Choose an OnlyFans agency on four things you can verify: who legally runs it, what share it takes and on which number, who controls your login and payouts, and how you leave. Results claims can't be checked. A company register, a written rate and a 30-day exit can, so start there.
Many creators meet their agency through a message. Rolling Stone's 2022 reporting described recruiters working Instagram and Twitter DMs with big income promises, and the pattern hasn't gone away. So treat any cold DM as the start of a check, and nothing more.
Five minutes on the company
Ask for the legal company name and country, then look it up. In the UK, that's a free search on Companies House. In a directory of 246 agency profiles, only 22% publish a legal entity and 7% publish a commission. So an agency that gives you both has already cleared a bar most of the market doesn't.
The same reporting lists warning signs creators named themselves: no website, never a phone number, a request for explicit content as "training", partnerships nobody can verify, and a business address that turns out to be the manager's home.
The 12 questions to ask
Send these in writing and keep the replies. A serious agency answers all twelve without a sales call, because each one has a short factual answer. Vague replies, a pivot to income screenshots, or pressure to sign this week tell you more about the agency than any polished website ever will.
- What is your legal company name, and where is it registered?
- What percentage do you take, and is it on gross or on net?
- Does the rate change as I earn more? Show me an example.
- Are there any other fees: setup, onboarding, ads, shoots, legal?
- Who holds my password, my email and my two-factor?
- Do payouts stay in my own bank account?
- How long is the agreement, and what notice do I give to leave?
- Do you take any commission after I've left?
- Who owns my content, and what happens to it when we stop?
- Who talks to my fans, and how are they supervised?
- Where are my limits written, and who can change them?
- What report do I get, and how often?
The contract lines that decide everything
Agency websites and agency contracts can be very different documents. The BBC spoke to 60 UK creators and reported commissions up to 70% and, in one case, a £10,000 exit penalty. None of that would show on a homepage. So read the agreement line by line, and pay a lawyer to look at it if the money is serious.
| Clause | Healthy | Walk away |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Short term, then month to month | Long lock-in with automatic renewal |
| Exit | Written notice, 30 days or less, no fee | Fixed penalty or repayment of "investments" |
| Account | Stays in your name, access you can cut | Agency owns the login or the email |
| Payouts | Platform pays you, agency invoices you | Payouts go to an agency account |
| Content | You keep rights, limited license to work | Permanent transfer of rights or your image |
| After you leave | Commission stops on the exit date | Open-ended commission on later earnings |
| Transfer | No sale of your contract without your yes | Agency can pass you to someone else |
The payout line matters for a platform reason too. OnlyFans' Terms of Use say its relationship is with you, not with any third party, and you stay legally responsible for what goes on your account. There's no official agency role and no delegated login. Whatever an agency does on your page is your risk, so you want it in writing.
Promises that should make you close the tab
- A promised income. Nobody controls what fans spend. OnlyFans' Terms say it isn't responsible for any promise that creators will earn, and neither is anyone else who makes one.
- A fee before you earn. Upfront "setup" or "training" costs are the oldest trick here.
- "Don't log in for now." Your page, your access, always.
- Pressure on your limits. Creators in the BBC investigation described being pushed toward content they had refused. Good partners ask for your list and work inside it.
- Tactics a platform bans. Fake fan accounts, bought engagement, mass DMs. They put your page at risk, not the agency's.
- An agency that won't say no. Everyone gets accepted and nobody explains the plan. Ask what they'd change first on your page.
A fair test before you commit
Ask for something concrete before you sign: three specific changes they'd make to your page, based on looking at it. It costs them an hour and it shows you whether they've really read your page or are reusing a script. We offer that as a free audit within 24 hours, on request, and any serious agency should be willing to do something similar.
Our own terms are public: share by bracket, on net, no upfront fee, 30 days' notice. Compare them with anyone else's using the table above, then pick the team you actually want answering your fans. When you're ready, apply in 3 minutes.
This article is general information, not legal advice.