Glue stick works really well as a temporary measure to hold the applique on the fabric while you sew. But you may need to decide whether to just use the glue stick to hold it or whether you may need more to act as a stabilizer (and depending on the size of the patch), I think.
I use a regular office/school supply glue stick
and don't even bother buying a special fabric glue. I use it for zipper application too to hold the zipper on the fabric instead of using pins.
If you are using for an applique, you can "heat-set" the glue by pressing the applique with dry iron (though I've never tried so I don't know if heat-setting actually makes the bond stronger).