An OnlyFans model has revealed how she makes money on the adult content platform despite primarily running a free subscription page.
The spicy content site boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic with millions around the world confined to their homes for extended periods of time, growing by a whopping 75 percent in 2020 and generating more than $2 billion (£1.56 billion) in sales by year end.
As of 2024, OnlyFans has roughly 1.25 million daily active users.
Users sign up and pay for content on the platform, whether that be individual pieces or monthly subscriptions.
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It has helped many people gain financial freedom and security, with one woman leaving her former bricklaying job after clearing her debt in just two days.
It's not all about sex though, with another OnlyFans star making £5,000 a month by pretending to have a broken leg. If people will pay, you're likely to find the content to match the urge.
The rise of the platform has seen it embedded in online subculture, with debates around whether subscribing to OnlyFans models is cheating or not if you're in a relationship or married.
LADbible sat down with one OnlyFans star, Kate Shelor, who explained her unique approach to the platform.
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Kate's primary use for OnlyFans is running a free subscription page from which she makes money in other ways. A pleasure coach and hypnotherapist by trade, the American uses the free page for a lot more than just spicy content.
Credit cards needed for reason you might not realise
"Calling it a free page is a little bit of a misnomer," the Las Vegas resident told LADbible, who explained why OnlyFans asks for your credit card details when you sign up even to view just free content.
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"So when you log on to OnlyFans in general it's going to ask you for an ID, a credit card, and match them to make sure you're of age and you're who you say you are. And a lot of people get a little upset.
"People find me online and let's say they want to subscribe to my free page, they get a little upset at handing over the credit card details but it really is just for the platform to verify your age."
Free OnlyFans and what it really means
There's a key different between the types of pages you find on OnlyFans; subscription-locked vs free.
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For Kate - who goes by the username @thekatykat - the free page has a purpose beyond adult content.
She explained: "You can subscribe to all kinds of people. People will offer a subscription-locked page or a free page.
"All that means is, if you hit the subscribe button on my free page, that is free to subscribe. Now, I post almost like a Facebook wall where content is unlocked.
"It's a little easier than Instagram or TikTok because you can talk freely about sex. That's one of the benefits. But then I might put a piece of content that you might have to unlock to get. For an individual price.
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"A 'free' page is simply the page itself. On my page I post a tonne of content that's free. Memes, photos, videos, educational content, reviews. All that is unlocked and free.
"But I also sell content that you have to unlock for a paid price. I also now have a VIP page which is one price monthly where everything on there is unlocked. So you don't buy individual pieces of content."
A different approach making it about the person, not just porn
"Everybody is different on OnlyFans. Not everybody is sexual," Kate said.
"For my page, I'm not necessarily sex forward. For some, it's explicit and very much about the porn. My page is not really that. I do have sexy, spicy content but I do have a lot of other content... educational, advice columns where people can ask very detailed questions.
"My followers are more interested in me and getting to know me and that's why they buy the content. Less than some other people where content is unlocked because of just the sex itself. They're not presenting a platform showing who they are.
"I'm not for everybody. Lots of people want just explicit sex and that's not what I offer. For me, the free page is for people to get to know me and learn something and if they like it a lot of people will unlock and if they like they, they might want to subscribe to the VIP. That's how it has worked for me but my model is unusual."
Topics: OnlyFans, Originals, Sex and Relationships, Social Media, US News, Money
Tom Earnshaw