Creator software splits by maturity
Vitalii Dodonov, CTO of Stan, on building a creator-aligned store-in-bio
The real divide in creator software is not content format, it is whether a creator is already famous enough to monetize fandom at high spend or still needs simple tools to turn expertise into first dollars. Passes is built for a concentrated top tier, where a few hundred creators can drive large GMV through memberships, DMs, and livestreams. Stan is built for the much wider base of education oriented creators selling $4 to $30 downloads, calls, and lightweight courses from a link in bio.
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Passes had about 900 creators and roughly $95M in GMV at a near $10M net revenue run rate in early 2024, or about $6,666 in revenue per creator. That is a high touch, upmarket model, and it fits creators with 100,000 plus followers far better than the long tail.
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Stan’s customer base is much broader. It was described as serving creators from roughly the 10,000 follower stage upward, and more than 50% of income on the platform came from low priced digital downloads. That makes Stan closer to a monetization starter kit than a fan club business.
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The market breaks into at least three practical layers. Link in bio tools like Linktree organize traffic. Store in bio tools like Stan turn that traffic into checkouts for products and time. Membership platforms like Passes and OnlyFans monetize ongoing access and parasocial demand, which works best when audience size and fan intensity are already high.
Over time, the biggest platforms in creator software are likely to keep separating by creator maturity. Mass market tools will keep winning new entrants who need fast setup and low risk monetization, while upmarket membership platforms will compete for the small slice of creators with enough audience density to support higher spend fan relationships.