Passes softcore model lowers fees

This policy is not just a brand choice, it is a margin advantage. Adult content merchants are treated as riskier by card networks and processors because they carry more compliance work, more fraud exposure, and more chargeback risk. By stopping short of nudity, Passes can look more like a mainstream creator payments business than a specialty adult merchant, which makes a 10% take rate more workable than it would be for a platform operating under full NSFW rules.

• Card networks place adult content under special controls. Mastercard requires banks supporting adult content sites to verify age and consent records, review uploaded content before publication, and monitor live streams in real time. Those extra controls raise the cost to serve and make adult merchants harder to underwrite.
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• Processors explicitly link merchant risk to fees. Stripe describes adult entertainment as a high risk category because of age restrictions, legal exposure, and higher chargeback rates, and notes that high risk merchants typically face higher transaction fees and may need reserves. Lower risk classification means less of that cost burden.
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• This creates a practical gap between Passes and OnlyFans. OnlyFans built a huge business, estimated at $1.4B in revenue on $7.2B of gross payments in 2024, but it also operates inside the adult content compliance box. Passes sits in a middle lane, selling paid DMs, livestreams, and risqué photos without entering the most expensive payments category.
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The next step is for creator commerce to split more cleanly by payments risk. Safe for work and softcore platforms should keep winning mainstream creators, brand friendly distribution, and cheaper payment rails, while fully adult platforms keep winning on content freedom and fan spending intensity. That risk split will shape take rates, margins, and who can scale profitably.