I'm just waiting for our batch to be butchered the entire day, so I have an extra time to reply to this.
Here's what I experienced from other sites.
Nowadays, my stories are up in the following sites:
1). ScribbleHub (Ballad of the School Hallways) - pretty much chill site, and there is an audience for every type of story. However, most readers tend to consume smut, gender-bender and GL, and so authors trying to get some name for themselves create works that cater to the reader preferences.
Another observation of mine for SH is that many 'loud' members have bias against isekai and harem.
2). HoneyFeed - chill site as well, even in giving feedbacks. Pretty much for authors who lean on the JPN side of literature (anime- or LN-style). OELNs thrive here, and I highly-recommend this place for starting authors, and refugees from RoyalRoad as well.
Problem with this site is that, UI is similar to Wattpad, but you can't upload lots of images (limited to 4, including the cover).
3). Syosetu - yeah, the JP Wattpad. English works, while not that popular, can still find an audience there. There is a rating system, and you can turn it off as well as the comments and reviews.
Downside is, Syosetu lacks formatting system like in English-oriented sites, since well, it is a JPN platform. But you can upload images via linking it from Mitemin.
4). Pixiv - the art site, JPN DeviantArt. While logging to the platform might end up with you being greeted with anime girls' asses (unlike in DeviantArt that would sometimes surprise you with a furry image from an author you follow), Pixiv can host a plethora of novels, and with audience too.
However, it is still a JP site, so English works are not that popular. UI is similar to Syosetu, along with its shortcomings (mainly the formatting).
5). WebNovel - I survived the first years uploading to this site because yes, the UI sucks. Got some audience here before, until some company policies regarding subscription drove away a lot of readers.
Still, I'm updating my works there. Not only did I invest time and effort upload my works there, I'm also lazy to delete it. (You can't actually, but there are circumventions.)
6). Wattpad - like WebNovel, it's pretty much a dead site, though unlike the latter, WP can still net me some audience who likes and comments on my works.
What I don't like with WP is that, you have to manually update your works, as opposed to SH and RR where you can schedule and forget your chapters once you set it. Still, formatting is good, and you can upload images (even videos and music clips) in chapters.
7). WebkomPH - well, this is a site exclusively for the most
cancerous proud race in SouthEast Asia. As one who belongs to the same race, this site offers exposure to newbie authors, and the UI (while it's got its share of problems) is pretty similar to SH and RR.
The problems are, UI is wonky. You can't fix the font size, and you often have problems with formatting the moment you copied your work from your manuscript and pasted it on the chapter editor.
Another thing is, WebkomPH focuses more on its comics audience, leaving the novels section like that 'unwanted' child of popular Mexican telenovelas.
Oh yeah, interaction on the main site is nil. If you want to interact with fellow authors, and/or readers, you have to go to Facebook and follow their page.
Now, here are the sites in which I previously uploaded my work, and took it down for some reasons...
1). RoyalRoad - focused on LitRPG stuff and audiences would kill you (possibly) for the following reasons: they don't like your genre, they don't like the direction of your story, they are some manchild who failed at his life and he read that your character went through the same shit as him but fought against it and succeeded, or simply, you spelled 'you' with 'u'.
Or, if you're unlucky, some horny bastard who can't find masturbation material in your work, as in my example below:
You get the idea. RR is not for the faint-hearted, or authors who simply want to enjoy telling a story. While there are some who found success in this platform, I recommend you polish your story first, and steel your nerves before presenting your work to the connoisseurs of online lieterature. /s
2). CreativeNovels - pretty strange site. When I uploaded my work there, it had to be approved, mainly because they are giving the author an idea that he/she can earn something while updating in their platform. UI is confusing, and audience is kind of silent, only speaking up when I removed my work due to unrelated reasons.
3). Penana - who says stoners can only be found in streets? In Penana, not only did I find K-pop delusional fantasies of their idols, I also encountered someone accusing me of stealing my own illustrations! (Please read from below)
Well, upload at your own risk.
4). Inkitt - Inkitt is more like a streamlined site for authors, most of which lean on literature for ladies (titles with Alpha, covers with naked torsos of men). What I like about this site is their UI for chapters, which automatically detects and 'chops' your work from your manuscript.
I still upload here, mainly for the UI, but not publishing it because my target demographics is not there.
5). FanFiction - dead than WebNovel. In all the days I uploaded there, nothing. It's like the Sahara, big but dead.
So yeah, I'll return to my examination since the assessors say it'll take us an entire day to finish.
