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There are a lot of websites now that offer an alternative to OnlyFans. None of them though are as close to the OnlyFans style as Fansly. But is this just some cheap clone, or is Fansly a viable option that could challenge the king? Read on to find out.
Pros
- Works in the same way as OnlyFans – easy to transfer over…
- …but it has a few extra features too
- Really good support via social media
Cons
- Not the best site user experience for casual users
- Still a relative unknown – harder to promote
Jump to:
What is Fansly?
Fansly is a website designed to let content creators sell access to their photos and videos. Creators set up a profile and then charge for access to some of the hidden content, making money by encouraging fans to sign up and stay subscribed to see new posts.
It’s based in the US and was set up in 2020, but it took off in popularity in 2021 when there were rumors flying about OnlyFans looking to maybe ban adult content.
Award-winner!
Fansly won the Best Platform for Newbies award in our Follower Awards 2022. It's really easy to set up and get started, with excellent resources for new creators just starting on their journey.
Read more about the Follower Awards 2022
What kind of content is allowed on Fansly?
Fansly allows anything legal but is very strict on making sure that illegal content is kept off the website, or anything that could be seen as illegal – such as ‘consensual non-consent’, which is specifically banned under the terms and conditions.
It’s primarily an adult site, although other creators are welcome. Most profiles are from creators posting sexual content. Fansly got really popular when it looked like OnlyFans might ban adult creators, with thousands of applicants every hour looking to jump ship.
Fansly has said that it has no intention of banning adult content, and so it’s an attractive proposition for any creators who is concerned that OnlyFans could still pull the trigger on a sexual content ban.
How can creators make money on Fansly?
Creators make their money by charging for access to paid content. You upload photos and videos to your profile, and only users who’ve chosen to subscribe to you can access them. Once they subscribe, the money will make its way to you (after a 7 day holding period) and minus a commission fee – more on that below.
So, if you want to make big bucks on Fansly (like these creators), it’s important that you build up your fanbase. You need to promote your account across all your social media and make sure that when you do get fans signing up, you’re providing them with good content on a regular basis so that they don’t get bored and cancel their subscription.
You decide how much you want to charge for a subscription. Most models are priced between $5 and $15, and it’s a good idea to start low if you don’t have a huge fanbase. Don’t make the mistake of getting a few subscribers and suddenly ramping up the price though. If you do that, you’re just asking for existing subscribers to cancel.
Instead, introduce a steady fee and stick to it for a while, and make sure to let your subscribers know in advance if you’re raising the price. You can also drop it temporarily if you want to do a promo to encourage new fans, but again, you should be clear that it’s a temporarily lowered price.
You can also charge users for access to your DMs if you’re happy to chat with them, and they can tip you as well. A lot of models offer custom videos or other content in exchange for certain tips, which is one way around the fact that Fansly doesn’t have a shop to sell clips or other items.
What features does Fansly have?
Fansly has a few features that help make it easier for you to make money, and offer some extra privacy too.
Starting with those privacy features, you have the option of automatically watermarking any content that you upload to Fansly. A watermark is a small, unique image overlaid on the corner of your photo or video.
This is really useful as a way of preventing people from stealing your content to post elsewhere – a problem that is rife in the world of sexual photos and videos. By adding a watermark, it gives you proof of ownership. So even if someone crops the watermark out, you’d have no trouble getting in touch with the site owner, showing them the original watermarked version, and having it taken down.
Another, wholly different privacy option is location blocking. A lot of models who post sexual content do so either completely anonymously, making sure their face stays out of shot at all times, or they just do it in secret, hoping their friends and family don’t find out.
Location blocker lets you block access to your profile down to city level, although you can broaden it to whole states or countries. So you can make sure your parents, other family or friends never stumble across your adult content.
One really cool feature that Fansly has which OnlyFans (check out our full Fansly vs OnlyFans guide here) and some others don’t is the option of tiered subscriptions. A lot of sites only let you charge one flat fee, but Fansly lets you set up multiple tiers at different rates.
So, you may decide to offer access to all your photos for $5 a month, but for video content, it’s $8 a month. And for some exclusive videos that are 3 minutes+ in length, it’s $10 a month. That’s one way that you can make extra money from your fans if you’re willing to put the effort in to sort your content into different tiers.
Finally, another really popular feature is the option to allow fans to follow your profile for free. This means they can see any posts that you make available to all followers.
It’s the ideal way to tease people a little and encourage them to sign up. Paired with the emoji feature – which lets you cover parts of photos for free followers with an emoji of your choice – it’s so easy to give them a little hint of what they’re missing, and make them pay to remove the emoji and see what’s underneath.
How does Fansly make money?
Fansly makes its money by charging a commission on all the money you make on the site. The rate is 20%, which leaves you with 80% that you keep. So, if you’ve got one hundred subscribers, each paying $5 a month, that’s $500 total – Fansly takes $100 and you’re left with $400.
It sounds like a significant cut, and it is, but it’s standard for the industry. Other sites, like OnlyFans and AdmireMe.VIP charge the same amount. It’s worth pointing out that sites like Fansly aren’t cheap to run – hosting all those thousands of images and minutes of video costs a lot, and as the site grows they need to hire more and more support staff to help creators.
Any money paid for your content is held for processing by Fansly for 7 days. This is quite low, compared to other sites, which can sometimes hold onto your cash for 3 weeks or more. You can request a payout at any time, providing it’s at least $20. The money should be in your bank account in 3 business days.
How easy is Fansly to use for creators?
Using Fansly as a creator is relatively straightforward. Firstly, you need to join the site and then apply to be a creator. This involves submitting a photo of your ID along with a written sign and photo of yourself. This might sound annoying but it’s super-important for preventing underage creators from signing up – so it’s worth the extra time when you think of that.
Once you’re signed up, it’s quite simple to navigate your account and add content. You can schedule posts too if you want to do all your admin on one day of the week, though it’s worth logging in every day to show that you’re active and to check for DMs from fans.
There is one drawback of Fansly but it’s a shared drawback with every adult-themed creator site out there – there’s no smartphone app because neither the Google Play Store nor Apple’s App Store allow any kind of adult content (despite those suggestive game adverts you’ve probably seen). Thankfully, the mobile site through your phone’s internet browser is easy enough to use.
How easy is Fansly to use for site visitors?
Here’s one of the biggest criticisms of Fansly, and it’s one you can level at some other similar sites too, including (especially) OnlyFans. It is not a site designed with an easy user experience in mind.
It’s been created to look like a social media site, but really they’re a different kind of experience. Sure, you want to see updates from the people you’re subscribed to, but it’d be nice to easily browse other creators too. It’s not like Facebook where it’s weird to browse friends (and even Facebook makes it easier to find people you might know).
Instead, browsing profiles should be encouraged, but there’s very little to help you. Users will have to rely mainly on direct links to profiles. There are a handful of suggested profiles at the top of the page, but that’s it.
Beyond that, things like subscribing to a profile or maintaining account details are all relatively simple.
What’s Fansly’s support like?
Fansly went through a huge surge of popularity in 2021, and at times it struggled to keep up with the number of applications being received. However, they didn’t try to lie about this or cover for themselves – they were honest about the overwhelming popularity, and worked hard to make up ground with extra support staff.
Their social media team are really good too. They’re friendly and helpful, even if they do post a lot of memes (which may be your kind of thing). Questions are answered quickly, and they also like to use Twitter to promote upcoming features. It’s worth following them even if you don’t have an issue because it’s the best place to see any news about what might be around the corner for the site.
In terms of on-site support, navigating the help pages isn’t the easiest and the FAQs are a little limited, but there’s an option to leave a message and they’ll get back to you on email if you need help.
Final verdict
Fansly is no mere OnlyFans clone, even if it looks extremely similar on the surface. It’s using its advantage as a smaller site to build on more features, even as it tries its best to keep up with growing demand.
Sure, it doesn’t have the brand name that makes it really easy to promote yourself. Try telling a random social media follower to “subscribe to my Fansly” and they’ll likely have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s definitely getting more popular though, and it even has its own subreddit (which is another option for promoting yourself).
If you’re just starting out in your adult content creator career, or if you are worried about the future of adult content on OnlyFans, Fansly is definitely a viable alternative worth exploring.
Am I allowed to sell items through my Fansly account?
You may be allowed to sell items through your Fansly account but it’s not a specific feature. It would have to be done through tips. Selling worn items like underwear is banned, and some other unworn clothing may also be deemed inappropriate. If you want to sell things, it’s best to chat to the Fansly support team first and get approval on what you’re selling.
Can I create multiple accounts?
You cannot create multiple accounts on Fansly. Because Fansly lets you have free followers and tiered subscriptions, there should be no need to have multiple accounts. If you want to post different kinds of content, you can just use different tiers to cover that.
What payment options are there for Fansly?
There are currently three payment options for receiving your money – direct bank transfer, Skrill, and Paxum. The owners have said they are looking into the options for making payments in cryptocurrency in future.
How much do the top creators earn on Fansly?
Fansly state that the top creators on their site earn over $10,000 a month. That’s an amazing goal for any creator, even if it falls short of the millions earned by some creators on OnlyFans.
Realistically though, only a small number of creators are earning that much. You can certainly make enough to supplement your existing salary or even to live on completely, if you stick at it, but it’s best to start with an existing social media following. Across all adult subscription sites, you can realistically expect 1% of your regular social followers to convert to a subscriber.
Is Fansly an international website?
Yes, Fansly welcomes creators and users from across the world, with a handful of exceptions. The nationalities that currently cannot join as a creator are: Balkans, Belarus, Burma, Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, and Zimbabwe.
