Short answer
Both live in the pixiv family, both let you pay Japanese creators directly, and plenty of creators use both. But BOOTH and FANBOX answer different questions. BOOTH asks, “Do you want this one thing?” FANBOX asks, “Do you want to back this person every month?” Here’s how they really differ, so you spend your yen where it makes you happiest.
Two different ideas of “paying a creator”
BOOTH describes itself as a shop-creation service linked with pixiv, where anyone can open their own online shop for free, and as a marketplace that gathers creators’ works. You add items to a cart, enter your details and pay. Downloads are ready right after payment; physical items ship on the seller’s schedule.
pixivFANBOX describes itself as a service where creators build and run their own monthly fan communities. Fans who back a creator get to see their creative process and a side they only show supporters, and can enjoy close communication with them.
BOOTH and FANBOX side by side
| BOOTH | pixivFANBOX | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | One item at a time: a download or physical goods | A monthly plan; one plan per creator |
| What you get | The file or the item you bought | Supporter-only posts for your plan and any cheaper plans |
| After you stop paying | Downloads stay in your purchase history and can be fetched again | Supporter-only posts stay visible until the end of that month |
| Paying extra | BOOST: add any amount on top of the price | Move to a higher plan and pay the difference |
| Cards accepted | Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express (one-time payment) | Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express |
| What the creator sees | A user ID code; name and address only for items shipped from home | Your FANBOX username, never your payment details |
How buying on BOOTH works
Once you’ve paid for a download, you can get it from the payment-complete email, your purchase history or your library, and BOOTH says you can download it as many times as you like. The one catch: if the shop owner deletes the file, it can no longer be downloaded. If an item is simply unlisted, past buyers can still download it. ZIP files may need an unzip app on your phone or computer.
Want to give more than the asking price? BOOST lets you add any amount to an item when you put it in your cart, and everything you add goes to the shop owner after the service fee.
Physical goods are trickier from abroad. BOOTH doesn’t accept delivery addresses outside Japan, and suggests forwarding services such as Tenso or Buyee instead.
For forwarding and delivery details, read our BOOTH outside Japan guide.
How supporting on FANBOX works
You start from the “支援する” (support) button on a creator’s page. If you join mid-month, you’re still charged for the full month; it isn’t prorated. Once you’re in, every supporter-only post currently published for your plan opens up, including older ones.
You can support only one plan per creator, but higher plans include everything in the cheaper ones. Moving up mid-month charges the difference and unlocks the higher plan straight away; moving down costs nothing extra and takes effect next month. FANBOX has no free plans, though creators can make any post public for everyone.
Paid support can’t be cancelled or refunded once it’s gone through. When you stop, you can still read supporter-only posts until the end of that month, and you go back to simply following the creator.
When creators use both
The two connect. With BOOTH’s “secret listing” option, an item is hidden from search and the shop’s list, and opens only to people who have the page URL and a passphrase. FANBOX suggests creators share that URL and passphrase in a supporter-only post, so only supporters can buy those goods.
If you browse adult work, check your settings. BOOTH may hide items with sensitive content unless you turn on the display setting, and FANBOX asks you to switch your viewing setting to show R-18 content before you can see R-18 creators’ posts. One more payment note: if you’ve never paid with PayPal on FANBOX before and first try after 21 March 2024, you can’t use PayPal to support R-18 creators.
Which one should you pick?
Go with BOOTH when there’s a specific work you want to own outright. Go with FANBOX when you want to keep up with a creator month after month. MyFans, where every creator we list posts, blends both ideas: a creator can put a post in a monthly plan and also sell it as a single purchase, and you can unlock it either way.
For card and region tips, read FANBOX outside Japan and our MyFans vs Fantia vs FANBOX comparison. On JapanCreatorFind, every creator is a Japan-based MyFans creator with an English profile, prices in yen and a link to their own MyFans page. Browse all creators.
Someone to meet while you’re here
A random pick, reshuffled every visit. Never ordered by commission. Profiles checked 10 October 2026 to 11 October 2026.
Quick answers
Is BOOTH the same as pixivFANBOX?
No. Both are linked to pixiv, but BOOTH is a shop for individual items and FANBOX is a monthly support service with plans.
Can I download a BOOTH purchase again later?
Yes. BOOTH says downloads can be fetched as many times as you like, unless the shop owner deletes the file.
Does FANBOX charge less if I join late in the month?
No. FANBOX charges a full month even if you start supporting mid-month; the first month isn’t prorated.
Can BOOTH ship to my country?
Not directly. BOOTH doesn’t accept delivery addresses outside Japan and points overseas buyers to forwarding services such as Tenso or Buyee.
What is BOOST on BOOTH?
An optional extra amount you add on top of an item’s price. After the service fee, all of it goes to the shop owner.
Next step
Trying MyFans instead?
MyFans accepts overseas cards and any country’s mobile number for verification.
Keep reading
- BOOTH（ブース）とは何ですか？ (What is BOOTH? BOOTH help) (Japanese)
- お買い物ガイド (BOOTH shopping guide, booth.pm) (Japanese)
- 「ダウンロード」商品をダウンロードする方法が知りたい (Downloading a purchase, BOOTH help) (Japanese)
- ダウンロード商品の再ダウンロードはできますか？ (Re-downloading, BOOTH help) (Japanese)
- ダウンロード商品を非公開にした場合、過去の購入者はダウンロードできますか？ (Unlisted downloads, BOOTH help) (Japanese)
- BOOST↑（ブースト）とは何ですか？ (What is BOOST? BOOTH help) (Japanese)
- 日本国外に住んでいますが、物販商品を購入することはできますか？ (Buying physical goods from outside Japan, BOOTH help) (Japanese)
- ショップオーナーに開示される個人情報が知りたい (What shop owners see about buyers, BOOTH help) (Japanese)
- BOOTH Apps「シークレット公開」とは何ですか？ (Secret listings, BOOTH help) (Japanese)
- センシティブな内容とは何ですか？ (Sensitive content setting, BOOTH help) (Japanese)
- pixivFANBOXとは、どのようなサービスですか？ (What is pixivFANBOX? FANBOX help) (Japanese)
- クリエイターを支援する方法は？ (How to support a creator, FANBOX help) (Japanese)
- どのような支払い方法がありますか？ (Payment methods, FANBOX help) (Japanese)
- １人のクリエイターに対して、複数のプランを同時に支援することは可能ですか？ (One plan per creator, FANBOX help) (Japanese)
- クリエイター支援中にプランを変更した場合どうなりますか？ (Changing plans, FANBOX help) (Japanese)
- 支援した場合、過去の支援者限定投稿を閲覧することも可能ですか？ (Past supporter-only posts, FANBOX help) (Japanese)
- 無料のプランを作ることができますか？ (Free plans, FANBOX help) (Japanese)
- 間違えて支援してしまいました。返金は可能ですか？ (Refunds, FANBOX help) (Japanese)
- 支援を停止するには？ (How to stop supporting, FANBOX help) (Japanese)
- クリエイターに支援者の個人情報は伝わりますか？ (Is your personal information passed to creators? FANBOX help) (Japanese)
- ファン限定グッズを販売できますか？ (Supporter-only goods via BOOTH, FANBOX help) (Japanese)
- R-18設定にしているクリエイターの投稿を閲覧したいです (Viewing R-18 creators, FANBOX help) (Japanese)
- 1つの投稿を有料プランと単品販売の両方で販売することは可能なのか (Posts sold in a plan and as a single purchase, MyFans help) (Japanese) · English version