Understanding the differences in adult sites

It's not one size fits all (pun intended)

The adult industry is a fascinating industry. There are positives to it but also a lot of negatives and challenges. It is also screaming out for regulation. However, when most people talk about the adult industry, they are often only referring to one particular site or business model, and often don’t understand the differences between the different types of sites/models. And, in order to fix any issues in this space, form an opinion, or make good regulation one must understand the differences.

So, here is a breakdown on the types of adult sites, and the business models that they use:

Tube sites:

You are probably most familiar with tube sites. These are the ‘free’ porn sites, similar in style to that of YouTube, and arguably one of the most popular types of adult sites. This business model works on advertisement, as well as some users who will subscribe for ‘premium’ content. Some tube sites have an incredible amount of traffic, sometimes more than Twitter and Amazon combined.

Cam sites:

Cam sites host live streams of content creators, where users can tip the content creators, and pay for private sessions as well as other on-camera acts. The cam sites then take a certain percentage of the creators earnings, as well as making money from advertisement.

Studio sites:

Studios that you see on tube sites, also have their own individual websites to which you can directly purchase content, or a subscription. Their business model works on your individual purchases and subscriptions, as well as through licensing their content to other platforms/companies.

Fan sites:

Fan sites have become incredibly popular since 2020. These are hosting sites, where content creators have their own social media pages, to which you can either follow for free, or subscribe. On top of this you can purchase individual content or sexting from the creators. The platforms then take a percentage of the performers earnings, usually between 15-20%. Some fan sites might also work with advertising.

Subscription sites:

These are sites that usually have licensed content from various different studios. They then make money by having users pay a monthly subscription fee. Often marketed as ‘ethical’ female only alternatives, which is part of a larger debatable topic.

Each different one of these sites comes with a different type of benefits and con’s. They also come with different regulation requirements. However, quite often banks, or governments throw a blanket regulation onto all of them which can later on lead to a whole host of worse issues. But that’s a conversation for another article …