How Much Money OnlyFans Creators Make: Real Examples

September 10, 2024 Stan

OnlyFans offers creators a variety of options to earn money.
Models can monetize through subscriptions, pay-per-view posts, or paywalled DMs, for example.
Learn how OnlyFans creators make money and have built incomes of up to $9.6 million a year.

The subscription platform OnlyFans has become a lucrative service for creators to publish exclusive content, and it has boomed among adult entertainers.

We spoke with eight OnlyFans models about how much money they made in a year, and their answers ranged from $143,000 to $5.4 million.

Even higher than that was Bryce Adams, who made $9.6 million in a year, she told Business Insider.

“I have over 300 videos that I’ve made,” she said at the time. “I like to have a lot of variety, and it’s always something new, so I’m not just heading up the same thing.”

Read about how Adams built her OnlyFans business to millions in yearly revenue

Adams isn’t the only one pulling in major cash. Users spent $6.6 billion on OnlyFans during the company’s last fiscal year, according to its most recent tax filing.

Creators on OnlyFans can make money in a variety of ways:

Subscriptions: To unlock content, users usually pay a monthly or annual fee. The creator keeps 80% of subscription revenue, while 20% goes to OnlyFans. Creators can establish different subscription tiers, and sometimes, they have accounts that can be accessed free of charge. (Read more about how creators set prices for their content.)
Pay-per-view content: On their feeds, creators have the option to put additional content behind a paywall, which the users can purchase at an extra cost — usually photos or videos.
Pay-per-view messages: OnlyFans offers a direct messaging feature for fans to chat with creators. Fans normally pay a per-message fee or flat fee to interact with the creator, and sometimes request personalized content in exchange for an additional payment. Some creators, overwhelmed with the amount of messages from subscribers, have relied on ghostwriters to respond. (Read Insider’s investigation into a secretive firm offering ghostwriting services for OnlyFans creators.) Recently, some creators have also started using AI tools to help with their chatting needs. (Here are some of the ways adult creators have been experimenting with AI.)
Tips: Subscribers to an OnlyFans page also have the option to send cash to creators in the form of a tip. For example, Amber Sweetheart, whose OnlyFans business is based on her connection with her fans, says she has subscribers who come back daily to interact with her and send her tips. (Read more about how Sweetheart built her OnlyFans business to $2.6 million.) Sweetheart is not the only one to capitalize on the users’ need for a connection, as men turn to the platform to build friendships or find “virtual girlfriends.” (Read more about how men are using OnlyFans for personal connection.)
Promo “shoutouts”: Creators rely on marketing tactics to get new customers, like buying and selling “shoutouts” from each other to advertise on OnlyFans and other social media platforms. For some, selling promotional content has become a big business, and they even hire assistants to help manage the requests for “shoutouts.” (Read more about the business of promo content and how much creators make from it.)
Coaching: Some creators have built a significant part of their business on teaching others how to leverage OnlyFans to make a sustainable income.
Livestreaming: Going live can be a good way for creators to build deeper connections with their fans. Livestreams can be free for subscribers, or accessible for an additional fee. Some creators rely heavily on live streaming for their income.

Karley Stokes, an OnlyFans creator in the top 0.01%.

Courtesy of Karley Stokes

How much money OnlyFans models make

Creators on OnlyFans don’t generally earn money from a single income stream — they often take advantage of the various monetization options the platform offers, as well as making money off-platform.