# Patreon vs Byline

Patreon and Byline both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 86% of Byline's written reviews are positive against 41% of Patreon's. Byline also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Patreon's advantage is ratings volume (582K vs 16) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Patreon against 4.9 for Byline. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Patreon has 582K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 41% of Patreon's written reviews are positive against 86% of Byline's.

Patreon ships an update weekly, Byline every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Patreon | Byline |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (582K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/patreon/id1044456188/reviews) | **[4.9 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/byline-multiplayer-writing/id1493253197/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **582K** | 16 |
| Positive reviews | 41.1% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#32** | — |
| Size | 134 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Patreon](https://appshunter.io/developer/1044456187) | [App't](https://appshunter.io/developer/390797937) |

## What reviewers say

### Patreon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/patreon/id1044456188)

**Currently charting:** #32 Top Grossing · Entertainment, #59 Top Free · Entertainment (US App Store)

Gain exclusive access to content from your favorite creators, including podcasts, videos, art, and more. Engage with creators and fellow fans in community chats and enjoy offline listening for audio content.

**Highlights:** Exclusive creator content access, Community group chats, Offline audio listening, Personalized fan profiles, Creator work collections

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Podcast Lovers Get This!
- 🚀 Awesome platform for supporting creators
- 💡 Great way to find and support independent artists
- 👍 Worthwhile platform with useful content
- 👍 Able to support small animators

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Lack of adjustment options
- 🐛 Website is better than app
- 🐛 Notifications don't work
- 🐛 Awful app with poor functionality
- 🐛 Technically it works but cumbersome

**Reported bugs**

- Search function crashes the app
- Inability to access subscriptions on mobile
- Inconsistent episode tracking and playback
- Disappearing downloaded content
- Inability to log in with email

**Requested features**

- Face ID feature
- Ability to filter posts by year
- Playlist/queue functionality for audio/video
- Apple TV app
- Ability to search through subscribed creators' posts


### Byline

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/byline-multiplayer-writing/id1493253197)

Collaborate with others to create unique stories, one line at a time. Each participant only sees the previous line, fostering surprising and creative narratives. Share your finished tales with friends or the wider community.

**Highlights:** Collaborative story creation, Line-by-line writing, Public story posting, Private group invitations, Story titling and sharing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Patreon free?

Patreon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Byline free?

Byline is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Patreon or Byline?

Byline is rated higher. Patreon averages 4.9 out of 5 from 582K ratings, while Byline averages 4.9 from 16 ratings.

### Do Patreon or Byline have ads?

Neither Patreon nor Byline shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Patreon or Byline?

Patreon ships an update weekly, and Byline every 2 weeks. Most recently, Patreon was updated on November 10, 2026 and Byline on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*