Neither platform takes a bigger cut: Fansly and OnlyFans both take 20%, so creators keep 80% on each. Fansly's real difference is built-in discovery, multiple subscription tiers and per-post gating, all documented in its help centre. Most of OnlyFans' creator-side details aren't publicly readable, so we've marked every point we couldn't confirm.
That last point matters. Plenty of "Fansly vs OnlyFans" pages quote user counts, payout speeds and content rules with no source behind them. In my agency years, creators made real decisions on numbers like those. This October 2026 update cites each platform's own pages wherever they exist, and names every press report it relies on. We build tools for Fansly, and our sister product covers OnlyFans, so weigh our view accordingly.
Fansly vs OnlyFans at a glance
Fansly's column comes from its own help centre, linked in the sections below, unless a cell names another source. Every OnlyFans cell names its source or says "not publicly confirmed". That label means we couldn't read it on an OnlyFans page, not that the feature is missing.
| Fansly | OnlyFans | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | 20%; creators keep 80% of subscriptions, sold media, messages and tips | 20% of each fan payment. Source: OnlyFans terms |
| Payout fees | No hidden payout, processing or conversion fees, per Fansly | Not publicly confirmed |
| Free follow | Free by default; creators can turn the Follow button off | Not publicly confirmed |
| Subscription tiers | Multiple, $5 to $499.99 a month | Not publicly confirmed |
| Per-post gating | Follow, tier, tip, one-time price or combinations | Not publicly confirmed |
| Discovery | For You Page, Suggestions, search, hashtags | Not publicly confirmed |
| Pending period | 7 days, then you request a payout | Not publicly confirmed |
| Payout minimum | $20 to $100 by method | Not publicly confirmed |
| Creator referrals | 5% of sales in year one, then 1.5% | Not publicly confirmed |
| Team access | Management Sessions | Not publicly confirmed. Terms say helpers don't change your legal responsibility. Source: OnlyFans terms |
| AI content | Photorealistic AI banned | Must be captioned as AI Generated. Source: OnlyFans terms |
| Operator | Select Media LLC, Baltimore, Maryland. Source: OpenCorporates | Fenix International Limited, London, incorporated 2016. Source: Companies House |
| Public company accounts | None found | Filed publicly. Source: Companies House filings |
What we couldn't verify
- OnlyFans' creator pages (October 2026). Apart from its terms and acceptable use policy, we couldn't read OnlyFans' pages. Its payout timing, minimums, methods, referral terms, tier options and price caps stay unconfirmed here.
- User and creator totals. Fansly's help centre publishes none. OnlyFans figures circulate widely, but we couldn't open the source filing, so we don't print them.
- Fansly's launch year. A 2021 magazine feature says 2020. Fansly's help pages don't confirm it.
- Fansly's full terms of service. We couldn't read them, so the content rules below come from Fansly's help centre and press reports.
If you already have an OnlyFans account, its settings are the best source for its current payout and referral terms.
Which takes a bigger cut, Fansly or OnlyFans?
Neither, on the headline split. OnlyFans' terms say: "Our Fee is calculated as 20% of the total Fan Payment and will be deducted from each Fan Payment." Fansly's getting-started guide says creators receive 80% of revenue from subscriptions, sold media, messages and tips.
The differences sit around that 80%. Fansly states it charges no hidden fees for payouts, processing or currency conversion. We couldn't confirm OnlyFans' payout fees. So "no fee advantage" holds for the split, but not necessarily for what lands in your bank.
Fansly says it shields creators from chargebacks in most cases. Approved refunds, though, come out of creator earnings.
Referral earnings
Fansly's referral codes pay in two ways:
- Fans you refer: 1% of their purchases for their first 90 days.
- Creators you refer: 5% of their sales for the first year, then 1.5%.
A creator only counts as referred if they use your code before finishing their application. Fansly doesn't say whether "sales" means gross or net. Several comparison sites mix up the fan and creator rates, so check the source before you promise anyone a number.
Taxes
Fansly doesn't withhold taxes, so set money aside from your first payout. US creators above the reporting threshold get one consolidated Form 1099-NEC per taxpayer ID. Fansly's page still says $600, but the IRS threshold is $2,000 for payments made after 2025. This is general information, so check with an accountant.
Verdict: a tie on the split. Fansly's payout-fee policy is documented; OnlyFans' isn't publicly readable.
Does Fansly have more subscription options than OnlyFans?
On the documented record, yes, though we couldn't read OnlyFans' own tier rules. Fansly lets you run multiple subscription tiers, priced from $5 to $499.99 a month. A fan who switches tier pays the new tier's full price straight away, with no proration. Fansly allows free trials but not free lifetime subscriptions.
For example, you might run a $10 entry tier and a $30 tier with extra content. Those prices are only an illustration.
Gating goes further than tiers. Each post has its own permissions: followers, all subscribers or specific tiers, a tip amount, a one-time price, or a mix such as "follow and pay $5". Media sales can be priced from $1.00 to $499.99 and tips from $0.10 to $500.
Following is always free, and followers see the previews you share with them. Creators can turn the Follow button off, but leaving it on gives you a free layer of people to convert later.
Comparison sites widely report that OnlyFans allows one subscription price per page. We couldn't confirm that, or any OnlyFans price cap, on an OnlyFans page. If your offer is one simple subscription, tiers matter less anyway.
Verdict: Fansly, because its tier and gating options are documented and flexible.
How do fans find creators on Fansly vs OnlyFans?
Fansly has built-in, documented discovery. Fans find creators through the For You Page, the Suggestions tab, search and clickable hashtags. Every creator appears in Suggestions automatically.
The FYP takes a little setup:
- It recommends posts based on fan activity.
- It's opt-in per post: choose "Post to FYP" or add the
#fyphashtag. - Locked media needs a free preview before it can appear.
- Profile tags are private labels for the algorithm, while hashtags are public and go in captions.
Our guide to FYP optimisation for agency rosters goes deeper.
Most comparison sites describe OnlyFans as a platform where you bring your own traffic. That's a common view, but we couldn't confirm how OnlyFans' search or recommendations work from its own pages.
Either way, measure where fans come from. Fansly's tracking links report claims, follows, subscriptions and revenue per link. Our piece on tracking promo ROI with free trial links shows how.
Friction on the fan side
Fansly runs every transaction in US dollars. Fans in 12 US states, plus the UK, Australia, Brazil and Germany, verify their age through Ondato. If many of your fans live there, expect an extra sign-up step. We couldn't confirm OnlyFans' fan age-check regions.
Verdict: Fansly, especially without a big outside audience. With strong outside traffic, discovery matters less.
How do Fansly payouts compare with OnlyFans?
Fansly payouts are request-based, not automatic. Here's how one moves, according to Fansly's payout timing page:
- New earnings stay pending for 7 days.
- You request a payout, and Fansly reviews most requests within 48 hours.
- International and crypto payouts go out in batches every 3 days.
- After Processing, bank transfers usually take 1 to 3 business days. Crypto, Paxum and Cosmopayment usually arrive within 24 hours.
You'll see "weekly" or "every 7 days" on other comparison pages. That's the pending period, not a payout schedule.
Each method has its own minimum:
| Payout method | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Paxum | $20 |
| Cosmopayment | $20 |
| Local bank deposits (South America and Asia, plus USD ACH and CAD) | $20 |
| SEPA | $50 |
| SWIFT | $100 |
| Crypto | $100 |
EU and UK SEPA payouts under $50 are held until they reach $50 or 14 days pass. Also watch the inactive charge: after 12 consecutive months without activity, Fansly charges $5 a month until the balance hits $0 or you log in.
OnlyFans' pending period, minimums, methods and timing aren't publicly confirmed. Check them in your account before comparing cash flow.
Verdict: Fansly is the documented option. We can't call a winner on speed.
Is Fansly more permissive than OnlyFans?
Don't assume it. Many comparison pages call Fansly the looser platform, but the documented rules show limits on both sides.
On Fansly:
- Photorealistic AI content is banned, including deepfakes and face swaps, even when labelled. AI that interacts with fans "without human oversight" is prohibited too.
- 404 Media reported in June 2025 that a Fansly terms update restricted anthropomorphic content, AI chatbots answering user prompts, and content featuring alcohol, cannabis or other intoxicants. The report cited payment-processor pressure.
- Everyone in your content must be verified with consent before you publish, and manual review can take up to 7 days. Non-creators need signed consent documents.
- Creators must be 18 or older and pass an Ondato check plus Fansly's own ID review.
On OnlyFans:
- Its terms say AI Generated content must be "clearly and conspicuously captioned" with a signifier such as #ai or #AIGenerated.
- Its acceptable use policy bans explicit images of another person without consent, including AI-generated ones.
- In August 2021, OnlyFans announced a ban on explicit content from 1 October. On 25 August 2021, it suspended that decision, citing assurances from its banking partners.
In both cases, payment partners were cited as shaping the rules. Read each platform's current terms for your niche before you plan content.
Verdict: no winner. AI rules are the sharpest documented difference: OnlyFans requires labels, Fansly bans photorealistic AI outright.
Who runs Fansly and OnlyFans?
OnlyFans is operated by Fenix International Limited, according to its terms. Companies House lists company 10354575 as active, incorporated on 1 September 2016, with a London registered office.
Fenix files group accounts publicly. Its filing history shows accounts for the year to 30 November 2025, filed on 20 September 2026. Want OnlyFans' own figures? Read that filing, not numbers copied between comparison sites.
Fansly is operated by Select Media LLC, a Baltimore, Maryland company and the name on creator payouts. Maryland records, via OpenCorporates, list it as active. A 2021 Mel Magazine feature says Fansly has been around since 2020, though Fansly's help pages don't confirm it. We found no public accounts for Select Media LLC.
Fansly or OnlyFans: which should you choose?
- You're starting without a big social following: Fansly. Suggestions and the FYP give you a way in.
- You want tiered pricing or mixed gating: Fansly. Tiers and per-post permissions are documented.
- Your paying fans already use OnlyFans: stay where they are, and test Fansly with tracking links before moving anyone.
- You want less platform risk: run both, with separate tracking links, and check each platform's terms before cross-promoting.
Running Fansly and OnlyFans for several creators
Native Fansly covers more than most people expect. You get post scheduling and mass messages to subscribers by tier, expired subscribers, followers or custom lists, scheduled in your time zone. Automated messages fire when someone follows or subscribes.
For teams, Management Sessions give access without sharing logins, and the creator stays responsible for everything done through them. OnlyFans' terms say the same about helpers. Our guide to delegating chatter access covers setup.
The real gap is the roster view. Fansly's help centre doesn't describe a dashboard across creator accounts, and nothing native combines Fansly with OnlyFans.
That's what our Fansly API is for. Endpoints such as Get Earnings Stats, List Monthly Earnings and List Payout Requests let you monitor and reconcile payouts. Run Get Tracking Link Revenue Stats on each account to compare promos across creators. The full list is in the API docs.
The same API key also covers OnlyFans through our sister product, onlyfansapi.com. They're separate APIs with separate account IDs: acct_ for OnlyFans and fansly_acct_ for Fansly. Our MCP server puts both on one connection, with 80+ Fansly tools next to 290+ OnlyFans tools, per the MCP docs. There's no single cross-platform endpoint, so the combined view comes from your assistant or your own code calling both.
Keep a person in the loop. Fansly bans AI interacting with fans without human oversight, and the MCP server doesn't enforce approval for you. Let the assistant draft and summarise, then have someone review and send.
Fansly vs OnlyFans: the verdict
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Fee split | Tie at 20% |
| Payout-fee transparency | Fansly |
| Tiers and gating | Fansly |
| Discovery | Fansly |
| Payout speed | Can't call: OnlyFans' timing isn't public |
| Content rules | No winner; check your niche |
| Public company data | OnlyFans |
Both take 20%, so the decision comes down to how you find fans and how you price. For most creators building from scratch, Fansly's documented discovery and tier options make it the stronger base. If your paying audience already lives on OnlyFans, keep it there and test Fansly with tracking links first.