The creator economy has officially matured. In 2025, it’s not just about getting followers—it’s about converting them into subscribers, superfans, and repeat customers. As creators look to maximize their income streams, two major players have emerged: Passes (Passes.com) and POP.STORE. While both platforms promise monetization tools for creators, their philosophies and execution couldn’t be more different—making POP.STORE a compelling Stan Store alternative.
In this in-depth comparison, we’ll examine:
- How Passes.com operates and monetizes audiences
- Key features of Passes vs. POP.STORE
- Why POP.STORE is becoming the go-to platform for large, independent creators
Passes.com: Built on Borrowed Influence
Passes has made a name for itself by onboarding popular influencers and then leveraging those creators’ audience traffic to build its own internal ecosystem. On the surface, it offers tools for content monetization—DMs, exclusive content, and more. But dig deeper, and the core business model becomes clearer: Passes thrives by promoting newer or smaller creators to users originally brought in by bigger names. Passes runs ads telling small creators that if they join passes they can make money, because they will send them customers brought in by large creators.
In other words, once a big creator signs up thousands of paying fans, Passes turns around and promotes other creators to those fans through discovery feeds, algorithmic suggestions, and featured sections. This turns large creators into de facto acquisition funnels for the entire Passes platform.
The Marketplace Dilemma
This approach is strategic for Passes.com’s bottom line but problematic for creators. Here’s why:
- Your fans don’t stay yours
- You don’t own your audience list
- You lose control over monetization touchpoints
As a result, many top creators feel like they’re feeding a machine that uses their influence to grow everyone’s business but their own.
What Passes.com Offers
To be fair, Passes does offer a decent set of creator tools:
- Paid DMs: Fans can pay to message you.
- Exclusive Content Paywalls: Creators can lock posts behind a subscription or one-time fee.
- Custom Fan Experiences: Includes shoutouts, call requests, or custom content options.
- Tip Jar: Basic tipping functionality for fans to show support.
While these tools can generate income, the problem remains: Passes owns the infrastructure, the discovery engine, and the user base. You’re a tenant, not the landlord.
POP.STORE: The Platform Built for Ownership
Enter POP.STORE. Designed for creators who want full autonomy, POP.STORE gives you everything you need to run your creator business from your own link in bio—offering more flexibility and control compared to platforms like Stan Store.
Unlike Passes, POP.STORE doesn’t poach your fans. It helps you own and monetize them on your terms.
Here’s what sets it apart:
Monetization Tools That Convert
Paid DMs
Monetize inbox access with tiered messaging privileges.
“My Life” Video Series
Serialized episodic content with free previews and locked full access.
‘Fan Feed’ Posts
Post images, videos, blogs or a combination for your subscribers. All content is locked and only available to subscribers at the appropriate tier.
Digital Downloads
Sell PhotoSets, Videos, or other downloadable digital goods.
Live Streaming with Product Tagging
Sell in real-time while streaming.
Every feature is designed to help creators keep more of their earnings and control the user experience end-to-end.
Own Your Audience
POP.STORE is built with creator sovereignty at its core:
- Download your full contact list
- Message your fans via email, push, or SMS
- No platform discovery feed pushing fans to others
- Your fans subscribe only to you
The Affiliate Monetization Engine
One of the most exciting features for creators in fashion, lifestyle, or beauty is the POP.STORE Brand Partnerships program. Through its massive affiliate catalog, creators can earn commissions by promoting real products from premium brands like Fenty Beauty , Alo Yoga ,Levi’s, Glossier and 1000’s more.
This allows creators to make passive income by curating shoppable looks or recommending favorites—all without a middleman taking the lion’s share.
Why Large Creators Are Choosing POP.STORE
If you’re a creator with an established following, giving your audience away to a marketplace is a risky play. Platforms like Passes.com might provide temporary monetization, but you’re helping build their business, not yours.
Here’s what POP.STORE gives large creators that Passes doesn’t:
- Audience Control: Keep your fans within your ecosystem
- Content Variety: Offer episodic series, downloadable resources, and paywalled posts all from one storefront
- Multi-Revenue Streams: Subscriptions, DMs, digital goods, affiliate commissions, live sales, and video calls
- No Algorithmic Hijacking: Your followers won’t be suggested to someone else
- Data Portability: Download and move your contact list anytime
If you’re serious about building a brand, POP.STORE is your storefront, CRM, content hub, and monetization engine—all in one.
Final Verdict
- Passes helps you rent access to your followers and monetizes their attention across its marketplace. It’s a good solution for small creators, but a no no for large creators.
- POP.STORE helps you own your audience and monetize your influence directly.
That’s why the future belongs to creators who choose platforms like POP.STORE.
Ready to take control?
Start building your store, monetizing your DMs, and owning your audience today at get.pop.store.
