For Content Creators: a Website and App You Own, Not a Platform
Make money as a content creator - whether you are a writer, video creator, musician, podcaster or artist - from your own creator website, with optional branded iOS and Android apps. Built and run for you, in your own brand.
Already earning from your audience, or preparing to launch a paid offer? You keep making things; we build and run the platform underneath it. LINK-V takes no cut of your revenue, and the audience is yours.
The Whole Idea, in Plain Words
Platforms like Patreon, YouTube, Substack, Twitch and OnlyFans are easy to start on, and that is exactly why you started there. But once you are earning real money, that convenience gets expensive: they take a cut of everything, they sit between you and the people who pay you, and they decide the rules, the design, and who sees your work. You built the audience; they own the connection to it.
We build you your own website and mobile app - one place where your audience subscribes, pays, and follows you directly. Subscriptions, paid videos, downloads, merch, courses, member perks - whatever you sell, in your own brand. No platform takes a share, and you keep the direct line to the people who pay you.
You do not become a developer or an IT department. We build it, host it, keep it fast and secure, and handle support - yours and your subscribers'. Your day-to-day stays the same: you post, and you get paid. What changes is who owns the platform underneath it.
What Each Platform Keeps
Every platform takes a share of what your audience pays you, on top of card and processing fees. The exact number moves with plans and regions, but the direction never changes: the more you earn, the more the cut costs you. On your own site and app LINK-V takes no share at all - only the ordinary payment-processor fee that everyone, including the platforms, has to pay. Digital purchases made inside a native mobile app can still be subject to Apple or Google fees; a website checkout is not.
| Where you sell | Their cut | What that means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Patreon | 10% + fees | Standard 10% for new creators; some legacy plans differ. A slice of every membership, plus payment fees on top. |
| YouTube (memberships, Super Thanks) | ~30% | Nearly a third of paid support, and the audience stays YouTube's. |
| Twitch | up to ~50% | Subscriptions can be split close to half, depending on your deal. |
| Substack | 10% + fees | A cut of every paid newsletter subscription you sell. |
| OnlyFans | 20% | One fifth of subscriptions, tips and pay-per-view - everything. |
| Bandcamp | 10-15% | A share of music and merch sales, plus payment fees. |
| App-store in-app purchases | 15-30% | Apple and Google take their share on top of any platform. |
| Your own website & app | 0% to LINK-V | We never take a share of your revenue. Only the usual processor fee - plus any Apple or Google fee on purchases made inside a mobile app. |
Same audience, same content, same work. The only variable is whose building you are in.
Who This Is For - Every Kind of Creator
This is not built for one niche. If people pay for what you make, a site and app can carry it. Below is what "your own platform" means for each kind of creator, and the sub-types we most often build for. Whatever you do, it fits one of these - and if it somehow does not, tell us and we will map it out with you.
Video creators
YouTubers · Live streamers · Filmmakers & documentarians · Course and tutorial makers · Fitness, yoga & workout coaches · Gaming creators
You film, edit and upload - maybe long-form YouTube, maybe daily streams, maybe a paid course library your students work through at their own pace. On a platform, your videos sit next to everyone else's, the player is theirs, the recommendations are theirs, and a share of every membership and tip is theirs too. On your own site and app the player is yours, the paywall is yours, and the people who pay to watch land in a place that shows only your work. We build the streaming, the protected access, the tiers, and the mobile apps so watching feels as easy as the platform they came from.
Writers
Bloggers · Newsletter authors · Journalists · Novelists & serial-fiction writers · Poets · Non-fiction & technical writers
Whether you send a weekly newsletter, publish serialized fiction, or run a deep long-form blog, your words are the product and your reader list is the business. Newsletter platforms take a cut of every paid subscription and sit between you and your readers' inboxes. Your own site and app give you the paywalled archive, the member-only posts, the email list you actually own, and the freedom to price and package however you like - a monthly plan, an annual plan, a pay-what-you-want tier, or a one-off book. Your readers get a clean place to read on any device, and LINK-V takes no cut of what they pay.
Musicians
Bands & solo artists · Producers & beatmakers · Composers · DJs · Session players · Music teachers
Streaming pays fractions of a cent and platforms take a cut of the direct support your real fans want to give you. Your own site and app let those fans subscribe, buy the album or the sample pack, grab a ticket or a piece of merch, and get the early releases and behind-the-scenes tracks - all in your brand, all paying you directly. If you teach, the same platform holds your lesson library behind a membership. Your superfans are the ones most willing to pay for more; give them a home instead of a profile on someone else's app.
Podcasters
Interview shows · Narrative & documentary · Video podcasts · Niche & hobby shows
Your show reaches people everywhere, but the money - memberships, ad-free feeds, bonus episodes - runs through a platform that keeps its share and owns the subscriber relationship. Your own site and app give you a private members' feed that works in every podcast player, a paywall for bonus and early episodes, and a video version when you want one. The listeners who love the show enough to pay become your subscribers, in your list, not a line in someone else's dashboard.
Artists & illustrators
Digital painters · Comic & webtoon creators · Photographers · Designers · 3D & concept artists · Animators
You post work, build a following, and sell prints, commissions, brushes, presets, tutorials or early access to new pieces. Right now that is scattered across a portfolio site, a shop, and a membership platform that each take a cut and none of which talk to each other. Your own site and app pull it into one place: a gallery in your style, a shop, a members' area for works-in-progress and process videos, and commission requests handled cleanly. One brand, one login for your audience, one checkout - and no platform skimming each sale.
Everyone in between
Game developers · Educators & coaches · Makers & crafters · Communities & clubs · Adult creators
Not every creator fits a neat label, and the model does not care. If you sell access, memberships, downloads, courses, community, or one-off products to an audience you have built, the same thing is true: a platform is taking a cut and holding the relationship. We have built for game developers shipping builds to backers, coaches running membership programs, makers selling patterns and kits, and private communities that needed a real home. Tell us what you make and how people pay, and we will show you the shape it takes as your own platform.
On a Platform vs. On Your Own
The difference is not just the fee. It is who owns the audience, the money relationship, and the rules. Here is the same creator, side by side.
| What matters | On a platform | On your own site & app |
|---|---|---|
| Your share of a $10 subscription | A cut taken before it reaches you | The full amount minus payment processing, every month |
| The subscriber relationship | Emails often exportable, but billing and login stay theirs | Contacts, billing and member accounts in your own system |
| Who sets the rules and prices | The platform, and they change | You |
| Design and brand | Their template, their logo nearby | Entirely yours |
| If the platform changes terms | You adapt or you lose income | Nothing changes for you |
| Mobile app | Theirs, shared with everyone | Yours, iOS and Android |
| What is public and crawlable | Largely on their terms | You decide what is exposed to search and AI crawlers |
| If you want to leave | You start over somewhere new | You already own it |
Keep your platforms as long as they bring you new fans. This just gives you a home the fans move into - one you own.
What You Can Build and Sell
One platform for everything you offer, in your brand, extendable whenever you need more. You do not have to launch with all of it - we start with what earns and grow from there.
Subscriptions, your way
Tiers, bundles, pay-what-you-want, monthly or annual plans - priced and packaged how you choose. LINK-V takes no cut of renewals, and your members manage their own billing without you touching anything.
Paywalled video and audio
Members-only videos, a course library, bonus podcast episodes, early releases - streamed fast and protected, so only the people who paid can watch or listen, on the web and in your app.
Downloads and products
Sample packs, presets, e-books, patterns, wallpapers, stems, PDFs - digital goods delivered instantly to the audience that already trusts you, without sending them to a second store with a third checkout.
Merch and physical goods
Sell physical products alongside everything else, under the same login, so a fan buys a subscription and a T-shirt in one place instead of two.
Vouchers, gifts and perks
Discount codes, gift subscriptions, member-only rewards and early access - the tools that make your most loyal followers feel like insiders and keep them paying for more.
A members' community
Comments, a members' feed, direct messages, private posts - the belonging that keeps people subscribed, hosted on your platform instead of rented from a social network.
How It Works
A calm, human process. You talk to the people who build it, and you see the numbers before you commit to anything.
1 - We talk
A short, direct call. You tell us where you sell today, roughly what you make, and what you want. We run your real numbers against the fees you pay now and tell you honestly whether this makes sense for you yet.
2 - We design
We shape the site and app around how you actually earn - your tiers, your products, your brand and graphics. Not a template with your logo dropped on top; a platform that looks and works like it is yours, because it is.
3 - We build
We build the website and the mobile apps for iOS and Android, wire up subscriptions and payments, and set everything up on fast, secure hosting that will not break a sweat before you reach millions of paying members.
4 - You move in
Your platform goes live alongside your existing ones. Your audience subscribes and follows you directly, at their pace. We help you bring people over instead of forcing a hard switch that risks your income.
5 - We keep it running
Hosting, security, updates, and support for you and your subscribers - all handled, for a flat monthly fee. When you want a new feature, you ask us; you never manage servers or chase bugs yourself.
Control What Is Public, Indexed and Accessible
When your content lives on a big platform, it can be used as training data and it feeds an algorithm you do not control. Your videos, writing and art help train models, and a feed decides who ever sees them. That is the deal you did not sign up for.
On your own site and app you set the rules. Premium work sits behind server-side authentication and can be kept out of normal public crawling; public previews are published on your terms, linked to your name, and found by search and answer engines as yours. No technical system can prevent every form of copying - but you decide what is publicly exposed, and under what conditions.
A Few Creator Platforms We Have Actually Built
A small sample - three we can point to publicly, out of many. Not mock-ups or promises: real creator platforms, live right now, that you can open and use today. We have been building software for twenty years, and these are a handful of the creator businesses among that work.
My Hair Cloud
My Hair Cloud is a video subscription platform with 16+ contributors, tiered membership, paid access, and a content model built around professional education.
Profi.Camp
Profi.Camp combines online content, community, membership tiers, and offline training activity into one platform.
Zuzana Klingrová
Zuzana Klingrová combines yoga content, podcasts, workshops, e-commerce, and bookings inside one platform a single creator runs.
Twenty years building software. A sixteen-year client relationship. Platforms we have run and improved for over a decade. That is the track record standing behind your platform - and you can click through and see the work for yourself.
Two Ways to Own It, With Real Prices
No "contact us for a quote" wall. There are two ways to get your own creator platform, and here is what each one starts at. The starting price is real; the final number depends on what you want built, and you see it in full before you commit to anything.
Timeless
For creators already earning from their audience who want to start without a big upfront cost.
- We design, build and launch your creator website
- Hosting, security, updates and maintenance - all included
- We keep improving and refreshing it over the years
- Add a mobile app and more features as you grow
- Your brand, domain, content, payments and customer data stay yours; the software is ours to run and maintain
- One flat monthly fee, nothing technical to manage
The lowest-risk way in. You are never left alone with the tech.
See Timeless →Custom Build
For creators who want a bespoke platform, built to their exact needs and owned outright.
- A platform built to a scope we agree on together
- Your website and/or mobile app, your features, your brand
- Yours to keep - the product is genuinely yours
- Subscriptions, paid video, downloads, community - whatever you need
- Optional ongoing support and hosting whenever you want it
The traditional route: pay once for exactly what you want.
See Custom Builds →Not sure which fits? Start a conversation and we will run your numbers and point you to the right one - honestly, even if that means telling you to wait. Already earning serious money and want the fee math? See the creator offer. Building mainly around video? See video platforms.
Keep Reading
Deeper, plain-spoken guides on leaving the platforms, moving your subscribers, and what a custom creator app really costs.
Can I Move My Patreon Subscribers To My Own Site?
Read more → 02How Much Does A Custom Creator App Cost?
Read more → 03What Are The Downsides Of Patreon And Other Platforms
Read more → 04Take Your Content And Audience Away From AI And The Public
Read more → 05From Patreon Refugee to Independent Creator
Read more → 06Monetize Your Content As a Small Creator
Read more → 07How To Choose Patreon or Your Own Website / Mobile App
Read more → 08Get Paid For Your Content - Step by Step
Read more → 09Ad-Free, Fee-Free - A New Way to Get Paid for Content
Read more → 10Why Content Creators Are Leaving Patreon for Their Own Sites & Apps
Read more → 11Patreon Alternative For Artists And Illustrators
Read more → 12Patreon Alternative For Video Creators
Read more →Questions Creators Ask
Is a custom website and app really an alternative to Patreon?
Yes. Anything you do on Patreon - paid tiers, member-only posts, a subscriber feed, direct payments - runs on your own site and app, in your own brand, without Patreon's cut and without Patreon owning your audience. The difference is that you own the platform instead of renting a page on someone else's.
Do I have to leave my current platform?
No, and we usually recommend against a hard switch. Keep your platforms as long as they bring you new fans, and let your own site and app run alongside them. Your members move over when they are ready. What changes is that the option to leave now sits in your pocket, not the platform's.
Can I move my existing subscribers over?
Yes, carefully. We help you bring your audience across with clear messaging and a smooth sign-up, rather than a risky overnight migration. You keep earning on your current platform while the new one fills up.
How much does a custom creator website and app cost?
There is a one-time build cost and a flat monthly fee that covers hosting, updates, security and support. For established creators the monthly is usually covered by the fees you already pay your current platform within months. We run your exact numbers on the first call, before you commit to anything.
Is there a Patreon alternative for writers?
Yes. We build writers their own site and app with a paywalled archive, member-only posts, an email list you actually own, and any pricing you like - monthly, annual, pay-what-you-want, or a one-off book. LINK-V takes no cut of what your readers pay, instead of handing a newsletter platform its share.
What is the best way for musicians to sell directly to fans?
Your own website and app, where fans subscribe, buy the album or sample pack, grab merch or tickets, and get early releases - all paying you directly. Streaming pays fractions of a cent; your superfans want to give you more, so give them a home to do it in your own brand, not a profile on someone else's platform.
Can podcasters have their own subscription app?
Yes. We build a private members' feed that works in every podcast player, a paywall for bonus and early episodes, and a video version when you want one. The listeners who pay become your subscribers, in your list - not a line in a platform's dashboard.
Is this a good YouTube alternative for video creators?
For the money side, yes. You keep uploading to YouTube to reach new people, but memberships, courses and paid libraries move to your own site and app, where the player, the paywall and the audience are yours and there is no 30% cut.
Do you build membership sites for artists and illustrators?
Yes. One place in your own style for a gallery, a shop for prints and digital goods, a members' area for works-in-progress and process videos, and clean commission requests - all under one login, with no platform skimming each sale.
Can my audience pay and subscribe on their phones?
Yes. We build native mobile apps for iOS and Android alongside the website, so your audience can subscribe, watch, read and pay on whatever device they use. It feels as easy as the platform they came from.
What happens to my content and income if the app breaks or you disappear?
We keep everything running, fast and secure, and we plan for the worst case from day one. You have access to your platform and your data from the very beginning. We have been building software for twenty years and do not plan to vanish - but if the worst ever happened, your service would not go down and your content would remain yours.
Does having my own site actually help with Google and AI search?
Yes. Content on your own domain is indexed as yours, linked to your name, and can be structured so search engines and AI answer engines understand and cite it. On a big platform your work is one entry among millions; on your own site it is the whole thing, built to be found.
Will I have to manage servers or become technical?
No. That is the entire point of the monthly fee. You post and get paid, exactly as you do now. Hosting, updates, security and support are ours to handle - yours and your subscribers' alike.
Do I own my subscriber data?
Completely. Your subscribers' emails, history and the direct relationship are yours, in a platform you control. When you want to reach your audience, nothing sits between you, and no algorithm decides who hears you.