OnlyFans Growth: From Startup to Cultural Phenomenon
Platform history, creator growth trends, and what the data reveals. Combining platform-level statistics with our analysis of 3,057 creator profiles.
Platform Creators
4.63 million
registered (FY2024)
Peak Year
2020
998 new in our sample
Peak YoY Growth
+44.2%
2019 → 2020
Our Sample
3,057
enriched profiles
1. OnlyFans by the Numbers
Key platform-level metrics based on public reports and financial disclosures.
Total Creators
4.63 millionRegistered on platform (FY2024)
Total Users
377.5 millionRegistered fan accounts (FY2024)
Annual Revenue (GMV)
$7.22 billionTotal fan payments in FY2024
Creator Payouts
$5.8 billion80% of GMV paid to creators (FY2024)
OnlyFans generated $7.22 billion in total fan payments (GMV) in fiscal 2024, up 9% from $6.6B in 2023. The platform retains 20% as net revenue ($1.41B), paying out the remaining 80% ($5.8B) to creators. Cumulative creator payouts since launch have surpassed $20 billion.
| Year | Fans | Creators | GMV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | — | — | $3M |
| 2019 | 13M | ~120K | — |
| 2020 | 120M | — | $2.4B |
| 2021 | 188M | — | $4.8B |
| 2022 | 238.85M | — | $5.6B |
| 2023 | 305M | 3.7M | $6.6B |
| 2024 | 377.5M | 4.63M | $7.22B |
Sources: OnlyFans public reports, financial disclosures. GMV = Gross Merchandise Value (total fan payments).
2. OnlyFans Creator Growth: Year by Year
New creator registrations per year from our sample of 3,057 profiles. The 2020 pandemic boom is clearly visible, with 998 new creators that year alone.
The COVID-19 Effect
2020 was the definitive inflection point for OnlyFans. Our data shows a +44.2% year-over-year increase in new creator sign-ups (from 692 in 2019 to 998 in 2020). The combination of lockdowns, celebrity endorsements, and mainstream media coverage turned OnlyFans into a household name. Following the peak, new sign-ups declined 64.4% in 2021 as the initial surge normalized.
| Year | New Creators | Cumulative | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 61 | 61 | — |
| 2017 | 308 | 369 | +405% |
| 2018 | 306 | 675 | -1% |
| 2019 | 692 | 1,367 | +126% |
| 2020 | 998 | 2,365 | +44% |
| 2021 | 355 | 2,720 | -64% |
| 2022 | 230 | 2,950 | -35% |
| 2023 | 92 | 3,042 | -60% |
| 2024 | 14 | 3,056 | -85% |
Based on our sample of 3,057 enriched creator profiles.
3. Key Moments in OnlyFans History
2016.11
OnlyFans launched by Tim Stokely in London with a £10,000 loan from his father
Platform conceived for fashion influencers and premium content creators
2017
OnlyFans records $3 million in transactions in its first full year
2018
Leonid Radvinsky (MyFreeCams owner) acquires 75% of OnlyFans
Platform pivots toward adult content, growth accelerates
2019
OnlyFans reaches 13 million subscribers and becomes mainstream in adult creator space
2020.03
COVID-19 pandemic drives explosive growth — users surge from 20M to 120M
Creators flock to platform as lockdowns close traditional venues
2020.08
Bella Thorne joins OnlyFans, earns $1M in first 24 hours
Controversy over PPV refund policy changes, sparking creator backlash
2020.12
Beyoncé references OnlyFans in "Savage" remix, cementing cultural status
2021.08
OnlyFans announces ban on sexually explicit content
Massive creator backlash; decision reversed within one week
2021.09
Tim Stokely steps down as CEO, replaced by Ami Gan
2021
OFTV launches — free, SFW streaming app to diversify beyond adult content
2022
Platform surpasses 238 million registered users and $5.6B in gross payments
2023
OnlyFans reaches 305 million fans and 3.7 million creators, $6.6B GMV
Creator growth rate: 29.4% year-over-year
2024
Platform hits 377.5 million users, 4.63 million creators, and $7.22B in fan payments
Fan accounts grow 24% YoY, creator accounts grow 13% YoY
2025
OnlyFans publishes FY2024 annual report: $1.41B net revenue, $684M pre-tax profit
Platform applies 32–36% approval rate on new creator applications
4. How Long Do OnlyFans Creators Stay Active?
Retention analysis based on last-seen activity data. A creator is considered "active" if they were seen within the last 6 months.
74%
Average Retention
Across all join years
85%
OG Retention (2016)
52/61 still active
69%
Pandemic Cohort (2020)
690/998 still active
Early adopters who joined in 2016 show the highest retention rate at 85%, likely because these were the most committed creators. The pandemic cohort (2020) has a 69% retention rate — notable given the "gold rush" nature of 2020 sign-ups. More recent joiners (2022-2023) show 73%+ retention, suggesting that newer creators are increasingly serious about the platform.
5. How OnlyFans Niches Evolved Over Time
Tracking the most popular content categories by creator join year. Shows how many creators in each niche joined per year.
Solo and amateur content have dominated every year since OnlyFans launched. The "alternative" niche (tattoos, piercings, goth aesthetics) saw significant growth in 2019-2020, while "curvy" and "feet" content emerged as notable categories from 2021 onward. The MILF niche has maintained steady representation across all years.
6. OnlyFans Market Position
OnlyFans holds approximately ~40% of the paid creator subscription market. Here's how it compares to key competitors.
| Platform | Focus | Launched | Est. Creators |
|---|---|---|---|
| OnlyFans | Adult + general subscriptions | 2016 | 4.63 million |
| Fansly | Adult-focused subscription platform gaining traction with superior content discovery features for smaller creators. | 2020 | Growing (undisclosed) |
| Fanvue | Emerging adult subscription platform positioning itself as an OnlyFans alternative with AI-powered features and competitive creator payouts. | 2021 | Undisclosed |
| Patreon | Largest general-purpose membership platform with 250K+ creators and 8M+ patrons. | 2013 | 250,000+ |
| MYM | French-based subscription platform popular in Europe, competing in the adult content space with a focus on privacy and creator-friendly terms. | 2020 | — |
While Fansly and Fanvue are growing, neither has disclosed revenue or creator numbers comparable to OnlyFans. OnlyFans' scale ($7.2B GMV) is approximately 3x larger than the next largest adult platform by revenue. Patreon serves a different market but its loosened mature content policies make it a partial competitor.
Methodology
Our data: Growth trends are computed from 3,057 enriched OnlyFans creator profiles. Join dates and last-seen timestamps are sourced from official platform API data. Retention is defined as having a "last seen" timestamp within 6 months of our latest data point.
Platform-level statistics: Total creator counts, fan numbers, and revenue figures are sourced from OnlyFans' public reports, financial disclosures, and industry analysis compiled via automated research. These numbers reflect the entire platform, not just our sample.
Limitations: Our sample of 3,057 profiles represents established creators and may not be representative of all 4.63 million accounts on the platform. Join date analysis reflects when profiles in our dataset were created, which skews toward successful, longer-running accounts. Platform-level statistics are estimates from public sources and may have reporting inconsistencies.