Webcam Modeling vs OnlyFans? How To Figure Out Which Is Best For You!
Man, 2020 was a year of ups and down for everyone. While some were fortunate enough to be able to ride the wave and keep things steady, many people saw their jobs disappear & incomes dry up drastically. During a time when so many needed to find new sources of income but were also burdened by lockdown measurements it is no surprise that millions have turned to the internet in the hopes of making ends meet. Camsites across the board have seen a spike in traffic, sometimes as high as 250%, since the beginning of the pandemic with both user & model numbers increasing drastically.
While this is great for the host websites, it often means an oversaturated market for new models & an uphill battle trying to increase your visibility. If you're trying to weigh your options regarding which route to take when it comes to entering the world of adult content creation today I will help you understand the difference between the two most popular avenues for online sex work: webcam modeling (MyFreeCams, Chaturbate, etc.) & fan club subscriptions (OnlyFans, AVN Stars, FanCentro, etc).
*Note: While there are a number of sex worker friendly subscription-based websites, for the purpose of this article we will be discussing OnlyFans as this is currently the most popular & frequently asked about. The information listed below can be applied to all subscription-based sites.*
OnlyFans 101:
OnlyFans is a monthly subscription based website. Users pay for access to locked content including, pictures & videos.
Income comes from subscription sales, PPV (pay-per-view) sales, & tips.
You are able to set your own price for your content & subscription fee.
A "free" account can be created for users to interact on, however explicit content may not be posted.
Livestreaming feature is available but not often used as a main source of income.
OnlyFans is a popular choice for many new models that may not feel comfortable with the idea of livestreaming on a cam website. Because OnlyFans is a subscription-based website a model has to work very diligently to advertise in order to maximize their income & grow their fan base (i.e. Reddit, Twitter, etc.) . Unlike other adult subscription sites, OnlyFans does not allow members to internally search for creators pages. This is very important because this means that your page will not generate traffic internally; all of your sales & success will be solely reliant on your ability to market yourself & your content. A wise woman once told me "You should only spend no more than 40% of your time creating new content. The rest of that time should be spent advertising. Your success is only as great as your advertising." Since OnlyFans does not have an internal search function it is the model's sole responsibility to make themselves self visible to potential customers. If you spend any amount of time on Twitter you will quickly find reams of OnlyFans retweet & engagement groups. Why? Because every new model is trying to drive traffic to their page.
The most common complaint of models that are new to OnlyFans is their lack of sales & growth. It is important to note that most of the models that are able to make a full-time income from OnlyFans began with a fanbase on other social media platforms or worked for YEARS to build their fan base & brand. If you are a model with no fan base & no experience in adult content creation it is normal for it to take months or even years to find consistent & loyal fans & to stabilize your income.
When I started my OnlyFans I was able to climb to the top 25% of creators within my first two weeks. While this is an impressive accomplishment, understand that this is not a common occurrence. This success was due solely to the fact that I was able to advertise to already existing fan base from my camming page. It's also important to take income into account when looking at your creator percentage. Those in the top 25% of creators average $200-300 per month; this is not a livable wage for a months worth of full time work. If you choose to be a full time OnlyFans model please understand that to make a livable income you must be in the top 1-5% of creators, which is a feat most will never accomplish. Social media influencers, porn stars, & creators that share tips on "How I made $1000 on OnlyFans in One Month" are not good sources for information nor are they indicators of your potential success . These people are outliers & do not represent the vast majority of creators on the site.
OnlyFans IS for you if...
You are willing to spend hours each day advertising your content.
You are an introverted and/or find performing on cam draining.
You do not have the time to devote to creating & sticking to a camming schedule
You are interested in creating a long-lasting brand as a model & build a fanbase gradually.
You are okay with gradually building a passive income.
OnlyFans IS NOT for you if...
You need money quickly & for immediate expenses. It can often take months to see a true income.
You are not interested in posting lewd/nude content. With OF being as oversaturated as it is there is simply not a market for "sexy but non-nude" pages. As stated before, these pages usually are only successful due to the creator already having a large fan base.
You do not have a back-up/vanilla job or other sources of income to cover your expenses while you build your brand & fanbase.
You are not willing to engage personally with your fans. The appeal of OnlyFans is that they get to see a more intimate side of you. If you don't want to respond to DMs, engage in the comments, etc then it will be hard to retain fans.
Camming 101
Webcam modeling (also known as camming) consists of hosting live sex performances for guests & members.
Camming sites can either be classified as freemium (Chaturbate, MyFreeCams, etc.) or private-based (Streamate, Live Jasmin, etc.)
Income comes from members tipping via tokens/gold or paying for a private show.
Some cam sites allow you to set up a platform based fan club to post content & increase your on-cam earnings.
Compared to being an OnlyFans creator, webcam modeling has a slightly higher barrier to entry as a computer with a high quality webcam is a requirement. Without a quality camera it will be very difficult to make money so this should be the first thing that you invest in or plan to upgrade. Despite this, camming is a good choice if you are in need of money quickly & is a great way to begin building a fan base from the ground up. Cam sites have great internal traffic meaning you will not have to advertise on outside platforms to gain followers & paying members unless you choose to do so. If you are concerned about anonymity, camming could also be a good choice as it's possible to cam without showing your face; "faceless" content on OnlyFans is extremely difficult to sell as the members are usually looking for a more personal experience there.
There is also a common myth that camming is "easy money" and while the money can come fast in this industry it is far from easy. Camming takes an enormous amount of emotional resilience & physical energy & you must have high emotional intelligence in order to work with different people, personalities, & fetishes. Cyber bullying & trolls are also a big issue & it takes someone with a thick skin to take the onslaught of sometimes sexist, racist, & just down right creepy/crude things people say. Remember, you're going to be exposed to hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people a day. Most people will like you, but some will want nothing more than to ruin your day & to see you fail. Misery loves company & seeing happy confident people gets under a troll's skin like nothing else.
The key to being successful at camming is consistency. This isn't something that you build overnight, trust me, but once you see your fan base grow it will become easier. Good money in camming comes from consistency. Consistency comes from creating a scheduled & sticking to it! While my cam journey has been far from perfect, I can say hands down that committing myself to camming at least 3 times a week EVERY WEEK has made the most difference in my success. If your struggle with sticking to a schedule don't worry! Camming is very forgiving. If you get burnt out or take a hiatus there will always be money to be made on the website as there are always people online looking to have fun. You may lose tippers during your time away but it is easier in my opinion to gain these fans back as opposed to trying to convince people to re-subscribe to a fan club.
Camming IS for you if...
You are looking for a quick way to make money or are new to the adult industry & do not have a social media following.
You enjoy engaging & talking with people in a live setting.
You do not wish to film content as a source of income.
You have the time & space to work long shifts. In order to make decent money you have to be on cam at least 3 hours per shift. Studios are awesome if camming at home is not an option!
Camming IS NOT for you if...
You are afraid of your cam show recordings being found online. This is a VERY REAL risk of camming. No matter how hard yo try to prevent it, eventually some your cam shows will be recorded by bots & posted online. DMCA take downs only do so much.
You are not willing to stick to a schedule.
You do not feel comfortable performing full sex shows. There is no place for lewd/semi-nude models in camming; they do not make a lot of money.
You get easily bothered or upset by trolls & non-paying customers. "Greys", as we call them, are part of the game. If you are not willing to engage with non-paying customers with the intention of converting them into paying customers then a fan club would be a better route as there is a pay wall which serves as a barrier to entry for freeloading customers.
Both camming & OnlyFans modeling can be very lucrative as long as effort is put into both. Whether or not you prefer to cam or run a fan club solely depends on your comfort level, social media followings, schedule, living situation, and more. Each has their pros & cons but success can be found regardless of which avenue you choose. The most important thing is to be passionate about what you're doing & the rest will follow!