Best Fanfiction Sites in 2025: Where to Read and Why

I've been reading fanfiction for over a decade. Started on FFN, migrated to AO3, occasionally visit Wattpad for specific fandoms. I've read approximately too much fic.

Here's my honest guide to where fanfiction lives in 2025.

Archive of Our Own (AO3)

The crown jewel of fanfiction.

AO3 is nonprofit, ad-free, and community-run. It has the best tagging system in existence. You can filter for exactly what you want with surgical precision.

Why It's Great

Tags. I cannot overstate this. You can filter for "slow burn, 50k+ words, completed, no major character death, specific ship." Finding fic on AO3 is an art form, and the tools are there.

No censorship. AO3 was built specifically because other platforms kept banning content. Anything goes. This is both a feature and something to be aware of.

No ads. Ever. It's funded by donations.

Kudos and comments. The engagement system is simple and works.

The Downsides

Intimidating for newcomers. The tagging system takes learning.

Quality varies wildly. No curation means everything from masterpieces to first attempts.

Explicit content is common. You can filter it out, but it's very present.

Best For

Any fandom, any ship, any kink. If it exists, it's on AO3.

FanFiction.net (FFN)

The original.

FFN has been around since 1998. It's where many readers discovered fanfiction. It feels dated now, but it's still active.

Why It's Still Relevant

Archive depth. Old fandoms, old stories. Some classics only exist on FFN.

Less intimidating. Simpler interface than AO3.

Certain fandoms live here. Some communities never migrated.

The Downsides

The interface is ancient. It genuinely hasn't been significantly updated in years.

Stricter content rules. Explicit content was purged in the Great Purge of 2012.

Worse search/filter. Compared to AO3, finding what you want is painful.

Best For

Nostalgia, older fandoms, less explicit content.

Wattpad

Social media for fiction.

Wattpad isn't exclusively fanfiction, but there's a massive fanfic community there, especially for certain fandoms.

Why People Use It

Mobile-first. The app is actually good. Reading on your phone is seamless.

Social features. Inline comments, reader engagement, social vibes.

Huge for certain fandoms. K-pop, One Direction, newer YA fandoms are massive on Wattpad.

The Downsides

Ads everywhere. The free tier is ad-heavy.

Young audience. The writing often reflects this.

Discovery is algorithm-based. Harder to find specific things.

Best For

Mobile reading, social engagement, certain fandoms.

Other Platforms

Quotev: Smaller, quiz-focused platform with fanfic. Younger audience.

Tumblr: Not a fic platform, but fic gets posted there. Messy but vibrant.

SpaceBattles/SufficientVelocity: Forums for specific genres (especially quests and crossovers).

Specific fandom archives: Some fandoms have dedicated sites (e.g., Twisting the Hellmouth for Buffy crossovers).

How to Find Good Fic

After years of reading, here's my method:

1. Use filters aggressively on AO3. Word count minimums (30k+) and completed status help.

2. Check kudos-to-hits ratio. A fic with 1000 kudos and 5000 hits is probably better than one with 1000 kudos and 100000 hits.

3. Read rec lists. Fandom communities curate recommendations. Find them on Tumblr, Reddit, or Discord.

4. Trust authors you've liked. Check their bookmarks and other works.

5. Sort by kudos for popular. Sort by recent for new. Both have value.

The Ethics Thing

Fanfiction exists in a legal grey area. Most authors tolerate or support it. Some actively don't.

Generally accepted: Don't monetize it, credit the source, don't claim it's original.

Contentious: Real person fiction (RPF) about living people.

AO3's position is that transformative work is protected, and they'll legally defend it. This matters.

Where narrator Fits

Fanfiction scratches a specific itch: more content in worlds you love.

But sometimes you want something that doesn't exist in any fandom. A specific character type, a specific dynamic, a specific setting that's not quite any existing property.

That's where narrator comes in. You can describe exactly what you want, "enemies to lovers in a space opera setting with cultivation elements" and get original fiction tailored to your exact preferences.

It's not fanfiction (no existing characters), but it's solving the same problem: getting more of what you love to read.

My Recommendations

If you're new to fanfic: Start with AO3. Learn the tagging system. Filter for "completed" and sort by kudos.

If you want mobile reading: Wattpad is actually good for this.

If you want old classics: FFN archives are worth exploring.

If you want something specific that doesn't exist: Tell narrator what you want.

The Fic Life

There's no shame in reading fanfiction. Some of the best character work I've ever read was fic. Some of the most creative premises. Some of the most emotionally devastating moments.

It's just fiction by people who love fiction.

Find your fandom. Find your ship. Read 100k words at 3am. Live your best life.