The short answer: OnlyFans takes 20%
If you searched "how much does OnlyFans take from tips", the answer is the same as for everything else on the platform: you keep 80%, OnlyFans keeps 20%. That split applies to subscriptions, tips, pay-per-view (PPV) posts and paid messages. There is no separate, bigger fee for tips and no discount for PPV.
The 20% covers payment processing, hosting, storage and the platform itself. It is not taken from the fan on top of your price: if a fan tips $10, you are credited $8.
A few other things are worth knowing before you set prices on OnlyFans:
- The minimum subscription price is $4.99. You can also run a free page and earn from PPV and messages.
- You get one subscription price, no tiers.
- Livestreams are available, and they fall under the same 80/20 split.
- The audience is huge, but there is almost no discovery inside the platform. Fans have to find you elsewhere first.
The full breakdown, including verification and who OnlyFans suits best, is in our OnlyFans review for trans creators.
What every platform keeps
Most big fan platforms have settled on the same 80% creator share. The differences are in minimum prices, tiers, livestreams and payout options, not the headline cut.
- OnlyFans: you keep 80%. Minimum $4.99, one price, livestreams, very little internal discovery.
- Fansly: you keep 80%. Free follows are possible, multiple subscription tiers, livestreams, and a For You feed plus tags that help new fans find you.
- Fanvue: you keep 80%. Minimum $4.99, tiers, no livestreams, AI tools to help with messages.
- LoyalFans: you keep 80%. Minimum $4.99, tiers, livestreams and a clip store.
- FanCentro: you keep 75%. Minimum $5, tiers, clips and paid DMs.
- KNKY: British platform, you keep 80-85%. Tiers, livestreams, and iDEAL payments for Dutch fans.
- F2F: Dutch platform, you keep 80%. Minimum EUR 1.50, iDEAL for fans, payouts by SEPA only, so you need an EU bank account.
For features side by side, use the fan platform comparison table. Platforms change terms, so check the current terms on the platform itself before you commit.
Tips, PPV and paid messages
On all the platforms above, the share you keep is the same across income types. A tip, an unlocked PPV post and a paid message are all split the same way as a subscription. That matters because for many creators, subscriptions are not the main income. A lower subscription price with active messaging and PPV can earn more than a high price with a quiet page.
Two practical points:
- Your pricing is gross, not net. If you want $20 in your pocket from a custom request on an 80% platform, you need to charge $25.
- Tiers change the math, not the fee. On Fansly, Fanvue, LoyalFans, FanCentro and KNKY you can run a cheap entry tier and a higher tier. The platform still takes the same share of each.
If you are still choosing where to start, our guide on how to start an OnlyFans page walks through pricing your first month.
A worked example with round numbers
This is an illustration with made-up round numbers, not a prediction of what you will earn. For what creators report earning, with every figure labelled, see what trans creators really earn.
Say fans spend $1,000 on your page in a month, across subscriptions, tips, PPV and messages.
- Platform share. On an 80% platform you are credited $800. On FanCentro at 75% it would be $750.
- Agency, if you have one. An agency taking 50% of what is left takes $400 of that $800. You are down to $400.
- Currency and bank costs. If your payout is converted into another currency, the exchange rate and bank fees shave a little more off. In this example, say that costs you $20: you receive $380.
- Taxes. Depending on where you live, part of that $380 is taxable income that you need to set aside.
The point of the example: the platform's 20% is the most visible fee, but it is often not the biggest one. Run the same numbers with your own prices and costs before you decide on a platform, an agency or a price change. Small differences at each step add up to a noticeable gap by the end of the year.
Why an agency cut matters more than the platform fee
Agencies that manage pages commonly take 40-60% of what is left after the platform's share. That is a cut of your net, not your gross, which is why it hits so hard. In the example above, a 50% agency cost you twice as much as the platform did.
Some agencies do real work: marketing, chatting, scheduling. Others mostly take a percentage and your passwords. Before you sign anything, ask:
- Exactly what percentage, of which amount, and for how long?
- Who owns the account, the login and the email address?
- Can you leave, and what happens to your page and content if you do?
- Who will be writing messages to your fans in your name?
Keep control of your own login and payout details. Our safety guide for trans creators covers account security and agency red flags in more depth.
Payout methods, currencies and bank fees
Every platform has its own payout methods, minimum payout amount and schedule, and these change more often than the headline split. In general terms:
- Most platforms pay out by bank transfer, and some offer other methods depending on your country. Check the current terms for what is available where you live.
- F2F pays out only by SEPA transfer, so you need an EU bank account.
- If a platform pays in dollars and your bank account is in euros, pounds or another currency, a conversion happens somewhere. Either the platform, a payment provider or your bank sets the exchange rate, and each can add a margin or fee.
- Some banks charge for incoming international transfers. A local account in the payout currency can reduce this.
Also make sure your legal name on the account matches the name on your bank account, even if your public name is different. Our guide to getting paid as a creator goes through payouts and name mismatches step by step.
Taxes: set money aside from day one
In most countries, income from fan platforms is taxable self-employment or business income. The platform usually does not withhold income tax for you, so the full payout lands in your account and the bill arrives later.
- Keep a simple record of every payout and every business expense.
- Set aside a fixed part of each payout in a separate account until you know your actual tax rate.
- Look up whether you need to register as self-employed where you live, and whether sales tax or VAT applies.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules differ by country and change over time. Talk to a local accountant or tax adviser about your situation.
How to keep more of what fans spend
You cannot negotiate the platform share, but you can control most of what comes after it.
- Pick the platform that fits how you work. If you need discovery, Fansly's feed may be worth more than OnlyFans' bigger audience. See our overview of fan platforms for trans creators.
- Price in net terms, so custom work and PPV cover the platform's share.
- Do your own promotion before handing half your income to an agency. Our guide to promoting your fan page is a good place to start.
- Plan your first month around a few platforms and habits you can keep up, instead of spreading yourself thin across everything at once.
New to all of this? The start earning hub brings every step together.