The Creator's Guide to Platform Fees
Platform fees are the single biggest recurring cost in your creator business, yet most creators spend more time choosing their camera than understanding how much of their income disappears before it reaches their bank account. This guide breaks down exactly how platform fees work, where hidden charges lurk, and how to calculate your real take-home pay.
How Platforms Charge: The Three Fee Layers
Most creator platforms take money from you in up to three ways. Understanding all three is essential to calculating your real earnings.
Layer 1: The Platform Cut
This is the headline number every platform advertises. "Creators keep 80%" means the platform takes 20% of every transaction. This is the most visible fee, but it is not the only one.
Current platform cuts across major platforms:
- OnlyFans: 20%
- Fansly: 20%
- Loyalfans: 20%
- Fanvue: 20%
- IsMyGirl: 25%
- ManyVids: 20-40% (varies by content type)
- MyShrine: 10% from creator (plus a 10% service fee charged to fans)
Layer 2: Payment Processing Fees
Every time a fan pays with a credit card, someone pays the card processing fee. This is typically 2.5-3.5% of the transaction. Some platforms absorb this into their platform cut. Others charge it on top, which means your real fee rate is higher than advertised.
Always check whether the advertised creator percentage is before or after payment processing. If a platform says "creators keep 80%" but also charges 3% payment processing, your real take-home is 77% -- not 80%.
Layer 3: Payout Fees
Getting your money out of the platform and into your bank account often incurs additional fees. These vary by payout method:
- Bank transfer (domestic): Usually free or a small flat fee
- International wire (SWIFT): Can be 5 to 30 pounds per transfer, plus intermediary bank fees
- E-wallets: Typically 1-2% or a small flat fee
- Crypto payouts: Network fees only, usually under 1 pound equivalent
If you are receiving payouts internationally, these fees can add up significantly. A creator receiving weekly SWIFT payouts at 15 pounds per transfer pays 780 pounds per year just in payout fees -- on top of the platform cut.
Calculating Your Real Take-Home Pay
Here is how to calculate what you actually keep from every pound a fan spends:
Real take-home = Gross sales - Platform cut - Processing fees - Payout fees
Let us work through a realistic example:
| Fee Layer | Platform A (80% cut) | Platform B (90% cut, fee on fan) |
|---|---|---|
| Gross sales (monthly) | 5,000 pounds | 5,000 pounds |
| Platform cut | -1,000 (20%) | 0 (charged to fan) |
| Processing fees | -150 (3%) | 0 (included in fan fee) |
| Payout fees (monthly) | -30 | -5 |
| Take-home | 3,820 pounds | 4,995 pounds |
| Effective rate | 76.4% | 99.9% |
The difference of 1,175 pounds per month is 14,100 pounds per year -- a meaningful amount of money by any measure.
Why Small Percentage Differences Matter at Scale
When you are earning 200 pounds per month, the difference between 80% and 90% is 20 pounds. It feels negligible. But fees scale linearly with your income, and the impact compounds over time.
| Monthly Gross Sales | Annual Loss at 80% vs 90% | 3-Year Loss |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 pounds | 1,200 pounds | 3,600 pounds |
| 3,000 pounds | 3,600 pounds | 10,800 pounds |
| 5,000 pounds | 6,000 pounds | 18,000 pounds |
| 10,000 pounds | 12,000 pounds | 36,000 pounds |
| 20,000 pounds | 24,000 pounds | 72,000 pounds |
At 10,000 pounds per month in gross sales, moving from an 80% to a 90% platform saves you 12,000 pounds per year. Over three years, that is 36,000 pounds. That is a deposit on a house, a year of living expenses, or the capital to start another business -- all from the same content and the same fans.
Hidden Charges to Watch For
Beyond the three fee layers above, some platforms have additional charges that are not immediately obvious:
Currency conversion fees: If the platform operates in USD but you want GBP payouts, you may lose 1-3% on the conversion. Some platforms use unfavourable exchange rates rather than charging an explicit fee, which makes the cost invisible.
Inactivity fees: A few platforms charge fees if your account is inactive for an extended period. Always check the terms of service.
Chargeback liability: When a fan disputes a card payment, the platform may deduct the full amount from your earnings, plus a chargeback fee. This is standard industry practice, but the chargeback fee varies from zero to 25 pounds per incident.
Minimum payout thresholds: If you must accumulate 50 or 100 pounds before you can withdraw, your money is sitting on the platform earning nothing. The higher the threshold, the longer your cash is tied up.
Tiered fee structures: Some platforms charge different rates for different content types. You might earn 80% on subscriptions but only 60% on clip sales. Always check the fee for every revenue stream you use, not just the headline rate.
What Fee Transparency Looks Like
A creator-friendly platform should make its fee structure simple and visible. Here is what to look for:
- One clear rate for all content types. No tiered or variable percentages that require a spreadsheet to understand.
- Explicit processing fee disclosure. Either the platform absorbs processing fees, or it clearly states what they are and how they apply.
- Payout fee visibility. You should know exactly what you will pay to get your money out before you earn your first pound.
- Fan-facing fee transparency. If the platform charges fans a service fee, it should be visible to them at checkout -- not hidden until after payment. This protects you from chargebacks and fan frustration.
At MyShrine, the fee model works differently from most platforms. Creators set their price and receive 90% of it. A 10% service fee is added on top for the fan, clearly displayed at every price touchpoint and itemised at checkout. There are no tiered rates and no hidden charges. You can read the full breakdown on our FAQ page.
The Platform Fee Checklist
Before committing to any platform, get clear answers to these questions:
- What percentage does the platform take from each content type I plan to sell?
- Are payment processing fees included in the platform cut, or charged separately?
- What are the payout options and what does each one cost?
- Is there a minimum payout threshold, and how often can I withdraw?
- Are there currency conversion fees?
- What happens with chargebacks -- who pays, and is there an additional fee?
- Has the platform changed its fee structure in the past, and by how much?
If a platform cannot or will not answer these questions clearly, that is a red flag.
Making the Switch
If you are currently on a platform with higher fees, switching does not have to be all-or-nothing. Many creators maintain their existing platform while building a presence on a lower-fee alternative. Over time, you can direct your most engaged fans to the platform where you keep the most.
The most important thing is to understand exactly what you are paying. Once you see the annual number in black and white, the decision often makes itself.
MyShrine offers a 90% creator earnings rate with no hidden fees, crypto payouts, and weekly payment processing. If you want to keep more of what you earn, it takes minutes to set up a profile and start selling.