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Kick Founders Launch Club App to Rival Patreon, OnlyFans
Club takes a 20% cut of creator payments, targeting livestreamers with community features. Analysts say it needs a defining feature to stand out from Patreon and OnlyFans.
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The team behind the livestreaming platform Kick, a haven for controversial creators, is launching a new app called Club. The app lets creators earn money through direct payments and build fan communities. Club is rolling out of beta this week with iOS and Android apps.
"We launched Club to create a more human form of social media," said Henrik Pohlmann, Club's 30-year-old CEO.
The pitch is simple. At a time when social media is full of bots and AI-generated content, Club can help creators – particularly livestreamers – strengthen relationships with fans and diversify their income. Club plans to stay ad-free. It makes money by taking a 20% cut of payments creators collect, the same percentage OnlyFans takes. (Club does not allow explicit sexual content.) That is higher than Substack's 10% take on paid subscriptions and Patreon's 10% platform fee, though Patreon has other processing fees.
Club is entering a crowded market. Big players include Patreon and Substack, plus adult-focused OnlyFans. Club is betting that community features and discovery tools can set it apart. Fans get profiles, can earn rewards such as participation badges, and interact with creators and other fans.
Club has been in beta for a few months and signed up roughly 3,000 creators, mostly livestreamers from Kick. The app comes from founders Bijan Tehrani and Ed Craven, who also operate Kick and the crypto gambling site Stake.com. Kick, established in 2022, has earned a reputation for lighter content moderation than some rivals, along with big payouts that attracted inflammatory personalities. Kick has said it increased its human moderation team and recently opened up to advertising.