OnlyFans vs Patreon in 2025: Features, Earnings, and Subscriber Experience

Are you an aspiring creator who is looking for a reliable platform to work with? Then look no further; you’re about to get your answer.

Well, two renowned content subscription-based platforms – Patreon and OnlyFans—are acing the industry with their innovative features, legendary earnings potential, and highly valued creator base. 

But here’s a catch in the story: despite being two extremely valued and successful platforms, there’s a never-ending battle going on between Patreon vs OnlyFans. 

So, to come up with a final verdict on this, we have carefully examined the OnlyFans versus Patreon comparison, quick sum-up, and differences. Stick around until the end, and get your hands on the answer!

Quick Overview of OnlyFans and Patreon

OnlyFans and Patreon are the two celebrated content platforms that have been acing the creator dynamics for the last couple of years! Let’s know about each of them in detail.

What is OnlyFans?

OnlyFans is one of the content monetisation platforms that allows creators to introduce their premium membership programs. It was founded in 2016 by Tim Stokely, and since then, this platform has been changing the magnitude of its subscribers and creator base. 

But do you know how? Well, one of the majorly loved strategies they adopted was to support explicit and adult content. Later, OnlyFans saw a significant rise in terms of numbers; as of now, it has 78 million registered users on the site. This makes it one of the biggest crowdfunding platforms for adult-themed creators.

What is Patreon?

Patreon is a popular social media subscription platform founded in 2013 by Jack Conte. This platform allows users to list subscription tiers, allowing fans or ‘patrons’ to choose the content they want to see from the creator.

Additionally, Patreon’s working model is pretty similar to the YouTube ‘Join’ programme, which offers fans different subscription tiers. However, YouTube charges creators 30% of their earnings for signing up for the programme, whereas Patreon only charges one-third of that.

Now that you’ve a clear idea of what OnlyFans and Patreon are, this information is still not enough to pick one. So, let’s dive straight into the comparison of Patreon vs OnlyFans in the next section.

Patreon vs OnlyFans – Differences Between the Two Platforms

The best way to differentiate between two well-celebrated platforms and find the one is to see their basic features, such as – style or niche of content, payout processing, and their monetisation procedure. Let’s look at them one by one.

1. Content Niche

If we talk about OnlyFans, they allow for adult and explicit content on their website, whereas we have Patreon don’t support adult content on their platform. Instead, their content is very diverse, they’ve not restricted their users to a specific niche.

2. Monetisation Process

The monetisation process on OnlyFans is relatively easier than that of Patreon, because OnlyFans has no flat fee and is free to get started. But, here’s a twist – once you start earning money, OnlyFans will take a larger chunk of 20% from your total earnings.

However, the case is very different with Patreon; they also take a chunk from your collective earnings, but the amount solely depends on the memberships users have (it can be from 5% to 12%).

3. Payout Processing

OnlyFans is a top choice in terms of payouts, as they release payments every day, but on the other hand, we have Patreon, who pay out to its users monthly. Given Patreon works on the membership-based model, that’s why it pays its users monthly. But comparing both of the platforms, OnlyFans wins in terms of payout processing.

To get a better answer on OnlyFans vs Patreon, we have listed a handy table below which features everything from characteristics, earnings, and subscriber experience, and more.

Features	Patreon	OnlyFans
Founded	2013	2016
Content Focus	Non-adult content	Primarily adult content
Earnings (Commission Rate)	5%, 8%, or 12%	20%
Payment Options	Varies	$20
Adult Content Allowed	No	Yes
Monetisation Options	Subscriptions, PPV events	Subscriptions, tips, PPV, custom content, eCommerce
User Discovery	Limited search function	Challenging for new creators
Brand Reputation	Established platform for creators	Established adult-content platform
Key Advantage	Lower commission rates	Largest adult-content platform
Subscriber Experience	Community engagement	Transactions, upselling, and custom content

Breakdown of Revenue Potential on OnlyFans vs Patreon

The amount you can earn on OnlyFans vs Patreon solely depends upon your content type, audience size, engagement, and pricing strategy. So, here’s a detailed breakdown for both of the platforms, give it a good read.

OnlyFans

If you are a creator on the OnlyFans platform or are looking forward to working with OnlyFans, here are a few things you need to know, followed by the revenue potential at the end.

1. It is a revenue-based model that works on subscriptions, which typically range from $4.99 to $49.99.
2. This platform charges a platform fee of 20% from the total creator earnings.
3. Top creators associated with OnlyFans can make $100,000+ per month.
4. Mid-tier creators might earn $1,000–$10,000/month.
5. New/small creators may start with $100–$500/month, depending on promotion and niche.

Patreon

Similar to OnlyFans, Patreon is also a subscription-based content platform, so take a quick sneak peek at the following pointers, followed by the revenue potential at the end, before you start working with them.

1. It is also a revenue-based model, working on memberships (monthly subscriptions, often with different perks).
2. This platform charges a platform fee of 5% to 12% from the total creator earnings, depending on creator status (Lite, Pro, Premium).
3. Top creators associated with Patreon can earn between $50,000–$200,000/month.
4. Mid-tier creators can potentially earn between $500–$5,000/month.
5. Creators under the mid-tier category can earn anywhere between $500/month early on.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Patreon and OnlyFans

By now, you’ve acquired enough information about both of these platforms, but are you still not sure about your decision? Well, look at the pros and cons of Patreon and OnlyFans listed below, and make an informed decision.

	Patreon	OnlyFans
Pros	Seamless integration with other sites and posts.Lower processing fees (8-15%).Diverse categories of content.Users demographics	More flexibility in revenue channels for creators and their engagement.Less scrutiny over contentLarger audience size for adult content.Monthly subscriptions, no memberships.
Cons	Percentage-based working model.Fewer features (No option for tips or pay-per-view).More restrictions on the content you consume or publish.	Percentage-based working model20% of your earnings.Poor integration with the other sites.

Final Verdict – Which One is Better?

Choosing a single platform can be a daunting task, but considering the pros and cons and evaluating the differences. It is fair enough to say both of these platforms are exceptionally better in their specialised fields.

Such as, OnlyFans is the hands-down winner in terms of the adult entertainment creator niche. However, Patreon is an exceptionally well-performing platform for general creators who are looking forward to growing their profile organically without any adult content.

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