# Patreon vs HBCU DIGITAL

Patreon and HBCU DIGITAL both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of HBCU DIGITAL's written reviews are positive against 41% of Patreon's. HBCU DIGITAL also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Patreon's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (581K vs 5). 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 5.0 for HBCU DIGITAL. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Patreon has 581K ratings behind it against 5, 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 100% of HBCU DIGITAL's.

Patreon ships an update weekly, HBCU DIGITAL every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Patreon | HBCU DIGITAL |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (581K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/patreon/id1044456188/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hbcu-digital/id1542978372/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **581K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 41.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#30** | — |
| Size | 133 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Patreon](https://appshunter.io/developer/1044456187) | [HBCU Digital Network, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1542978374) |

## What reviewers say

### Patreon

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

**Currently charting:** #30 Top Grossing · Entertainment, #52 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


### HBCU DIGITAL

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hbcu-digital/id1542978372)

Access comprehensive content for HBCU conferences, members, and universities. Stream live sports and exclusive original content celebrating Black voices in HD, all without a cable subscription.

**Highlights:** Comprehensive HBCU conference content, Latest news, photos, and videos, Live sports streaming, Exclusive original content, HD streaming quality, Mobile access for iPhone and iPad

**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 HBCU DIGITAL free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Patreon or HBCU DIGITAL?

HBCU DIGITAL is rated higher. Patreon averages 4.9 out of 5 from 581K ratings, while HBCU DIGITAL averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do Patreon or HBCU DIGITAL have ads?

Neither Patreon nor HBCU DIGITAL shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Patreon or HBCU DIGITAL?

Patreon ships an update weekly, and HBCU DIGITAL every 5 months. Most recently, Patreon was updated on October 29, 2026 and HBCU DIGITAL on October 24, 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.*