TL;DR:
User side: You as a user of this platforms, i love you, we love you, why? because without you this just doesn't work, if you don't generate content for fun/entertaining, all of this just can't keep going
Small creator side: Small creators are struggling to gain visibility or monetization on Civitai, especially when it comes to expensive bidding wars to access on-site generation. Competing platforms like Tensor or SeaArt offer simpler, fairer paths to creator rewards. if you are an small creator there is no point of you to stay or start to AI creator here on civitai (financially talking and just talking about checkpoints) if you want to earn from your work there is so much better if you go to Tensor.art or SeaArt.ai.
Let me be clear with this, if you are thinking to make your own checkpoint and post it here on civitai, i'm not going to tell you to not do it, i'm going to tell you that you are going to earn more from your work on Tensor.art or SeaArt.ai than here on CivitAi (Here you just are going to post your checkpoint for free)
But now what can we do as small creator? i recommend you to make/train loras instead of checkpoints, why? because every lora/lycoris/etc are going to be available for onsite generation here on CivitAi, Tensor.art and on SeaArt.ai and so you can earn something from your work, if you are doing this for fun, you are totally free to do whatever you wantBig creator side: if you are a big creator, you deserve it, and all platforms (civitai, tensor,seart) works around your work and you guys deserve to earn more from your creations
Introduction
As a long-time small creator on Civitai, I've been reflecting on how both the platform and its creator community can grow not just in terms of engagement and uploads, but financially. While I don't have access to Civitai’s internal financials, there are observable patterns and user experiences that suggest a few structural inefficiencies, especially regarding monetization and sustainability.
This article aims to present a transparent look at the current model, identify some key issues, and propose realistic improvements from both the creator’s side and Civitai’s business perspective.
The Current Financial Landscape (From a Creator’s View)
Although Civitai offers a compensation system through Buzz and missions, for many small creators, the monetary results are minimal. In fact, despite consistent uploads and participation, I personally haven’t made even a single dollar on the platform.
And the Buzz rewards pool — while consistent in total — seems to be shrinking in actual value per creator.
At the core, the problem seems to stem from this imbalance:
Buzz purchased (revenue-generating) vs.
Buzz earned (non-revenue-generating)
If most users are obtaining Buzz through missions and not through purchases, the site isn't generating enough revenue to expand creator compensation — or even potentially sustain it long term.
A Critical Opportunity: Controlling Download Access
One powerful way to shift this dynamic is to give creators control over whether their content can be downloaded.
Right now, users can freely download most models (checkpoints, LoRAs, resources, etc.), and then use them off-platform, bypassing any further engagement or monetization potential on Civitai.
Proposed Solution #1: Enable Optional Download Restriction
Allow creators to toggle an option that disables downloads for specific uploads. This change would:
Encourage users to generate images/videos on-site, where ad views or Buzz purchases support platform revenue.
Reduce off-site content usage, thus preserving monetizable traffic.
Offer creators more control over how their work is accessed.
Even if this feature is opt-in, it empowers creators who want to prioritize engagement and monetization on-platform.
Proposed Solution #2: A Real Monetization Model for Creators
Currently, the Early Access system allows creators to charge Buzz for a limited number of days. However, this only benefits creators if their upload goes viral quickly. For those whose content grows slowly or steadily, revenue opportunities disappear after the early access window ends.
Let’s compare two potential models:
Monetization Model Comparison:
ScenarioModelDescriptionModel 1Early Access (500 Buzz for 15 Days)Creators earn Buzz only during the early access period. After that, downloads are free.Model 2Perpetual Buzz Per Download (100 Buzz, No Time Limit)Creators earn Buzz forever on every download.
Simulation A: Steady Downloads
100 downloads/day
Days 1–15:
Model 1: 100 x 500 x 15 = 750,000 Buzz
Model 2: 100 x 100 x 15 = 150,000 Buzz
Days 16–30:
Model 1: 0 Buzz
Model 2: 100 x 100 x 15 = 150,000 Buzz
30-Day Total:
Model 1: 750,000 Buzz
Model 2: 300,000 Buzz
Winner: Model 1 (if content spikes early)
Simulation B: Viral Start, Quick Decline
Downloads decrease over 15 days (1,000 → 20)
Total (Days 1–15): 8,000 downloads
Total (Days 16–30): 150 downloads
Model 1: 8,000 x 500 = 4,000,000 Buzz
Model 2: 8,150 x 100 = 815,000 Buzz
Winner: Model 1 (by a wide margin in viral cases)
Simulation C: Slow Burn
Days 1–15: 10/day = 150 downloads
Days 16–30: 100/day = 1,500 downloads
Model 1: 150 x 500 = 75,000 Buzz
Model 2: 1,650 x 100 = 165,000 Buzz
Winner: Model 2 (for slow and steady uploads)
Takeaway:
Model 1 works best if you're confident your upload will go viral fast.
Model 2 is ideal for evergreen content with long-term interest.
Thus, Civitai should offer creators both monetization options, allowing them to choose based on the type of content and audience behavior.
Virality on Civitai: An Unclear Algorithm
One major challenge many of us creators face is understanding how virality actually works on the platform. While it appears to be influenced by a mix of:
Likes
Downloads
Images generated
Comments or bookmarks
…it’s unclear what weight each factor carries, and how to consistently achieve visibility.
This lack of transparency makes it hard for smaller creators to optimize their uploads and grow.
A more transparent system — or at least guidance from the Civitai team — would allow more creators to participate competitively and grow the platform’s content quality from the ground up.
Bidding for On-Site Generation Access: Unfair Playing Field?
Civitai's current bidding system for on-site generation slots works well in theory — rewarding high-performing models with visibility. However, in practice, it creates a significant disadvantage for new or lesser-known creators.
Example:
To be in the Top 200, a creator might need to bid 20,000 Buzz or more.
If a creator only has 49,000 Buzz and bids 20,000 for one week, they essentially:
Lose nearly half their Buzz
Get limited visibility
Still have low chances of competing with big-name creators
Suggestion: Introduce a tiered or rotating exposure system to give smaller creators a fair shot at being featured, even temporarily. This would:
Improve content diversity
Motivate new creators
Drive more on-site generation (and revenue)
Optional Monetization Without Downloads
Lastly, some creators may not want to monetize via download fees or may not have viral content. For them, another great feature would be:
Proposed Feature: Disable Downloads Entirely
If a creator disables downloads, users are forced to generate on-site, helping both the creator (via visibility or future monetization) and Civitai (via revenue from ads or Buzz purchases).
This would be particularly valuable for:
Video creators
Image-focused users
Buzz buyers who only generate content, not upload it
Conclusion: Unlocking Civitai’s Growth Potential
Civitai has immense potential — both as a creative hub and a sustainable business. But right now, a few critical features are missing that limit financial growth for both the platform and its creators.
To summarize, here’s what could significantly improve the ecosystem:
Platform-Level Improvements:
Allow creators to disable downloads (encourage on-site generation)
Offer multiple monetization models (early access + perpetual download-based earning)
Introduce tiered bidding or rotation for on-site generation slots
Increase algorithm transparency (or provide visibility tools)
Support evergreen monetization for slow-growth content
Creator-Level Improvements:
Upload consistently
Promote your content externally
Use both monetization options wisely (early access vs. long-tail earning)
Engage with the community to increase exposure
Now we are going to give you some real examples comparing the revenue/earning buzz here on Civitai and then with other platforms like Tensor.art and SeaArt.ai (this platforms are the ones i use)
On the next example you can see how much i can earn with a checkpoint available for generation on site than just post it on early access
The chart you can see the day my checkpoint gets available for generation on site, The first bids (2 bids of 2000 buzz) it was from the first week who start on 15/Aug, the next week i didn't bid because i forgot to bid hhehe and the last week i make 2 bids (10000 and 553) and from those 2 week i just earn 2587 but wait wait wait... the two weeks i make a bounty of 1000 buzz so almost half of the buzz earn it from my checkpoint came from the 2 bounties, so lets make numbers:
2 weeks for get my checkpoint available for onsite generation:
10000 + 553 + 2000 + 2000 = 14553 Buzz on bids
Earn it from my checkpoint: 2587 Buzz from generation on site
2587 - 14553 = -11966 Buzz
This other example is from my Realistic checkpoint on the second version
With this other example is so clear the numbres
Bids for generation on site: 0 Buzz
Earn it from early acces: 18000 Buzz
But wait wait wait.... this early access is for the first 15 day, what are going to happen after that days? my checkpoint are going to get available for FREE and nor Civitai or even me are going to earn anything from this
Now lets campare revenue from the creator side cross platform:
CivitAi:
You have to reach that requirements and also make your own creations
On my experience i'm here on CivitAi for fun (right now, maybe in the future i can monetize here on civitai)
Civitai earn it: $0
This is my stats here on civitai (As an example from my experience):
1.4k Followers
9.8k Likes
43.6k Downloads
238.1k Generations
TensorArt:
Requirements: Just to be the creator
My stats (As an example from my experience):
143 Followers
0 Following
69.8K Runs
4 Downloads
11 Likes
2.4K Stars
TensorArt earn it: $8.50
SeaArt:
Requirements: Just to be the creator
My stats on SeaArt:
7 Following
18 Followers
709 Favorited
1.7K Views
SearArt eanr it: $4.91
Important: My Civitai account is the oldest one, i can't remember at all but my tensor art is like 2 month old and my SeaArt account less than a month
Final Thoughts
Civitai is still evolving, and the fact that we can even have these discussions is a sign of a healthy, engaged community. But if we want the platform to thrive financially — for both creators and the company — we need to empower creators with real tools and options that respect the value of their work.
I’m hopeful we can start that conversation — together.