How to Create A Subscription-Based Creator App Like Onlyfans?

Onlyfans is a content subscription platform where users can see the exclusive content offered by their favorite creators. The content is locked behind a paywall, and a user can pay a monthly fee or one-off tip to unlock it.

Onlyfans has more than 2.1 million creators and 188 million fans worldwide as of 2021.

Crazy numbers, isn’t it?

And Statista predicts the numbers to increase in the future. As an entrepreneur, you made a good call to create an app like Onlyfans to give raving fans an alternate option.

But how can you do it? Let’s unravel the mystery in this article.

How do Onlyfans-like apps work?

Onlyfans has two audiences, creators and fans.

Creators post exclusive content such as videos, photos, and live streams on the platform. As of September 2022, around 22.53 million content pieces have been posted by the creators.

Fans can subscribe to any of the creators’ content by paying them a subscription fee of anywhere between $4.99 to $49.99 per month.

Creators can also set up paid private messages starting at a minimum of $5. For every successful transaction, Onlyfans charges a commission fee, which is around 20%.

Features to include in your Onlyfans like app

Features are the backbone of any business application. It helps attract and retain a customer base. Here are some of the features that you can include in your Onlyfans like app development

Registration

Registration or onboarding is an important step in the user journey. So make it easy to navigate and register on the app.

User profile

Users need a place where they can update their preferences, personal details, payment methods, and more.

Search creators

Users should have the option to search for their favorite creators with various filters.

Instant chat

Let your users chat with their favorite creators exclusively using the live chat option. It helps improve onsite time and engagement of the app.

Subscription plans

Creators can create their subscription plans and the user should be able to subscribe to their preferred plans without any hassle.

Content streaming

Creators can live stream videos, share photos, and upload videos onto the platform. They can also share content with others to spread the word about the platform.

Notifications

Users can enable notifications to get notified for the posts, likes, and comments by the creators they subscribed for.

Referrals

With this feature, users and content creators can refer the app to new users and get paid for every successful referral in the form of coins. These coins can be used as additional perks from the platform.

Creator dashboard

Here the creators can track their engagement, follower count, and other information without any hassle.

Tech stack to make an Onlyfans-like app

The Tech stack is the crucial factor that decides the performance and scalability of any business application. So be wise and clear while choosing your tech stack for Onlyfans-like app development.

You can use Swift for iOS app development and Java for Android app development.

Step-by-step process to create an app like Onlyfans

Here’s the step-by-step actionable process to create an app like Onlyfans

1. Analyze your business and market needs.
2. Choose a set of features.
3. Design your app.
4. Develop the MVP.
5. Publish your app.

If you don’t want to go through all these processes to create your Onlyfans alternative app, then we have a bonus at the end of this section.

Analyze your business and market needs

Without market demand, your business won’t survive. So before starting your business, do complete target market research to understand the needs and wants of your audience.

After gathering all the data, make sure everything aligns with your business goals. If everything works out, then you can proceed with other processes.

Choose a set of features

The target market analysis you have done in the previous step would have given you a glimpse of what your customers want. Now, you can use that data to pick the crucial features that you should ship with the beta or initial version of the app.

Design your app

Create a basic structure of your app, gather feedback from your target audience, and then iterate over the design with the feedback you got to produce a final app design.

Make sure your app is easy to use and attractive. And every important feature should be easy to find and use.

Develop the MVP

Now, it’s time to build your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with the features and technology you chose. The MVP should contain all the basic functions necessary.

Publish your app

Hurray! You’ve done it. Now, you can proceed further and publish your app on respective stores on Android and iOS for people to try your product.

So, that’s it. Just follow these steps to create your Onlyfans-like app. Looks exhaustive? No worries. Here’s a bonus tip for you.

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How much does it cost to make an app like Onlyfans?

To create an Onlyfans-like app from scratch, it’d cost you around $50000 for both iOS and Android platforms. However, as a budding entrepreneur, you might not have the resources to invest such a large amount of money in app development alone.

So, to get started, utilize an Onlyfans Clone app.

You can cut the expense of starting from scratch by roughly 50–60%. Also, as you develop, you can expand the platform’s features and capabilities.

How long will it take to build an app like Onlyfans?

Let’s go with the same comparison, to create an app from scratch, you will need approx. 30 to 60 days. But with the help of a readymade script, you can create and launch your Onlyfans alternative app within 7 to 14 days.

What are you waiting for?

Congrats, you made it this far. It isn’t super easy. Most people leave halfway.

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