How much money can you make as a camgirl? This is the most frequently asked question by aspiring webcam models and cam members alike. The answer, of course, varies greatly with which cam site you chose to stream on, how much time you devote to camming, how consistent you are, and your ability to come up with interesting and enticing things to do on cam.
It might be easy to get caught up in the fantasy that becoming a camgirl will make you rich. Just look at the lists of highest tips on both Myfreecams and Chaturbate! However, the reality is a little more complex than that. Yes, it IS possible to make good money being a camgirl simply by streaming a few times a week and maybe selling your videos, however, some girls will still make next to zero being online for hours and some will make bank just by sitting in front of their webcam and chatting to members. What makes some camgirls succeed and others fail will be covered in a later post, but for now I want to share the approximate earning potential of a camgirl.
As I mentioned, it is quite difficult to average out camming earnings, because of a slew of factors influencing it, but for a camgirl who is semi-established and has the basics down (like a good webcam, lights, and a reliable laptop), she can expect to make…
Around $50 an hour. Some days you’ll make $100/hr or more, some days will be a total bust and you’ll end up with just a few bucks in an hour spent on cam. This figure is mostly based on camming on MFC, but Chaturbate closely follows it. On CB, the higher tips are less common, but tips in general are more consistent, versus MFC where tips can be very up and down, but high tips are common, especially if you have a loyal following. This figure considers that you do private shows in addition to public chat, which can be very lucrative. If you’re camming on other sites like Camsoda, for example, your earnings will vary, since it’s still an up-and-coming site and not the most established yet. I do see a lot of potential in it, so check out my post on how to get started.
So, with $50/hr you’re earning a good income, but how much you are able to earn a week or a month depends on your camming consistency and how many hours you are willing to put in each shift. Don’t think it is easy to do an 8-hour work day on cam like you would at a regular job. You might be able to pull it off once in a while, but it’s tough physically and mentally. A more “standard” shift is a few hours long, perhaps 3 or 4 hours. So, going by the hourly wage calculation, you can expect to make around $150-200 a day. Working every day is also not the easiest thing to do, and many girls take multiple days off during the week to relax and do offline things.
If you’re consistent with your camming and don’t burn out (Read my post about camming burnout), you can make approximately $1,000 a week and therefore $4,000 a month. This figure is, of course, your earnings before taxes and you will need to save about 15-30% of your income, so that you’re not stuck with a huge bill come tax time. Read about the deductions you can make as a camgirl here. I will also discuss the investment strategies and ways to save and grow your money in a future post.
So, there you have it. The mystique is gone. You can can compare what you can potentially make with camming versus other jobs. Don’t forget that unlike a “normal” job, webcamming unfortunately still carries a lot of stigma and you have to deal with a variety of safety issues that are not present in office jobs. You also have a limited career span, and so you really need to consider your options and what your *future* options may be once you leave/retire from camming.
Camming can be an incredible job and it is what you make it. There are many girls who become incredibly successful, because they develop a loyal member base and continuously reinvent themselves to keep things interesting. Some make well into the six figures annually, but they’re more the exception to the rule and you may find yourself disappointed if you’re counting on making as much, especially in the beginning.
To get started, read my Beginners Guide, and if you’re already a camgirl, check out some of the best cam sites to work on.
