What is OnlyFans? A plain explainer from a tool that runs on top of it

OnlyFans is a subscription platform where creators sell access to their content directly to fans. This page explains how it works for creators, fans and agencies, without the sales pitch, and then where Inflowwww fits.

What OnlyFans is

OnlyFans is a UK-based platform that launched in 2016. Creators run a page; fans pay to see it. The platform handles payments, hosting and payouts, and takes a share of what creators earn. Its own help pages state the current fee and payout terms, and those are the ones to rely on, since terms can change.

Creators on OnlyFans include fitness coaches, musicians, cooks, artists and adult creators. Adult content is the best-known part of the platform, but it is not the only one.

Both creators and fans must be adults, and creators have to verify their identity before they can earn.

How creators earn

A page can make money in several ways:

• Subscriptions: a monthly price to see the feed. Pages can also be free, and earn from the items below instead.
• Renewals (rebills): subscriptions that renew automatically.
• Pay-per-view messages: locked media sent in a direct message, which the fan pays to open.
• Paid posts: feed posts with a price.
• Tips: optional payments on posts, messages or streams.
• Live streams, and referrals of other creators.

Direct messages matter a lot. On many pages, conversations with fans are a large part of income. That is why messaging tools, scripts and inbox management take up so much of this blog.

What fans get

Fans get access to a creator they follow and a way to talk to them. Good pages are clear about what the subscription includes and what costs extra, answer messages, and post on a predictable rhythm. Fans who feel misled leave, and often say so.

What agencies do

As a page grows, some creators work with agencies. An agency might handle:

• Promotion and growth on other social platforms.
• Content planning and posting schedules.
• Chatting with fans, often through a team of chatters.
• Reporting, pricing and planning.

A good agency relationship has a written agreement, a clear revenue split, and the creator keeping control of their own account and content. Creators should know who is talking to their fans in their name, and agencies should be honest with creators about it. Both should read and follow OnlyFans' own terms on account access and on who may operate a page.

Where Inflowwww fits

Inflowwww is a free, open-source, self-hosted workspace for running OnlyFans pages as a team: a shared inbox, reports, vault management, scripts and team access. It runs on a server you control.

It is not part of OnlyFans and not endorsed by it. It works by replaying OnlyFans' public web API calls from a captured session.

If you are a solo creator just starting out, you do not need any tool. OnlyFans' own site is enough until messages start piling up.

Getting started on OnlyFans

1. Read the platform's terms and creator guidelines before you post anything.
2. Decide between a free and a paid page.
3. Plan a month of posts before launch, so the page is not empty.
4. Decide what you will and will not do, in writing, and keep to it.
5. Keep records of your earnings from day one. Income from OnlyFans is usually taxable. This is not tax advice. Check the current rules with the IRS, HMRC or CRA or a professional.

The pitch. Inflowwww runs on top of OnlyFans, on your own server, and adds nothing on top of the 20%. Deploy it yourself.