FetLife
FetLife is a freemium online social network serving the BDSM, kink, and fetish community with profiles, groups, events, messaging, and 108M+ pieces of user-generated content across 12.9M+ members.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersNorth Vancouver, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What FetLife does
FetLife operates an online social network and events platform for adults interested in BDSM, fetishism, and kink. Founded in 2008 and operated by BitLove Inc. (British Columbia, Canada) and BitLove Ltd. (Cyprus), the platform reports 12,963,417 members, 203,725 groups, 28,245 upcoming events, 108,702,706 user-uploaded pictures and videos, and 6,952,239 writings. The company differentiates the product as community-focused rather than dating-focused, with positioning 'by kinksters, for kinksters' and features including profiles, group discussions, local event discovery (munches, workshops, play parties), private and group messaging, and content sharing. Supporting products include the Kinktionary educational resource, an Official FetLife iOS mobile application, and an advertising platform. The distributed team of approximately 40+ members spans 13+ countries including Canada, the United States, France, Serbia, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Costa Rica, and the Philippines.
The platform's underlying technology combines standard web and mobile infrastructure with AI/ML-based trust & safety systems: machine learning models estimate subject ages on uploaded images and videos to flag potentially underage content, anomaly detection identifies scammers and spammers, and integration with StopNCII and NCMEC's Take It Down supports proactive removal of non-consensual intimate imagery. Profile verification uses encrypted verification pictures, metadata is stripped from uploads to protect location privacy, and the caretaking team operates 24/7/365 with 95% of content reports resolved within 30 minutes.
FetLife operates a freemium model described as '99.9% free' for members, with monetization from an optional 'support' tier for nice-to-have features (paid via PayPal, no auto-rebilling, pricing undisclosed) and an advertising platform selling ad slots at $500/month for the first slot and $400/month for subsequent slots, each delivering approximately 11 million monthly impressions. The company has not raised venture funding, distributes exclusively through direct self-serve channels (website and iOS app), and grows primarily through word-of-mouth, earned media, community events, and SEO-driven traffic to educational content.
FetLife firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FetLife
- Legal name
- BitLove Inc. & BitLove Ltd.
- Website
- https://fetlife.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- FetLife is a freemium online social network serving the BDSM, kink, and fetish community with profiles, groups, events, messaging, and 108M+ pieces of user-generated content across 12.9M+ members.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FetLife industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Adult Social Networking
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General-Purpose Social Networks (BPAMABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Local Experiences & Event Services Marketplaces (Photographers, Caterers, DJs) (BPAMAHAK)
Keywords
Where FetLife is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- North Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices17 records
Markets served
FetLife business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Freemium Membership: Platform is 99.9% free. Users can join and use core features (messaging, groups, events, content sharing) at no cost. Optional 'support' option allows users to pay for nice-to-have features while supporting the platform.
- Advertising: Third-party advertising slots sold to adult-oriented businesses. Each slot receives ~11,000,000 impressions/month and can hold up to 5 unique ads. First slot at $500/month, additional slots at $400/month.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Core Free Membership - Full access to social networking features |
| Subscription | Monthly | Ad Slot Pricing |
| Subscription | Monthly | Optional Support (Paid Features) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
FetLife product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FetLife operates an online social networking platform for the BDSM, fetish, and kink community. The platform enables community building through user profiles, groups (203,725), events (28,245 upcoming), messaging, picture and video sharing (108M+ items), and writings (6.9M+). Membership is 99.9% free, with the company monetizing through advertising slots and optional paid support features.
Product overview
FetLife is a social networking platform for the BDSM, fetish, and kinky community, operated by BitLove Inc. The core offering is the FetLife Social Network, a platform featuring profiles, groups, events, messaging, picture/video sharing, and writings. The platform differentiates itself as community-focused rather than dating-focused. Supporting products include the Official FetLife App for mobile access, the Kinktionary as an educational resource, an Advertising Platform for reaching the community, and various Trust & Safety tools. The platform is 99.9% free for members with optional support features. Key product launches in 2026 have focused on enhanced messaging capabilities (voice messages, GIFs, emoji reactions), event management features, and accessibility improvements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- FetLife Social Network A social networking platform for the BDSM, fetish, and kink community featuring profiles, groups (203,725), events (28,245 upcoming), messaging, picture/video sharing (108M+ items), and writings (6.9M+). Membership is 99.9% free, emphasizing community building over dating.
- Official FetLife Mobile App Native mobile application enabling push notifications, easy navigation, page refresh, and link sharing on iOS and Android devices for FetLife members.
- Kinktionary A community-edited BDSM and kink dictionary with definitions, guidelines, and educational content covering genders, sexual orientations, romantic orientations, relationships, and consent frameworks.
- FetLife Advertising Platform An advertising platform offering ad slots with approximately 11,000,000 impressions per slot per month, reaching the kink community. First slot priced at $500 USD per month, additional slots at $400 USD per month, with up to 5 unique ads per slot.
- KinkyTease An affiliated platform linked from FetLife, referenced as a related service for the kink community.
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% of reports resolved in under 30 minutes
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use FetLife
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
FetLife technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature6 records
FetLife partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- StopNCIIcorePartnership to prevent non-consensual sharing of intimate images online. StopNCII platform helps detect and remove NCII from platforms. FetLife integrated this tool to protect members from image-based abuse.
- Take It Down (NCMEC)corePartnership with National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's Take It Down service to help prevent CSAM sharing online. FetLife implemented this tool to proactively detect and remove illegal content.
- Glamour BoutiqueminorSample advertiser on FetLife platform. Adult toy retailer featuring crossdresser/TG items, sissies & femboi products. Example of advertising partner using FetLife ad slots.
- RimbastoreminorSample advertiser on FetLife platform. Adult jewelry and accessory retailer. Example of adult industry business using FetLife ad slots.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
FetLife competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Feeld: Feeld is a dating and social app for non-traditional relationships, kink, and alternative sexuality. Comparable on community-led growth in alternative sexuality, though positioned as dating-first rather than community-first.
- Scruff: Scruff is an LGBTQ+ social networking and dating app with community events and groups. Comparable on community-led growth in non-mainstream sexuality, group/event features, and freemium monetization.
Broad incumbents
- OnlyFans: OnlyFans is an adult-friendly creator platform with subscription monetization. Comparable on adult-content community infrastructure and creator/monest overlap with kink content verticals.
- Grindr: Grindr is a major LGBTQ+ social networking and dating platform with community features, events, and freemium monetization. Comparable on community-led growth, niche sexual-identity audience, and group/event functionality.
- Tumblr: Tumblr is a media-oriented social network historically popular for adult and alternative sexuality communities. Comparable on community-led content discovery, niche sexual communities, and content moderation evolution.
- Ashley Madison: Ashley Madison is a large, established adult-oriented social platform with a niche, privacy-first audience. Comparable on adult niche community dynamics, freemium model, and content moderation requirements.
- Reddit: Reddit hosts large NSFW and kink-oriented subreddit communities (e.g., r/BDSMcommunity). Comparable on community-led group dynamics, user-generated content depth, and lightweight moderation tooling.
Direct peers
- Recon: Recon is a fetish/kink-focused social network primarily for gay, bi, and queer men. Most direct peer to FetLife given shared kink-community focus, profile/messaging/event features, and freemium model.
- Alt.com: Alt.com is a BDSM/kink-oriented dating and social platform owned by Friend Finder Networks. Overlaps with FetLife on adult kink/fetish audience and member-based community mechanics.
- AdultFriendFinder: AdultFriendFinder is an adult-oriented social networking and dating platform with groups, blogs, and live content. Comparable to FetLife on adult community, group-driven engagement, and freemium monetization.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
FetLife social profiles
Digital presenceFetLife financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FetLife leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
FetLife funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FetLife M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about FetLife
What does FetLife do?
FetLife operates an online social networking platform for the BDSM, fetish, and kink community. The platform enables community building through user profiles, groups (203,725), events (28,245 upcoming), messaging, picture and video sharing (108M+ items), and writings (6.9M+). Membership is 99.9% free, with the company monetizing through advertising slots and optional paid support features.
Is FetLife a public or private company?
FetLife is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was FetLife founded?
FetLife was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is FetLife based?
FetLife is headquartered in North Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does FetLife make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Freemium Membership is the primary driver. The others are advertising.
Who are FetLife's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Feeld and Scruff. Broad incumbents are OnlyFans, Grindr, Tumblr, Ashley Madison and Reddit. Direct peers are Recon, Alt.com and AdultFriendFinder.
Does FetLife have an API?
No public API is recorded for FetLife.
What industry is FetLife in?
FetLife's product category is Adult Social Networking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMABAA, General-Purpose Social Networks, with a secondary code of BPAMAHAK, Local Experiences & Event Services Marketplaces (Photographers, Caterers, DJs). Its NAICS code is 51621 and its SIC code is 7997.