Fanvue vs iFans

Content creators are wising up to the fact that it makes sense to look beyond OnlyFans when choosing which platform to build a career on. Yes, OnlyFans has major pull in terms of its name, but any creator who doesn’t just follow the crowd will see that it has a lot of problems too. And there are some great options available if you look elsewhere.

Two of the fastest-growing fan subscription platforms that you may be interested in are Fanvue and iFans. They’ve both taken a slightly different approach to building their website, so we wanted to lend a helping hand to any creators out there considering joining a new platform by comparing them side-by-side.

Whether you’re brand new to content creation as a career online, or you’re considering making the switch from a competitor, let’s dive in and take a look at which one is right for you.

Intro to Fanvue

Fanvue may be one of the best emerging platforms for content creators, but it is exactly that – emerging. It’s one of the newest sites out there that is pitched at content creators, but thanks to a stellar reputation for caring about its creators (more on that as we delve deeper) they’re becoming really popular.

Fanvue states that it is a home for all kinds of creators – not just adult, but musicians, fitness gurus, cooks and more. Indeed on the homepage, it makes sure to showcase both an adult and a non-adult profile as a testimonial. Realistically though, the vast majority of creators are going to be those selling sexual content, whether that’s hardcore or just revealing underwear or nude shoots.

What helps is that Fanvue has made a real commitment to adult content creators. Considering OnlyFans’ attempt in 2021 to remove adult content (before swiftly backpedalling) and some of the issues other platforms could face if they continue to permit adult content, Fanvue has stated that it is “for all creators, now and forever” and that it will never ban adult creators.

The other commitment Fanvue has made is that it will offer excellent – if not the best – service to its creators, through outstanding support and innovative features. Does it see that promise through? Read on to find out.

You can sign up to Fanvue here.

Intro to iFans

Another relatively recent entry into the content creator space is iFans. iFans is another option that is doing well because of how it’s positioned itself, although it has taken a different approach to Fanvue in terms of priorities.

iFans is probably a lot closer in style to OnlyFans, although it’s a step-up in terms of quality. It’s taken the minimalistic style of OnlyFans and improved on the usability a little, mainly through a user interface that is similar to popular social media networks. It’s not identical to Facebook or Twitter but if you’re comfortable using those sites then you’ll work out iFans pretty quickly.

Where iFans really stands out is with its referral program, which is one of the most comprehensive of all of the fan subscription platforms. It’s that reason which has caused the site to gain popularity.

You can sign up to iFans here.

How easy is it to use?

It’s quite surprising how much of an issue ‘ease of use’ is when it comes to fan subscription platforms. But when the biggest name of them all does a pretty terrible job in this area, it becomes a quick win for any competitor that rises up.

Fanvue is one site that has taken a look at how OnlyFans has designed its website, shaken its head in disappointment, and then really shown how you can build a platform with the user and the creator in mind.

The website is super-slick, really easy to navigate and has all the information you could need to tackle any problems or questions you might have. It’s also got an excellent discoverability feature which makes it so much easier for users to browse the site, instead of being restricted to just finding creators through direct links.

iFans, on the other hand, plays things a little safer. True it’s fairly intuitive thanks to its design which resembles popular social media sites, but it’s relatively basic.

iFans is what happens when someone looks at OnlyFans and finds a few things they don’t like, and fixes them. Fanvue is what happens when someone takes the time to plan from the ground up to create a seamless and really intuitive experience for everyone who uses the site. And so there’s only ever going to be one winner in this category.

Winner: Fanvue

Ways to make money

In the simplest terms, the main way that you will make money on a fan subscription platform doesn’t change between websites. The clue’s in the name – fan subscriptions are the core of how you’ll get your earnings, and that doesn’t change between Fanvue and iFans.

You upload your content and set a price for a subscription. Users will then choose to sign up to access your hidden content, gaining access not only to your latest posts for the duration that they’re subscribed but also to anything you’ve previously posted. As soon as they cancel their subscription, they lose their ability to see your content. And of that subscription fee, you’ll keep the majority, with a cut going to the platform to cover their costs.

On top of this, many platforms allow you to charge for private messages and DMs, or receive tips from users who want to donate a little extra to you. And that’s the same with both Fanvue and iFans, so nothing between them on this one so far.

A little more uncommon is the ability to sell individual clips. This means that a user doesn’t have to be subscribed to you in order to earn you money – they might just want to pay for a single clip. Again though, that’s an option for both Fanvue and iFans.

The one key difference is that Fanvue as the ‘Follow’ feature, which allows users to follow creators without subscribing. They won’t see the content behind the paywall but they can buy clips or pay for private messages, or even send tips, without having to be a subscriber.

This means that creators can earn from non-subscribers in ways that iFans doesn’t allow, which gives Fanvue the edge here.

Winner: Fanvue

How much can you earn?

As a flat rate, iFans charges 20% commission on anything you earn. Fanvue beats this slightly by only taking 15% for your first 12 months as a creator on the platform, before reverting to the standard 20%.

There are two other main areas of difference between the platforms though. How much they help you to build a fanbase, and how much you earn for their respective referral systems.

iFans is relatively basic when it comes to extra features that help users to discover your profile. Fanvue, on the other hand, has a great set of discoverability features. These make it so much easier for users browsing the site to find you.

iFans and others like OnlyFans tend to rely on you having an existing social media following so that you can promote your profile directly. Fanvue instead makes it easier to build up that fanbase on their platform, instead of having to rely on something like Instagram.

Having said that, iFans would argue that their referral system is their promotional tool, since it encourages other creators to share your profile to their fans. And when it comes to how much you can earn via the referral system too, then iFans does stand out.

With Fanvue, you’ll earn 5% of any earnings made by the creator you referred, and you get that deal for the lifetime of the referral – it never ends. That’s pretty good compared to some other sites, where you might only make referral money for a year.

It doesn’t compare to iFans though. With iFans, you get 40% of any money that your referred creator makes, and it’s for the lifetime of their account too.

There are two caveats to that though. With Fanvue, your 5% cut doesn’t impact the creator you’ve referred. They’ll still make their standard amount. With iFans, your 40% comes from the creator, not from the platform. iFans still takes their same cut, and then you split the remaining money with the referred creator in half.

And if you’re the creator that someone else has referred a user to, then you’ll also only make 40%, since half your money is going to the referrer.

So on balance, iFans gives you slightly more earning potential since you can make huge sums from referrals, and for the lifetime of their account. Remember though that it also works in reverse and any subscribers sent to you by someone else will also earn you a lesser cut. This ends up being a really close round, and when you factor in the boosted initial 12 months for commission from Fanvue, against the referrals of iFans, it probably ends up around a draw.

Winner: Draw

Payout frequency

We’ll keep this one nice and brief, since there’s not a lot to cover. With both iFans and Fanvue, once someone pays a subscription fee or for an individual clip, the money rests with the platform for a week before it finds its way to your account, where you can make a withdrawal immediately provided you’ve got at least $20 in your account.

As a benchmark, OnlyFans keeps your money for 21 days. So both are equal, and both are better than OnlyFans. We know this isn’t a comparison against OF but it’s good to give you the context.

Winner: Draw

Which has the best features?

There aren’t really a lot of shared features that this guide hasn’t already covered. And when it comes to iFans, there aren’t a lot of extra features worth mentioning either. iFans places a lot of its focus into its deep referral system, which isn’t a bad thing as it’s certainly a unique selling point.

Fanvue does have some extra features that are worth shouting about though, so let’s cover those now.

Firstly, while it’s already been mentioned, the discoverability feature is a newer one that’s closer to Instagram in style. It does make it significantly easier for people to find your creator profile and means you’ll be able to grow your fanbase without having to promote yourself exclusively to your own social media fans.

Then there’s the option to create a channel promo video. This is like a ‘trailer’ for your content – showing users what they can expect from your content if they choose to subscribe. It’s much more effective than a few free photos and a written bio, and can tease users to convince them to convert into paying subscribers.

Also, another feature launched in 2022 was the option to mint and sell your own NFTs. Often when you become a content creator you’ll get some passionate fans, and it’s these people who will be tipping you most and paying for your DMs. Imagine the ability to offer them something truly unique that they would then own? That’s where NFTs could really become a successful product in the world of adult content creation. And Fanvue is getting in early to allow you to offer this.

Fanvue has developed the ‘Follow’ feature mentioned earlier as well – the option for users to follow a creator without subscribing, and being able to buy access to pay-to-view videos, pay for messaging and to tip creators too. It opens up more opportunities for creators to earn from users who aren’t ready to commit to a subscription yet.

There are more features too. Fanvue offers geoblocking, which is where you can block users from a certain area from seeing your profile. No need to worry about family members or friends stumbling across your nudes. For now, this is limited to country-level so you would have to block all users from your country, but it’s being refined so that later you can block users at state or city level.

And finally, Fanvue offers automatic watermarking, adding an overlay to your content to help protect it. If your content is stolen and reuploaded elsewhere, you can prove that it belongs to you due to the watermark, and have it taken down to protect your IP.

All of this already makes Fanvue the clear winner in this category, but Fanvue isn’t resting. They are actively engaged with their creator community to find out what are the most requested features, and they’re on a mission to fulfil those wishes. So if you do sign up, expect to have some shiny new tools and options to play with to really help you maximize your earning potential.

Winner: Fanvue

What’s the support like?

Without naming any names, the customer support on some of the established fan platforms isn’t exactly stellar. This is why it’s so important when reviewing any alternatives that you make sure their offering is better – this is a key area in the battle for fan platform supremacy.

iFans’ customer support is good. They have an FAQ section, although it’s not always available from your feed, you may need to work to find it. And they have a contact form where responses are pretty quick and personalized, which can’t always be said for competitors. While it’s relatively early in iFans’ life, it is slowly building a positive reputation for the way it helps creators and users.

But if iFans is good, then Fanvue is great. They also have an FAQ section, and it’s constantly being maintained and updated. You can get in touch via live chat for instant replies to any queries, and they employ an ‘elite’ dev team who are able to fix any IT issues within 48 hours, so you’re never stuck with a problem for a long time.

Winner: Fanvue

So, which is best?

When it comes down to it, iFans and Fanvue are essentially aiming at different creators. Fanvue is going broad but more towards the newer creator. It’s a super-supportive site that can help you become more established, and it makes everything super-easy. Meanwhile, iFans is targeted more at the creators who don’t just want to make their own content, but also want to promote the work of others (and take a cut).

Whichever one is right for you depends on whether you want to make more money from your own content or as someone referring users to other creators. But in a straight head-to-head of the main features, Fanvue edges it. iFans is really good in places, but Fanvue is just that little bit better.

Final scores

Fanvue wins: 4 (Sign up here)

iFans wins: 0 (Sign up here)

Draws: 2

Ultimately, both Fanvue and iFans are better than OnlyFans across these categories and both make for good options for creators. Which one is best will largely come down to your own opinion too.