Guides
UGC creator platform fees: what each platform takes and what you keep
A breakdown of UGC creator platform fees: TikTok Shop commissions, YouTube ad revenue splits, PayPal and Stripe processing, and usage rights pricing.
What to take away
- UGC creator platform fees split two waysa commission a marketplace takes from a sale, and a subscription a brand pays for creator software.
- Aspire and GRIN are brand-side platformsthe brand pays the fee, not you, and your rate is whatever you negotiate.
- TikTok Shop takes a commission on each sale, so your payout depends on the order value, not the view count.
- YouTube pays the creator 55% of long-form ad revenue and 45% of pooled Shorts revenue.
- Instagram and TikTok pay nothing per view, so a fee figure there is a brand rate, not a platform rate.
- Payout processors take a cut as wellPayPal charges 2.99% plus 49 cents USD on US commercial transactions, Stripe 2.9% plus 30 cents USD.
- Track gross rate, platform cut, usage fee and net payout separately, because a 10% commission on a $500 USD deal costs you $50 USD.
Commission vs. subscription fees
Platform fees means two things, and mixing them up undercuts your quote. A commission is a percentage of what the buyer pays, taken by a marketplace or shop. A subscription is a software bill the brand pays to find and manage creators. TikTok Shop is the first. Aspire and GRIN are the second.
Net payout on a $500 order
- $500 | order value
- $450 | after 10% commission
- $436.51 | after PayPal fees
- $436.65 | after Stripe fees
Your net payout on a commission platform is the order value minus the commission, minus any payment processing. At a 10% commission on a $500 USD order, you keep $450 USD before processing.
Processors take their own cut. PayPal publishes 2.99% plus 49 cents USD on US commercial transactions, which leaves about $436.06 USD of that $450 USD. Stripe charges 2.9% plus 30 cents USD, leaving about $436.65 USD. Check the current published rate for each provider before you quote, because these figures change.
TikTok Shop's US referral fee sits at about 6% for most categories, and some categories run higher. The rate has moved since launch, so check the seller center before you price a shop deal. Affiliate commission on top is set by the seller, commonly between 5% and 20% of the sale.
Worked TikTok Shop example. Take a $60 USD order. TikTok Shop takes a 6% referral fee, which is $3.60 USD. The seller set affiliate commission at 10%, which is $6.00 USD, so $50.40 USD remains. Card processing at 2.9% plus 30 cents USD takes about $1.76 USD, which nets you about $48.64 USD.
Named platforms and what each one costs you
| Platform | What it is | Who pays | Fee structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok Shop | In-app storefront and affiliate program | Creator pays commission | Referral fee of about 6% on US sales in most categories, higher in some; affiliate commission set by the seller, commonly 5% to 20% |
| YouTube Shorts | Short-form video with ad revenue sharing | Platform splits with creator | Creator receives 45% of the revenue allocated to the Shorts pool |
| YouTube long-form | Standard video monetization | Platform splits with creator | Creator receives 55% of ad revenue |
| Reels and feed content | Brand pays creator | No per-view payout; rate negotiated with the brand, typically $150 to $500 USD per video for a micro creator | |
| TikTok (organic) | Short-form video, non-shop | Brand pays creator | No per-view payout; rate negotiated with the brand, higher with usage or exclusivity terms |
| Aspire | Brand-side creator management software | Brand pays Aspire | Subscription quoted per brand, typically several hundred to a few thousand USD a month |
| GRIN | Brand-side creator management software | Brand pays GRIN | Subscription quoted per brand, typically several hundred to a few thousand USD a month |
| Patreon | Membership and paid-post platform | Creator pays platform cut | 8% on Starter, 12% on Pro, 16% on Premium, plus payment processing; check the current plan rates |
Where the platform sells a product, it takes a cut of the sale. Where the platform sells advertising, it splits ad revenue. Where the platform only hosts content, it pays you nothing and the brand does.
Platform fees at a glance
TikTok Shop
- Who pays
- Creator commission
- Fee
- ~6% referral
- Extra
- 5-20% affiliate
YouTube Shorts
- Who pays
- Platform split
- Fee
- 45% to creator
- Extra
- Ad revenue pool
Patreon
- Who pays
- Creator cut
- Fee
- 8-16%
- Extra
- Processing fees
What the brand pays for, and what you charge for
A brand rate is not one number. It is a bundle: the shoot, the edit, the posting, and the rights to use the video.
Add-on rates to your base
- Usage rights25-50%
- Exclusivity20-30%
Usage rights are the line most creators underprice. A brand that wants to run your video as a paid ad for six months is buying media usage, a separate fee from production. In most markets that license adds 25% to 50% to the production rate.
Exclusivity carries its own price. If you cannot work with a competing brand for 90 days, that restriction typically adds 20% to 30% to the rate.
Whitelisting, where the brand runs ads from your handle, is a third line. Set each one as its own line on the invoice so the client can see what they are buying and what dropping it saves them.
Disclosure is part of the deliverable
A paid partnership needs a clear disclosure, and the FTC endorsement guides say the disclosure must be hard to miss in the medium you are using. A hashtag buried under twenty others is not that.
The FTC guidance on endorsements, influencers and reviews sets out the standard, and the FTC advertising FAQs for small business cover claims and honest experience. Both the brand and you carry responsibility for truthful claims.
Build the disclosure into the script and the caption before filming, not after. If a claim needs substantiation, ask the brand for it in writing and name a licensed attorney for anything you are unsure about.
The brief-to-portfolio workflow
- Brief reviewconfirm deliverables, deadline, usage term, territory and exclusivity window in writing.
- Claim checkget the brand to supply substantiation for every product claim in the script.
- Script and disclosurewrite the disclosure into the spoken line and the caption.
- Filmingshoot to the brief's aspect ratios and length so the edit does not need a reshoot.
- Approval and revisionagree how many revision rounds are included before you start.
- Delivery and usage trackinglog the usage start and end date so you can invoice an extension.
- Invoicingbill production, usage and exclusivity as separate lines.
- Portfolio updateadd the piece with its category and result, and check your portfolio is not all one product type.
Keep the usage end date in a calendar. An extension you forget to invoice is money you already earned.
Brief-to-portfolio workflow
- Brief reviewconfirm deliverables and terms
- Claim checkget substantiation in writing
- Script and disclosurebuild it in
- Filmingshoot to brief specs
- Approval and revisionagree rounds
- Delivery and usage trackinglog dates
- Invoicingbill production, usage, exclusivity
- Portfolio updateadd category and result
Payout records and account access
Log every payout as four numbers: gross rate, platform cut, processing fee and the net that reached your account, all in USD. The NIST small business quick-start guides give a plain starting point for passwords, backups and access control.
Related reading:
- UGC creator platform for the careful reader
- UGC creator platform setup: the parts worth your attention
- Which markets actually suit a first-year UGC creator business?
Common questions
Does TikTok take a cut of my brand deal?
No. TikTok does not take a percentage of a rate a brand pays you directly. TikTok Shop is different: it charges a referral fee on each sale, about 6% in the US for most categories, so your payout there depends on order value.
Do Aspire and GRIN charge creators?
No. Both are brand-side tools, and the brand pays the subscription, typically several hundred to a few thousand USD a month depending on seats and creator volume. You are paid the rate you agreed with the brand, and the software fee never touches your invoice.
How much should I charge for usage rights?
There is no universal figure. Price the usage term, the territory and the media type as separate variables, then multiply by your production rate. A six-month paid-ad license costs more than a one-month organic repost, and typical add-ons land between 25% and 50% of the production fee.
What happens if the brand wants to extend usage?
Invoice it as a new usage period at your current rate. Check the original agreement for an extension clause first, and have a licensed attorney review anything you are unsure about.
