So I’ve started making a webcomic. Where should I put it?

Real good question! There’s a lot of options out there these days, and you can choose the best one for you and your comic based on what seems to suit the most!

Comic Platforms:

One easy way to jump in (especially for folks who are hesitant to code) is to look into a free webcomic platform to host your comic. There are a variety of websites out there which are tailored specifically for webcomics and will let anyone sign up for their own small space to host their comic, and who make efforts to promote specific comics, provide a directory of comics by genre for visitors, and cultivate an environment of readers, similar to how a mall attracts people to a collection of stores.

You do have to follow the platform’s rules on content, the options you get for monetizing your content are usually very limited, and if you ever move locations, you may find that people are more loyal to the platform than your particular comic and will just replace you on their reading list. Here are a few options for comic platforms:

FREE HOSTS:

• WebToon Canvas: This is the English branch of a South Korean company called LINE, which has similar platforms in a variety of different regions and languages. WebToon specializes in vertical scroll comics, although creators can upload traditional printed-page-style comics as well; it’s important to note that as most of their readership keeps up with their comics via a phone app, art that reads well on a small and narrow screen tends to perform best. WebToon is fairly strict about content. Titles which are flagged as Mature may be removed or hidden from their phone app. There is no website customization allowed for creators hosting their content here.
• Tapas: Another South Korea-based company, Tapas is similar in format to WebToon in terms of prioritizing scroll-format webcomics, although their community includes more page-format comics.
• Comicfury: This site still specializes in what I will refer to for now as “traditional” webcomics– that is, comics whose updates are read one page at a time, with arrows linking to the next and previous pages in sequence, rather than stacked vertically and scrolled through. Comicfury allows users a considerable amount of customization of their website, from aesthetic choices like background colour, to basics of website navigation; users can even pick out a custom URL.
• The Duck (formerly Drunkduck): Similar to ComicFury, they allow their users considerable customization of their space. This platform has a small and very dedicated userbase and is run primarily on community donations.
• Tumblr: Has taken some hits as a host in recent years, especially as a change in their terms of service retroactively removed hundreds of posts, breaking the navigation for a number of comics. Do to this, using it as a primary host is risky and not entirely recommended, but it does still have some tools for customizing the reading experience, and could be a viable mirror.
• Comicgenesis: This host has been around since the early 2000s (under the name Keenspace) and is definitely showing its age and no longer supported. It may not even be possible to register a new site with them, but it’s worth a mention as it has yet to take down the comics that are hosted there. Maybe…?

FULL WEB HOSTS:

Not happy with the restrictions of the platforms? Making your own website is also an option! Web hosts that give you database options start at about $5 a month, but the very large benefits to these are that you can share that space/cost with friends and also add a comic-specific Content Management System (or CMS) to lay in the groundwork for a functional site and then customize the appearance however you want. Getting navigation and display options completely customized will require working with someone who knows a bit of HTML and CSS code (or learning yourself from the many Googleable tutorials of the internet).

This option is the most work, but the best way to get exactly what you want and share almost any kind of content that other sites might restrict.

Some popular CMSes are:

• Wordpress with plugin (Comicpress, Toocheke, Inkblot, Comic Easel)
• Grawlix - This CMS project has changed hands a couple times, but has a solid base and has an easy guided installation process.
• Comic CTRL
• WebcomicX

PUBLISHERS AND COLLECTIVES

A publisher will contract with a webcomic creator to produce content, in exchange for services such as hosting, marketing, and access to other tools and resources. Collectives are groups of creators who band together to help one another out with cross-promotion and similar resource-sharing, and in some cases may also offer hosting to their members. Broadly speaking, these are generally either invite-only or can only be accessed via applications which may not be open continuously, and as such they aren’t as straightforward to enter, especially for new creators. But it is worth noting them regardless!

Hiveworks is a publisher of webcomics, with a large catalogue of stories from all genres, as well as a branch dedicated to adult content. 

SpiderForest is a collective, a volunteer-run group of creators who cross-promote on one anothers’ spaces and also organize a yearly comic anthology. SpiderForest offers hosting to its members.

Aradia: Magical Girl Collective is a collective specifically themed around magical girl stories. They also are involved with archiving magical girl comics both on and off the web.

Collective of Heroes is a collective specifically for stories in the superhero genre.

OPTIONS THAT ARE TEMPTING BECAUSE THEY’RE FREE BUT CAN BACKFIRE:

Limited web hosts: For a more customizable and controlled webcomic experience, there are various general website hosts for free or cheap that will give you shared server space to make your own website.  This option means you have full control over your space; how the comic is displayed, how readers will navigate it, if and where ads will appear, etc.  There are a few free web hosts like Squarespace, Weebly and Wix that are built for non-coders, but they do have content restrictions and are not tooled for comics, so you’ll be doing a lot of fiddling to make things like navigation/archives work for your readers.

Social Media: Social media is big, loud, and everyone goes there, so putting your comics straight on Instagram, Deviantart, Tumblr, or Twitter can get immediate eyes on your work and potential viral attention, especially if you’re making short standalone comics, slice-of-life, things that tie nicely into fandoms, and the like. Social media is also built to be easy to use and almost all of them have scheduling abilities to put lots of comics up in advance.

Where it’s weakest is that you can’t control your position in the algorithm or your neighbors and that’s going to change every time you go. Ads, the policies of the platform, and even other posters can make for an inconsistent reading experience and is especially rough for longform comics to really be heard or seen as intended.  And if they ever go under or change their policies (especially around NSFW content), you might find a lot of work you put in spontaneously gone (RIP female-presenting breasts).

They’re also not specifically built for comics so they lack all the nice things like page navigation/archives for continuous stories, and while there are workarounds, it’s a bit of a chore for readers to try to follow stories sometimes.

Instagram:
Pros: The easiest-to-search tagging system out of any social media, hands down. The content is specifically geared toward art. Weak resharing abilities, which means it doesn’t get clouded with bad vibes a lot.
Cons: Extremely punishing algorithm if you don’t work it properly, no external linking allowed, no resharing, annoying bots, no real workarounds to customize for a continuous comic-reading experience beyond picture stacks. (I don’t know their NSFW policies)

Twitter:
Pros: Well-attended, easy to share things so if you make something popular you have THE biggest chance of viral popularity.
Cons: Extremely punishing algorithm so all your followers won’t see your stuff, no customizability for a continuous comic, similar to Tumblr can pull a lot of randos with bad takes into your mentions and you have no great way of stopping them IF you get that coveted viral attention.

DeviantArt: Pros: Long history, artist-focused, devoted fanbases, and no algorithms, so if someone follows you, they will see everything you post.  You can manage comments within your own posts and write blogs.  You can kinda cobble together your own nav and side galleries if you want to make a continuous comic. Cons: Outdated and poorly trafficked these days, clunky.

Tumblr:
Pros: The most customizable platform. If you have the coding knowledge, you can make a Tumblr blog look VERY close to a dedicated comic website with navigation and side pages. Resharability is pretty okay. No algorithms for followers. 
Cons: Losing popularity, the business changes hands a bunch, and their AI for determining NSFW content mistakes sand dunes for people. Reblogs can be good but also lead to a lot of bad-faith takes and pitchfork-wielding mobs.