Made for artists and illustrators

Containing gorgeous works of art from creators of various fandoms, pixiv is a social and communication haven for artists and fans alike. This free-to-use app program is a more compact iteration of the website version of the same name. That said, it retains the primary functions but obviously falls short on the finer details.

On the pixiv platform, users will get access to a rich directory of fan-made content like novels, mangas, and illustrations. Fans can even follow their favorite creators and interact with them by leaving comments and messages. However, its content is mostly in Japanese or Korean.

For creators and fans alike

Essentially combining DeviantArt and Wattpad in one convenient app, pixiv offers a safe space for content creators across different fandoms and media franchises. Any user can use it for free and without signing up, but creating an account comes with additional perks, such as having more search filter options, being able to leave comments, and saving profile settings to be able to access mature content.

It also curates which content to show the user through an algorithm that uses the user’s “likes” as well as the most popular and trending works on the platform. In the same vein, any registered user can bookmark their favorite content using the “collection” feature, send fan messages to creators, and more. Following creators and finding new ones are easy to do, too, thanks to the neat user interface.

It even recommends new creators to follow, just in case you’re looking for something new. However, users report slow photo and video loading, regardless of the quality of their internet connection. There are also frequent errors when logging in through connected social media like Twitter. At the same time, there’s a premium option that additional perks, although anyone can use the app as it is.

Worth it in spite of the drawbacks

In a nutshell, pixiv is a decent media-sharing platform for content creators that has a focus on fan-made stuff. It offers a neat and easily understandable dashboard that shows fan works right away, and registered users can immediately start saving content to their “collection,” leaving comments, and more. While log-in errors and slow media loading happen often, the app is still worth a try.