ways, and the errors they produce when worked incorrectly are different in kind.

In the round: working direction is always left to right (from the right-side face, because you never turn the work). The two colors are designated A and B. Setup: establish which stitches are A-stitches and which are B-stitches (typically alternating: stitch 1 is A, stitch 2 is B, stitch 3 is A, etc., after the setup cast-on round). Round structure:

Round A (color A): Work brk into every A-stitch (the stitch whose yarn-over was accumulated using color A on the previous Round B), and work yosl with color A yarn for every B-stitch (slipping each B-stitch and draping a color-A yarn-over over it for the following Round B).

Round B (color B): Work brk into every B-stitch (the stitch whose yarn-over was accumulated using color B on the previous Round A), and work yosl with color B yarn for every A-stitch (slipping each A-stitch and draping a color-B yarn-over for the following Round A).

At the start of each round, drop the yarn that was just used and pick up the other color. Both yarns hang at the same point (the start of round marker) and alternate. Working direction never changes; the knitter is always looking at the RS face; the pattern is visually consistent.

Flat (back and forth rows): working direction reverses each row — RS rows work left to right (you see the RS face), WS rows work right to left (you see the WS face, which is a mirror image of the RS). This reversal creates a fundamental asymmetry. On RS rows, a brk stitch inserts below-and-toward-the-knitter and produces a knit-like surface on the RS face. On WS rows, the same physical stitch (seen from the opposite face) requires a brp (brioche purl) action — the stitch inserts below-and-away-from-the-knitter and produces a purl-like surface on the WS face, which is the RS face’s knit character from the other side. A brioche knitter who treats WS rows as identical to RS rows (just continuing to work brk) produces incorrect construction on WS rows. The correct WS row requires brp wherever the RS row required brk, and yosl wherever the RS row required yosl. This is why flat two-color brioche has four named row types, not two.

The most common flat brioche error: on WS rows, working brk instead of brp, or losing track of which stitches are which color’s responsibility because the face is reversed. The visual symptom: the WS face of the brioche shows the wrong color in the raised positions (a pattern that should show red ribs on the front shows blue ribs on the front, because the WS rows were worked in the wrong color sequence). Correction requires ripping back to the last correct RS row; partial-row fixes are not possible because the wrong-color yarn-overs are embedded in the stitch structure.

Patreon teaching strategy: film RS and WS rows as separate video segments, each from a fixed camera angle showing that face. Label each segment explicitly (“this is the WS row, you are looking at the wrong side of the fabric, this face will be hidden in the finished object”). Demonstrate the stitch-type reversal by working a RS brk and then showing the same stitch from the WS as a brp, at the same camera angle, so the relationship is visually obvious rather than described-only.

5. Yarn dominance in two-color brioche: the mechanism and the swatch test

Yarn dominance in two-color brioche is a measurable, reproducible phenomenon, not a subtle preference. It produces a visible difference in the apparent color depth of the two colors on each face of the fabric, and it is directly controlled by which hand holds which yarn (or, in the continental-style interpretation, which yarn feeds from below the needles and which from above).

The mechanism: in two-color brioche, each round or row works one color’s stitches while the other color is slipped. The non-working yarn (the slipped yarn) drapes as a float at the back of the work (or carries at the start of the round). The working yarn is drawn through the stitch-below and the yarn-over pair, producing a new loop that sits in the fabric. When one yarn is held below the other in the working position (typically the left-hand yarn in continental, or the yarn carried below in the throwing position in English style), that yarn consistently draws slightly deeper into the fabric structure because it enters the stitch loop from a lower angle. The deeper-drawing yarn produces stitches that sit slightly more recessed into the fabric surface, while the other yarn’s stitches appear to sit slightly higher. The recessed color appears as a slightly deeper, richer color saturation (because it is deeper in the fabric texture and receives more shadow in its channel); the elevated color appears slightly lighter or thinner in apparent weight.

The dominance rule from Nancy Marchant: the dominant color is the color held in the left hand (or, for English-style knitters, the color that comes from below when the two yarns are held together). If you want color A to appear more prominent (deeper, richer) on the RS face, hold color A in the left hand throughout. If you want color B to appear more prominent, hold color B in the left hand.

The swatch test: work two identical swatches of two-color brioche in the same yarn, same colors, same needles, same stitch count. In swatch 1, hold color A in the left hand. In swatch 2, hold color B in the left hand (so color A is in the right hand). Block both swatches identically. Photograph both at the same light angle, same camera distance, same background. Side by side, the swatches show a visible color-depth shift: the color held in the left hand in each swatch appears more saturated on the RS face. The difference can be subtle at low contrast between the two colors and dramatic at high contrast. This demonstration is one of the highest-value technical contributions a brioche Patreon can offer, because no written explanation conveys the effect as convincingly as the side-by-side photograph. The swatch test also proves to skeptical knitters that the effect is real and systematic, not a matter of perception or lighting.

6. The Italian tubular cast-on: why brioche needs it and how it sets up the stitch architecture

Most cast-ons produce stitches with a single leg configuration: either all stitches sit with their front leg to the left of the needle (standard position), or all stitches sit twisted, or a mixed arrangement depending on the cast-on method. For brioche, the first working row requires alternating brk and yosl actions: one stitch is brk’d (worked as a knit-below) and the adjacent stitch is yosl’d (slipped with a yarn-over). For the brk action to work correctly on the very first row, the stitches being brk’d need to already have their stitch-below accessible — which requires the cast-on edge itself to form the “stitch below” for row-one brk stitches. The Italian tubular cast-on achieves this by producing an alternating series of knit-leg and purl-leg stitches from the very first loop, mimicking the first row of a brioche fabric.

The Italian cast-on setup uses two yarn sources: either two ends of the same ball (wound-off end and working end), or a separate piece of yarn for the setup loops. Hold both yarns together in the left hand: the working yarn over the index finger, the alternate yarn over the thumb, with both traveling to the palm. The cast-on produces alternating loops by wrapping: first wrap over the thumb (creates a loop that will become the knit stitch), then wrap over the index finger (creates a loop that will become the purl stitch). Alternating these two wrapping actions produces a series of loops on the needle that alternate in their leg configuration: the thumb-wrap loops sit with their front leg open and accessible (knit position), and the index-finger-wrap loops sit with their front leg crossed or reversed (purl position). After the desired number of cast-on loops is reached, a setup row works each loop in its natural orientation — knit the knit-position loops and purl the purl-position loops — without the yosl action. This setup row establishes the stitch architecture so that the following row can begin brk and yosl immediately without a further setup pass.

The practical superiority of the Italian cast-on for brioche (versus, for example, a cable cast-on worked into a rib setup) is in the edge appearance: the Italian cast-on produces a looped, soft edge that perfectly matches the visual texture of a brioche rib; it does not have the beaded-chain appearance of cable cast-on or the pulled-in appearance of long-tail cast-on when used for brioche. For a pattern where the cast-on edge is a featured edge (a hat brim, a cowl opening, a shawl starting edge), the Italian cast-on is not optional — it is the correct technical choice and produces the best result.

For Patreon patterns that use the Italian cast-on: include the full cast-on instructions within the pattern PDF as a numbered step sequence, not as a link to an external tutorial. Many patrons purchasing a pattern will work it offline, in a different country, at a time when the linked resource may not be available. The inline instructions need to be complete enough to execute without external reference. Photographs of each step, or a video link within the PDF, dramatically reduce subscriber confusion.

7. Relaxed versus blocked gauge: calibrating the brioche swatch correctly

Gauge calibration is more consequential in brioche than in almost any other stitch pattern because brioche gauge changes dramatically between relaxed and blocked states — far more than stockinette, which is already understood to change somewhat between states.

The reason brioche opens so dramatically under blocking: the held yarn-over structure creates a reservoir of extra yarn in each stitch position. In the relaxed state, the slipped stitches and their yarn-overs draw the fabric together along the row axis, compressing the row gauge (rows per inch is high; stitches per inch is also affected because the columns draw together). When the fabric is wet-blocked (soaked until saturated, then blocked flat to measurements and dried), the extra yarn-over length in each stitch is free to distribute into the overall stitch dimensions. The blocked brioche swatch is typically 20–40% wider in the stitch direction and 15–25% longer in the row direction than the same swatch measured relaxed on the needles.

For accurate gauge: always swatch in the project needle size and project yarn weight, then wet-block the swatch. Block it to a flat surface using pins or blocking wires. Allow to dry completely (do not measure a partially dried swatch; the dampness still affects the dimensions). Measure stitch and row gauge from the center of the swatch, away from the edges. Record both the relaxed gauge and the blocked gauge for reference.

If the pattern specifies blocked gauge (which it should), you match your swatch’s blocked measurements to the pattern specification. If you are designing your own brioche project and need to calculate stitch counts from the blocked gauge, measure the blocked swatch, calculate stitches-per-inch and rows-per-inch from the blocked measurement, and multiply by the desired finished blocked measurements.

The row gauge problem specific to brioche: because brioche grows at half the rate of stockinette, the visible row gauge (visible rows per inch) is the relevant measurement for calculating length. If the blocked swatch shows 8 visible rows per inch and the pattern needs 10 inches of body, the body requires 80 visible rows × 2 = 160 brioche passes (needle passes through stitches). If a knitter miscounts and uses 80 passes instead of 160, the finished body is 5 inches — exactly half of intended. This half-rate confusion is the most statistically common sizing error in brioche projects.

For Patreon pattern PDFs: specify both the stitch gauge and the visible row gauge explicitly in the gauge block, state that the gauge is measured after blocking, and include a reminder in the pattern instructions at the first body section that “each row of the chart represents one visible brioche row = two passes of the needles.”

8. Yardage planning: the 1.4–1.8× multiplier and the factors that determine where you fall in that range

Brioche uses more yarn than stockinette worked at the same gauge because of two structural additions: the yarn-over loops (each yosl action adds a wrap of yarn that does not consume a stitch but adds length to the strand), and the greater fabric thickness (a thicker fabric in the same circumference consumes more yarn per row). Nancy Marchant in The Brioche Knitting Book documents the observed range as approximately 1.6–1.8× the yardage of stockinette worked at the same stitch gauge.

Where in the 1.4–1.8× range a specific project falls depends on needle size relative to yarn weight, stitch count, and yarn elasticity. Over-sized needles (working at a looser gauge than the yarn label’s standard) produce larger stitches and larger yarn-over loops, pushing toward the upper end of the multiplier. Standard gauge needles fall in the middle range (1.5–1.6×). Under-sized needles (tight gauge) produce smaller stitches and the relative yardage of the yarn-overs is a smaller fraction of the total, pushing toward the lower end (1.4–1.5×). Two-color brioche uses approximately the same total yardage as single-color brioche of the same weight, but that yardage is split between the two colors; the exact split depends on the color distribution in the pattern.

Practical approach for Patreon pattern yardage calculations: swatch and measure the brioche gauge, then calculate the stockinette yardage for the same project dimensions at the same gauge (most knitters and calculators know how to estimate stockinette yardage), and multiply by 1.6 as a starting estimate. Round up to the next full skein or 50g ball increment. For projects where running out of yarn mid-project is a serious problem (hats and cowls are forgiving; shawls and cardigans are not), increase the multiplier to 1.8 and note in the pattern that the yardage is calculated conservatively. Patrons who have leftover yarn are pleased; patrons who run out are not.

9. Common beginner errors and the diagnostic method for each

Error 1: Reversed yosl order (yarn-over after the slip rather than before). Diagnostic: the resulting fabric shows twisted stitches in the brk columns — the stitch legs cross rather than sitting parallel. The twist is visible as a spiral appearance in the column of knit stitches. Fix: rework the entire yosl row, performing yarn-over before slip throughout.

Error 2: Missing yosl (plain slip without yarn-over). Diagnostic: the resulting brk attempt on the following row finds only a plain slipped stitch, not a stitch-plus-yarn-over pair. The brk inserts into the stitch-below and through only one loop rather than two, drawing the column tighter than adjacent stitches and producing a visible hole or dropped-stitch appearance at that position. Fix: identify all positions where the yosl was incomplete and insert a crochet hook to pick up a yarn-over loop from the working yarn; this is a partial fix that produces slightly irregular tension but avoids ripping back.

Error 3: Working brk when brp is required (flat brioche WS rows). Diagnostic: the WS face of the fabric shows the wrong color in the raised positions in two-color brioche, or in single-color flat brioche, the WS shows the flat-purl side of the stitch rather than the rounded-knit side, producing an asymmetric fabric that does not match the RS structure. Fix: rip back to the last correct RS row.

Error 4: Stitch count doubling error. This occurs when a knitter picks up a dropped brioche stitch incorrectly and re-inserts it as two stitches (the original stitch and its yarn-over as separate entries) rather than as the correct stitch-plus-yarn-over pair. Diagnostic: the stitch count increases by one for every incorrectly picked-up dropped stitch, and the columns in the affected area are compressed because two stitches are occupying one stitch’s space. Fix: identify the extra stitch by counting and working two-together (k2tog or ssk depending on position and stitch type) at the error position on the following row.

Error 5: Losing the round in two-color brioche in the round. This occurs when the knitter loses track of which color goes next at the start of a round and uses the wrong color. Diagnostic: a single round of wrong-color placement produces a horizontal band of miscolored stitches visible on the RS face. One wrong round looks like one row of color reversal. Fix: if caught within the next round, the wrong-color round can be tink’d (worked backward stitch by stitch) with the correct color; if caught later, ripping back to the wrong round and reworking with the correct color is required.

10. Tier structures and Apple Tax calculations for brioche Patreon creators

Brioche knitting Patreon tiers should track the natural learning progression from held-stitch foundation through two-color structure to design architecture work.

Tier 1 — Stitch Below ($12–15/month): monthly pattern for a single-color brioche project — a cowl, hat, or headband worked in standard brioche rib in the round. The pattern PDF includes the Italian tubular cast-on as an inline numbered sequence (not a link), the yosl position check (yarn-over before slip, with a note on the verification method), the stitch-count row (each chart row = 2 needle passes, with a total pass count in the pattern introduction), and a blocked gauge specification. This tier requires no video; the pattern document is the deliverable, and its value is in the technical completeness that eliminates setup errors before the project starts.

Tier 2 — Two Colors ($28–35/month): monthly pattern plus a focused technical video (10–15 minutes) covering two-color brioche setup for that month’s project specifically, filmed in two segments: the in-the-round version and the flat version of the same pattern section side by side. The video demonstrates the color alternation at the round start, the yarn-dominance swatch comparison (two swatches photographed at the same angle, dominance swapped), and the four-row structure for the flat version with explicit WS-row camera angles. Patrons in this tier are not beginners; they have worked single-color brioche and are building the two-color architecture. The video should assume stitch literacy and focus exclusively on the color structure and flat-vs-round differences.

Tier 3 — Design Architecture ($50–65/month): monthly pattern plus video plus a design module. Module topics rotate: brioche shaping (paired increases and decreases that maintain the alternating held-stitch structure), brioche colorwork (working multiple colors within the two-color alternating structure to produce internal color patterns), yardage calculation for custom projects using the 1.4–1.8× multiplier with worked examples, or blocking methodology with before-and-after measured photographs documenting the relaxed-to-blocked gauge change for a specific yarn weight. This tier is for designers and experienced brioche knitters who want the decision-making layer, not the technique layer.

Apple Tax impact: brioche knitting content reaches iOS audiences at platform-specific rates. YouTube brioche and knitting technique tutorials: 62–72% iOS (tutorial video audiences on YouTube skew slightly more laptop and desktop than short-form platforms, because brioche tutorials are typically 15–45 minutes and benefit from being watched at a workstation while the knitter follows along). Instagram brioche photography (stitch close-ups, yarn and project photography, finished-object posts): 72–82% iOS. Ravelry-primary creators whose patrons come from Ravelry project links: estimated 50–65% iOS (Ravelry’s user base is web-heavy and its iOS app is a recent addition, so the Ravelry referral audience has lower iOS concentration than purely social-media audiences).

At $28/month with a YouTube-primary audience at 68% iOS and 60 subscribers:

$28 × 0.68 × 0.30 = $5.71 per subscriber per month lost to Apple IAP
$5.71 × 60 subscribers = $342.72 per month lost
$342.72 × 12 = $4,112.64 per year permanently extracted by Apple from November 1, 2026

At $35/month with an Instagram-primary audience at 76% iOS and 80 subscribers:

$35 × 0.76 × 0.30 = $7.98 per subscriber per month lost
$7.98 × 80 = $638.40 per month lost
$638.40 × 12 = $7,660.80 per year

At $15/month Tier 1 with a mixed YouTube and Ravelry audience at 64% iOS and 120 subscribers:

$15 × 0.64 × 0.30 = $2.88 per subscriber per month lost
$2.88 × 120 = $345.60 per month lost
$345.60 × 12 = $4,147.20 per year

Mitigation: enable Patreon’s web-only billing toggle before October 31, 2026. Direct all YouTube description links, Instagram bio links, and Ravelry project links to the Patreon web URL rather than the Patreon app deeplink. Web-subscribing patrons are not billed through Apple IAP and the 30% fee does not apply to their subscriptions. Existing patrons who are already subscribed through iOS remain on Apple billing; the web-only toggle applies only to new subscriptions. To migrate existing iOS-billed patrons to web billing, communicate directly (via Patreon posts, email, or community messages) that patrons can cancel their iOS subscription, wait for the current paid period to end, and re-subscribe via the web URL for the same benefits at the same price — with the Apple fee removed from the creator’s side.

KeepTier is a self-hosted, web-only membership page for creators who want to keep 100% of their tier revenue (minus Stripe) and dodge the 30% Apple tax. See pricing →