OnlyFans Rises to $8B Valuation as Creators Fuel Its Marketing Engine

OnlyFans, based in London and known for its subscription model, is considering a sale that could place its valuation close to $8 billion.

A group of investors, with involvement from Los Angeles-based investment firm Forest Road Company, is said to be driving the discussions.

Talks have been ongoing for months, and while a final agreement has not been announced, the interest proves the growing confidence in platform-driven business models.

OnlyFans has grown rapidly since the pandemic, reporting $6.6 billion in gross revenue processed in 2023, up sharply from $375 million in 2020.

With OnlyFans' business back in the news, sharing some slides from my report on the company last year.

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— Matthew Ball (@ballmatthew) May 27, 2025

As of last year, its user base included more than 4 million content creators and over 300 million registered users.

OnlyFans generates revenue by retaining a portion of earnings from creator subscriptions, a model that continues to deliver strong returns.

Public filings show that Leonid Radvinsky, the company’s sole shareholder, has collected more than $1 billion in dividends over the last three years.

This reinforces the platform’s profitability despite reputational concerns.

Unlike typical social platforms, OnlyFans didn’t buy its growth.

Creators acted as marketers, using Twitter, TikTok, Reddit, and billboards to promote their own content.

These promotions, while focused on individual pages, brought attention to the platform itself.

A referral program further expanded its reach, with 5% of a new creator’s earnings going to the referrer.

Initially uncapped, it was later limited to a maximum of $50,000 per year. This peer recruitment created a viral growth loop.

Publicity also played a key role. Celebrity launches made headlines, most notably Bella Thorne, who made $1 million in 24 hours.

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— OnlyFans (@OnlyFans) March 19, 2021

These stories drew new fans and aspiring creators, keeping the spotlight on the platform without any need for paid advertising.

They also played a major role in driving its current $8 billion valuation.

This kind of momentum has led some of its key figures to explore even bigger tech ventures.

Earlier this year, OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely placed a final bid to acquire TikTok through his latest company, Zoop, in partnership with the HBAR Foundation.

That bid aimed to create a new platform focused on rewarding creators directly, signaling Stokely’s continued interest in content ownership.

ZOOP x HBAR x TIKTOK?!

OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely isn’t playing around.

His new company @zoopclub is bidding for TikTok powered by @HBAR_foundation.

Web2 collides with Web3 in a massive way.$HBAR about to go mainstream? pic.twitter.com/zWt5pG5Ft8

— Merlijn The Trader (@MerlijnTrader) April 8, 2025

Both developments point to the growing influence of platforms that prioritize creator revenue and user engagement over traditional ad models.

For agencies and strategists, it marks a clear evolution in how digital platforms generate value.

A Brand Defined, Then Refined

OnlyFans’ reputation has always been closely tied to adult content.

This brand identity made it successful, but complicated its efforts to attract investors and secure mainstream partnerships.

In 2021, it announced a policy to remove explicit content. Backlash was swift, and the decision was reversed within days.

Rather than abandon its base, OnlyFans chose to expand how it was perceived. The company introduced a parallel strategy:

• Launched OFTV, a separate app for safe-for-work content
• Featured creators from fashion, fitness, music, and art
• Produced high-profile contests with celebrity judges to attract media attention and spotlight non-adult talent

These efforts aimed to broaden public understanding of what the platform offered, without alienating the creators who made it successful.

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— OFTV (@watchOFTV) June 6, 2025

Despite the controversy, profitability remained strong. The brand grew not through ads, but through:

• Trust in its community
• High-profile creator success stories
• Consistent subscription revenue

It remains one of the few platforms where users, not the company, drive awareness. And this has made it one of the most profitable names in the creator space.

“OnlyFans is more than just a platform—it’s where I share exclusive insights, secrets, and behind-the-scenes moments that I don’t post anywhere else. It’s all about creating real connections!” - Angelina Dimova

❣️ Subscribe today: https://t.co/En8IlkBz8npic.twitter.com/2cnmQQjcIe

— OnlyFans (@OnlyFans) March 28, 2025

For branding teams, this illustrates the value of audience-led identity. Don’t dilute what makes a platform successful.

Instead, create new entry points for untapped segments, using content and partnerships as proof-of-concept rather than relying on traditional rebranding.

The Profit in Platform Risk

For firms like DesignRush, which help brands and agencies find the right digital partners, the OnlyFans story offers three sharp insights:

• Strong monetization models, especially those built on subscriptions, can deliver enormous enterprise value even when public perception is mixed.
• There is often a wide gap between a platform’s image and its underlying worth, something reputation consultants and marketing executives navigate regularly.
• Platforms that deal in controversial or sensitive content can still achieve major scale if they build strong infrastructure and take content safety seriously.

Agencies working with creator-driven brands should see this as a signal to reassess how content monetization, user engagement, and reputational risk interact.

Whether through ownership bids like TikTok’s or major exits like OnlyFans’, the next generation of platform value will be shaped not just by what users see but by how effectively those users and creators are paid.

As digital platforms evolve their monetization strategies, Netflix responded with a price hike earlier this year amid record growth.