Patreon is without a doubt one of the leading creator platforms that changed the way creators connect with their audiences. Currently, on Patreon, there are over 8M patrons that support 200K+ creators who collectively earn over $2 billion annually. So, as the platform keeps growing so does the interest in Patreon scraping.
Simply put, Patreon scrapers are tools designed to automatically collect content and data from Patreon. These tools are mostly used to
- Automatically download Patreon content, usually to repurpose the content
- Get large-scale data and discover creators, analyze trends, popular content, creator earnings, competitor analysis, etc.
Although many Patreon scrapers on the market are offering an easy and effective solution, it’s still challenging to find a tool that respects Patreon security guidelines, and creators’ rights, and still effectively provides Patreon data.
At influencers.club we are focused on collecting and organizing creator data, hence, our team of data experts has gone through every Patreon scraper to find the ones that are most accurate and respect legal and ethical considerations.
Below we are doing an overview of the top 5 Patreon scrapers, how to use each one of them, and expert opinion for all scrapers so you can decide which one is best for you.
View Patreon data sample
Legal and ethical considerations of scraping Patreon
If you are thinking about using Patreon Scraper and you are concerned about the legal aspects of scraping, keep in mind these key points so you don’t step over any boundaries:
- Check Patreon’s Terms of Service to learn about the specific rules against automated scraping.
- Be cautious about copyrights – Content on Patreon is owned by creators. Using or distributing their content without their permission violates creators’ rights.
- Be aware of privacy laws that protect personal data (GDPR in Europe or CCPA in California)
- According to the U.S., the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), unauthorized access to computer systems (which can include certain scraping activities) is illegal.
To make sure you are respecting the legal and ethical considerations:
- Check the guidelines in the website’s robots.txt file to find directions on what is allowed to be scraped.
- Use the collected data responsibly
- Keep the collected data secure
- Stay informed about any changes in law regulations
- Consider consulting with a legal expert
Lastly, the legality of scraping Patreon significantly depends on your intentions with the data. For example, using scraped data for commercial purposes has different legal consequences than using it for personal or educational purposes.
4 Best Patreon Scrapers
According to our team of data collection and data analyst experts, these are the most effective Patreon scrapers you can use.
They are all slightly different in what type of data they offer, whether they require technical knowledge or not, etc. So, read carefully and decide which one is best for your business goals.
BrightData offers a fully automated Patreon scraper that is designed to collect publicly available data including Patreon posts, creators, membership information, followers, etc.
When it comes to collecting Patreon data, it offers maximum control, flexibility, and scalability and also manages the complexity of proxy servers. It has a built-in proxy unboxing infrastructure and enables users to scrape data from any location while avoiding CAPTCHAs and blocks.
This Patreon scraper is known for its high-speed data collection and reliability even when working with extensive datasets. It’s also within data protection laws and operates within legal boundaries.
How to use it:
To use Bright Data for scraping Patreon input the URLs of the Patreon pages you wish to scrape and specify the data types (posts, creator details, etc.).
The scraper will automatically manage proxies but you can adjust settings if you have special requirements. Once the scrape is complete choose your preferred format to download the data.
Pros:
- You can buy specialized datasets and skip scraping
- Built to handle large amounts of data efficiently
- Detailed and clear documentation
- If you don’t have technical knowledge you can schedule a meeting with their team so you can be sure whether the scraper can fulfill your needs.
Cons:
- You need technical knowledge if you want to use the API
Oxylabs offers one of the best Patreon Scraper APIs designed for developers to extract data about creators, their posts, subscription rewards, membership information, etc. With this API you can easily extract large volumes of data in real time which can be very useful if you want to understand your market and stay competitive.
How it works:
To use this Patreon scraper you need to submit the URL you want to scrape and you will get the HTML for that page without doing manual data extraction. Once you get the data, you need further processing to get the information you need.
Pros:
- Collect information directly from Patreon pages
- Easy to use – Provides code examples in Python, Java, C#, PHP, Go, JavaScrpit, and Shell.
- Live chat and email support for all users, plus a step-by-step guide and clear technical documentation
Cons:
- It’s a general scraper and if Patreon makes security changes there is no information about when it will be up to date.
- You can export the data only in an HTML page so you need to further process the data to get the information you are looking for.
Axiom Patreon scraper is a no-code solution that is accessible even to users with no technical knowledge. The tool is famous for its no-code bot builder which makes this one of the easiest Patreon scrapers you can use.
You can extract different types of data, including creator data, follower counts, and posts. When it comes to scalability and performance, the approach can effectively handle different sizes of data.
How it works:
Install the Axiom’s extension to your Chrome browser and navigate to the Patreon page you’re interested in. Next, select the data you want to scrape by clicking on it and choose how would you like to extract the data (directly in Google Sheets or as a CSV file).
You can run the scraper right away or schedule it for later. Additionally, you can use integrations like Zapier to trigger the scraper through external events.
Pros:
- Using the extension you can scrape Patreon without any coding skills.
- Supports data output to Google Sheets or CSV, which makes it easy to integrate with other software for data analysis.
Cons:
- It’s not specially built for scraping Patreon.
- The user chooses what to scrape by clicking on a Patreon page so you can miss out on very important information that is not easily visible.
- As this is a browser extension, its performance can vary based on your internet connection and the complexity of the scraping task.
This Patreon scraper is a part of Apify’s “Actor” Library and has different web scraping and automation scripts. Since they have diverse experience in scraping, they’ve built a tool that effectively scrapes posts from Patreon.
This tool is designed to scrape creator pages and allows users to filter by media type which makes it suitable for different data collection needs.
The output is media files (both audio and images), and post metadata (like count, comment count, view count, etc.).
How to use it:
To use the Apify Patreon scraper, start by inputting the targeted Patreon URL and choosing the desired filters. Once you start the scraping process you can monitor its progress through Apify’s dashboard. In the end, you can choose the preferred format to download the data.
Pros:
- The tool is accessible without technical knowledge
- Good response – The scraper retrieves Patreon data without significant delays or errors
- Good documentation – This is crucial for understanding how to use a tool that requires technical knowledge.
Cons:
- You need programming knowledge to use the API
3 ways to get Patreon data without scraping
There are a few strategies you can use to get Patreon data without scraping. Besides the legal compliance, these strategies are a great option because you will respect creators’ rights and intentions and still get accurate data.
Use third-party tools
You can use our creator discovery dashboard to get Patreon data per your criteria. We are known for our massive database with over 100M creators, including Patreon creators.
We have 40+ data points for each creator and what makes our database unique is the fact that we treat each creator as a single brand that spans across multiple social media platforms, rather than separate entities per platform.
This means if a creator is present on Patreon, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc., we consider all these accounts collectively as part of their online presence. This means we can get a better understanding of who the creator is and we can provide more data about each Patreon creator than any other data provider.
To access Patreon data, register to our creator discovery dashboard and select basic filters to set criteria for location, language, etc.
Next, select Social Media filters to get data from a specific niche, creators with specific audience sizes, etc.
Lastly, in the Creator Deep Dive section, use the ‘Has Patreon’ filter to get only Patreon data.
Once you select your criteria, export the list. Next, we will verify the list and you can download Patreon data with 40+ data points for each creator.
View Patreon data sample
Access Patreon API
Patreon offers API you can use to access certain data on the platform. Accessing the API requires technical knowledge and involves several steps:
- Create an account on Patreon
- Register your application – All developers must provide a name, description, etc. to get a Client ID and Client Secret which will be your API credentials. You will use these credentials to authenticate your application when making API requests.
- Authentication – Patreon uses OAuth for authentication to obtain access tokens from users. The documentation has specific endpoints and parameters you need for this process.
- Make API calls – The API documentation will list available endpoints, such as those for fetching user information, pledges, and other data accessible via the API. Make sure your requests include all necessary authentication headers and follow any rate limits or usage guidelines set by Patreon.
- Review the documentation – Patreon API documentation is the best resource for understanding what data you can access and how to make requests. It also covers important details like rate limiting, data models, error handling, and info on how to stay compliant with Patreon API usage policies.
- Be mindful of Patreon’s terms of service and privacy policies. Patreon is very strict regarding how you use and store data obtained from the API. So make sure your application respects user privacy and data protection laws.
Collect data manually
Manual data collection means you will directly gather information from Patreon pages, without using any automated tools. The method is best for small-scale projects where precision and compliance are most important.
Here’s how to do it:
- Decide which Patreon creators or pages you’re interested in
- Set up a spreadsheet to organize the data you’ll collect
- Visit each Patreon page and manually copy the relevant information into your template (for visual data use screenshots)
- Organize and securely store the collected data
The benefits of this approach are having accurate data that is compliant with legal standards. Plus you’ll have flexibility in data selection. The downside is this is time-consuming and not suitable for large datasets.
To Sum Up
To collect Patreon data you must respect the legal and ethical boundaries of creators and the platform. Whether you are a creator looking to download and repurpose your content, a developer, or a marketer trying to find creators, using the right Patreon scraper will help you effectively collect Patreon data.
The overview of the scrapers above is done by a team of data collection and data analyst experts so you can make an informed decision when choosing the right tool. To make the right decision consider the type of data each of them can collect, whether you need technical knowledge or not, and your budget.
On the other hand, going with some of the non-scraping options listed above will help you access Patreon data within the legal standards. Plus you will get the data in the desired format and will be accessible whether you have technical knowledge or not.
In the end, as Patreon continues to grow, staying informed and choosing the right approach for your data collection needs will keep you one step ahead of your competitors.
1M+ Patreon creators in our database
If you need accurate Patreon data, and you are looking for an effective, scalable, and legal solution, let’s talk.
FAQs
Yes, you can scrape your own Patreon page, to back up your content or analyze your audience and performance metrics.
However, make sure your scraping activities comply with Patreon’s Terms of Service and don’t infringe on the rights of your patrons. If applicable to your needs, using Patreon API is the best way to access your data safely and legally.
To protect privacy, adhere to legal guidelines, minimize data collection, secure data storage, anonymize data where possible, be transparent about data use, prefer official APIs, and seek legal advice.
Risks of using Patreon scrapers are violating Patreon’s Terms of Service, risking legal action for copyright infringement or data privacy violations, and potentially harming the relationship between creators and their patrons.
To avoid these risks, use some of the non-scraping methods mentioned above.
Determine the frequency of data updates based on your project’s needs and the dynamic nature of the content on Patreon. However, make sure to balance this with the need to minimize the impact on Patreon’s servers and respect the creators’ and patrons’ privacy.
