The self-proclaimed "HBO of social media" is here.
Vylit, the web-based app from ex-OnlyFans CEO Amrapali (Ami) Gan, is publicly launching today following beta testing last year. While Vylit doesn't allow explicit content like OnlyFans, it does allow topless photos, like a version of Instagram that allows softcore. The app is built for both creators and fans, its founders told Mashable, with multiple ways for the former to monetize content (such as subscriptions or tiers like "premium" and "VIP"), and different ways the latter can access creators, like through chats.
"I spent years watching creators build audiences on one platform and monetize on another. That fragmentation doesn't work. Vylit brings both together," Gan said in a press release shared with Mashable. Gan was the CEO of OnlyFans between Dec. 2021 and July 2023.
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Scrolling Vylit does feel a bit like scrolling Instagram, with a twist. In an interview with Mashable, Gan and her cofounder, Kailey Magder (also COO), said that they didn't want to change what users are used to, such as left-hand navigation, but they wanted to give the app a unique Vylit feel. There's a photo-based feed complete with "Glimpses," or its version of Stories, at the top, but Vylit also has distinct features neither Instagram nor OnlyFans has.
"We created Vylit because we were frustrated with how social media works today," said Magder in the press release.
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One element that Magder and Gan were frustrated with on other platforms is search and discovery. Famously, OnlyFans has basically no search function, and creators need to market themselves on other platforms. But Gan and Madger want fans and creators to find each other easily on Vylit, so you can search by aesthetics you're into or shared interests with "Vybe Match."
"Platforms are cluttered with ads, political content, and algorithm-driven noise. We wanted to build something that focuses on people, content, and real communities — not engagement at all costs," Magder continued.
There are also AI elements (of course, it being 2026 and all). Creators can generate "AI twins" of themselves, and fans can chat with an AI version of creators. AI chats can be trained on someone's unique personality traits, and they can range from friendly to flirty to "frisky." AI images, meanwhile, can be made topless, but no further nudity.
Credit: Vylit
Credit: Vylit
For the sake of transparency, a sparkle-like icon is placed on all AI-generated images. Chats between a real-life creator and their AI persona are explicitly distinguished, too.
As Vylit allows for topless photos, it's an adults-only platform. All users, creators or otherwise, need to be verified. When Mashable tried out Vylit ahead of launch, this was done through the third-party service Verifymy with an email address. The Vylit launch comes at a time of increasing age-verification laws, which require age checks beyond clicking "yes or no." When Mashable interviewed Gan in Nov. 2025, she said, "To us, the future of social media is very much 18 and over."
Vylit won't be on the App Store, as it takes 30 percent of earnings, the founders told Mashable. But you can sign up for Vylit on its website, and use the web-based app on either your phone or desktop.