XCams

What XCams is

XCams is a European-focused live cam platform, in the words of a review on thebestfetishsites.com, with "a fairly clean and modern look". It runs on credits rather than subscriptions: a review on adultcamreviews.co.uk says that to see one of the performers you have to buy credits, and that no subscription is needed. NSFW-Tools describes it in one line as a platform that connects viewers with live cam models, where a visitor can chat, request private shows, or just watch.

The roster covers women, men, trans performers and couples, according to adultcamreviews.co.uk, which also says the site has over 7,350 live cams. en.camzilla.tv, by contrast, lists women, couples and trans performers in the start-page filters and puts "No gay cams" among its cons. thebestfetishsites.com calls the site mid-sized: not empty, but not as crowded as the very large cam networks. Registration is free, per that same review, though credits quickly turn out to be the way into private shows and extra features. In short, reviewers describe a tidy European cam site where every paid minute goes through credit packs.

What a visitor gets and how the money works

The front page and the performer pages. en.camzilla.tv describes a start page in purple that shows at the very top how many live cams are currently available, with a language switcher at the top right. The thumbnails are not screenshots of a running show: hovering over one lets a visitor leaf through a few images of that performer. thebestfetishsites.com adds that the performers sit in a grid that loads without much delay, and that menus and filters sit in logical places.

Clicking a thumbnail does not open a public chat room, according to en.camzilla.tv. It opens the performer's own offer page: a video greeting, personal information with name, age and language skills, the performer's price list, a short personal profile and a few photos. The page is closer to a storefront than to a room, and a visitor sees what a performer charges before committing. en.camzilla.tv lists "Transparent and fair pricing" first among its pros.

Show formats. en.camzilla.tv lists the ways to interact once a visitor has credit: chat in the open video chat, switch to a private chat with the performer, look into other private chats "through the virtual keyhole" as a voyeur, or book an exclusive VIP chat, completely private and undisturbed. It also gives the price order, which every performer sets in her own list: video recordings are usually the cheapest, a private show costs a little more, the voyeur view more again, and the VIP show the most. thebestfetishsites.com describes a mix of public and premium shows, with some performers keeping part of the show visible while reserving more explicit content for paying viewers.

Free versus paid. adultcamreviews.co.uk calls the free offer of XCams "very limited", while the same review says a large part of the live cams are free of charge. en.camzilla.tv says a visitor can browse for free but has to pay, in advance, to chat. thebestfetishsites.com sums the site up as "a mix of free previews with paid options". The common ground is that looking is free and talking costs credits.

Filters and interactive toys. en.camzilla.tv lists the start-page filters: languages (French, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch), gender, an extra row for Top, New and HD, hair color, bust size, figure, age bands (18-25 and 40+) and networked toys. It explains that networked toys let the viewer control the performer's toy remotely. thebestfetishsites.com singles out the filter for performers with a connected interactive toy as a pro. adultcamreviews.co.uk adds sorting by top, quality and last connection.

Clips and uploads. adultcamreviews.co.uk lists "Live Webcam" and "Webcam Clips" among what to expect, and says the clips section can be filtered by all, new, top rated and last viewed. en.camzilla.tv says some performers offer pre-recorded video that can be streamed but not downloaded. adultcamreviews.co.uk also describes video exclusivity: members can upload videos, which can then only be found and viewed on XCams.

XCams Connect and mobile. adultcamreviews.co.uk describes XCams Connect as a service that lets members chat with performers, which for the time being has to be downloaded; the review says the operator guarantees the software is virus-free, and that members get a notification when a chosen performer comes back online. The same review says the site works on laptops and mobile devices and that its application runs on Android, Apple, Windows Phone and Blackberry.

Quality and service. adultcamreviews.co.uk puts the video at medium quality in places and very good or HD in others, and says the FAQ covers topping up credit, payment options, account problems, webcam errors and private shows. It says customer service answers by phone on weekdays, with numbers for France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Great Britain, Holland and the USA, plus a live chat. thebestfetishsites.com calls video and audio quality generally solid.

The figures reviewers publish

Credit packs. adultcamreviews.co.uk lists these offers for new and returning customers:

• Special offer with a 90 percent discount: 25 credits for 1 euro
• Pack XS without a discount: 45 credits for 14.99 euros
• Pack S with a 5 percent discount: 95 credits for 29.99 euros
• Pack M with a 10 percent discount: 200 credits for 59.99 euros

The same review mentions a get-to-know offer of 5 minutes of live cams for 1 euro for new customers, and its tip is to take the 25 credits for 1 euro first and buy more only if needed. thebestfetishsites.com calls the credit system fairly typical, with several package sizes, and warns that costs add up in long private sessions.

Per-minute rates. en.camzilla.tv says each performer publishes her own price list on the offer page, so rates vary by performer, and none of the reviews quotes a single rate.

Payment and billing. adultcamreviews.co.uk says XCams takes bank transfer, credit card, payment by phone and Paysafecard, but not PayPal, and that the bank statement shows www.dnxpay.com, the company the operator uses for payments. It says personal and payment data travel over 128-bit SSL. en.camzilla.tv says the top-up options only appear after registration, which needs a credit card; it calls that a high hurdle and explains it as the site's age check.

Inactive balances. en.camzilla.tv says leftover credit does not have to be used at once, but that new credits should be bought within 3 months, or a monthly fee of 10 credits applies to keep the account active.

Operator. adultcamreviews.co.uk names DNX Network Sarl, at 6 Rue Henri Schnadt in L-2530 Luxembourg, and en.camzilla.tv says the site is registered in Luxembourg. A camdame.be article written for performers names a different operator, EasyFlirt Entertainment B.V., and says the site was founded in 2009, so the sources disagree.

Performer side. en.camzilla.tv says performers get 45% of the minute prices users pay, plus 30% on users they recruit; camdame.be gives a starting commission of 35%. camdame.be also describes the audience as mainly male, aged 25-55, and strongest in France, Italy, Spain and French-speaking countries.

Who it suits and who it does not

XCams suits a viewer who likes a tidy interface, European performers and seeing a price before paying: the offer page puts each performer's list, languages and profile up front. A cautious spender can start with the 25-credit offer for 1 euro, a viewer who likes toys can filter for a connected toy, and someone who wants more than a private show can choose voyeur or VIP formats.

It suits less well a viewer who wants long free shows and tipping, since reviewers place most of the action behind credits. thebestfetishsites.com says the number of performers online can feel thinner than at bigger sites for very specific niches or time zones. The card requirement at registration is a caveat for anyone who wants to try the site without handing over payment details, and the 10-credit monthly fee on an idle balance is another.