xHamster is a pornographic video sharing and streaming website, based in Limassol, Cyprus. It was founded by Russian citizens Oleg Netepenko and Dmitri Gusev in 2005 and launched in August 2007. The site is owned by Hammy Media Ltd. xHamster serves user-submitted pornographic videos, webcam models, pornographic photographs, and erotic literature, and incorporates social networking features. As of October 2025, it was the 29th most-visited website in the world and the second-most-visited adult website, after Pornhub.
History
xHamster was envisioned as a social network, intended to allow users to chat, exchange erotic pictures, share amateur videos, and find mutual friends. In 2015, it became the third most popular pornographic website, after XVideos and Pornhub. In May 2016, the site launched The Sex Factor, a reality series competition where contestants compete to become a porn star.
Website Features
xHamster provides pornographic videos, photos, and erotic stories grouped under categories catering to specific fetishes or sexual preferences. Users can view live streams of paid models and interact via online chat. Since 2017, the site has used an artificial intelligence model to scan material and target individual user preferences. It also created a virtual reality platform. Social networking features include user profiles, commenting and rating systems, and the ability to add others as "friends" or subscribe to content.
Security and Privacy
In January 2017, xHamster became one of the first major adult sites to incorporate HTTPS encryption. In November 2016, it was revealed that usernames, email addresses, and passwords of approximately 380,000 users were stolen. The site has been targeted by malvertising attacks in 2013 and 2015. In 2025, xHamster agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by the state of Texas by paying a $120,000 penalty over noncompliance with the state's age verification law.
Censorship and Legal Issues
xHamster has been blocked by various governments, including India (2015, 2018), Russia (2014), Nepal (2018), and Germany (2021). In 2011, the site was sued for copyright infringement by Fraserside Holdings, Ltd., but the case was dismissed in 2012 as US courts lacked jurisdiction over the Cyprus-based company. In 2023, a Dutch court heard a case against xHamster brought by the Expertise Center for Online Child Abuse (EOKM) concerning the publication of sexual content without consent.
Content Moderation
Until 2021, photos and videos could be uploaded anonymously on xHamster. A 2020 investigation by Vice reported that the site used unpaid, untrained, and anonymous volunteer moderators who were observed arguing over criteria for identifying minors in pornographic footage. xHamster subsequently switched to paid employee moderators.
Notable Incidents
- In April 2016, xHamster blocked users with IP addresses from North Carolina after the state enacted a law limiting protections for LGBTQ people.
- In response to the People v. Turner sexual assault case, the site instituted a "Brock Turner rule" banning videos involving rape.
- In August 2018, xHamster launched a $25,000 "xHamster for Women Fund" to expand content aimed at female viewers.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, the site offered free Premium access to users in affected regions.
User Trends
According to xHamster's data, more than two-thirds (71.49%) of all site traffic was accessed on mobile devices as of 2019. The site reported that over 100,000 videos are viewed, 1,400 videos downloaded, and 30 uploaded every sixty seconds. In 2020, a survey of 100,000 users found that female-identifying viewers are younger, more sexually fluid, and outspend male-identifying users on porn, even while watching less frequently.
