Gen Z creators keen to monetize content are increasingly turning to Fanfix, which has amassed about 10 million users — among them 3,000 creators — since its August 2021 launch. Active creators are said to average about $70,000 per year, and the platform itself reportedly commanded an eight-figure purchase price by beauty accelerator SuperOrdinary in June 2022. Fanfix requires 10,000 followers to start an account, which means creators will have to cultivate a base elsewhere before applying to join. All content is paywalled, with account holders choosing their own rates, between $5 and $50 per month.

Frequently couched as a Patreon competitor, Fanfix is also compared to OnlyFans (though it specifies only those “creating clean, exclusive, behind-the-scenes content” need apply).

“Fanfix says it paid out $11 million to creators so far, with projections to be at $50 million by the end of the year,” writes TechCrunch, noting “it also claims a revenue run rate of $35 million and believes it will be profitable by Q1 2024, co-founder Harry Gestetner told TechCrunch.

The mobile-only app is browser-based, and available at Fanfix.io. Leveraging the Koji toolkit — an open-source framework for building mini-apps, optimized for social media and e-commerce — Fanfix is forging its path without the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Fanfix takes a 20 percent cut of revenue generated on the platform, which has a “Tip-to-DM” feature that lets fans pay influencers “between $3 to $500 to chat privately with their favorite creators,” according to TechCrunch. For comparison, Fanhouse takes a 10 percent commission while Patreon fees range from 5-12 percent.

“If you look at other platforms,” said co-founder Simon Pompan, “there are a lot of hidden fees, and we’re very transparent about how we monetize.”

Gestetner suggested that creators feel the commission fees are worth it because they still earn more from Fanfix than other platforms. Meta last month ended Reels Play, a bonus program for Facebook and Instagram — one example of how monetization opportunities are getting squeezed. In its explainer, Digital Trends says of Fanfix “all-in-all, it works like most other social media apps, namely Instagram.”

The platform’s target demo is 13 to 24-years-olds, and it has many features to safeguard users and creators under 18, like report functions, human moderators and 24/7 private message monitoring, according to TechCrunch.

Parent SuperOrdinary touts more than 140 brand partnerships, and its own e-commerce platform, GalaGala, specializing in brands curated by influencers. “Eventually, Fanfix creators will be able to collaborate with SuperOrdinary to sell products in their own online stores,” TechCrunch writes.