I’ll shoot straight. You can make money on OnlyFans. Some months, a lot. Some months, not much at all. I ran my page for 9 months. I tracked every dollar. Here’s what I made, what it took, and what I’d do again.
You know what? It’s a job. A real one. Fun some days, draining others. Like bar work, but online. Let me explain.
My Setup (Simple but not lazy)
- Niche: friendly, flirty, fitness and lifestyle
- Sub price: $9.99 (I used $3–$5 promo trials sometimes)
- Time: 1–2 hours a day; busy weeks went up to 3–4 hours
- Tools: iPhone, ring light, Canva, Notes app for scripts
- Promo: Twitter and Reddit, plus a few TikTok teasers (clean and careful)
- Cut: OnlyFans keeps 20% of gross. Always.
Small note: I kept 30% of my payout for taxes. That part hurts if you forget.
What I Made (Month by month, no fluff)
This is what hit my dashboard. First, the gross. Then the 20% cut. Then my net.
Month 1: Soft Launch
- Subs: 62 at $5 promo = $310
- PPV: $380
- Tips: $94
- Gross: $784
- OnlyFans 20%: -$157
- Net: $627
- Time: ~35 hours (about $18/hour)
I posted daily. I learned fast. I also messed up my lighting. A lot.
Month 2: Found a Groove
- Subs: 118 at a blended $8.50 (promos + full price) = $1,003
- PPV: $640
- Tips: $212
- “Customs” (safe-for-work ideas, like fitness plans): $150
- Gross: $2,005
- OnlyFans 20%: -$401
- Net: $1,604
- Time: ~42 hours (about $38/hour)
I ran a weekend sale. I answered DMs fast. People stayed.
Month 3: A Spike Hit
I had a TikTok clip do well. Not viral, but spicy enough.
- Trials: 410 people at $3 = $1,230
- Subs (carryover + full price): $2,098
- PPV: $880
- Pay-per-message bundles: $190
- Tips: $306
- Gross: $4,704
- OnlyFans 20%: -$941
- Net: $3,763
- Chargebacks: -$62
- Final Payout: $3,701
- Time: ~55 hours (about $67/hour)
A lot of trial folks left after a week. That churn is real. Still, a good month.
Month 4: The Dip
- Subs: $1,748
- PPV: $510
- Tips: $110
- Gross: $2,368
- OnlyFans 20%: -$474
- Net: $1,894
- Time: ~40 hours (about $47/hour)
Summer slump, I think. Also, I posted less. It showed.
Months 5–9: The Average
When I kept a steady routine:
- Net per month: $1,100 to $1,600
- Hours per week: 8–12
- Churn: around 30–40% of subs drop each month unless you re-engage
I’d run a $5 weekend trial. I’d toss in a PPV bundle. I’d do a “thank you” message to lapsed subs. Boring? Maybe. It worked.
How the Money Actually Flows
Here’s where the cash came from for me:
- Subscriptions: 45–60% most months
- PPV posts (pay to view): 25–40%
- Tips: 5–15%
- Custom requests or bundles: the rest
My best ARPU (average revenue per user) month sat around $17–$22. My low months saw $8–$10 ARPU. Fancy word, simple idea: money per person.
What Made My Income Go Up
- Fast replies in DMs (30–60 minutes during peak). People felt seen. They stayed.
- Timed promos: Friday night sales did better than Monday noon. Shocker, right?
- The “one more thing” message: short upsell after a chat. Not pushy, just clear.
- A post plan: 1 daily post, 2–3 PPVs a week, one “behind-the-scenes” story most days.
- Collabs: shoutouts with 2 creators in my lane. Small, but helpful.
What Dragged It Down
- Posting less than 3 times a week. My churn spiked.
- Long gaps in DMs. Folks cancel when it feels quiet.
- Poor audio or dark video. People don’t tip when they can’t see or hear.
- Chargebacks. Rare, but they sting.
Other Real People I Know
- Jess (fitness + meal prep): 150–220 subs at $7.99. She aims for $900–$1,400 net a month. She posts timers, checklists, little wins. Her folks love structure.
- Rio (cosplay + gamer vibe): bigger spikes. One month $4,800 net, next month $1,600. Streams help; big drops happen when he’s off for a week.
We swap notes. We share templates. It’s not magic. It’s routine.
Time vs. Money (the part no one likes)
- Content: 4–6 hours a week (batch shoot on Sundays)
- Editing and posts: 2 hours a week
- DMs: 4–8 hours a week, broken up
- Admin (taxes, tags, cleanup): 1 hour a week
When I stayed steady, my “hourly” sat between $25 and $60. When I drifted, it fell under $15.
Fees, Taxes, and Payouts
- OnlyFans takes 20%. No way around it.
- Payouts hit my bank in a few days once cleared.
- I set aside 30% for taxes. I used a simple spreadsheet. Boring, but it kept me sane.
Can You Make 10k a Month?
Some do. I’ve seen pages hit $10k–$50k with large teams, wild promo, and daily drops. But that’s rare. Most small creators I talk to land between $200 and $2,000 net a month after a few months of consistent work. That range is normal. It’s not a scam. It’s also not a cash machine.
Tiny Tips I Wish I Knew
- Price your sub a touch higher, then run short promos. People love a deal.
- Send one clear PPV per week. Not five. Don’t spam.
- Make a welcome message with a small bundle. It warms people up.
- Track your numbers weekly. If a post type sells, keep doing it.
- Take breaks. Burnout shows on camera, and in DMs.
My Verdict
OnlyFans paid my car note and some groceries. On a hot month, it covered rent too. But it asked for time, care, and patience. The real answer to “how much can you make?” is this: with steady work, most folks make a few hundred to a few thousand a month. With big promo and daily grind, more. With no plan, not much.
Me? I’d do it again. I just wouldn’t expect fireworks on day one. I’d build, test, repeat. Simple, not easy. Honestly, that’s the whole game.