How Many People Use Wattpad in 2024? Over 90 Million Active Monthly Users

Wattpad is a unique social storytelling platform that brings together a community of over 90 million readers and writers each month. With so many users, it has become massively popular as the place for reading, writing and sharing original stories.

But how exactly did Wattpad grow to its current size? Why is it so popular, especially among young people? And is it the right platform for you?

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about Wattpad in 2024 – from its history and key features to controversies, competitors and future outlook. Let’s get started!

A Quick History of Wattpad – From Humble Beginnings to Global Platform

First, let‘s look at how Wattpad has evolved over the years:

Wattpad was founded in 2006 by Allen Lau and Ivan Yuen as a mobile-first platform for writers. The headquarters is in Toronto, Canada.

At first, Wattpad was a side project – the founders worked on it evenings and weekends. But they could see the potential for online storytelling and grew the platform.

Some key milestones:

• 2006 – Wattpad is founded
• 2007 – The first story is published on Wattpad
• 2009 – Wattpad mobile apps launch on iOS and Android
• 2010 – Wattpad raises $3.5M in funding, allowing the founders to work full-time on it
• 2011 – Wattpad launches the Wattys – its annual writing awards
• 2012 – 10 million user milestone reached
• 2016 – Wattpad Studios is launched to adapt stories into movies, TV, books etc. This becomes a key part of the business model
• 2019 – Paid Stories launch, allowing writers on Wattpad to earn revenue
• 2021 – 90 million user milestone reached

Over the years, Wattpad has continued to enhance the user experience through new features tailored to readers and writers. It has also expanded the platform into entertainment, education and other verticals.

Next let‘s analyze Wattpad‘s massive user growth.

Wattpad User Statistics 2024 – Key Facts and Figures

Wattpad has impressive user statistics that highlight its popularity across the globe:

• 90 million monthly active users engage with Wattpad
• It has over 80 million story uploads – an endless ocean of content
• 400+ million story uploads since Wattpad was founded
• The platform logs 23 billion minutes spent reading per month
• 80 languages are represented across stories
• On average, users spend 30 minutes a day on Wattpad reading or writing
• 80% of engagement happens through Wattpad‘s mobile apps

The following table summarizes some key Wattpad user stats:

Metric	Stat
Monthly active users	90 million
Monthly story uploads	Over 1 million
Total story uploads	400+ million
Monthly minutes spent reading	23 billion
Languages represented	80+
Daily time spent per user	30 minutes
Mobile engagement	80%

These incredible stats show how Wattpad has built an engaged global community centered around reading and writing original stories.

Next, let‘s analyze the demographics to understand who Wattpad users are.

Demographic Breakdown of Wattpad Users

Wattpad has captured a loyal user base of young people across the globe:

• 70% of users are female
• 90% of users are under 30 years old
• The largest segment is the 13-17 age group

Furthermore, the platform resonates extremely well with multicultural youth. About 10% of users are from the LGBTQ+ community.

Here is the geographic breakdown of Wattpad‘s audience:

• United States – 26% of users
• India – 10%
• Philippines – 7%
• United Kingdom – 5%
• Canada – 4%

Country	Percentage of Users
United States	26%
India	10%
Philippines	7%
United Kingdom	5%
Canada	4%

Teen girls make up a major part of Wattpad‘s audience. As such, the most popular genres are romance, fanfiction and coming-of-age stories. This contrasts platforms like AO3 which skew towards adults.

Now let‘s explore the special features catering to Wattpad‘s community of readers and writers.

Wattpad‘s Key Features and Offerings to Users

Wattpad focuses both on readers who enjoy discovering stories, and writers wanting to publish their work. Some standout features include:

For Readers

• Reading Lists – Save stories to easily access later
• Story Notifications – Get alerts when new chapters are published
• Multilingual Content – Read stories in over 50 languages
• Profile – Follow friends and favorite authors
• Recommendations – Discover stories based on your interests

For Writers

• In-App Writing – Wattpad‘s editor makes it easy to write or upload stories
• Analytics – Track story stats like reads, votes, comments
• Challenges – Participate in writing challenges to get noticed
• Commenting – Get feedback and interact with readers
• Contests – The annual Watty Awards recognize standout stories
• Paid Stories – Top writers can earn ad and subscription revenue

Together, these features have created a vibrant, engaged community. The interactions between readers and writers help stories spread on Wattpad.

Now let‘s explore Wattpad‘s business model and how it actually makes money.

Wattpad‘s Business Model – How It Generates Revenue

As a free platform, how does Wattpad actually earn revenue? The business model focuses on the following income streams:

• Paid Stories – Since 2019, writers can opt-in to monetize their stories through ads and paid subscriptions. Top earning stories can make over $40,000 per month for writers.
• Brand Partnerships – Companies like Disney, Hulu and NBCUniversal pay to sponsor stories and profiles as native ads. After by Anna Todd brought in sponsors like Audi.
• Traditional Ads – Wattpad runs direct ads between paragraphs in free stories.
• Content Licensing – Entertainment companies adapt Wattpad stories into movies, TV shows, books and more.

In 2022, Wattpad raised $158.5 million at a valuation of $607 million. The business model has proven successful, especially by allowing amateur Wattpad writers to earn money directly from mega-fans.

To understand Wattpad‘s appeal, let‘s compare it with competitors in the social reading space.

How Wattpad Compares to Competitors Like AO3 and Tumblr

Wattpad dominates the social storytelling space. But how does it compare to similar platforms?

AO3

AO3 (Archive of Our Own) is also focused on fanfiction and original writing. But it skews towards an older demographic of users in their 20s-30s. There are fewer social elements than Wattpad.

Tumblr

Tumblr features much more multimedia content like photos, gifs and videos. The focus is not exclusively on written stories. User-interaction also occurs through reblogs/likes rather than comments.

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing

Kindle Direct helps authors self-publish to Amazon. But there is little community engagement, and books must meet Amazon‘s standards.

Webnovel

Webnovel provides a similar storytelling platform to Wattpad but has significantly lesser users. It also focuses on Chinese web novels.

Ultimately, no competitor has matched Wattpad‘s popularity, especially among young people looking for entertainment and community. Now let‘s explore some cons amidst all of the positives.

Wattpad Controversies and Criticisms

With millions of young users and unfiltered content, Wattpad has faced some controversies:

• Explicit content – Critics argue Wattpad does not do enough to filter explicit content from underage users. The "New Adult" section in particular can feature stories with sexual content.
• Plagiarism – Rampant plagiarism is an issue, with users copying others‘ stories. Wattpad does have DMCA policies but enforcement is difficult.
• Toxic commenting culture – Harassment in comments is also a problem. Writers often face trolling regarding ships, plots, or other aspects of their stories.
• Predatory behavior – There are concerns about grooming on Wattpad, with adults interacting with minors. Critics say more safeguards are needed.
• Copyright – Entertainment companies have sometimes failed to properly license content adapted from Wattpad.

While Wattpad has looked to address these issues, problems still persist around content moderation given the sheer scale of users. Parents in particular often express concerns.

The Pros and Cons of Wattpad for Different Users

Given the controversies, is Wattpad ultimately a good platform, especially for young creators? Let‘s weigh the pros and cons for different users:

For Teen Writers

Pros:

• Express your creativity through writing
• Develop a fanbase of engaged readers
• Get real-time feedback to improve
• Potential to get discovered and go pro

Cons:

• Predatory commenters
• Plagiarism of stories
• Pressure to update frequently

For Young Readers

Pros:

• Enjoy fun, entertaining fiction for free
• Join an active community of fellow fans
• Meet favorite authors and other readers
• Discover new genres and stories

Cons:

• Exposure to explicit content
• Bullying/harassment in comments
• Time spent reading vs. other activities

For Adult Writers

Pros:

• Additional platform to reach readers
• Engage with fans through comments
• Chance your story gets noticed for adaptation

Cons:

• Younger demographic may not be your target
• Very hard to monetize writing
• Less professional than other publishing

For Brands/Companies

Pros:

• Sponsor stories for native advertising
• Access extremely engaged young users
• Creatively promote products/services

Cons:

• Limited data/metrics on ROI
• Risk of brand safety issues
• Less professional than other platforms

Ultimately, Wattpad‘s advantages seem to outweigh the negatives for most user groups. Teens in particular find a sense of community and support. But more oversight is still needed.

The Future Outlook for Wattpad

What‘s next for Wattpad as it continues maturing as a platform?

– More country-specific content – Wattpad is expanding further into India, Korea, and other markets with locally relevant stories.

– Greater monetization for writers – More opportunities exist to help amateur Wattpad writers earn revenue from mega-fans.

– Expanded entertainment partnerships – Wattpad stories being adapted into movies, shows, podcasts etc. will likely keep growing.

– Improved safety features – Adding greater protections for younger users while maintaining freedom of expression.

– Leveraging data analytics – Wattpad can provide more personalized recommendations and insights using AI.

– New content formats – Wattpad may evolve beyond just stories, like adding audio or video elements.

With such a large, loyal user base, Wattpad has plenty of potential for the future if it plays its cards right.

Conclusion

In summary, Wattpad has built a one-of-a-kind platform that resonates extremely well with young people. While not without controversy, it provides a place for the next generation of readers and writers to connect.

The viral growth has been staggering. And with over 90 million monthly active users, Wattpad has cemented itself as a cultural force.

For those who‘ve never used Wattpad before, it‘s worth giving it a try to experience the massive world of crowdsourced stories. There‘s definitely something for everyone given the variety of genres and content.

Whether you join as a reader, writer, or both, Wattpad offers endless entertainment and maybe even the first chapter into a lifelong passion for stories.

Sources

• Wattpad Press Page
• Wattpad About Page
• Wattpad Help Center
• TechCrunch
• The Atlantic
• Backlinko
• First Round Review
• SimilarWeb
• Medium