Independent creator platform research
Pick the platform that pays you best, not the one that markets hardest.
Fees, payout terms and referral programs for OnlyFans, Fanvue, Fansly and LoyalFans — each figure checked against the platform's own documentation and stamped with the date we checked it. Where sources disagree, we say so instead of picking the flattering number.
Disclosure: some links on this page are referral links. If you sign up through one we may be paid a commission by the platform, at no extra cost to you. We rank platforms on their terms, not their payouts — here is how.
Quick picks — skip to the one that matches you
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No audience yet
Fansly
The only one of the four with in-platform discovery that reliably converts, plus free-tier profiles to build social proof before you charge.
Keep 80% Referral 12 months #3 on terms
Go to Fansly (opens on fansly.com in a new tab) -
Audience you can redirect
Fanvue
Promotional 85% rate for a new creator's first 12 months, against the flat 80% everywhere else.
Keep 80% Referral 12 months #2 on terms
Go to Fanvue (opens on fanvue.com in a new tab) -
Referring other creators
LoyalFans
The only credibly lifetime referral commission, uncapped, and reportedly funded from the platform's own cut.
Keep 80% Referral lifetime #1 on terms
Go to LoyalFans (opens on loyalfans.com in a new tab) -
You just want fans
OnlyFans
Far and away the biggest paying audience, and the fewest steps between a willing fan and a payment.
Keep 80% Referral 12 months #4 on terms
Go to OnlyFans (opens on onlyfans.com in a new tab)
Not sure which describes you? The earnings calculator shows what each platform would pay you on the same revenue, and the full reasoning is below.
The four platforms, ranked by terms
This ordering is about the deal you get, not the size of the audience. If your only goal is the fastest first subscriber, that ranking is almost exactly reversed — which is the whole reason these pages exist.
LoyalFans
The smallest platform here and the only one whose referral commission is credibly lifetime — which changes the maths entirely if you refer creators who stay.
Fanvue
The most credible OnlyFans alternative right now: same 80/20 economics, a 15% promotional rate for your first year, and a platform actively courting creators who feel stuck.
Fansly
The closest thing to a like-for-like OnlyFans replacement, with better in-platform discovery and tiered subscriptions.
OnlyFans
The default. Biggest fan base, best-understood product, and the referral program with the worst recent history of the four.
Side by side
Every number below links to the source it came from. All four were last re-checked on 2026-08-16.
| Platform | Best for | You keep | Minimum payout | Referral window | Discovery | Visit platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LoyalFans | Best for referral income | 80% Reported | $50 Reported | Lifetime Reported | Limited but real | Visit (opens on loyalfans.com in a new tab) |
| Fanvue | Best terms in year one | 80% Official 85% for the first 12 months for newly signed-up creators | Varies by withdrawal method — not published Official | 12 months Official | Effectively none | Visit (opens on fanvue.com in a new tab) |
| Fansly | Best for getting discovered | 80% Reported | $20 Reported | 12 months Disputed | Strongest of the four | Visit (opens on fansly.com in a new tab) |
| OnlyFans | Best for reaching fans | 80% Reported | $20 Reported | 12 months Reported | Weak | Visit (opens on onlyfans.com in a new tab) |
Referral programs, compared honestly
All four pay 5%. That is where the similarity ends — duration, cap and who funds the commission vary enough to make the same headline rate worth ten times more on one platform than another.
| Platform | Rate | Pays for | Cap | Paid out of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LoyalFans | 5% Reported | Lifetime Reported | No published cap Reported | The platform's cut Reported |
| Fanvue | 5% Official | 12 months Official | $50,000 per creator Official | Sources contradict each other Disputed |
| Fansly | 5% Disputed | 12 months Disputed | No published cap Disputed | Sources contradict each other Disputed |
| OnlyFans | 5% Reported | 12 months Reported | $50,000 per creator Reported | The platform's cut Reported |
Start with your situation
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Best for creators starting from zero
If nobody knows your name yet, platform choice matters less than where your traffic comes from. Here is the honest answer, and the one platform that does part of the work for you.
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Best for creators leaving OnlyFans
Moving an audience is the hardest thing you will do as a creator. Which platform loses you the fewest subscribers, and how to run the move so you keep your income during it.
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Best for creators who refer other creators
If part of your income comes from bringing other creators onto a platform, the terms differ enormously — and the headline rate is the least important part.
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Best for live streamers and audio creators
Live and voice content have different requirements from photo sets — tipping mechanics, stream stability and audio-first discovery. Not every platform takes them seriously.
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Best for creators running more than one platform
Running two platforms is the single most effective protection against a deactivation or a terms change. Here is which second platform to add, depending on what your first one is.
Head to head
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Fanvue vs OnlyFans — which is actually better for creators?
OnlyFans has the fans. Fanvue has the better first-year rate and wants your business. Here is which one wins on each axis that matters, and the answer most creators actually need.
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Fansly vs OnlyFans — the only comparison where discovery decides it
Identical 80/20 splits, so the fee comparison is a non-event. What separates them is that one of these platforms will send you subscribers and the other will not.
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LoyalFans vs OnlyFans — a fair fight on terms, a rout on audience
LoyalFans has the best referral terms in the category and a fraction of the fans. Whether that trade is worth making depends on something most comparisons never ask about.
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Fanvue vs Fansly — better terms or a platform that finds you fans?
The two strongest OnlyFans alternatives, and they win on opposite things. One pays you more for your first year; the other actually sends you subscribers.
Guides
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OnlyFans alternatives — the three that are actually worth moving to
Most lists of OnlyFans alternatives are twenty platforms deep and useless. Three are worth your time, they win on different things, and which one is right for you depends on a single question.
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Creator referral programs compared — all four pay 5%, and that tells you nothing
OnlyFans, Fanvue, Fansly and LoyalFans all pay 5% of a referred creator's earnings. Duration, cap and who funds the commission make the same headline rate worth ten times more on one platform than another.
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What every creator platform actually takes
All four take 20%. One undercuts it for a year. The fee comparison everyone writes is over in a sentence — so here is the part that actually affects what reaches your bank account.
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How much does Fansly take? The full breakdown
Fansly takes 20% of everything. What that actually means for your take-home once payment processing, payout methods and currency conversion are accounted for is a different number.
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How to start on Fanvue — setup, verification and the first 30 days
Signing up takes twenty minutes. Getting paid takes rather longer, and the first month decides whether the account is worth keeping. Here is the sequence that works.
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Switching platforms without losing your subscribers
Most creators lose the majority of their paying subscribers when they move platform. Almost all of that loss comes from doing it as a switch rather than an overlap.
Why trust any of this?
We earn referral commission when someone signs up through our links, and we are upfront that this creates a bias worth guarding against. Our defence is method: every number is sourced and dated, disputed figures are flagged rather than smoothed over, and we publish the cases where the platform paying us has the worse product. How we research and rank →