Best for creators who refer other creators

Best platform for earning referral income from other creators

If part of your income comes from bringing other creators onto a platform, the terms differ enormously — and the headline rate is the least important part.

Last verified 2026-08-16

Every platform here pays 5%. That number is a red herring, because 5% for twelve months capped at $50,000 and 5% for life uncapped are different businesses. The variables that actually decide what you earn are duration, cap, and who funds the commission.

The third one is underrated. If the commission comes out of the platform's cut, you can honestly tell a creator that signing up through your link costs them nothing. If it comes out of theirs, you cannot — and saying so anyway is the kind of thing that ends a reputation.

Our pick: LoyalFans

LoyalFans is the only one of the four where the commission is credibly lifetime with no published cap. One referred creator who stays and grows is worth more over five years than several capped twelve-month referrals elsewhere.

Multiple sources state the 5% is funded from the LoyalFans platform cut rather than the creator's earnings, so the person you refer still keeps their full 80%. That is the version of this pitch you can make without misleading anyone.

It also pays on referred fans, not only referred creators — the only program of the four where sending fan-side traffic earns on its own.

Runner-up: Fanvue

Fanvue pays 5% for 12 months from registration, capped at $50,000 per referred creator, and credits it as a separate balance that is not itself subject to platform fees. Its referral policy and help centre disagree about whether the commission comes out of the referred creator's earnings, so get that in writing from support before you pitch it as free to the creator.

Read the Fanvue review →

What to watch out for

• A "lifetime" promise is a strong intention, not a guarantee. OnlyFans advertised LIFETIME in capital letters from 2016, wrote it into its terms, then cut it to 12 months and capped it at $50,000 in 2020 — retroactively. That decision is now the subject of a class action filed in August 2026.
• Screenshot the terms on the day you sign up, and again whenever they change. It is the only evidence you will have.
• Never build a referral business on a single platform. The creators worst hit by the OnlyFans change were the ones with nothing else running.
• Fansly's referral terms are not published publicly and sources disagree on the duration. Verify in your creator dashboard before you promote it.

First three steps

1. Sign up and verify on at least two platforms so no single terms change can wipe out your income.
2. Record the exact terms — rate, duration, cap, funding source — on the day you join.
3. Disclose the referral relationship every time. It is a legal requirement in most markets and it costs you nothing in conversion.

All four, side by side

Still deciding? Compare the platforms head to head, or read the full rundown of OnlyFans alternatives.