The OnlyFans Money Illusion: Why Even Top Creators Are Angry About Monetisation

OnlyFans sells a powerful dream. Total independence. Direct monetisation. No middlemen. Unlimited upside. The creator economy finally working for the creator.

Then the numbers started coming out.

In 2024 and 2025, a small group of creators dominate earnings so aggressively that it reshapes how the entire platform behaves. Public estimates consistently show a massive concentration of revenue at the very top, while the majority of creators compete for shrinking visibility and attention.

Here is a snapshot of the approximate highest earners on OnlyFans in 2024 to 2025 based on multiple independent reports and creator disclosures.

Top 10 Highest Earning OnlyFans Creators 2024 to 2025

To the outside world, this looks like a gold rush.

Inside the creator community, it looks more like a concentration of power problem.

The Superstar Funnel Nobody Talks About

OnlyFans operates on an eighty twenty revenue split. Creators keep eighty percent. The platform keeps twenty percent. On paper, that sounds generous.

In reality, visibility is the real currency.

A tiny group of superstar creators capture the majority of platform traffic, algorithm exposure, and subscriber attention. When Sophie Rain dominates the charts, when Erica Mena and Bella Thorne sit near the top, when celebrity names consistently attract attention, smaller creators are pushed further down the discovery ladder.

Many mid tier creators report that growth slows dramatically once saturation increases. New creators enter daily. Supply rises faster than demand. Subscription prices fall. Promotion costs rise. Content production becomes more demanding. Burnout increases.

The platform benefits from volume. Individual creators absorb the risk.

This is the first point of frustration.

The Algorithm Dependency Trap

Creators increasingly complain that revenue stability depends less on audience loyalty and more on invisible ranking systems.

If posting frequency drops, discoverability drops.
If engagement slows, traffic slows.
If discounts are not constantly offered, conversions weaken.

Creators describe this as algorithmic pressure that quietly forces longer hours, more content, more emotional labour, and more personal exposure just to maintain income. The platform controls discovery. Creators chase signals they cannot see or verify.

When earnings fluctuate unexpectedly, creators have no transparency into why.

That lack of clarity creates anxiety, distrust, and dependency.

Monetisation Fees Are Only the Visible Cost

The twenty percent platform fee is only the starting point.

Payment processor fees, chargebacks, refunds, currency conversions, content production costs, marketing spend, moderation risk, and platform compliance changes all reduce real take home income. What looks like ten million gross may look very different after operational reality sets in.

Top creators can absorb this. Smaller creators cannot.

This creates a widening gap between elite earners and everyone else.

Historical Winners Versus Current Reality

Earlier years were dominated by Bella Thorne in 2020 and 2021, Blac Chyna in 2022 and 2023, and Sophie Rain in 2024 and 2025.

The pattern reveals something critical. Success on OnlyFans is volatile. Platform visibility shifts. Trends change. Audiences migrate. A creator at the top today may struggle tomorrow.

Creators know this. That uncertainty makes long term planning difficult. Mortgages, families, investments, and retirement planning become risky when income depends on platform dynamics outside creator control.

Why Creators Are Starting To Push Back

Many creators are now openly questioning whether OnlyFans truly operates as a creator first platform or whether it has quietly become another centralised monetisation machine.

The complaints cluster around four themes.

Lack of algorithm transparency.
Oversupply dilution driven by platform growth incentives.
Increasing workload for flat monetisation percentage.
Revenue instability driven by platform controlled exposure.

Creators are not asking for guaranteed income. They are asking for fairer visibility systems, clearer data, and more predictable monetisation mechanics.

The Cultural Risk for OnlyFans

If creators begin to feel exploited rather than empowered, migration will accelerate. Competing platforms are already offering lower fees, alternative discovery models, and creator equity incentives.

Trust once broken is difficult to rebuild.

The irony is that massive earnings headlines may be damaging long term platform health by masking structural dissatisfaction underneath.

Final Thought

OnlyFans built its reputation on freedom and creator ownership. But monetisation without transparency creates dependency, not freedom.

When only a small group captures most of the upside while the majority struggle for stability, the system begins to resemble the industries it originally promised to disrupt.

With great power comes great responsibility.

The next chapter of the creator economy will not be written by revenue totals alone. It will be written by whether platforms respect the sustainability of the people who generate that revenue.