OnlyFans takes 20% of everything. Not 20% of subscriptions, 20% of everything: subscriptions, pay-per-view, tips, customs. There is no volume discount, no loyalty rate and nothing to negotiate.
Most creators know the number and have never done the arithmetic on it. This page does the arithmetic, at real earning levels, and then looks at what that money buys you and what it would cost to replace those services yourself. That is a narrower question than “should I leave”, and a more useful one, because the answer changes completely depending on how much you earn.
If the question you actually want answered is which model to build on, platform versus your own site, that comparison lives here: custom adult website vs creator platforms. This page is about the money.
What OnlyFans Actually Costs You
OnlyFans takes 20% of all revenue, subscriptions, PPV, tips, custom content. There is no volume discount, no loyalty rate, no negotiation.
At meaningful creator earnings, that 20% becomes a significant number:
| Monthly Revenue | OnlyFans Takes | You Keep |
|---|---|---|
| £1,000/month | £200 | £800 |
| £5,000/month | £1,000 | £4,000 |
| £10,000/month | £2,000 | £8,000 |
| £25,000/month | £5,000 | £20,000 |
The £1,000/month creator might not feel the 20% acutely. The £10,000/month creator is paying £24,000/year to OnlyFans for infrastructure that costs far less to provide.
Beyond the commission, there are structural risks every OnlyFans creator carries:
- Account termination: with no appeal process, often without explanation
- Policy changes: OnlyFans nearly banned all explicit content in 2021 and reversed only after creator backlash. It can happen again
- You own nothing: your subscriber list, payment data, and content library are held by OnlyFans. If you leave, you start over
- Chargebacks and holds: funds can be withheld pending chargeback resolution with limited transparency
Switching Platforms Does Not Change the Number
The first thing to understand about the fee is how little of it is specific to OnlyFans. The obvious alternatives charge the same or more: Fansly, LoyalFans and FanCentro all take 20% of subscription revenue, and the white-label options replace a percentage with a monthly floor plus add-on costs that can land higher at low volume.
So if the 20% is your objection, moving to another platform does not answer it. You are buying the same deal with a different logo. The only structural change is moving the payment relationship to a processor you hold yourself, at which point the cost becomes processing fees plus hosting rather than a share of revenue.
Whether that trade is worth making is a genuine decision with real arguments on both sides, and it is covered in depth in the platform comparison guide. What follows here is only the cost side of it.
What Moving to Your Own Domain Actually Means
A website on your own domain means:
- You own the domain: yourdomain.com, not yourname.onlyfans.com
- You own the subscriber data: email addresses, purchase history, preferences
- You own the content: your video vault, photo library, and archives are on your server or storage, not on OnlyFans’
- You own the merchant account: your CCBill account processes payments directly to you. No platform can freeze it because you said something they disagree with
- You control the experience: pricing, tiers, branding, content organisation, everything
What it costs to build:
| Component | Platform Model Cost | Your Website Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Processing fee | 20% commission | ~14% (CCBill) |
| Monthly fixed cost | £0 | $69/month, about £54 (Automate Horizon), plus $750 setup once |
| At £5,000/month gross | £1,000/month | £750 + £54 = £804/month |
| At £10,000/month gross | £2,000/month | £1,400 + £54 = £1,454/month |
| At £20,000/month gross | £4,000/month | £2,800 + £54 = £2,854/month |
| Who owns subscriber data | Platform | You |
| Termination risk | Platform’s discretion | Your domain/hosting |
At £10,000/month, your website saves £546/month, £6,552/year before the one-off setup, while also reducing your exposure to a platform closing your account.
The Transition: How Creators Move from OnlyFans to Owned
The transition does not have to be all-or-nothing. Most successful creator websites are built alongside an OnlyFans presence, not instead of it, at least initially.
Phase 1, Build the foundation
Set up your domain, website, and CCBill merchant account while you continue on OnlyFans. This takes 4–6 weeks (mostly CCBill approval time). No visible change to your fans yet.
Phase 2, Soft launch
Begin promoting your website to your OnlyFans subscribers. Offer an incentive: a discount on your website, content available only on your site, or a free trial month. You are not closing your OnlyFans. You are giving fans a reason to add your website.
Phase 3, Content differentiation
Start posting some content on your website first, and then on OnlyFans. Your most engaged fans will follow. Over time, your best content migrates to your website and OnlyFans becomes a feeder channel.
Phase 4, Reduce OnlyFans dependence
As your website’s subscription base grows, you can reduce OnlyFans activity, increase OnlyFans prices (to compensate for lower posting frequency), or keep it as a top-of-funnel tool with a free or very cheap tier.
What Horizon Vault Adds
Horizon Vault is the subscription membership module being developed as part of the Automate Horizon platform. It is built specifically for the owned-platform model:
Subscription management: Multiple tiers, monthly/annual billing, trial periods, tenure discounts, all through your CCBill merchant account, directly to your bank.
Content vault: Your photo and video library, organised by tier access level. Subscribers on your core tier see your standard library; premium tier subscribers see everything plus exclusive content.
Drip content: Automatically unlock content over time as a subscriber remains active. Creates a reason to stay subscribed even after consuming the initial library.
Custom content workflow: Fans can request and pay for custom content through your site, with a workflow that handles the request, payment, and delivery.
Analytics: Real data on what content performs, which subscribers are your highest value, and what your month-on-month revenue looks like.
Vault is in development, with early access available to creators who join the Automate Horizon platform now. Creators onboarded ahead of the Vault launch will have their setup pre-configured when Vault goes live.
→ Get early access to Horizon Vault
OnlyFans Fees FAQ
Is there a platform that does not take a commission?
All platforms that host your content for free take a commission in return, typically 20%. "Free" platforms are not free; they take 20% of everything you earn. The way to avoid platform commission is to sell from a website on your own domain and process payments through your own merchant account.
Which platforms charge less than 20%?
LoyalFans (80% payout = 20% commission) and FanCentro (80% payout) have the same rate as OnlyFans. Patreon is typically 5–12% depending on your tier. A website on your own domain with CCBill is approximately 14% (processing only, no platform cut), plus a flat monthly hosting fee.
Can I move my OnlyFans subscribers to my website?
OnlyFans does not give you your subscriber list or email addresses. You can export limited data about your subscribers. The migration strategy is to promote your new platform to existing OnlyFans subscribers and incentivise them to sign up on your site, you cannot do a mass automated transfer.
Do I need an LLC or company to run my website?
No. You can operate as a sole trader / self-employed individual. For creators earning significant income, a limited company may have tax advantages; take advice from an accountant who understands the adult industry. CCBill accepts both individual and business applications.
How long does it take to set up my website?
The bottleneck is CCBill approval, typically 2–4 weeks. The website build with Automate Horizon takes 2–3 weeks alongside the CCBill process. Realistically: 4–6 weeks from starting the process to having a live, payment-enabled website.
→ How to build an adult website from scratch
→ Where to sell adult content online in 2026
→ CCBill setup guide for adult creators
→ Book a call with Automate Horizon