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What Percentage Does OnlyFans Take? The Full Fee Breakdown
OnlyFans takes 20% from all creator earnings. Here is the full fee breakdown by revenue stream and how to maximise what you keep.
The percentage is simple: OnlyFans takes 20% of everything you earn. You keep 80%. That applies universally across all revenue types on the platform. No exceptions, no tiers, no negotiations.
But understanding what that 20% means in practice, how it compares to alternatives, and how to think about it strategically requires a bit more detail.
The 20% breakdown by revenue stream
The same percentage applies everywhere, but it is worth seeing how it plays out across different income types:
Monthly subscriptions. Your subscriber pays their monthly fee. OnlyFans takes 20% and deposits 80% to your balance. If your subscription is set at fifteen pounds, you receive twelve pounds per subscriber per month.
Tips. When a fan tips you on a post or in your DMs, the same 80/20 split applies. A ten pound tip means eight pounds in your pocket.
Pay-per-view (PPV) messages. You send locked content with a price attached. When the subscriber unlocks it, you keep 80% of the unlock price.
Paid posts. Posts behind an additional paywall beyond the subscription follow the same structure.
Livestream tips. Tips received during live broadcasts are subject to the same 20% deduction.
Referral bonuses. If you refer another creator through the OnlyFans referral programme, you earn 5% of their earnings for the first year. OnlyFans does not take their 20% from this. The referral bonus is separate.
Why does OnlyFans take 20%?
The 20% covers several things that would otherwise cost you significantly more to handle independently:
Payment infrastructure. Processing credit card payments internationally, handling multiple currencies, managing failed payments, and dealing with chargebacks. Payment processing alone typically costs 3-5% for businesses handling their own transactions.
Content hosting and delivery. Storing and serving video content is expensive. High-quality video hosting for creators generating gigabytes of content monthly would cost hundreds of pounds if self-hosted.
Platform development. The messaging system, subscription management, analytics, discovery features, and mobile apps all require ongoing development and maintenance.
Trust and safety. Age verification for subscribers, identity verification for creators, content moderation, DMCA handling, and legal compliance across multiple countries.
Customer support. Handling subscriber payment issues, creator payout problems, disputes, and general platform inquiries.
When you calculate what it would cost to replicate all of this independently, 20% is actually competitive. A creator earning a few thousand pounds monthly would struggle to find equivalent services for less.
How OnlyFans compares to other platforms
Here is an honest comparison:
| Platform | Creator keeps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| OnlyFans | 80% | Flat rate, all inclusive |
| Fansly | 80% | Same structure as OnlyFans |
| Patreon | 88-95% | Plus 5-8% processing fees on top |
| YouTube | 55% | Ad revenue only |
| Twitch | 50% | Subscription revenue for most streamers |
| Instagram (Subscriptions) | 100% (currently) | Limited features, may change |
Patreon looks cheaper on paper, but their tiered plans (Lite, Pro, Premium) plus separate payment processing fees narrow the gap significantly. For small transactions like tips and PPV unlocks, Patreon’s per-transaction fees can actually make them more expensive than OnlyFans in practice.
Strategies to maximise your take-home
Since the percentage is fixed, your strategy should focus on maximising gross revenue. The more you earn, the more absolute value your 80% represents.
Diversify your revenue streams. Do not rely solely on subscriptions. Build income from tips, PPV content, and paid messages. Creators with multiple active revenue streams consistently out-earn those relying on one.
Optimise subscription pricing. Too low and you need massive volume. Too high and you struggle to convert. Find the price point where conversions remain strong but each subscriber contributes meaningfully. Our pricing calculator helps with this.
Use tip menus effectively. A well-structured tip menu gives fans clear reasons to spend beyond their subscription. Make it easy and appealing. Our tip menu builder can help you create one that works.
Focus on retention. A subscriber who stays for twelve months is worth twelve times more than one who stays for one. Invest in keeping existing subscribers happy rather than constantly chasing new ones.
Increase per-subscriber revenue. Once someone is subscribed, every additional purchase (PPV, tips, custom content) goes through the same 80/20 split. Maximising what each subscriber spends over their lifetime is where significant income growth happens.
Tax: the other percentage you need to know
After OnlyFans takes their 20%, you still owe tax on what remains. In the UK:
- You pay no income tax on the first portion of your earnings (your personal allowance)
- Basic rate tax is 20% on earnings above your personal allowance
- National Insurance adds approximately 9% on top for most self-employed earners
So in practical terms, a UK-based creator might keep:
- 80% after OnlyFans (platform fee)
- Then approximately 60-70% of that after tax (depending on your total income)
This means your effective take-home from what subscribers pay could be between 48% and 64% once both platform fees and tax are accounted for. Our tax calculator gives you personalised estimates based on your expected earnings.
This is why pricing strategy matters so much. You need to price your content knowing that you keep less than half of each transaction after all deductions.
Can you reduce the 20% fee?
No. OnlyFans does not offer reduced rates for high earners, long-term creators, or any other category. The 20% is universal. Some creators have speculated about negotiated rates for top earners, but OnlyFans has never confirmed any such arrangement publicly.
The only exception is referral income, where you earn 5% of a referred creator’s earnings for twelve months with no additional platform deduction from that bonus.
Is it worth it?
For most creators, yes. The alternative is building your own website, handling your own payments, managing your own content delivery, doing your own DMCA enforcement, and dealing with your own customer service. That either costs significant money or takes significant time, or both.
OnlyFans provides a ready-made audience (people browse the platform), a trusted payment system (subscribers are more willing to pay through a known platform), and all the infrastructure you need to run a content business.
The 20% is the cost of entry to that ecosystem. Most creators find it worthwhile, especially when starting out.
For more on how fees work in practice, see our companion post on how much OnlyFans takes. And to model your potential earnings with the fee factored in, use our earnings calculator.