What is Fansly? The Onlyfans Rival Explained

what is fansly

Everyone and their mother’s cat has heard of Onlyfans, but can the same be said for Fansly?

What is Fansly?

Well, it might become your new favorite platform. We’ll take you through the ins and outs, so to speak, of Fansly and how you can use it to bring in some extra cash.

No, Seriously, What is Fansly?

bella bumzy

Fansly is a subscription-based social media platform where spicy content creators can sell their work directly to customers. 

If this sounds familiar, you might be thinking of Onlyfans. However, saying Fansly is just an Onlyfans knockoff would be a cop-out.

While Onlyfans was created for more than adult content, Fansly knew what side their bread was buttered on and committed to sexy media from the start. Admirable.

Created in 2017, Fansly is owned by Baltimore-based company Select Media LLC and another company based in Cyprus named CY Media LLC.

Both media companies are reportedly owned by Michael Etelis. 

Not much is known about Etelis, unlike Onlyfans creator Tim Stokely. Etelis has their name attached to multiple companies based in Maryland and Texas, but there is very little information beyond that. 

What can be inferred from combining the list of media companies they’ve started and Fansly’s interface looking extremely similar to Onlyfans is that Etelis saw the potential of a direct subscription service for adult content and ran with it. 

Fansly Booms While Onlyfans Implodes

male model on fansly

Until Onlyfans nearly destroyed itself with their “no nudes” announcement, Fansly was the RC Cola to Onlyfans’ Coke. 

Even though the domain was created in 2017, you could have been rightfully asking “what is Fansly” for years. If it were not for one of the biggest bonehead moves in internet history, Fansly might have disappeared into obscurity. 

When Onlyfans announced in August 2021 that it would ban porn and NSFW content from its site, millions of content creators moved over to Fansly. Onlyfans walked back their decision quickly, but the damage was done. 

Fansly saw such a rapid increase in profiles that the website crashed.

Yes, at the peak of this meteoric rise, Fansly had 4,000 new signups an hour. 

Many creators now use both platforms to broaden their audience, but Fansly does feature some unique stars. Peruse our list of the best Fansly girls to find some great accounts. 

While Onlyfans is still the top dog for one-on-one porn subscriptions, Fansly’s “overnight” success brought it from RC Cola to Pepsi. 

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What Can You Sell on Fansly?

For those who are moving on from “what is Fansly” to “how do I sign up”, there are some things you should know about what you can actually sell.

Typically, what you are selling is content. Your followers can see these photos, videos, or audio for a price. Art is also encouraged as long as the art does not violate the Terms of Service.

sexy woman posing
Is this “art”? We’ll never know.

Fansly’s Terms of Service are fairly common sense. Posting media that features, or even simulates, sexual exploitation of minors is banned. Content showcasing or encouraging incest, rape, bestiality, hate speech, or violence is also forbidden.

Funnily enough, weapons are okay as long as they are obviously fake.

Good news for those who enjoy Anime or cosplay!

Hardcore fetishes that include bodily fluids like blood and scat (urine is allowed), or extreme sadomasochism are also not welcome on Fansly.

Another offering for your followers is selling your most important asset: time. 

Fans can pay to have one-on-one chats with you, with some creators selling what is known as a “Girlfriend Experience”, or GFE.

GFEs let fans live out a fantasy by simulating the banter and report of a relationship while staying at a safe distance.   

As for selling physical merchandise, some things are a-okay with Fansly. Selling physical photographs like polaroids or art prints is a nice way to increase revenue.

Unfortunately, selling worn items of clothing like panties or socks is not allowed. 

What is the Fansly App?

fansly app logo

Fansly’s sleek design and user-friendly features like content tags make the site a joy to use and finding what you want a breeze. 

Fansly has enhanced this silky-smooth experience with its own app. 

The Fansly app can be found for iOS and Android phones, giving a dedicated portal to your account. While the mobile version of the site works fine, there is no avoiding those little annoyances that come with browsing websites on a phone. 

Everyone at one time in their life has growled as they try to scroll around or zoom in on a picture as their phone freaks out and changes orientation or mistakes a swipe for a click. 

The Fansly app sidesteps those frustrations and lets you navigate your favorite porn collection with one hand easily. 

Do You Pay for Fansly?

The answer here is yes and no. 

You do not need to pay anything to start an account or to follow someone, but that will only get you so far. 

Creators have tiered subscriptions at different price points. The more you pay, the more you get.

The offerings at each level are at the creator’s discretion, so tier one may let you see most of their pictures and videos while more hot and heavy content stays behind a paywall. 

If a recurring paid subscription is not for you, then you can follow an account for free and pay to unlock specific posts. Think of it like getting your porn a la carte. 

There’s also the option to tip your favorite creators. It is not required, but it’s a nice thing to do anyway.

How Do You Get Paid On Fansly?

fansly daisy dolly

If you are looking to earn instead of spend, Fansly has some of the best options for getting paid. 

To start the process, you will need to request a payout from your creator wallet. The transfer typically takes one or two business days, but some have said they regularly receive their money in less than an hour.

While Fansly shares the same split as Onlyfans of 80% goes to the creator and 20% goes to Fansly, your payout options give you more control. 

What is Fansly doing differently?

One feature is the choice of either a direct bank transfer from your creator wallet or a transfer to another banking app like Skrill or Paxum. This is a good way for those living a spicy double life who want to keep their brick-and-mortar bank in the dark. 

Accepting or getting paid in crypto is available in some countries, but not all. Fansly has said they are working on expanding this for people who are into cryptocurrencies. 

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How Much Can You Charge on Fansly?

In short: a sh*tload. 

People can follow for free, choose bits and pieces of what they want for a wide range of prices, or they can subscribe to one of your tiered memberships. 

Memberships are where the real money is. 

While Onlyfans and Fansly have a minimum of about $5, Onlyfans has a limit of $49.99 for one monthly subscription. Fansly uses its tiered system to allow a maximum of $499.99 a month. That is 10 times higher. 

What is Fansly thinking?

They are thinking that someone would be willing to pay the right person $500 a month for their services, and they are right to assume that. Maybe no one is going to drop half a rack for nude photos or even the hottest video in history, but remember that people also pay for experiences like the aforementioned GFE.

fansly screenshot

If you are new to Onlyfans, starting your subscription fee at a low price is a shrewd way to get started. Thanks to Fansly’s tier system, you can run the gamut from lowest to highest. Even if one person subscribes at $500 a month, that is a nice little boost to your bank account. 

So, That’s What Fansly Is

So, what is Fansly? The short answer is a subscription-based adult content website. 

The better answer is that Fansly is a fantastic alternative to Onlyfans, offering more flexibility for fans and creators. With a clean User Interface, better search functions, and tiered subscription options, Fansly may beat out Onlyfans as your go-to porn option. 

Check out our in-depth comparison between Fansly vs OnlyFans to see more about how the two stack up. 

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    • Justin Perlman (he/him) is a comedian and writer based in Atlanta. He has two cats named Dr. Whoopsy-Daisy & Superintendent Chalmers and cries at the ending of Robocop.

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