Wattpad vs SmashWords

Struggling to choose between Wattpad and SmashWords? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Wattpad is a Social & Communications solution with tags like stories, articles, fanfiction, poems, reading, writing, social.

It boasts features such as Allows users to publish and read stories, articles, fanfiction, poems, Social network for readers and writers to connect, In-app commenting and voting on stories, Personalized recommendations based on reading history, Writing contests and awards, Mobile apps available, Integration with social media sites and pros including Free to use, Large community of readers and writers, Good for amateur/aspiring writers to get feedback, Easy to use and post content, Good for reading on-the-go with mobile apps, Allows writers to build an audience and following.

On the other hand, SmashWords is a News & Books product tagged with ebooks, selfpublishing, distribution.

Its standout features include Self-publishing platform for ebooks, Distribution to major ebook retailers, Royalty payments direct to authors, Ebook formatting and conversion, ISBN assignment, DRM options, Coupon generation, Sales and readership analytics, and it shines with pros like Easy self-publishing process, Wide distribution reach, Good royalties for authors, No fees to publish, Formatting assistance, Analytics and marketing tools.

Feature	Wattpad	SmashWords
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Social & Communications	News & Books

Product Overview

Wattpad

Description: Wattpad is an online social reading and writing platform where users can read and publish stories, articles, fanfiction, and poems. It has over 90 million monthly users.

SmashWords

Description: SmashWords is an ebook publishing and distribution platform for independent authors. It allows authors to upload and sell their ebooks while handling distribution to major ebook retailers.

Key Features Comparison

Wattpad Features

• Allows users to publish and read stories, articles, fanfiction, poems
• Social network for readers and writers to connect
• In-app commenting and voting on stories
• Personalized recommendations based on reading history
• Writing contests and awards
• Mobile apps available
• Integration with social media sites

SmashWords Features

• Self-publishing platform for ebooks
• Distribution to major ebook retailers
• Royalty payments direct to authors
• Ebook formatting and conversion
• ISBN assignment
• DRM options
• Coupon generation
• Sales and readership analytics

Pros & Cons Analysis

Wattpad

Pros

• Free to use
• Large community of readers and writers
• Good for amateur/aspiring writers to get feedback
• Easy to use and post content
• Good for reading on-the-go with mobile apps
• Allows writers to build an audience and following

Cons

• Quality of writing on platform varies greatly
• Full of ads, promotions, and suggested stories
• Limited formatting options
• Harder to get noticed among huge amount of content
• Some concerns around copyright/plagiarism
• Not great for professional/published writers

SmashWords

Pros

• Easy self-publishing process
• Wide distribution reach
• Good royalties for authors
• No fees to publish
• Formatting assistance
• Analytics and marketing tools

Cons

• Less exposure than Amazon Kindle
• Lower name recognition than major publishers
• Less promotional marketing than major retailers
• Less prestige than traditional publishing

Pricing Comparison

Wattpad

• Freemium

SmashWords

• Freemium
• Subscription-Based