What Passes does

Passes is a creator-monetization platform founded in 2022 by Lucy Guo and headquartered in Los Angeles, with an additional New York office. It serves individual creators and the talent managers and agencies that represent them across verticals including sports, music, gaming, fitness, finance, and cosplay, reporting more than 10,000 active creators and 5 million-plus fans. The platform exposes creator storefronts with memberships, paid direct messages, one-to-one video calls, livestreams, group chats, and physical or digital merchandise, with an API and integrations to Discord, Stripe, and Zapier that allow creators to operate Passes alongside their existing workflows. A Talent Manager dashboard and a creator-side CRM support agency operations and brand-deal workflows.

Underlying the consumer-facing storefront is a content-protection stack that combines proprietary screenshot blocking and watermarking with third-party DRM delivered through BuyDRM's KeyOS Multi-DRM, and an automation layer that includes Smart Scheduling, Automated Messages, Auto DMCA, and an AI-assisted Smart Pricing feature that recommends tier and pricing decisions. Brand integrations and a Predictive Analytics offering for advertisers and brand partners extend the platform beyond direct creator monetization into sponsored-content infrastructure.

Passes monetizes by retaining a flat 10% platform fee on creator earnings, with creators keeping the remaining 90% - a pricing structure positioned against an estimated 20% industry standard on competing platforms such as OnlyFans and Fansly. The company has raised more than $50 million across venture rounds led by Founders Fund, Bond, and Day One Ventures, acquired competitor Fanhouse in 2023, and as of October 2025 was reported to be profitable. In April 2026 Passes rebranded to position itself as a broader "Creator Accelerator," signaling a shift from pure tooling toward fuller creator-business services.

Name

Passes

Legal name

Passes, Inc.

Website

https://passes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Passes is a creator-monetization platform founded in 2022 that charges a flat 10% fee and serves more than 10,000 creators and 5 million fans across sports, music, gaming, fitness, and finance verticals via memberships, paid DMs, livestreams, and merchandise tools, and is profitable.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creator Monetization Software

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Monetization & Tipping Platforms (MPACABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Creator Monetization Tools (Subscriptions, Tips, Merch) (BPAMALAH), Creator Commerce & Affiliate Monetization Platforms (MPACAFAF), Creator Merchandise & Print-on-Demand Platforms (MPACAFAE), Creator Sponsorship & Brand Deal Monetization Tools (MPACAFAG)

Keywords

• Creator monetization platform
• Subscription management software
• Content protection DRM
• Influencer marketing platform
• Creator economy software

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Platform Commission on Creator Earnings: Passes charges a flat 10% platform fee on creator earnings (90/10 revenue split in favor of creators). Payment processing is included in this fee. Recurring on every payout to creator.
2. Creator Referral Program: Passes pays out 50% of its platform take (5% of referred creator earnings) to referring users for 3 months per successful referred creator; paid monthly.
3. Leak / Liquidated Damages Fees: Under Terms of Service, Passes charges a $50/site leaking fee per individual leaked piece of content, plus $150 leak remediation fee if content is not removed; collected via Payment Method. De minimis share of overall revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Passes is an all-in-one creator commerce and monetization platform that enables individual creators, influencers, and public figures to monetize their audiences through seven integrated revenue streams: memberships, paid DMs, 1:1 calls, livestreams, group chats, merchandise, and digital products. The platform operates as a PG-13/SFW-only alternative to OnlyFans/Fansly, charging a flat 10% platform fee (with payment processing included) so creators retain 90% of their earnings. It is accessible via web, iOS, and Android and is distributed primarily through self-serve creator signup with dedicated enterprise motions for talent managers, agencies, and brand partners.

Product overview

Passes is a single unified creator commerce and monetization platform (launched 2022, rebranded April 2026 as a "Creator Accelerator") that combines core creator tooling (Memberships, Paid DMs, 1:1 Calls, Livestreams, Group Chats, Merch & Digital) with add-on modules including the Chat Integration suite (Discord + native group chats, powered by Stripe and Zapier), Smart Scheduler (AI scheduling/pricing), Content Vault with Auto-Blocking Vault, Automated Messages, and Auto DMCA. The product is accessible via web, iOS, and Android and is delivered with built-in CRM & Automations, instant payouts, a dedicated success manager, and enterprise-level content protection (BuyDRM KeyOS MultiKey + screenshot blocking + unique watermarks + DMCA support). Companion programs include the Revenue-Share Referral Program (50% of platform take for 3 months), the Stride Health benefits partnership, and a partnership with Texas One Fund and the University of Michigan for the NIL/athlete vertical. The platform takes a flat 10% fee with payment processing included; creators keep 90% and have earned 9 figures collectively.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Passes Core Platform All-in-one creator commerce platform launched in 2022, rebranded in April 2026 as a "Creator Accelerator." Charges a flat 10% platform fee with payment processing included; creators keep 90%. Available on iOS, Android, and web, supporting a multi-vertical roster (sports, music, fitness, gaming, chess, finance, cosplay, wellness, wrestling, fashion, food).
• Memberships Tiered recurring subscription product that grants fans exclusive access to creator content, communities, and benefits, powering sustainable recurring income for creators.
• Paid DMs Monetized direct messaging feature that lets creators charge fans for one-to-one conversations, with support for variables and sequence automation for personalized mass outreach.
• 1:1 Calls One-on-one video call booking feature letting creators charge for personal time, demos, coaching, or consultations.
• Livestreams Monetized livestreaming module with tiered access (VIP tiers, premium streams), with an upgraded mobile livestreaming experience launched October 18, 2025.
• Group Chats Native Passes group chat feature that lets creators run paid community conversations with members, functioning alongside the Discord Integration as a community monetization surface.
• Merch & Digital Marketplace module allowing creators to sell their own branded merchandise and digital products (courses, files, exclusive drops) through a built-in storefront.
• Chat Integration (Discord + Native) Integration suite that turns Discord servers and Passes-native group chats into subscription-based paid communities, with Discord role automation, tiered membership gating, branded invite pages, auto-billing through Stripe, and Zapier connectivity.
• Referral Program Revenue-share referral program where referrers earn 50% of Passes' platform take from each referred creator for 3 months, with no earning cap and monthly payouts.
• Stride Health Benefits Partnership Affordable health insurance offering launched via the Passes x Stride Health partnership, bringing creator-focused benefits to the Passes community.

Named customers23 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability5 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Wall Street BeatscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2025Passes partnered with Wall Street Beats in April 2025 to expand into the financial creator vertical, bringing picks, insider content, and athlete audience crossover onto the platform.
• BuyDRMcoreTechnology or Integration · 5 February 2025Passes deployed BuyDRM's KeyOS MultiKey Service in February 2025 to secure creator content and protected media delivery, strengthening its DRM and anti-piracy technology stack.
• Texas One FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2025Texas One Fund expanded its partnership with Passes in January 2025 to bring candid looks at athletes and insider content to fans, extending the platform's NIL footprint beyond the University of Michigan deal.
• University of MichiganflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2024Landmark partnership announced November 19, 2024 to revolutionize fan engagement and NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) monetization for University of Michigan student-athletes on the Passes platform.
• Stride HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPasses partnered with Stride Health in September 2025 to bring affordable health insurance to creators on the platform, expanding Passes' creator-services and wealth-management roadmap.
• Fanhouse Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPasses Inc. acquired Fanhouse Inc. as part of strategic consolidation in the creatorplaces market, expanding Passes' footprint and creator base in the SFW creator monetization space.
• DiscordcoreTechnology or IntegrationNative Discord integration launched in 2025 lets creators connect their Discord servers to Passes memberships with automated role assignment and paid access, enabling Discord-to-paid-community monetization.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe powers secure subscription billing and payment processing for Passes' chat integration and broader platform, providing bank-level security for fan transactions.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• OnlyFans: Direct competitor offering a creator monetization platform with subscriptions, pay-per-view content, DMs, and tips. Passes explicitly benchmarks its 10% fee against OnlyFans' 20% and competes head-to-head for the same creator-and-fan use case, with brand-safe positioning being a key differentiator.
• Fansly: Subscription-based creator monetization platform with comparable feature set (memberships, paid DMs, livestreams, tips). Passes' pricing-comparison page directly references Fansly's 20% take rate as the benchmark Passes undercuts, making it a near-direct competitor in the same creator monetization category.
• Patreon: Long-standing creator membership platform offering tiered subscriptions and paid content. Patreon is named in Passes' explicit pricing comparisons and shares the same core use case of recurring fan-to-creator monetization, but skews more toward podcasts, newsletters, and traditional creators than social-media personalities.
• Fanfix: Brand-safe creator monetization platform positioning itself between Patreon and OnlyFans, focused on mainstream creators. Passes' SEO comparison pages directly benchmark against Fanfix's pricing (cited as ~10% + $0.30/transaction), making it a primary same-vertical competitor with overlapping target creators.
• Ko-fi: Creator monetization platform offering memberships, one-off tips, commissions, and a storefront. Cited in TechBullion's 2026 platform comparison alongside Passes and targets the same indie creator base with a similar 0% commission tier.
• FanVue: UK-based creator monetization platform with subscriptions, pay-per-view, and DM features. Named in 2026 platform comparisons as a direct competitor to Passes on fee structure (low take rate) and feature breadth.
• Ghost: Open-source creator publishing and subscription platform with built-in paid memberships. Listed alongside Passes in the 2026 subscription platform comparisons; comparable on paid-membership mechanics though with a more publisher/technical-operator audience.

Broad incumbents

• Substack: Larger-scale newsletter and subscription platform with paid-post functionality and a 10% take rate. Overlaps with Passes' creator-monetization core but specializes in long-form writing rather than multimedia/livestream/DM fan engagement.
• Twitch: Largest live-streaming platform with built-in subscriptions, bits/tips, and creator monetization tools. Passes' Livestream and streamer-facing features compete for the same gaming/creator wallet share, but Twitch owns audience discovery and scale that Passes does not.

Emerging players

• Stan Store: Creator commerce platform popular with influencers for digital products, links, and checkout funnels. Competes for the same creator-LTV wallet on a narrower product surface (digital goods/links) rather than full subscription community + DRM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat8 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/joinpasses
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/passes

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors13 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Passes