OnlyFans is testing its own discovery feed. Here’s what it could mean for creators (plus banking and an IPO)

For as long as OnlyFans has existed, it’s been a checkout page. Fans found you on Reddit, X or Instagram, then followed a link. This week, the company’s CEO confirmed that might finally change.

What OnlyFans announced

Speaking to Fortune at its Most Powerful Women Summit, OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair laid out three plans:

• Discovery. OnlyFans has just begun testing its own version of algorithmic discovery in the Netherlands, and will trial it in more markets. Until now, the company has avoided recommending content, partly over the risk of showing explicit content to someone who doesn’t want to see it.
• Banking. OnlyFans wants to offer financial products to its creators, many of whom get rejected by mainstream banks. Blair said the company can do what banks won’t because it has “full visibility into the content that’s being created”. She knows the problem personally: she has been rejected by a bank for being OnlyFans’ CEO.
• An IPO. There’s no date, but Blair confirmed going public is “a potential goal”, pointing to Reddit’s 2024 listing as the closest example. She described OnlyFans as “a social media platform with a high concentration of adult content”.

Of the three, only discovery is actually being tested. The banking products and the IPO are stated plans.

The timing isn’t random. OnlyFans’ long-time owner Leonid Radvinsky died earlier this year, and in May the company sold a 16% stake to the investment firm Architect Capital at a reported valuation of $3.15 billion, its first institutional investor. New investors usually mean a push for growth, and discovery, banking and an IPO are all growth stories.

How OnlyFans discovery could change things for creators

Creators have been asking for this for years, and the reaction has been mostly “finally”. It’s easy to see why. Instagram has made links to adult pages harder and harder, Reddit rules keep tightening, and many creators feel they’re building their business on platforms that don’t want them. A discovery feed inside OnlyFans means traffic from people who are already there, already verified and already willing to pay. That’s the warmest traffic there is.

Some creators say they’d spend more time on the platform itself if discovery reached them, and a few say they’d happily post less on Meta’s apps. New creators, who struggle most with traffic, are the most excited.

But a few early reports are worth noting. Some creators say a discover-style page has appeared in their app after a recent update, while others living in the Netherlands say they can’t see anything yet. At least one creator said the discover option she sees mostly shows creators who are already famous. That’s an early, unconfirmed report, but it’s exactly the risk with any recommendation system: the accounts that already have the most engagement tend to get shown most. If that’s how OnlyFans discovery works, it could help the top of the market far more than the people who need it.

OnlyFans hasn’t said how discovery ranks creators, whether fans have to opt in, or which content will be eligible. Until it does, anything you read about “how to beat the OnlyFans discovery algorithm” is guesswork.

The banking plan: useful, with a catch

Creators being refused bank accounts, mortgages and business loans is a real, long-running problem. A financial product built for this industry would solve something banks have refused to.

The questions creators are already asking are the right ones:

• What are the criteria? Banks pre-approve and pre-select. What will OnlyFans base its decisions on, and what happens to creators it says no to?
• Who holds the power? If the same company controls your audience, your payouts and your bank account, an account freeze over a disputed terms-of-service issue could hit everything at once.
• What about income from elsewhere? Many creators also earn on other platforms. Would money from a competitor land in an OnlyFans account without any problems?
• What does “full visibility” mean for privacy? It’s the reason OnlyFans says it can take the risk. It’s also a lot of information about you in one place.

None of this exists yet, so there are no terms to judge. Read them carefully when they do.

What an IPO could mean

A public company answers to shareholders, quarterly. That can bring more stability, more investment and a better app. It can also bring more caution: public companies tend to tighten content rules when advertisers, payment partners or regulators get nervous. If OnlyFans heads towards a listing, watch the terms of service. That’s where changes show up first.

What to do now

1. 01Check your app for a discover or explore section, especially if you’re in the Netherlands, and note what it shows.
2. 02Make your page discovery-ready anyway: a clear bio that says what you post, a strong banner and pinned post, and an active posting rhythm. These help any fan who lands on your page, however they got there.
3. 03Keep your off-platform funnel running. Reddit, X, socials and your email list don’t stop mattering because of a test in one country. Here’s why relying on one platform is a business risk.
4. 04Keep your money separate: your own business bank account, your tax savings, and an emergency fund outside any single platform.
5. 05Read the terms when banking products or discovery settings appear, before you opt in.

Quick questions