OnlyFans has become the name in online sex work, but there are actually many platforms that offer similar features. One of the most popular ones after OnlyFans is Fansly, but the two platforms aren’t identical. Some key differences in their terms of service determine what creators are allowed to post, and why you as a creator might want to create accounts on both, as well.
The History of OnlyFans and Fansly
OnlyFans launched in 2016 and grew slowly in its first few years before growth exploded during the pandemic and the number of both content creators and users grew exponentially. Meanwhile, Fansly didn’t launch until five years later, and struggled to gain footing until OnlyFans announced their plans to ban adult content in 2021. While that ban obviously never took place, the speculation was enough to convince many creators to give Fansly a try.
Fansly Lets You Get Dirty
While both platforms allow porn and other NSFW content, Fansly is strictly explicit material — and tends to be much more permissive than OnlyFans. While Fansly was founded and grown specifically as a platform for sex workers, OnlyFans has waffled on their support of the explicit content on their platform, placing bans on certain words and many sex acts. Some of us remember when OnlyFans tried to go vanilla, but quickly had to walk that decision back, after realizing that nearly 80% of their content was pornographic.
OnlyFans also has stricter rules around what is allowed on their platform. That’s why many creators who focus on more explicit and fetish-oriented content prefer Fansly. OnlyFans does have a history of removing content, like Bonnie Blue’s infamous 1,057 man marathon sex session. Fansly has obvious rules like no content involving children, no prostitution or sex trafficking, they are lenient when it comes to fetish content.
OnlyFans is Bigger…
Last year OnlyFans passed the 400 million users mark with nearly 4 million creators and reported nearly $8 billion in revenue, making it the biggest platform of its kind. But bigger isn’t always better. While there are more users on OnlyFans, there are also more creators to compete with.
Fansly is smaller with less than 200 million active users and around 2 million content creators. So while numbers wise you may have less competition, statistically you’re working with similar odds.
…but Fansly Recommends Creators to You
Without a search bar or a recommendation engine, finding the creators you want on OnlyFans means you need social media or services like OnlyFinder. But Fansly recommends accounts and livestreams for you to follow if you’re just getting started on the platform.
Who Pays Better?
The truth is that no matter what platform a creator chooses, how much they make ultimately rests on their shoulders. But it is important to consider the different pricing tiers, minimum and maximum pricing options, and any additional monetization features the platforms offer.
Fansly offers more options here. In addition to allowing their creators to earn through different subscription tiers, they can also earn money through a referral program or by selling props or items directly from the site.
The multi-tier option allows creators to set up multiple subscription levels, each with different pricing and content access so they can cater to a broader range of subscribers (based on budgets and interests) while content creators are able to sell props and items directly on the website. This feature allows bloggers to customize and offer personal, exclusive items for sale, creating another revenue stream. Whether it’s merchandise, collectibles, or personalized gifts, creators can cater to their fans’ unique preferences.
Both platforms offer a referral program. Fansly allows referrers to earn 5% from the models they refer to the platform for a year, and then 1.5% from the models’ earnings for a lifetime while OnlyFans limits referrers to only 12 months of referral income, but they also offer 5% with a maximum referral payment of $50,000 per Referred Creator.
Creators may also want to consider how these platforms pay. While both platforms take a 20% commission and both hold earnings for a 7-day period (in most countries), they differ in the minimum payout and types of payment.
OnlyFans requires a minimum of $20 in your account to request a withdrawal and you can request a payout through bank transfer, e-wallet, Venmo, and Paxum which typically takes 3-5 business days. Fansly offers more payout options than OnlyFans, including Skrill, Paxum, cryptocurrency, and bank transfers. The minimum payout thresholds vary depending on the payment method you use, with only $20 for Paxum and Cosmopayment and higher minimums for the other options. Neither platform offers PayPal due to the explicit nature of the content.
Which Has Better Features?
Both platforms offer some incredible features, and some creators may prefer one type over the other.
OnlyFans allows you to schedule your posts to go live at the best time for posting so you can keep your content consistently flowing without having to be online all the time. They also make it easy to organize your fans and messages into categories or lists so you can manage things easily. OnlyFans also offers an advanced statistics page to help you understand and optimize your profile better.
While Fansly doesn’t offer those features, it does offer fan-friendly features that OnlyFans doesn’t: a search feature that allows users to look up creators or keywords right on the platform and a “For You” page which allows creators to get discovered. It features trending and recommended content, which can include your posts.
At the end of the day, both platforms are a great choice for content creators of any kind. If you aren’t sure which is right for you, decide which features you think would be more beneficial for you and start there.