patron vs benefactor

patron and benefactor both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
patron	Yes	No	No	No
benefactor	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, benefactor is a hypernym of patron; that is, benefactor is a word with a broader meaning than patron:

patron: someone who supports or champions something
benefactor: a person who helps people or institutions (especially with financial help)

Other hypernyms of patron include helper.

patron (noun)	benefactor (noun)
a regular customer	a person who helps people or institutions (especially with financial help)
someone who supports or champions something
the proprietor of an inn