What is OnlyFans and how does it work?

Launched in 2016, OnlyFans is a social media platform similar to Patreon that allows influencers and creators to monetize their content by sharing it with other users who pay a monthly subscription fee. The main difference between Patreon and OnlyFans is that OnlyFans allows for NSFW and adult content.

What content is on OnlyFans?

OnlyFans is not exclusively about adult content. There is a wide range of content to explore, such as health and fitness tips, dance tutorials, creative writers, artists, musicians, chefs and more.

With unemployment on the rise due to Covid-19, more and more people are trying to make an income online during the economic downturn. The New York Times wrote an article about how OnlyFans has forever changed sex work. OnlyFans made this kind of work more accessible with almost no prerequisites to producing adult content. In August 2021, OnlyFans did announce a ban on "sexually explicit content" on the platform. However, there was a considerable backlash, and ultimately OnlyFans decided to suspend this policy change: "We have secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the planned October 1 policy change.", said the company in a Twitter post.

Is OnlyFans safe?

Personal Safety on OnlyFans

Both users and creators can remain anonymous. Creators can avoid showing their faces, not using their real names, etc. Additionally, it is often argued that Adult content creators are safer producing content and earning money on OnlyFans than if they were working on the street. However, like any other social media, OnlyFans is not free of privacy risks. In its privacy policy, the company says that it will only share your data (name, address, bank information, ID number) with third-party companies for verification purposes. However, we all know that there is always a risk of a leak on social media, so it's also up to the user to protect their info as much as possible.

If you have concerns about your personal safety, or are being pressured to make content that you want to, seek help. 

OnlyFans Payment Options

Any payment on OnlyFans is made through a secure third party, so your card details will not be stored on the site. Any earnings received from an OnlyFans account will be shown as "Fenix Internet LLC" on any bank statements.

How to sign up to OnlyFans?

You can sign up to OnlyFans with Facebook, Gmail or an email address.

Do you have to pay for OnlyFans?

Once you have created your account you can either begin posting content, or start subscribing to other users. You will need to add a payment method before you subscribe. If you are producing content, then you will need to add this so that you can receive payment from your subscribers.

How much do OnlyFans subscriptions cost?

It depends on who you are subscribing to and what content they provide. The minimum monthly subscription cost is $4.99 and the maximum is $49.99. Below is an example of a creator’s subscription fees:

How much money do people make with OnlyFans?

The revenue of an OnlyFans content creator can vary depending on the quality and quantity of content they produce. If a creator is producing regular content, users are incentivized to subscribe. Some of the highest earners get $100,000 a year. Creators initially receive money through subscriptions. For example, if you have 100 subscribers who each pay a minimum of $5 per month, that would give you $500. Minus the 20% cut from OnlyFans and you would have $400. Users can request specific photos, videos or commissions (for artists) from creators, who ultimately decide whether they want to fulfill a request. This type of content typically generates more revenue. Finally, creators can also charge for private messages, allowing direct personal conversations between creator and follower.

Note: OnlyFans takes a 20% cut of any earnings.