Archive of Our Own
Archive of Our Own (AO3) is a free, noncommercial, nonprofit website for hosting transformative fanworks such as fanfiction.
What Archive of Our Own is
Archive of Our Own (AO3) is a free, noncommercial, nonprofit website for hosting transformative fanworks such as fanfiction. It is a project of the Organization for Transformative Works and is funded entirely by donations; users do not pay, and the site carries no ads. Work Search can find works by tag, title, author, word count, hits, kudos, publication date, and language. Filters cover ratings, warnings, categories, fandoms, characters, relationships, and freeform tags. Works can be downloaded in AZW3, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, and HTML, though each download includes all available chapters rather than an individual chapter. Readers can adjust site colors, fonts, and layout with site skins, and apply work skins to individual works. AO3 aims for compatibility with common desktop browsers, e-readers, screen readers, and default browsers on most iOS, Android, and Windows mobile devices. It is built on open-source archiving software designed by and for fans. An invitation is required to create an account; AO3 says this helps keep growth within its hardware, bandwidth, and support capacity.
Good
- Searches by tags, title, author, and other details
- Filters by rating, warning, fandom, and relationships
- Downloads works in five listed formats
- Offers site and work skins
- Users do not pay and the site has no ads
Watch out
- An invitation is required to create an account
- Downloads include all available chapters together
- Mobile apps are not currently available
- A public API is several major releases away
Who it suits
AO3 suits readers and creators of transformative fanworks who want detailed search and filtering options. It is also suited to readers who value downloadable works and customizable display settings.
Verdict
AO3 offers extensive work search, filters, downloads, and display customization without user fees or ads. Account creation requires an invitation, and downloads cannot be limited to a single chapter.
Plans and prices
From Archive of Our Own's own pricing page, checked 5 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free archive access | Free | Users don't pay; no advertisements |
The facts
Each one read from Archive of Our Own's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Accessibility
- AO3 aims to be compatible with common desktop browsers, e-readers, screen readers, and default browsers on most iOS, Android, and Windows mobile devices.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Account access
- An invitation is required to create an account; AO3 says invitations help control growth within hardware, bandwidth, and support capacity.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Customization
- Users can change the Archive's colors, fonts, and layout with site skins, and customize individual works with work skins.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Download limitation
- A work download includes all available chapters, and individual chapters cannot be downloaded separately.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Downloads
- Works can be downloaded in AZW3, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, and HTML formats.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Filters
- Works can be filtered by rating, warning, category, fandom, character, relationship, and freeform tags.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Funding
- The Archive is funded entirely by donations to the Organization for Transformative Works; users do not have to pay and the site does not host ads.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Open source
- AO3 is built on open-source archiving software designed and built by and for fans, and the software is hosted at GitHub.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- AO3 is a noncommercial, nonprofit hosting site for transformative fanworks such as fanfiction.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Search
- Work Search can search by tag, title, author, word count, hits, kudos, publication date, and language.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Support
- The FAQ directs users with accessibility problems to contact Support.checked 5 Oct 2026
The company
- Maker
- AO3 is a project of the Organization for Transformative Works, a nonprofit organization established by fans.checked 5 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Mobile app and API
- The FAQ says mobile apps are not currently available because resources are unavailable, and a public API is several major releases away on the roadmap.checked 5 Oct 2026
Alternatives to Archive of Our Own
- 1
Wattpad
AndroidiOSWeb6.2 - 2
FanFiction.Net
AndroidiOSWeb5.2 - 3
Y/n
AndroidiOSWeb5.2 - 44.6
- 5
Fimfiction
Web4.6 - 6
Quotev
Web4.6