An AO3 backup for when the Archive is down
When AO3 is unreachable, the fics you love don't have to be. ao3.life keeps copies of AO3 works you can search, read, download and listen to. It is a backup for reading, not a replacement for the community.
Updated
What you can do here
- Search15,831,236 saved works by title, author, fandom, ship, character or tag. Matching is forgiving: the last word can be a prefix, so hogw finds Hogwarts. Search tips.
- Browse by tag, the way AO3 readers already think: fandoms, ships, characters and tropes.
- Read in your browser, no account needed: one chapter at a time, adjustable text size, light, sepia or dark pages, and your place remembered.
- Download EPUB files to keep, so the next outage doesn't matter. How downloading works.
- Listen when your eyes are tired: every work can be read aloud, with a free preview. Fanfic audiobooks.
AO3 and ao3.life side by side
| AO3 | ao3.life | |
|---|---|---|
| Post your own work | Yes | No |
| Kudos, comments, bookmarks | Yes | No |
| New chapters | As authors post them | Works as they were when saved |
| Search by fandom, ship, tag | Yes, with include/exclude filters | Yes, with rating, status and language filters |
| EPUB download | Yes | Yes, no account needed |
| Audiobooks | Podfic, where fans have recorded one | Any work, free preview, then buy |
| Run by | The OTW, a nonprofit | An independent archive, not affiliated with AO3 or the OTW |
Other places to look
- Your own downloads. If you ever used AO3's Download button, check your Files app, Books app or e-reader first.
- The Wayback Machine at web.archive.org has snapshots of many AO3 pages, though coverage is patchy and works behind AO3's adult-content notice are often missing.
- Other communities such as FanFiction.Net and Wattpad host different stories, not copies of AO3. Some authors cross-post, so searching an author's name there can turn up the same fic.
Stay safe: while AO3 is down, don't enter your AO3 password on any “mirror” or “backup” site. AO3 has reported a security incident and recommends changing passwords you reused elsewhere. ao3.life never asks for your AO3 login.
When AO3 comes back
Go back. Leave kudos and comments on what you read here; that is how authors know their work matters. ao3.life exists so fics don't disappear, and every work still belongs to the person who wrote it. If one is yours, you can have it removed.