Gumroad vs Patreon for recipes
Gumroad and Patreon are great general platforms, however they aren’t geared specifically toward chefs and recipes. So up front, Openplate is the better option between the two – specifically for home chefs and those wanting to step into a culture and experience it, one meal at a time.
Patreon
Patreon is a great platform and if you’ve ever been on YouTube, you’ve probably heard your favourite YouTuber suggest joining their subscription on Patreon for bonus and exclusive content. It’s a great way to get a little closer to your fave creator.
However, as a home chef, you can get lost in the mix. Patreon is open to anyone, so you’ll be competing against a political podcast, or a music creator and good lukc being discovered on that platform.
Also, it’s solely subscription based. So your fans have to pay a monthly fee for exclusive content. The pressure is on the home chefs to create regular content in order to keep their subscribers.
- Recurring revenue via subscriptions (“patrons”) who support you monthly.
- You can combine this with selling digital products (ebook/recipe collections) on the platform.
- Community features: patrons expect more exclusive content.
- Reliable income (if you can build a sufficiently engaged base).
- Multiple tiers possible (e.g. free-content followers + paying patrons get extra recipes).
- Transparent fee structure: Patreon takes 5% for digital-product sales, plus payment-processing fees.
Gumroad
Gumroad is sort of like a marketplace for anyone to sell almost anything. When it comes to recipes, the majority of it are in the form of an eBook or some sort of physical copy. So if you just want to sell eBooks or recipe books, then Gumroad might be great.
- Very simple to set up a storefront/digital product shop.
- Flexible pricing (you can do discounts, bundles, pay-what-you-want).
- Handles payment processing, file delivery.
- No subscription required; you pay via transaction fees.
- Well suited for selling ebooks, recipe collections, meal-plans, etc.
- You keep more control over branding and product presentation than many marketplaces.
Openplate
Openplate is a marketplace built for home chefs to connect with and grow their audience. I absolutely believe that food is one of the intimate things in life. Cooking and eating is more than just following a recipe or downloading an ebook.
Trying a new recipe is like stepping into a portal and experiencing the culture for a moment. At Openplate we help home chefs share that experience with their consumers. Share the recipe, teach it, share the culture, even recommend the right music – to complete the environment.
So if you are a home chef and you have a passion to cook, tell stories with your food, share your culture and experience with the culturally curious, then Openplate is the place.
- Openplate is 100% free for creators to publish their recipes
- Openplate takes a commission off of every purchase. Rates may vary.
- Buyers own the recipe for life
- Buyers can chat with the home chef or book consultations
- Coming soon: If in the same zip code, buyers can request the chef to just cook it for them or a personal lesson.
So, chef. Sign up today. And, what are you going to cook today?
| Platform | Best For | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenPlate | Home chefs and recipe creators who want an easy, recipe-first way to earn money. | • Free to publish recipes • Designed specifically for recipes • Marketplace discovery brings in new buyers • Extra revenue streams (tips, bookings, “cook it for me”) • No tech skills needed; mobile-friendly layouts | • Commission per sale (can be ~20%) • Less control over branding and customer data |
| Patreon | Creators with a loyal following who want predictable monthly income from fans. | • Recurring subscription revenue • Community features (tiers, comments, Q&A) • Great for deepening fan engagement | • Requires steady stream of exclusive content • Harder to attract casual followers who prefer one-time purchases |
| Gumroad | Creators selling recipe eBooks, bundles, or digital products beyond recipes. | • Flexible pricing (bundles, discounts, pay-what-you-want) • Simple storefront setup • You own your products and shop | • Little to no built-in discovery • Transaction fees eat into small-ticket sales • Packaging and promotion required for each product |