OnlyFans was founded in 2016 by Tim Stokely. He describes launching it that year in his first-hand account of building OnlyFans. The timeline below separates that launch from company incorporation and later ownership changes. For a broader platform reference, continue to the OnlyFans wiki and facts guide.
OnlyFans History: From Its 2016 Launch to Today
2016 — Tim Stokely launches OnlyFans
Stokely describes building the platform at his brother's kitchen table and using direct subscriptions to connect creators with paying fans. His account establishes the founding year and the idea behind the business; it does not establish an exact public launch day.
1 September 2016 — Fenix International is incorporated
The Companies House company record gives this incorporation date for Fenix International Limited, company number 10354575. The legal entity and the OnlyFans platform are related, but their milestones should be labelled separately.
3 October 2018 — A recorded change in control
The register of persons with significant control records Leonid Radvinsky from this date, with at least 75% of shares and voting rights. Guy Stokely ceased to be a recorded person with significant control on the same date. These are dated entries, not a statement about present ownership.
2020 — Growth during the pandemic
Ofcom's Online Nation 2021 report describes OnlyFans becoming more popular during the pandemic. Its page 102 cites a reported 75% increase in new content creators in May 2020. That is a change in new creators over a specified period, not a multiplication of the entire creator base.
21 December 2021 — Amrapali Gan succeeds Tim Stokely as CEO
OnlyFans' own leadership announcement states that Gan would take over day-to-day leadership from founder Tim Stokely on this date. The announcement describes a leadership change and should not be confused with the 2018 ownership record.
27 August 2025 — FY2024 accounts are filed
The Fenix filing history records group accounts for the year ended 30 November 2024. Publication in 2025 does not make those figures 2025 or 2026 trading results. Use the reporting period when citing financial milestones.
How to Read the Dates in This Timeline
A launch date describes when a product became available. An incorporation date identifies when the legal company was registered. An ownership notification records control of the company, while an annual report describes a specific financial period. These dates answer different questions.
This guide was reviewed on 7 September 2026. It uses the founder's account, official company announcements, Companies House records, and Ofcom's historical report. Historical milestones do not establish current platform rules, individual creator earnings, or future growth.
Want SirenCY's Help?
Apply to ask whether SirenCY's current services fit your needs. Verify fees, scope, access, responsibilities, and exit terms in the current written proposal or agreement before deciding.
Apply to SirenCY →Ready to Scale Your OnlyFans?
See whether there is a genuine fit for strategy, monetization systems, and long-term operational support.
Proposal-specific terms35% agency feeExit terms documented
Frequently Asked Questions
When was OnlyFans founded?▾
OnlyFans began in 2016. Founder Tim Stokely dates the launch to that year in his own account. Companies House separately records Fenix International Limited's incorporation on 1 September 2016; incorporation is a company event, not proof of the exact public launch day.
Who founded OnlyFans?▾
Tim Stokely founded OnlyFans. The company's December 2021 leadership announcement identifies him as its founder and says Amrapali Gan would take over as CEO on 21 December 2021.
How old is OnlyFans?▾
OnlyFans reaches ten years since its 2016 founding during 2026. This guide uses the verified year rather than assigning an exact launch anniversary from the company's incorporation date.
Why was OnlyFans created?▾
In his account of building OnlyFans, Stokely describes giving creators more control over their income through direct fan subscriptions. That explains the subscription model without assuming every creator uses it for the same kind of content.
Did OnlyFans change ownership in 2018?▾
Companies House records Leonid Radvinsky as a person with significant control from 3 October 2018, with at least 75% of shares and voting rights. This was a later ownership change, not the platform's founding. The linked register also records subsequent changes, so the historical entry should not be read as a current ownership statement.