[6] Patreon, Inc., was co-founded in May 2013 by developer Sam Yam and musician Jack Conte,[7][8] who was looking for a way to make a living from his YouTube videos.

Notably CGP Grey, Destin Sandlin's Smarter Every Day, and the Green brothers' own CrashCourse and SciShow channels.

In October 2015, the site was the target of a large cyber-attack, with almost 15 gigabytes of password data, donation records, and source code taken and published.

Notable improvements included a customer relationship management system, a mobile app called Lens, and a service to set up exclusive livestreams.

[28]In October 2021, Patreon confirmed it was looking into implementing cryptocurrencies and NFTs after creators expressed interests in having the opportunity to offer exclusive memberships and benefits to its patrons through a coin or token.

[33] In October 2023, Patreon announced a full redesign of its interface and brand identity, including new features like community chats.

[36] Alternatively, content creators can configure their page so that patrons pay every time the artist releases a new piece of art.

[41] As of December 2016[update], Patreon's Community Guidelines allow nudity and suggestive imagery as long as they are clearly marked, but prohibit content that may be deemed pornographic or as glorifying sexual violence.

[44] Unlike other online platforms such as YouTube and Facebook, which use trained algorithms to identify potentially inappropriate content, Patreon's trust and safety team monitors users and investigates complaints of Terms of Service violations.

[45] In July 2017, right-wing YouTube personality Lauren Southern was banned from Patreon over concerns about Génération Identitaire's blocking of NGO ships in the Mediterranean, ferrying migrants to Europe off the Libyan coast.

A letter she received from Patreon said she was removed for "raising funds in order to take part in activities that are likely to cause loss of life," referring to an incident in May involving Southern, and the larger Defend Europe mission in July, which she covered on YouTube.

Philosopher, writer, and podcast host Sam Harris, who also received contributions from patrons on the website, objected to Patreon's approach and announced that he would be leaving the platform because of it.

[54][55] At the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Patreon closed a major Ukrainian account run by a charity named Comeback Alive, which raised money for helping volunteers and veteran divisions due to its financing and training of military personnel.

[67] Since its inception, Patreon has been widely criticized for its approach on handling and removing child sexual abuse material either drawn, photographed, or filmed.

In March 2018, a petition that gathered nearly 37,000 signatures demanded that the company prohibit animators and artists from selling content depicting child rape.

[68] In August 2021, an Australian news agency reported that Patreon was hosting sexual content of children under 18 filmed in a psychiatric hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.

[69] In May 2022, social media influencer Michael McWhorter said he found sexually provocative pictures and videos of pre-pubescent children on Patreon categorized as NSFW and requiring the customer to be 18 years or older to view or purchase such content.

[75] A few months later in June 2023, an investigation by the BBC discovered AI-generated sexual abuse images of children for sale on the website.