Why iOS quietly halves your top-tier income
When a viewer joins your membership through the iOS YouTube app, Apple takes its 30% in-app cut first. YouTube then takes 30% of what's left. The math: creator ends up with about 49% instead of 70%. Encourage joins via the web (youtube.com/channel/.../join) where the 70/30 split holds.
- • Pin a web-join link in video descriptions and pinned comments.
- • On iOS, prices show higher to cover Apple's fee, hurting conversion AND share.
- • Higher tiers carry the iOS hit hardest — $29.99 iOS = ~$14.70 to you vs $20.99 on web.
Tier strategy: why two tiers beats one
Single-tier channels leave money on the table. Adding a mid ($14.99) and premium ($29.99) tier captures superfans who'd happily pay 3–6× the base. Industry data shows mid+premium tiers often contribute 40–55% of total membership revenue despite being 20–35% of members.
Realistic conversion benchmarks
Conversion rates depend wildly on niche. Faith, education, and tight-knit hobby channels routinely hit 2–5%. General entertainment and gaming sit closer to 0.3–1%. Use 1% as a planning baseline unless you have data.
YouTube Channel Memberships look great in screenshots but the take-home math is brutal: YouTube keeps 30%, Apple/Google take an additional 30% on mobile signups, and most channels see 40–60% annual churn. This calculator runs the true net so you can compare Memberships to Patreon, Memberful, and direct Discord paid tiers on equal footing.
What each input means
Get these inputs right and the output is reliable. Get them wrong and the calculator just multiplies bad assumptions.
Active members
Currently paying channel members.
Typical range: 0.5–2% of subscriber count for typical channels; 3–6% for highly-engaged niches.
Average tier price
Blended monthly across tiers (post-tax for the viewer).
Typical range: $4.99 lowest; $9.99 middle; $24.99+ top tier. Blended ARPU typically $6–10.
iOS signup share
Members who signed up via the iOS app (Apple takes 30%).
Typical range: 30–50% for general-audience channels; 60%+ for gaming and entertainment.
YouTube revenue share
Platform cut.
Typical range: 30% standard; effective cut rises to ~51% on iOS signups due to Apple's stacked fee.
Monthly churn
Members cancelling each month.
Typical range: 5–10% (so 45–70% annual churn). Higher than Patreon because cancellation is one click.
Worked examples
Real scenarios with the math walked through line by line.
Mid-tier channel, mixed device mix
Scenario: 1,200 members, $7 ARPU, 40% iOS signups, 8% monthly churn.
Math: Gross = $8,400/mo. Non-iOS (60%): $5,040 × 0.70 = $3,528. iOS (40%): $3,360 × 0.49 = $1,646. Net ≈ $5,174/mo.
Outcome: 61% take-home. Patreon Pro on the same audience would net ~$7,250 (84%) — the gap is the 'YouTube convenience tax'.
Web-only signup channel
Scenario: Same 1,200 members, $7 ARPU, 5% iOS share (creator actively drives web signups), 7% churn.
Math: Gross = $8,400. Non-iOS (95%): $7,980 × 0.70 = $5,586. iOS (5%): $420 × 0.49 = $206. Net ≈ $5,792.
Outcome: Same gross, +$600/mo net just from steering signups to web. Always link to the web signup URL, not the in-app prompt.
Common mistakes
Where this calculation usually goes wrong in the real world.
- Reporting gross membership revenue. The 30%+ platform cut is significant.
- Ignoring the iOS App Store fee — adds 9 effective points to YouTube's cut on iOS signups.
- Modeling 12-month retention based on month-1 numbers. Membership churn compounds fast on YouTube.
- Counting perks (emojis, badges) as monetizable value. They're cost-free for YouTube and don't move conversion past the first month.
- Forgetting tax — Memberships are reported as YPP revenue, taxable like ad income.
When to use this calculator
- Deciding whether to launch Memberships vs. Patreon/Memberful.
- Modeling break-even on a Members-only content slate.
- Optimizing signup funnel (web vs. mobile share).
- Forecasting recurring revenue for income planning.
Glossary
Channel Membership
YouTube's recurring monthly tier system. Available to channels in YPP with 1,000+ subscribers (in eligible regions).
Apple/Google tax
Mobile app store fee (typically 30%) on top of YouTube's 30%, taken from iOS/Android app signups.
Members-only content
Videos and posts restricted to paid members. Drives signup conversion if used 1–2× per week minimum.
More questions answered
Should I use YouTube Memberships or Patreon?
Patreon nets 15–25 percentage points more per dollar of gross — typically the better long-term choice. YouTube Memberships wins on three dimensions: (1) zero acquisition friction (one click from any video), (2) discoverability inside YouTube's recommendation surface, (3) no separate login for fans. Many creators run both: YouTube Memberships as the casual on-ramp, Patreon for the premium tier with deeper perks.
How do I reduce iOS signup share?
Always link members to youtube.com/membership/[channel] from descriptions, end screens, and pinned comments. Discord-gated benefits also push signups to web. The savings are real: shifting 30 points of signups from iOS to web lifts net revenue by 9–11% with zero impact on gross.
What perks actually drive conversions?
Three structural perks consistently outperform: (1) members-only Q&A or behind-the-scenes content 1–2× per week (drives ongoing value, not one-time hype); (2) early access to public videos by 24–72 hours (low cost to creator, high perceived value); (3) custom emoji + badge (drives social signaling in live chats, especially for streamers). Members-only Discord helps for community-focused niches but adds moderation load.
Related guides
Long-form playbooks on the same topic, written by the RevenueLab editorial team.
YouTube RPM by Niche in 2026: What Creators Actually Earn per 1,000 Views
A breakdown of typical YouTube RPM ranges across 12 niches — from finance and B2B SaaS at the top to gaming and entertainment at the bottom — and the levers that move them.
Read the guideYouTube Shorts Monetization in 2026: How the Ad-Revenue Pool Actually Works
How the Shorts revenue-share pool is calculated, what RPMs creators are actually seeing, and where Shorts fit alongside long-form for serious channel revenue.
Read the guideCreator Sponsorship Rates 2026: What to Charge Across YouTube, TikTok & Newsletters
Real-world sponsorship rate ranges by audience size and platform — plus how integration depth, exclusivity, and usage rights move the number up or down.
Read the guideMethodology last reviewed: 2026-05 by the RevenueLab editorial team.
FAQ
How much do YouTube Memberships actually pay?
Creators net 70% on web/Android signups and ~49% on iOS after Apple's in-app fee compounds with YouTube's cut. For a $4.99 tier, that's $3.49 (web) vs $2.45 (iOS) per member per month.
What percent of subscribers become paying members?
Real channels see 0.5–3% conversion. Faith, education, and tight-knit hobby niches push 3–5%. General entertainment and gaming sit at 0.3–1%.
Can you have multiple membership tiers?
YouTube supports up to 5 tiers. Most channels use 3 (e.g., $4.99 / $14.99 / $29.99). Adding higher tiers typically lifts ARPU 40–80% without losing base members.
Do I need 1,000 subscribers for Channel Memberships?
Yes. Channel Memberships require YPP eligibility — 1,000 subs + 4,000 watch-hours (or 10M Shorts views) — and the creator must be 18+ in an eligible country.
Does YouTube take the same cut as Patreon?
Patreon takes 8–12% (Pro/Premium) + 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing. YouTube takes 30% on web (and effectively 51% on iOS). Patreon nets more per dollar; YouTube wins on built-in audience reach.